Block, Inc.

Other

Kirupa Pushparaj

Jesse Lee Dorogusker

Pål Berg

Agustina Sacerdote

Tait Svenson

Anders Herning

Mani Partheesh

Sivan Whiteley

Improvements to existing technologies associated with point-of-sale transactions and merchant ecosystems to, among other things, reduce in-person contact and, in some examples, improve the efficiency at which point-of-sale transactions are completed (i.e., reduce friction) are described. In some examples, such reduced in-person contact and/or improved efficiencies can limit transmission of infectious diseases. As such, techniques described are directed to modifying aspects of point-of-sale transactions such that they occur on different computing devices (e.g., customer computing devices instead of merchant computing devices), are automated, and/or occur at different times than with conventional point-of-sale transactions. Furthermore, in at least one example, techniques described can leverage a distributed, network-based merchant ecosystem—comprising multiple merchant computing devices and/or customer computing devices that are specially configured to communicate with a service provider—to facilitate social distancing, which can reduce in-person contact and, in some examples, improve the efficiency at which point-of-sale transactions are completed.

Reduced friction for merchant interactions

The present technology pertains to managing a sample of a media item using a non-fungible token (NFT) and an associated smart contract. The present technology includes identifying a portion of the media item as a sample, and creating an NFT referencing assignment of a right associated with the sample of the media item. The NFT has an associated smart contract defining a condition upon satisfaction of which the right associated with the sample will be assigned. The present technology may also include identifying market data of the media item, where the market data includes at least one of a list price and historical sales volume for the media item, and identifying charts data, critical review scores, and social media interaction with the media items. The market data can be used to determine a spot price for the sample of the media item.

Non-fungible tokens for media item samples

The present technology pertains to providing a live playback stream by a multi-media platform. During a live playback stream, the client device controls public playback of media items and is a source of live media during the live playback stream. The live playback stream can be made up of at least two streams between the client device and the multi-media platform. One stream is a playback control channel for transmitting data regarding playback controls pertaining to playback of recorded media content and another stream is a live media stream for transmitting data encoding live media. The multi-media platforms can transmit at least a portion of the data from the playback control channel and the live media stream to an audience member client device.

Live playback streams

The present technology pertains to artist and audience engagement interfaces and differentiated experiences determining a first segment of user accounts, determining a second segment of user accounts, providing media content to the first segment of user accounts and the second segment of user accounts, monitoring engagement of a user account included in the first segment of user accounts with the media content, based on the engagement of the user account transferring the user account from the first segment of user accounts to the second segment of user accounts and providing additional engagement options to the user account, receiving a communication from the user account included in the second segment of user accounts over a communication channel with the artist, and surfacing the received communication to the first segment of user accounts and the second segment of user accounts.

Audience and artist engagement interfaces

The present technology pertains to a penannular slider in a user interface. The penannular slider can accept an input to drag an indicator about the penannular slider to a location between a first terminal end of the penannular slider representing a first input source, and a second terminal end of the penannular slider representing input audio from playback of a media item. The location of the indicator can control a mixing of audio from the first input source and the input audio, and generating a mix includes first audio from the first input source at a first volume level and second audio from the input audio at a second volume level based on the location of the indicator about the penannular slider.

Media mixing user interface

Improvements to existing technologies associated with point-of-sale transactions and merchant ecosystems to, among other things, reduce in-person contact and, in some examples, improve the efficiency at which point-of-sale transactions are completed (i.e., reduce friction) are described. In some examples, such reduced in-person contact and/or improved efficiencies can limit transmission of infectious diseases. As such, techniques described are directed to modifying aspects of point-of-sale transactions such that they occur on different computing devices (e.g., customer computing devices instead of merchant computing devices), are automated, and/or occur at different times than with conventional point-of-sale transactions. Furthermore, in at least one example, techniques described can leverage a distributed, network-based merchant ecosystem&#x2014;comprising multiple merchant computing devices and/or customer computing devices that are specially configured to communicate with a service provider&#x2014;to facilitate social distancing, which can reduce in-person contact and, in some examples, improve the efficiency at which point-of-sale transactions are completed.

Disclosed herein is a geofence service that enables various remote control and automatic operations based a user's current geographic position as determined by the user's mobile device's current geographic location. The geofence service enables the user to define one or more geofences based on specific geographic locations. Such geofences may be applied against several geofence applications for remote and automatic control of devices. In one embodiment, the mobile device's volume or power control settings are adjusted based on the user's location inside or outside a geofence. In one embodiment, temperature setting of a building or house is controlled based on user's proximity to a geofence. In one embodiment, electrical appliances within a home are activated and controlled automatically based on user's current geographic location.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Kirupa Pushparaj