Abstract: A media delivery system that may be used for tracking the number and type of human impressions of media content rendered by the system during the time the media was rendered is provided. The media delivery system includes a rendering device for rendering media content, an environmental sensor for sensing impressions and other environmental variables and a computing device configured to gather data related to the external states detected by the environmental sensor. The data may be provided to a backend server for correlating the data to the rendered media content. The system may include rules that interpret that data and may cause the system to custom select, tailor or control future playback of media on the system.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Features are disclosed for transferring the presentation or playback of content from device to device. The content may include, but is not limited to, aural, video, and multimedia content. A personal device may be detected playing content. A current play position of the content can be obtained, and playback can be halted. The play position can be transferred to a media device wherein playback is automatically resumed. Additionally, the playing of content may be transferred between two or more media devices, for example in response to the movement of a user. Personal device movements and content operations may be monitored in order to determine improvements to the automatic transfer of content consumption from device to device.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Data security access and management may require a server dedicated to monitoring document access requests and enforcing rules and policies to limit access to those who are not specifically identified as having access to the data. One example of operation may include selecting data to access via a user device, identifying a user profile associated with the user device, retrieving at least one user policy associated with the user profile, determining whether the user policy permits the user device to access the data, matching the user policy to a data policy associated with the data, receiving an encryption key at the user device, applying the encryption key to the data, and unwrapping the data from a wrapped data format to access the data.

Abstract: Data security access and management may require a server dedicated to monitoring document access requests and enforcing rules and policies to limit access to those who are not specifically identified as having access to the data. One example of operation may include selecting data to access via a user device, applying at least one policy to the data that limits access to the data to user profiles assigned privileges to the policy, encrypting the data, generating metadata indicating the policy and pairing the metadata with the data, and storing the data and the metadata in a policy server.

Abstract: Data security access and management may require a server dedicated to monitoring document access requests and enforcing rules and policies to limit access to those who are not specifically identified as having access to the data. One example of operation may include selecting data to be protected via a user device, applying at least one policy to the data, storing the at least one policy in a data record identifying the data, modifying a data format of the data to create a modified data, and storing the modified data in memory.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for enabling user interaction with content markers of a content item. Content markers can generally correspond to any point of interest in the content item. In one embodiment, a scrub bar is provided enabling user navigation to locations within the content item. As a user utilizes the scrub bar to select a location corresponding to a content marker, a haptic notification is provided to the user indicative of a corresponding point of interest. Thereafter, the user may halt interaction with the scrub bar to being playback of the content item at the point of interest. In another embodiment, a user is enabled to provide input perpendicular to a displayed scrub bar to alternate between multiple available scrub bars and/or points of interest. For example, multiple scrub bars may be provided, each associated with a given type of point of interest.

Abstract: Features are disclosed for facilitating content consumption and communication among a group of users. A content consumption group may be formed including any number of users, and content may be selected. Group members may consume roughly the same portion of the content at roughly the same time and share the consumption experience regardless of geographic location, user device, content format, on-demand consumption preferences, and the like. Policies may be defined or selected regarding the rate of content consumption, the communications and other inputs that may be submitted by group members, and the like. A shared content consumption management system may receive data from various user devices regarding each group member's current content consumption position, enforce group policies, and distribute group inputs. Group members may also communication in real time through various chats and other interactive features.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Features are disclosed for generating presentations of information about activities of users of personal devices. Any number of personal devices may transmit information about activities performed by users associated with the personal devices. The information can be transmitted to a management component configured to compile the information, supplement the information with information from third-party sources, and generate presentations. The presentations may be based on templates associated with particular users or groups of users. The presentations may include, but are not limited to, visual, audio, and textual content.

Abstract: A computing device may provide a visual cue to items of content (for example, words in a book) synchronized with the playback of companion content (for example, audio content corresponding to the book). Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a content playback synchronization system for use with physical books (or other physical media). In an embodiment, the computing device captures images of the physical book and may display a visual cue (for example, an underline, box, dot, cursor, or the like) to identify a current location in textual content of the captured and displayed images of the physical book corresponding to a current output position of companion audio content. As the audio content is presented (i.e., as it “plays back”), the highlight and/or visual cue may be advanced to maintain synchronization between the output position within the audio content and a corresponding position in the displayed physical textual content.

Abstract: Features are disclosed for presenting multiple content items based on one or more rules defining how the multiple content items are to be presented. One content item may be a primary content item and any number of additional content items may be related to or supplement the primary content item in some way. Rules may define which related content items may be presented and, in the case of multimedia content (e.g., content with both audio and video elements), which elements of the primary content may be overridden by or mixed with related content, and which may not. References to related content may be embedded in the primary content item, or references may be accessed at a content management system or service.

Abstract: A selective synchronization service may facilitate the synchronous presentation of corresponding audio content and textual content. Corresponding words in companion items of audio and textual content may be selected for synchronous presentation. A corresponding word may be selected for synchronous audible and textual presentation according to any of a number of criteria. Further, a corresponding word may be selected for a modified synchronous presentation, in which the audible and/or textual presentation of the corresponding word is modified. Alternately, a corresponding word may be selected for an audible presentation without a textual presentation, or a textual presentation without an audible presentation.

Abstract: Features are disclosed for facilitating content consumption and communication among a group of users. A content consumption group may be formed including any number of users, and content may be selected. Group members may consume roughly the same portion of the content at roughly the same time and share the consumption experience regardless of geographic location, user device, content format, on-demand consumption preferences, and the like. Policies may be defined or selected regarding the rate of content consumption, the communications and other inputs that may be submitted by group members, and the like. A shared content consumption management system may receive data from various user devices regarding each group member's current content consumption position, enforce group policies, and distribute group inputs. Group members may also communication in real time through various chats and other interactive features.

Abstract: A system is provided that identifies a device associated with a person who does not satisfy a threshold age. The system scans the digital media content of a content data store associated with the device and estimates an age threshold value of the files of the digital media content. Based on the estimated age threshold value of the files, the system determines that the device is used by a person who does not satisfy a threshold age and applies one or more content rules to a presentation of the digital media content. The content rules cause an alteration of the presentation of the digital media content.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for generating a presentation associated with primary audio content. In some embodiments, companion content associated with the audio content may be retrieved from one or more data stores. The companion content may include textual content corresponding to the audio content. One or more keywords associated with at least a portion of the companion content may then be determined. Additional content associated with the one or more keywords may be retrieved from one or more data stores, where the additional content may include at least one image. At least one of the one or more images may then be presented for display during playback of the audio content, such that each of the one or more images is presented for display during playback of a corresponding portion of the audio content.

Abstract: Features are disclosed for facilitating content consumption and communication among a group of users. A content consumption group may be formed including any number of users, and content may be selected. Group members may consume roughly the same portion of the content at roughly the same time and share the consumption experience regardless of geographic location, user device, content format, on-demand consumption preferences, and the like. Policies may be defined or selected regarding the rate of content consumption, the communications and other inputs that may be submitted by group members, and the like. A shared content consumption management system may receive data from various user devices regarding each group member's current content consumption position, enforce group policies, and distribute group inputs. Group members may also communication in real time through various chats and other interactive features.

Abstract: A back-channel media delivery system that may be used for tracking the number and type of human impressions of media content rendered by the system during the time the media was rendered is provided. The back-channel media delivery system includes a rendering device for rendering media, an environmental sensor for sensing impressions and other environmental variables and a computing device configured to play media on the rendering device, and gather data related to the external states detected by the environmental sensor. The system may include rules that interpret that data and may cause the system to custom select, tailor or control future playback of media on the system.