Social Network Screen Saver with Shared Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screen savers are static and lack personalization options, posing security risks and requiring users to subscribe to services or upload personal images, making it difficult for users to create personalized content without compromising privacy.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a social network to automatically construct a screen saver by retrieving images from a user's own collection and those shared by their contacts, using online photo sharing services and local storage, with options for accompanying information and periodic updates, implemented through an open overlay service and client architecture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users download new screen savers to change content, then screen saver variety is improved, but security risk increases due to potential viruses and malware
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trusted social network service as an intermediary between users and screen saver content. Instead of directly downloading from untrusted external sources, users access screen savers through their social network profile data, which acts as a verified intermediary layer that eliminates security risks while providing content variety
2Adaptability or versatility
If users subscribe to external services for screen saver images, then content variety is improved, but cost and complexity increase due to subscription requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to automatically generate their own personalized screen savers using their existing social network profile data and photo collections. The system self-constructs the screen saver by retrieving photos from the user's profile and contacts without requiring external service subscriptions, making the process free and simple
3Adaptability or versatility
If users upload personal images to external services, then personalization is improved, but privacy concern increases due to publishing personal images externally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the user's own social network profile as a trusted intermediary storage location. Photos are retrieved from the user's local social network data rather than being uploaded to external services, eliminating privacy concerns while still enabling personalization through the user's own photo collections and contacts
4Device complexity
If screen savers use static content sets, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability worsens as users cannot easily change content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static screen saver into a dynamic system that automatically updates based on the user's social network profile. The screen saver continuously retrieves new photos from the user's profile and contacts, providing automatic content updates without requiring user intervention or increasing system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide users in a social network with a screen saver constructed by media shared by their contacts and groups in a social network. The present invention provides a shared photo album that displays images from a user's own photo collection, and that of their social network automatically. For a user, the social network service queries its database to retrieve a list of photo sources. The sources of images may be online photo sharing services, other computers with photos on their local hard drives, and public peer-to-peer storage services. The images may be displayed to the user and optionally may be accompanied with information, such as the owner of the photo or descriptive phrases or comments about the photo. The social network service may be configured to continuously or periodically request photos to update the screen saver.