Patents by Inventor Sheldon Chang

Sheldon Chang 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).

  • Publication number: 20250227330
    Abstract: Systems and methods described herein relate to generation of media collections in a messaging system. The media collection may be created by the user, other users, or an entity. Example embodiments further allow users to set access criteria through privacy settings assigned to one or more media content items themselves, as well as to a media collection, such that some or all of the media collection may only be viewed by users authorized by the user sharing the media content item or media collection (e.g., only to one or more users designated by the user as a “friend”).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2025
    Publication date: July 10, 2025
    Inventors: Jacob Andreou, Sheldon Chang, Donald Giovannini
  • Patent number: 12289495
    Abstract: Systems and methods described herein relate to generation of media collections in a messaging system. The media collection may be created by the user, other users, or an entity. Example embodiments further allow users to set access criteria through privacy settings assigned to one or more media content items themselves, as well as to a media collection, such that some or all of the media collection may only be viewed by users authorized by the user sharing the media content item or media collection (e.g., only to one or more users designated by the user as a “friend”).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob Andreou, Sheldon Chang, Donald Giovannini
  • Publication number: 20250133088
    Abstract: A system includes a communication module that receives a request to post content to an event gallery associated with an event. The request in turn includes geo-location data for a device sending the content, and identification data identifying the device or a user of the device. The system further has an event gallery module to perform a first authorization operation that includes determining that the geo-location data corresponds to a geo-location fence associated with an event. The event gallery module also performs a second authorization operation that includes using the identification data to verify an attribute of the user. Finally, based on the first and second authorization operations, the event gallery module may selectively authorize the device to post the content to the event gallery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2024
    Publication date: April 24, 2025
    Inventors: Nicholas Richard Allen, Sheldon Chang
  • Patent number: 12248506
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for receiving, at a server computer, a plurality of content messages from a plurality of content sources, each content message comprising media content and associated with a predetermined media collection, for each of the plurality of content messages received, analyzing each of the plurality of content messages to determine a quality score for each of the plurality of content messages, and storing each of the plurality of content messages in a database along with the quality score for each of the plurality of content messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Richard Allen, Sheldon Chang, Maria Pavlovskaia, Amer Shahnawaz, Jianchao Yang
  • Patent number: 12243318
    Abstract: A system and method for determining a mood for a crowd is disclosed. In example embodiments, a method includes identifying an event that includes two or more attendees, receiving at least one indicator representing emotions of attendees, determining a numerical value for each of the indicators, and aggregating the numerical values to determine an aggregate mood of the attendees of the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventor: Sheldon Chang
  • Patent number: 12231437
    Abstract: A system includes a communication module that receives a request to post content to an event gallery associated with an event. The request in turn includes geo-location data for a device sending the content, and identification data identifying the device or a user of the device. The system further has an event gallery module to perform a first authorization operation that includes determining that the geo-location data corresponds to a geo-location fence associated with an event. The event gallery module also performs a second authorization operation that includes using the identification data to verify an attribute of the user. Finally, based on the first and second authorization operations, the event gallery module may selectively authorize the device to post the content to the event gallery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Richard Allen, Sheldon Chang
  • Patent number: 12099707
    Abstract: Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure improve the functionality of electronic messaging and imaging software and systems by enabling users to generate customized media overlays that can be shared with other users. For example, media overlays can be generated by the system and displayed in conjunction with media content (e.g., images and/or video) generated by an image-capturing device (e.g., a digital camera). In some embodiments, existing media overlays may be used by users to create derivative media overlays. The system may track usage of media overlays and any derivatives created based thereon, and allow users to control the distribution and use of their overlays in future derivatives. In some embodiments, for example, a user can modify an overlay they created and cause the modification to propagate to all derivative overlays based on the user's overlay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Newar Husam Al Majid, Sheldon Chang, Yunchao Gong, Kirk Ouimet, Haibo Zhao
  • Patent number: 12056182
    Abstract: Systems and methods for distributing photo filters based on the location of the object in the image are described. A photo filter publication system detects that a client device in communication with the system has captured an image, identifies an object in the image, identifies a location of the object in the image, identifies an image overlay associated with the identified location and having object criteria satisfied by the identified object, and provides the identified image overlay to the client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Sheldon Chang, Chamal Samaranayake, Timothy Michael Sehn, Rong Yan
  • Publication number: 20240119652
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an expressive icon system to present an animated graphical icon, wherein the animated graphical icon is generated by capture facial tracking data at a client device. In some embodiments, the system may track and capture facial tracking data of a user via a camera associated with a client device (e.g., a front facing camera, or a paired camera), and process the facial tracking data to animate a graphical icon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Inventors: Newar Husam Al Majid, Nathan Kenneth Boyd, Sheldon Chang, Chamal Samaranayake, Jeremy Voss
  • Publication number: 20240098096
