Patents Assigned to AOL Inc.
  • Patent number: 9560023
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for protecting user privacy in, for example, online advertising environments. The method includes receiving data related to a user in a first communication session between a host server and a client device, and generating a user profile associated with the user. The method further may include encrypting the user profile to produce encrypted user profile data and generating a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted user profile data. Thereafter, either the decryption key or a portion of the encrypted user profile data may be transmitted to the client device and then deleted from host server before ending the first communication session. The method further may include establishing a second communication session between the host server and the client device and retrieving the transmitted content. Then targeted advertising may be provided by decrypting the encrypted user profile data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: AOL, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Todd Wilson
  • Patent number: 9558333
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for allowing a primary user to share a digital service, in a bundle of services implemented by a plurality of different service providers, with a secondary user. In accordance with one implementation, a method includes receiving a request from the primary user to share a first service in the bundle of services with the secondary user. The method also includes generating, using at least one processor, a first token that associates the secondary user with the first service. The method further includes sending the first token to one of the plurality of different service providers for the first service. Additionally, the method includes modifying a status of the primary user to restrict access to the first service by the primary user while the first service is being shared with the secondary user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: AOL INC.
    Inventors: Benjamin G. Hills, Umesh S. Chhatre, George F. Fletcher, Joyce R. Cruickshank
  • Patent number: 9557898
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for syndicating slideshow content in a web feed. Data is obtained for a content feed associated with a web page in response to a request by a user of a content feed reader. A slideshow within the web page is identified based on analysis of the obtained data according to a schema definition for syndication of slideshow content. A first set of properties for the slideshow is extracted from the obtained data, based on the schema definition. A set of slides of the slideshow is identified based on the first set of properties. A second set of properties for the set of slides is also extracted from the obtained data. The content feed including the set of slides of the slideshow and one or more properties of the second set are displayed to the user via the content feed reader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Colm M. Geraghty, Cliff Redmond
  • Patent number: 9559994
    Abstract: A system and method allows a user to view communications exchanged between other participants within an online chat room without the user becoming a participant within the online chat room. The online chat room enables ongoing exchanges of electronic communications between two or more participants whose participation within the chat room are mutually revealed to each other. A user is enabled to perceive the existence of the online chat room without the user becoming a participant within the online chat room. Selection of the online chat room by the user is received. Responsive to user selection of the online chat room and without the user becoming a participant within the online chat room, at least some of the communications exchanged between the participants within the online chat room are made perceivable to the user as the communications are exchanged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Kristine Amber Krantz, Peiliang Pan, Daniel Ernest Smith
  • Patent number: 9553825
    Abstract: Electronic information is made available to access requestors based on anticipated demand. Electronic information stored on a first storage medium is identified for transport. A determination is made to store the electronic information on a second storage medium that is more accessible to the access requestors. The determination is based on an anticipated demand of the access requestors for the electronic information. The anticipated demand is determined based at least on information that is not particular to any single access requestor. The electronic information then is stored on the second storage medium and the access requestors are provided access to the electronic information from the second storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: AOL INC.
    Inventors: Vinh Tran, Brian Sullivan, Harry G. Morgan, Ronald Howard
  • Patent number: 9552424
    Abstract: A method for personalizing content for a particular user in a computing system comprising a user interface configured to display content. The method comprises identifying a content item accessed by a user, identifying features associated with the content item; using the features of the content item to identify one or more third party profiles that substantially match a content profile of the content item, and displaying a list of the identified third party profiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Sudhir Tonse, Arun K Ranganathan, Brock Daniel LaPorte, Michael Macadaan, David J Liu
  • Patent number: 9553738
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for the configuration of a home-networking system. Home-networking configuration information may be stored on a host system in a manner accessible to the home-networking system and migrated to a home-networking gateway or router that has not yet been configured. Wireless configuration information may be stored on a home-networking gateway or router and used to configure one or more wireless access points through the use of a physical connection, such as a wired communications pathway. One or more wireless home-networking devices may be configured based on wireless configuration information stored in a central repository on a host system or a home-networking system. The wireless configuration information may be accessible only through the use of a security code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Meenan, Fady William Semaan
  • Patent number: 9547844
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for location tracking and filtering or hiding electronic communications. In one implementation, a method is provided for location tracking for electronic communications. The method includes receiving a location ID for a location from a user who desires to follow the location within a social networking environment, and associating the location ID with the user. The method also includes providing instructions to display a representation of the location in a list of the user's contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Brian Cypes, Shawn Michael Edwards Carnell, Rizwan Abdus Sattar, Steven Grayson Chipman, Justin Scott Cohen, Neil Wayne Cohen, Andrew Lee Wick, Amy Craig Joannou
  • Patent number: 9542458
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for processing and displaying user-generated content. User-generated content is received from a user over a network. A conversation related to the received user-generated content is identified. A score associated with the identified conversation is calculated based on one or more parameters related to the user or the conversation. The user-generated content is provided for display in relation to the conversation, based on the calculated score associated with the conversation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Sang Chul Song, Sudhir Achuthan, Thu Kyaw, Sean Christopher Timm, Aaron T. Soules, Vineet Mahajan
  • Patent number: 9544659
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing non-intrusive advertising content to users. The method includes receiving user input reflecting user content preferences for receiving desired content related to specific topics in lieu of standard advertising slots while watching playable media content via a set-top box. The method may further include receiving a request for playable media content and then retrieving desired content based on user content preferences. Thereafter, the method may include choosing non-intrusive advertising content and generating datagrams that include the desired content and the non-intrusive advertising content. The datagrams may be concatenated with the playable media content to generate displayable content. The display content may then be provided for displaying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Todd Wilson
