Audible, Inc.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Guy Ashley Story, Jr

Douglas Scott Goldstein

Ajay Arora

Douglas Cho Hwang

Howard Wolfish

Aaron Payne Goldsmid

Timothy Mott

Alexander Galkin

Igor V Grebnev

Nathan Garret Brothers

Graham James Bavitz

Pamela R Spector

Shirley C Yang

Steven Douglas Hatch

Ajit V Rajasekharan

Bryan Field-Elliot

Glenn Rogers

John Federico

Deepa Muralikrishnan

Arik Meyer

Thomas Overthun

Benjamin Che-Ming Jun

Scott Andrew Brenneman

Bruce N Israel

Beth Anderson

Don Katz

Tim Mott

Jeffrey P Bezos

Ian W Freed

Donald E Blahut

John Lattyak

Amit D Agarwal

Edward Stanley Szurkowski

Beryl Tomay

Steven Kessel

Steven Charles Dzik

James C Slezak

Francis Andrew Shanahan

Timothy Jaeger

Nanyan Li

Samuel Hong-Yen Pai

Kanwar Jit Singh

Aman Sagar

Puneet Girdhar

Shiranchal Taneja

William M Schell

Dikla Treves

Foy C Sperring, Jr

Pasupathi Ananta Subrahmanyam

Jason Ojalvo

Lisa Marie Stringer

Jodi Rothstein

Andrew Alexander Grathwohl

Douglas Cho Wang

Andrew Bennett Gaies

Paul Kocher

Vipin Bharathan

Sugeet K Shah

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the sharing of synchronization information corresponding to content among devices in a communication network. An originating device collects synchronization information related to the presentation of content to a user via the originating device. The synchronization information is defined according to reference points related to the presentation of the content to the user via the originating device, including a current state of the presentation of the content and/or additional information obtained during the presentation of the content. Based on detection of a synchronization event, the originating device transmits the collected synchronization information, resulting in the receipt of the synchronization information by one or more receiving devices. Thereafter, the presentation of the content to the user on one of the receiving devices can incorporate the synchronization information collected and transmitted by the originating device.

Synchronization of digital content

Features are disclosed for presenting multiple content items based on one or more rules defining how the multiple content items are to be presented. One content item may be a primary content item, and any number of additional content items may be related to or supplement the primary content item in some way. Rules may define which related content items may be presented and, in the case of multimedia content (e.g., content with both audio and video elements), which elements of the primary content may be overridden by or mixed with related content, and which may not. References to related content may be embedded in the primary content item, or references may be accessed at a content management system or service.

Rule-based presentation of related content items

Systems and methods are disclosed enabling recommendations of content items available in multiple formats based on an expected difficulty of a user in comprehending individual formats of the content item. For example, a user wishing to increase reading fluency may be provided with a recommendation for a multi-format content item including both an e-book and an audiobook. The recommended multi-format content item may be selected such that the e-book is expected to be somewhat difficult for the user to comprehend, and such that the audiobook is expected to be relatively less difficult for the user to comprehend. Thereafter, the user may simultaneously consume multiple formats of the recommended content item (e.g., by listening to the audiobook simultaneously to reading the e-book) in order to increase reading fluency.

Multi-format content recommendations to improve format fluency

Systems and methods are provided for generating user format preference data and using that data to select and/or deliver a specific format of a work. For example, a dynamic format delivery service can dynamically collect data representing a user's preferences respecting specific contexts and formats, and can store this data in association with the user. The dynamic format delivery service can then make use of that data to dynamically select a format for a requested work in order to provide the user with a format tailored to that specific user's consumption habits. Moreover, data representing preferences of a population of users, context attributes, or device-specific format preferences may further contribute to selecting a work format.

Dynamic format selection and delivery

A computing device may provide a control interface that enables the user to manage the synchronized output of companion content (e.g., textual content and corresponding audio content). For example, the computing device may display a visual cue to identify a current location in textual content corresponding to a current output position of companion audio content. As the audio content is presented, the visual cue may be advanced to maintain synchronization between the output position within the audio content and a corresponding position in the textual content. The user may control the synchronized output by dragging her finger across the textual content displayed on the touch screen. Accordingly, the control interface may provide a highlight or other visual indication of the distance between the advancing position in the textual content and the location of a pointer to the textual content indicated by the current position of the user's finger.

Managing playback of synchronized content

Systems and methods are provided for creating a sample of electronic content for transmission to others. For example, a user may select a portion of an electronic content file to be transmitted as an excerpt file to another user. In some instances, transmission may be prohibited based on various criteria.

