Aggregated Social Network Server for TV Content Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current social networking technologies on electronic devices operate in a vertical manner, limiting the sharing of content across multiple devices and services, and do not facilitate seamless multi-site and multi-user content sharing in a television consumer experience.
Innovation Solution
A centralized sharing server aggregates social networking contacts across various devices and services, enabling users to create and manage an aggregated social network, allowing for the sharing of content between users located at different sites, with content distribution controlled by a service provider ensuring access rights and parental controls are respected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If social networking contacts are maintained vertically on single devices or services, then device/service independence is maintained, but content sharing across multiple devices and services is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges contact lists from multiple vertical sources (different devices and services) into a single aggregated contact list stored on the server. This allows users to access and share content across all their devices through one unified contact list, resolving the contradiction between maintaining device independence and enabling cross-device content sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
The server-based aggregated contact list serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a centralized contact repository, enables cross-device content sharing, provides a foundation for social networking features, and supports various content types. This universal approach allows the system to handle diverse sharing needs without requiring separate vertical implementations for each device.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an aggregated social network is created to enable multi-site and multi-user content sharing, then content sharing capability is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary between multiple users and their devices, managing the aggregated contact list and facilitating content sharing. Instead of requiring direct peer-to-peer connections between all users and devices, the server mediates all interactions, simplifying the network architecture while enabling complex multi-user sharing scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from vertical contact management (device-centric) to horizontal contact management (user-centric). By storing contacts on the server rather than on individual devices, the system adds a new dimension to contact management that enables users to access and share content across multiple devices and locations simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If content sharing is enabled across multiple devices and services, then user experience is enhanced, but control over access rights and parental controls becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The server implements feedback mechanisms to track and enforce access rights and parental controls across all content sharing operations. By centralizing control on the server, the system can monitor content requests, verify user permissions, and enforce parental controls in real-time, ensuring that convenience does not compromise control reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for the aggregation, standardization and extension of social networking contacts to enhance a television consumer experience are described. An embodiment of a system includes a device connected to one or more devices with social networking technology. The device is accessed by a user to invite one or more contacts to join an aggregated social network via an aggregated social networking contact list. The aggregated social networking contact list is to include all contacts associated with the one or more social networking technology devices. The device is to receive and store aggregated social network content and to receive main content. The device is to cause the display of the stored aggregated social network content overlayed on the main content via a user interface on a display device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.