Patents by Inventor Brian F. Roberts
Brian F. Roberts has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 12109498Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing one or more game features across devices associated with a synchronous multimedia stream are disclosed. One method may include: establishing, on the server, a virtual media streaming session; connecting two or more user profiles of a media streaming platform to the virtual media streaming session; providing, in the virtual media streaming session, an article of multimedia content, wherein the article of multimedia content is simultaneously viewable on user devices associated with each of the two or more user profiles; determining, using a processor associated with the server, whether one or more interactive game features associated with the article of multimedia content are activated; and implementing, responsive to determining that the one or more interactive game features are activated, aspects associated with the one or more interactive game features in the virtual media streaming session.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2023Date of Patent: October 8, 2024Assignee: Discovery.com, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Charles Robertson
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Patent number: 12047427Abstract: Systems and methods for providing synchronous transmission of streaming media are disclosed. One method may include: receiving, from a first user device associated with a first user, a request to invite a second user to a virtual media streaming session; retrieving, from the at least one database, a second user profile, the second user profile identifying a second user device associated with the second user; transmitting, subsequent to the retrieving, instructions to the second user device to present a notification alerting the second user of the request; determining, using a processor, whether a response accepting the request is detected from the second user device; and connecting, responsive to determining that the response accepting the request was detected, the second user profile to the virtual media streaming session; wherein multimedia content presented in the virtual media streaming session is simultaneously viewable on the first user device and the second user device.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2023Date of Patent: July 23, 2024Assignee: Discovery.com, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Charles Robertson
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Patent number: 11856251Abstract: Systems and methods for apprising a user of a proximately located aspect-of-interest are disclosed. One method may include: receiving an indication of a geographic location associated with the user; identifying an aspect associated with a multimedia content interest of the user; determining whether the geographic location associated is within a predetermined distance to a known location the aspect associated with the multimedia content interest; transmitting, responsive to determining that the geographic location is within the predetermined distance to the known location, instructions to a user device associated with the user to provide a notification to the user; receiving, at the server, another indication that the user has provided interaction input to the notification; and transmitting additional instructions to another device to perform an action that is based on the interaction input.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2022Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: DISCOVERY.COM, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Jill Mulligan, Charles Robertson, Kyle Jackson, Enrique Florendo
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Patent number: 11822593Abstract: Systems and methods for constructing an itinerary for a user based on articles of multimedia content are disclosed. One computer-implemented method may include: receiving, at the server and from a user device hosting a media streaming platform, an indication of selection by a user of a travel option associated with an aspect featured in an article of multimedia content presented on the media streaming platform; identifying, based on the receiving, a real-world location of the aspect; ascertaining, by the server, contextual information associated with the user; establishing, based on the real-world location of the aspect and the contextual information associated with the user, the itinerary for travel to the aspect; and presenting, subsequent to the establishing, a visual display of the itinerary on the media-streaming platform. Other aspects are described and claimed.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2022Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: DISCOVERY.COM, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Jill Mulligan, Charles Robertson, Kyle Jackson, Enrique Florendo
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Patent number: 11785307Abstract: Systems and methods for interacting with an enhanced live multimedia stream are disclosed. One method may include: presenting a plurality of live media streaming options, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of live media streaming options comprise one or more features enabling enhanced interaction between users; receiving an indication to join a general virtual media streaming session associated with one of the subset; retrieving a first user profile associated with a first user; connecting the first user profile to the general virtual media streaming session; transmitting, to the first user device via a multimedia streaming platform, the live multimedia stream playing in the virtual media streaming session; identifying one or more points in the live multimedia stream at which to implement the one or more features enabling enhanced interaction between users; and implementing at least one of the one or more features in the virtual media streaming session.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2022Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: DISCOVERY.COM, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Charles Robertson
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Patent number: 11607617Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing one or more game features across devices associated with a synchronous multimedia stream are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2022Date of Patent: March 21, 2023Assignee: DISCOVERY.COM, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Charles Robertson