Customized content delivery

Features are disclosed for automatically facilitating knowledge sharing using information collected during meetings. Collected information may include both the content and context of a meeting. The meeting content may comprise text collected by automatic speech recognition or entered manually at a user device. The meeting context may comprise information such as the identities of meeting participants and subject matter from a meeting agenda. The content and context information may be used to identify relevant topics for which knowledge is available, and the available knowledge may be presented to one or more of the meeting participants.

Knowledge sharing based on meeting information

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more configured computing systems identifying when decoupled content includes a companion content pair (e.g., a first content and a second content) that can be synchronously or interchangeably presented. Further, aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing a limited portion of at least one content item of a companion content pair, such as sample portions or trial use portions, and enabling playback of the limited portion synchronized with or as an alternative to the corresponding item of companion content. In some embodiments, a user may be enabled to acquire the complete content item either during or after consumption of the limited portion.

Synchronized digital content samples

Systems and methods are disclosed enabling recommendations of content items based on a difficulty of the content item as well as a skill level of the user. Skill-based content recommendations may be utilized, for example, in recommending content to language learners. Skill-based recommendations may be based on a variety of difficulty metrics of the content item, such as vocabulary and complexity of the language (e.g., words per paragraph, syllables per word, etc.), as well as a variety of skill metrics of the user (e.g., as explicitly provided by the user or implicitly determined based on a user's interaction with content items). Advantageously, such metrics can enable generation of recommendations based on a multi-dimensional difficulty assessment. Further, difficulty metrics, skill metrics, or the relationship between such metrics may be dynamically updated over time based on continued feedback from users, such that recommendations are dynamically improved.

Dynamic skill-based content recommendations

Systems and methods are provided for recommending a portion of one or more content items to be consumed in a given context. For example, a recommendation service may receive context information associated with a user's current context, where the context may be associated with a geographic location, an activity or other information. The recommendation service may then determine one or more recommended portions of one or more content items to be consumed in the given context, where the determination may be based in part on content characteristics of the one or more recommended portions.

Providing context-based portions of content

Features are disclosed for facilitating content presentation and consumption based on input regarding a user's gaze. Gaze tracking or eye tracking information can be obtained from, e.g., a user-facing camera. A content presentation system can determine whether the user's eyes have closed and how long they have closed, whether the user's gaze is directed at the portion of content currently being presented or at some other location, etc. Based on such determinations, presentation of content may be modified. In some cases, a current presentation position may be changed, highlights may be applied, a special bookmark may be generated, etc.

Gaze-based modification to content presentation

Features are disclosed for managing presentation of content to improve the content consumption experience as a user moves around or when there are multiple users. Based on user positions within a content consumption location and optionally on the layout of the location, presentation of content can be adjusted. The volume of audio content may be raised or lowered based on a user's position. Audio or visual content can be paused or stopped if a user leaves the location or the user's view is obstructed. When multiple users are consuming a content item, one or more users may have priority and any adjustment may be made to first improve the experience of the priority user. In some cases, no user has priority, and adjustments may be made to improve the experience of many or all users.

User location-based management of content presentation

A computing device may provide a visual cue to items of content (for example, words in a book) synchronized with the playback of companion content (for example, audio content corresponding to the book). For example, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a content playback synchronization system for use with physical books (or other physical media). In an embodiment, the computing device may display a visual cue (for example, an underline, box, dot, cursor, or the like) to identify a current location in textual content of the physical book corresponding to a current output position of companion audio content. As the audio content is presented (i.e., as it 'plays back'), the highlight and/or visual cue may be advanced to maintain synchronization between the output position within the audio content and a corresponding position in the physical textual content.

Synchronizing playback of digital content with physical content

Features are disclosed for providing notifications or recommendations to users based on user profile information and digital content the user is watching. In some implementations, a user can be watching a television program on a network enabled television. The systems and methods may determine characteristics of the television program and obtain user profile information. The systems and methods then may analyze the determined characteristics and user profile information to determine an association between the user and an item of interest in the television program. The systems and methods then may generate and provide a notification relating to the association to the user. Optionally, the systems and methods may also provide one or more recommendations to the user based at least in part on the determined association.

Recommendation and purchase options for recommemded products based on associations between a user and consumed digital content

A content exchange server facilitates the identification of potential narrators of content. The content exchange server receives audio samples from narrators and extracts recording features of the narrators from the samples, which can be associated with narrator profiles. A rights holder can submit preferred recording features for a work to the content exchange server. The content exchange server can compare the preferred focal features with the recording features extracted from the voice samples of the potential narrators to identify potential narrators for the work.

Narrator selection by comparison to preferred recording features

Growing community of inventors

New York, NY, United States of America

Guy Ashley Story, Jr