Audible, Inc.

Shirley C Yang

Ajay Arora

Douglas Cho Hwang

Douglas Scott Goldstein

Guy A Story, Jr

Guy Ashley Story, Jr

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more configured computing systems identifying companion content and supplemental content for a base content. Companion content may include, for example, video adaptations of the base content. Supplemental content may include content referenced or related in subject matter to the base content. Information regarding companion content may be utilized to enable a user to interchangeably or synchronously present either a base content (e.g., an eBook or audio book) with the companion content (e.g., a movie adaptation). Information regarding supplemental content may be utilized to present the supplemental content during consumption of a base content, or to save supplemental content for later viewing.

Managing related digital content

Users may have a set duration during which they may consume content, or they may have a variable duration during which they may consume content. A content pacing service is disclosed so that a portion of an item of content may be conveyed in the set duration during which a user is to consume the content. In one embodiment, the rate at which the content is conveyed is increased or decreased so that a reference point in the item of content (e.g., the end of a chapter in an audiobook) is reached approximately when the duration of the user's content consumption ends.

Pacing content

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 service for conveying questions with an item of content is disclosed. The content question service may analyze a portion of an item of content, select a question task, and then generate a question about the portion of the item of content using the selected question task. The content question service may receive a user's response to the conveyed question, analyze the response, and track the user's skill level for the selected question task.

Conveying questions with 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

Items of content may be organized into branched portions. From a current portion of an item of content, a branch may be selected, and the portion of the item of content connected by the selected branch to the current portion of the item of content may be conveyed. In this respect, multiple paths through the item of content may be achieved, each path including one or more portions connected to each other by one or more branches.

Conveying branched content

Base items of content may be conveyed by a user computing device. These base items of content may be enhanced with enhancement content, such as sounds, songs, video clips, animations, images, multimedia content, and the like. Characteristics and enhancement objects may be identified in a portion of the base item of content, and enhancement content may be assigned to that portion automatically by a content enhancement service. In one embodiment, enhancement sounds or songs may be provided and conveyed to enhance an audiobook or electronic book.

Selecting and conveying supplemental content

Features are disclosed for identifying multiple users contending for use of a shared media device with which to present a content item. Users may be detected by the shared media device or a management component, and each user may have previously begun and stopped consumption at a different point within the content item. When multiple users wish to consume the content, a component or module determines which presentation position to use, or creates a new presentation position for use. In cases in which not all users have begun consuming or wish to consume the same content item, a component or module determines which content item to present.

Managing use of a shared content consumption device

A content processing service may analyze an item of original content and identify several objects, attributes of those objects, and relationships between those objects present in the item of original content. The content processing service may also analyze a source graph, such as a social graph or supplemental graph, and identify several objects, attributes of those objects, and relationships between those objects present in the source graph. The content processing service may customize the item of original content by selecting an original object and selecting a source graph object. One or more of the attributes or relationships of the selected original object in the item of original content may be replaced by one or more of the attributes or relationships of the selected source graph object, thereby forming an item of modified content.

Content customization

A content processing service may analyze an item of original content and identify several objects, attributes of those objects, and relationships between those objects present in the item of original content. The content processing service may also analyze a source graph, such as a social graph or supplemental graph, and identify several objects, attributes of those objects, and relationships between objects present in the source graph. The content processing service may customize the item of original content by selecting an original object and selecting a source graph object. One or more of the attributes or relationships of the selected original object in the item of original content may be replaced by one or more of the attributes or relationships of the selected source graph object. To customize items of audio content, audio content associated with the source graph object may replace audio content associated with the target graph object.

Growing community of inventors

New York, NY, United States of America

Shirley C Yang