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Patent number: 11570218Abstract: Systems and methods for providing synchronous transmission of streaming media are disclosed. One method may include: receiving, from a first user device associated with a first user, a request to invite a second user to a virtual media streaming session; retrieving, from the at least one database, a second user profile, the second user profile identifying a second user device associated with the second user; transmitting, subsequent to the retrieving, instructions to the second user device to present a notification alerting the second user of the request; determining, using a processor, whether a response accepting the request is detected from the second user device; and connecting, responsive to determining that the response accepting the request was detected, the second user profile to the virtual media streaming session; wherein multimedia content presented in the virtual media streaming session is simultaneously viewable on the first user device and the second user device.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2022Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Assignee: Discovery.com, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Charles Robertson
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Patent number: 11483603Abstract: Systems and methods for providing asynchronous consumption of streaming media are disclosed. One computer-implemented method may include: receiving, from a first user device associated with a first user, a request to share a multimedia content with a second user, the request identifying the multimedia content, a first user profile associated with the first user, and data associated with the second user; retrieving a second user profile associated with the second user based on the received request; causing to be displayed, on a second user device associated with the second user, a notification alerting the second user of the request; receiving, from the second user device, a response accepting the request; and linking the first user profile with the second user profile for the shared multimedia content to enable viewing activity of both the first user and the second user to be shared and synced with one another.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2022Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Discovery.com, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola
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Patent number: 11471777Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing one or more game features across devices associated with a synchronous multimedia stream are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2022Date of Patent: October 18, 2022Assignee: Discovery.com, LLCInventors: Brian F. Roberts, Chad Peltola, Charles Robertson
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Patent number: 11115704Abstract: An exemplary method includes a media channel navigation user interface system detecting, while media content distributed on a media channel is being presented for display on a display screen, a user request to launch a media channel navigation user interface, and providing, in response to the detected user request and for concurrent display with the presentation of the media content on the display screen, a media channel navigation user interface pane comprising a set of media channel navigation tools that include at least media content channel navigation tools selectable by a user to launch different types of menus of media channels in the media channel navigation user interface pane.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2015Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.Inventors: George M. Higa, Brian F. Roberts
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Patent number: 11107122Abstract: An exemplary method includes a media content presentation system detecting a presentation of a media content instance by way of a primary media content access device, determining that a secondary media content access device is located within a detection zone associated with the primary media content access device during a time period associated with the presentation of the media content instance, selecting, in accordance with a course correction heuristic, advertisement content related to the media content instance and configured to target a user of the secondary media content access device, and presenting the advertisement content to the user by way of the secondary media content access device during the presentation of the media content instance by the primary media content access device. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2011Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: Verizon and Patent Licensing Inc.Inventors: Brian F. Roberts, Anthony M. Lemus, Japan A. Mehta, Kishore Tallapaneni, Donald H. Relyea, Michael R. Oliver
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Patent number: 10809069Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a content instance from a first device, wherein the content instance is associated with a geographic location and a period of time; determining that a second device is associated with the geographic location and the period of time associated with the content instance, wherein the determination is based on the second device being within a predefined proximity of the geographic location associated with the content instance during the period of time associated with the content instance; and enabling, in response to determining that the second device is associated with the geographic location and the period of time associated with the content instance, the content instance to be accessible by the second device.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Kristopher T. Frazier, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
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Patent number: 10778788Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes storing, by one or more computing devices of a content-aggregation-and-distribution system, one or more content postings. Each content posting is associated on creation with one or more geographic locations related to accessing the content posting. The method includes selectively providing, by one or more computing devices of the content-aggregation-and-distribution system, one or more of the content postings for display on an access device based on a geographic location associated with the access device. For each content posting selectively provided for display, the geographic location associated with the access device being within a predefined proximity of a geographic location of the one or more geographic locations related to accessing the content posting is requisite to the content posting being selectively provided for display.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2019Date of Patent: September 15, 2020Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Kristopher T. Frazier, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
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Publication number: 20200076905Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a content instance from a first device, wherein the content instance is associated with a geographic location and a period of time; determining that a second device is associated with the geographic location and the period of time associated with the content instance, wherein the determination is based on the second device being within a predefined proximity of the geographic location associated with the content instance during the period of time associated with the content instance; and enabling, in response to determining that the second device is associated with the geographic location and the period of time associated with the content instance, the content instance to be accessible by the second device.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: March 5, 2020Inventors: Kristopher T. Frazier, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