    Abstract: A system includes a communication module that receives a request to post content to an event gallery associated with an event. The request in turn includes geo-location data for a device sending the content, and identification data identifying the device or a user of the device. The system further has an event gallery module to perform a first authorization operation that includes determining that the geo-location data corresponds to a geo-location fence associated with an event. The event gallery module also performs a second authorization operation that includes using the identification data to verify an attribute of the user. Finally, based on the first and second authorization operations, the event gallery module may selectively authorize the device to post the content to the event gallery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Nicholas Richard Allen, Sheldon Chang
  • Patent number: 11902287
    Abstract: A system includes a communication module that receives a request to post content to an event gallery associated with an event. The request in turn includes geo-location data for a device sending the content, and identification data identifying the device or a user of the device. The system further has an event gallery module to perform a first authorization operation that includes determining that the geo-location data corresponds to a geo-location fence associated with an event. The event gallery module also performs a second authorization operation that includes using the identification data to verify an attribute of the user. Finally, based on the first and second authorization operations, the event gallery module may selectively authorize the device to post the content to the event gallery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Richard Allen, Sheldon Chang
  • Patent number: 11889381
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for receiving input increasing a default predetermined window of time that the new media collection is accessible and activating the new media collection for the increased predetermined window of time and a geographic boundary size for where media content originates. The systems and methods further cause a plurality of content messages comprising media content originating in the geographical boundary size to be included in the new media collection and displayed in response to a request from a computing device to view the new media collection based on determining the request occurs within the increased predetermined window of time that the new media collection is accessible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Richard Allen, Sheldon Chang, Maria Pavlovskaia, Amer Shahnawaz, Jianchao Yang
  • Patent number: 11880923
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an expressive icon system to present an animated graphical icon, wherein the animated graphical icon is generated by capture facial tracking data at a client device. In some embodiments, the system may track and capture facial tracking data of a user via a camera associated with a client device (e.g., a front facing camera, or a paired camera), and process the facial tracking data to animate a graphical icon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Newar Husam Al Majid, Nathan Kenneth Boyd, Sheldon Chang, Chamal Samaranayake, Jeremy Voss
  • Patent number: 11860959
    Abstract: Systems and methods for ranking a feed in a social network. The systems and methods include operations for displaying a feed includes identifying a group of users associated with a first user, identifying a plurality of content generated by one or more of the group of users, determining one or more actions that may result when each of the plurality of content is presented to the first user, ranking the content based on the one or more determined actions, and displaying the content to the first user according to the ranking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Sheldon Chang, Yaming Lin, Andre Madeira, Jeremy Voss
  • Publication number: 20230316766
    Abstract: A system and method for determining a mood for a crowd is disclosed. In example embodiments, a method includes identifying an event that includes two or more attendees, receiving at least one indicator representing emotions of attendees, determining a numerical value for each of the indicators, and aggregating the numerical values to determine an aggregate mood of the attendees of the event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventor: Sheldon Chang
  • Patent number: 11741136
    Abstract: A system and method for geolocation-based pictographs are provided. In example embodiments, a current geolocation of a user device is determined. A pictograph is identified based on the current geolocation of the user device. The identified pictograph is presented on a user interface of the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: SNAP INC.
    Inventors: Sheldon Chang, Timothy Michael Sehn
  • Patent number: 11734342
    Abstract: Systems and methods for distributing photo filters based on the location of the object in the image are described. A photo filter publication system detects that a client device in communication with the system has captured an image, identifies an object in the image, identifies a location of the object in the image, identifies an image overlay associated with the identified location and having object criteria satisfied by the identified object, and provides the identified image overlay to the client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Sheldon Chang, Chamal Samaranayake, Timothy Michael Sehn, Rong Yan
  • Patent number: 11710323
    Abstract: A system and method for determining a mood for a crowd is disclosed. In example embodiments, a method includes identifying an event that includes two or more attendees, receiving at least one indicator representing emotions of attendees, determining a numerical value for each of the indicators, and aggregating the numerical values to determine an aggregate mood of the attendees of the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventor: Sheldon Chang
  • Publication number: 20230229693
    Abstract: Systems and methods for distributing photo filters based on the location of the object in the image are described. A photo filter publication system detects that a client device in communication with the system has captured an image, identifies an object in the image, identifies a location of the object in the image, identifies an image overlay associated with the identified location and having object criteria satisfied by the identified object, and provides the identified image overlay to the client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Sheldon Chang, Chamal Samaranayake, Timothy Michael Sehn, Rong Yan
  • Publication number: 20230215072
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an expressive icon system to present an animated graphical icon, wherein the animated graphical icon is generated by capture facial tracking data at a client device. In some embodiments, the system may track and capture facial tracking data of a user via a camera associated with a client device (e.g., a front facing camera, or a paired camera), and process the facial tracking data to animate a graphical icon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Inventors: Newar Husam Al Majid, Nathan Kenneth Boyd, Sheldon Chang, Chamal Samaranayake, Jeremy Voss