  • Patent number: 9537963
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for tracking sharing of an electronic content. An exemplary method may include receiving a request to access content associated with a web address by a user. Based on a unique identity assigned to the user and the web address, a unique tracking web address may be generated. This tracking web address may be shared with additional users. As other users request content associated with the tracking web address, information regarding the sharing of the electronic content may be determined and stored, allowing for tracking of sharing behavior of users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Huan-Ling Chen, Dmytro Solomakha
  • Patent number: 9525972
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for performing location-based authentication using location-aware devices. One method includes: receiving an access request comprising authentication credentials and a first location from a first location-aware device; receiving a second location from a second location-aware device associated with the authentication credentials; and upon determining that the first location and second location are within a pre-determined distance, authenticating the authentication credentials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: El-Amine M. Raounak
  • Patent number: 9521166
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for automatically monitoring a compliance of web pages and graphical user interfaces with governmental and self-regulatory privacy and security policies. In accordance with one implementation, a method is provided that comprises instructing the execution of an operation on content associated with at least one web page is generated. The operation may include at least one of (i) a scanning operation that generates forensic data corresponding to the web page or (ii) an analytical operation that analyzes at least a portion of the forensic data corresponding to the web page. The method further comprises obtaining output data associated with the executed operation, and generating information indicative of a compliance of the web page with at least one of a privacy regulation or a security regulation, the information being generated based on the output data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Todd Wilson
  • Patent number: 9515959
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for reducing bandwidth during the transmission of data between first and second devices over a network. One method includes: receiving a first data request from the first device; generating a first request identifier associated with the first data request; transmitting to the first device a response to the first data request and the first request identifier associated with the first data request; receiving, from the first device, a partial second data request, the partial second data request including the first request identifier associated with the first data request, and a differential between the first data request and the second data request; and constructing, at the second device, a full second data request, based on a comparison between the first data request, fetched using the first request identifier, and the received differential between the first data request and the second data request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: El Amine M. Rounak
  • Patent number: 9514224
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling sharing of audio feeds. One method includes receiving, from a user over a network, a request to add an audio feed to a collection managed by the user; storing, in a database, a URL of the audio feed in relation to the collection; receiving, from the user over the network, a request to share the collection; and generating an RSS URL of the collection by searching the database for URLs of audio feeds stored in relation to the collection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Bryce Barrand
  • Patent number: 9501629
    Abstract: In the event of an unintentional interruption, a token issued by a host system to a client system is used to reestablish communications without disrupting applications on the client system. If the host system provided an Internet Protocol address to the client system to be used during the interrupted communications session, the host system reserves the communications address during an interruption in communications for a period sufficient to permit reestablishment of communications using the reserved address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Barry Appelman, Eric Bosco, Rich Thornberg
  • Patent number: 9503459
    Abstract: Establishing access controls includes establishing a communication session between an unrecognized user identity of a user device and a destination system through an online access provider device that provides the user device with access to the destination system. The communication session is established from a premise having associated therewith one or more user identities that are recognized by the online access provider device, with at least two of the recognized user identities being associated with different access control levels. An access control level to apply to communications between the unrecognized user identity of the user device and the destination system is determined by applying an access control level established for one of the recognized user identities. The determined access control level is applied to communications between the unrecognized user identity of the user device and the destination system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Larry L. Lu, Patrick Meenan
  • Patent number: 9495685
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for dynamically generating and displaying a list of contacts. In accordance with one implementation, a method is provided that includes identifying one or more contacts having associated contact information. The one or more contacts may be associated with a user and identified across a plurality of information services or sources. The method further includes determining a subset of the one or more contacts and associated contact information based on a set of predefined criteria, generating a list of the subset of contacts and associated contact information, and displaying the generated list of contacts and associated contact information on the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Richard A. Landsman, William G. Wetherell, David Gee Louie, Karl Andrew Dotter, Richard T. Kramer
  • Patent number: 9495681
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for web page optimization. In accordance with one implementation, a system for web page optimization is provided, wherein the system comprises a computing device configured to provide at least one of user data, content categories, and page performance metrics, and receive, from the module server, a bid to include at least one proposed module on a page, the bid including an impact score of the at least one proposed module based on the page performance metrics. The system also includes a feedback component configured to provide performance feedback indicative of how the page performed based in part on the page performance metrics, and a page assembler coupled configured to select for display on the page a module combination comprising the at least one proposed module, wherein the module combination is selected based in part on the impact score and the performance feedback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Holsman, Sultana Darya
  • Patent number: 9489626
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for manipulating electronic multimedia content to a user. One method includes generating a plurality of biometric models, each biometric model corresponding to one of a plurality of people; receiving electronic media content over a network; extracting image or audio data from the electronic media content; detecting biometric information in the image or audio data; and calculating a probability of the electronic media content involving one of the plurality of people, based on the biometric information and the plurality of biometric models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Peter F. Kocks, Guoning Hu, Abhinav Sarje