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Patent number: 10511678Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a content posting from a device associated with a first user, the content posting including data representative of a content instance and a geographic location associated with the content instance; determining that a second user is associated with the geographic location associated with the content instance, wherein the determination is based on a first client device associated with the second user being or having been within a predefined proximity of the geographic location associated with the content instance; and authorizing, based on the second user being associated with the geographic location associated with the content instance, a second client device associated with the second user to submit an annotation to the content instance.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2018Date of Patent: December 17, 2019Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Kristopher T. Frazier, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
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Publication number: 20190289083Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes storing, by one or more computing devices of a content-aggregation-and-distribution system, one or more content postings. Each content posting is associated on creation with one or more geographic locations related to accessing the content posting. The method includes selectively providing, by one or more computing devices of the content-aggregation-and-distribution system, one or more of the content postings for display on an access device based on a geographic location associated with the access device. For each content posting selectively provided for display, the geographic location associated with the access device being within a predefined proximity of a geographic location of the one or more geographic locations related to accessing the content posting is requisite to the content posting being selectively provided for display.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2019Publication date: September 19, 2019Inventors: Kristopher T. Frazier, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
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Publication number: 20190253502Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a content posting from a device associated with a first user, the content posting including data representative of a content instance and a geographic location associated with the content instance; determining that a second user is associated with the geographic location associated with the content instance, wherein the determination is based on a first client device associated with the second user being or having been within a predefined proximity of the geographic location associated with the content instance; and authorizing, based on the second user being associated with the geographic location associated with the content instance, a second client device associated with the second user to submit an annotation to the content instance.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2018Publication date: August 15, 2019Inventors: Kristopher T. Frazier, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
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Publication number: 20190220239Abstract: An exemplary method includes defining a group of users associated with a plurality of access devices, providing a graphical user interface to a first access device and a second access device of the plurality of access devices, receiving, from the first access device, data representative of a first content item, the data having a first data format, mapping the first content item to the group of users, encoding the data representative of the first content item into a second data format different than the first data format, identifying that the second access device is associated with the group of users, distributing, to the second access device, the encoded data representative of the first content item in the second data format, and displaying an interactive graphical object representative of the first content item in the graphical user interface of the second access device.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2019Publication date: July 18, 2019Inventors: James M. Kondziela, Heath Stallings, Donald H. Relyea, Brian F. Roberts
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Patent number: 10334061Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes storing one or more content postings, where each content posting is associated with one or more first users and each content posting is associated with one or more geographic locations corresponding to accessing of the content posting. The method also includes selectively sending one or more of the content postings for display on an access device based on a past or present geographic location of the access device, where the access device is associated with a second user, and for each content posting selectively sent for display on the access device, one or more of the geographic locations associated with the accessing of the content posting being within a predefined proximity of the past or present geographic location of the access device is requisite to the content posting being sent for display on the access device.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2018Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Kristopher T. Frazier, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
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Patent number: 10310697Abstract: An exemplary method includes a user interface system providing a graphical user interface view that includes a high-level menu including first and second of high-level menu options respectively associated with first and second sub-menus, assigning the first high-level menu option an active status, activating the first sub-menu such that the first sub-menu is navigable with a directional pad (“D-pad”) of a remote control device while the first high-level menu option has the active status, receiving user input provided by way of a toggle button of the remote control device designated to toggle between the first and second high-level menu options, toggling the active status from the first high-level menu option to the second high-level menu option, and activating the second sub-menu such that the second sub-menu is navigable with the D-pad of the remote control device while the second high-level menu option has the active status.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2013Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.Inventors: Brian F. Roberts, Imran Arif Maskatia, Paul Bradley Bowers