Abstract:
A method of transferring via a networked computing environment a media component from a sender to a recipient includes receiving from the sender a first message having a media component, storing the media component, and sending to the recipient a second message including a link for accessing the media component. A system for implementing such a method may include a message receiver for receiving from the sender via a networked computing environment a first message having a media component, a first storage for storing the media component, and a messaging module for sending a second message to the recipient, the second message including a link for accessing the media component.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    Benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/239,443, filed on Oct. 11, 2000, is hereby claimed. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention relates generally to electronic messaging and, more particularly, to a system and method for providing media such as audio and/or video information in conjunction with electronic messages.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Recent advances in computing and video technology have enabled users to transmit various files over the Internet and other computing networks. These files have included, separately or in combination, text, images, sound, and video.  
           [0004]    Electronic mail system users are now able to transfer such files as attachments to e-mail messages. Previously, a user would send an electronic mail message with an attached file to another user who would receive the message and the attached file.  
           [0005]    File transfer has also been accomplished through a central computing system or central server. In such a system, a first user would upload a file to the central server and enter information concerning other users who should have access to the uploaded file. Software located on the central server would advise the other users that the uploaded file is available for retrieval. The other users then could retrieve the uploaded file from the central server.  
           [0006]    In determining whether to transfer a file in this manner, a user must consider the size of the file, the number of recipients, and the bandwidth and storage constraints on the user and the various recipients. Accordingly, transferring a file in this manner requires the file to be uploaded from the sender&#39;s computing system and then downloaded to the recipient&#39;s computing system. The transfer of large files with such a system requires substantial bandwidth and transfer time, both for uploading and downloading of the transferred files.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention relates to a system that consumes less bandwidth during the downloading of a transferred file than prior file-transfer systems and which thus allows transfer of a media file from a first computing system to a second computing system with less burden on the user of the second computing system than was possible with prior systems (e.g., bandwidth consumption and transfer time).  
           [0008]    In one embodiment of the present invention, a first message having a media component is received from the sender of the message, the media component is stored, and a second message including a link for accessing the media component via a networked computing environment is sent to a recipient of the message. The second message may include at least a portion of the first message. Using the link included in the second message, the recipient may retrieve the media component as streaming media or in any other suitable fashion. Preferences of the recipient may be stored such that the recipient can be provided with information based on the preferences (e.g. advertising and/or news of interest to the recipient). Such information may be provided to the recipient when the recipient accesses the media component via the link, or before, after, or during delivery of the media component to the recipient.  
           [0009]    The present invention also may be embodied in a system for transferring a media component via a networked computing environment from a sender to a recipient. One embodiment of such a system may include a message receiver for receiving from the sender a first message having a media component, a first storage for storing the media component, and a messaging module for sending a second message to the recipient, the second message including a link for accessing the media component. The system may also provide for retrieval of the media component (as streaming media, for example). The system may also store preferences of the recipient, and provide information to the recipient based on the stored preferences. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 depicts one exemplary embodiment of a computing system which may be used to implement the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a computing system which can be used to implement the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 depicts one exemplary embodiment of a user interface for integrated video capture/transmission software which may be incorporated in or used in conjunction with the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 depicts one exemplary embodiment of a user interface for video transmission software which may be incorporated in or used in conjunction with the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 depicts one exemplary embodiment which may be used in connection with a file transfer interface according to the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of one exemplary process for registering users with a file transfer system according to the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart of one exemplary process for directing additional content to users of a file transfer system according to the present invention; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a computing system which may be used to implement the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a system  10  in accordance with the present invention may operate in a networked computing environment, such as the Internet, campus/corporate intranets or extranets. The system  10  of the present invention may include a first computing system  100 , a second computing system  200 , a media messaging system  300 , and a message management system  500 . The computing systems  100  and  200  may include any type of input and output devices and are well known in the art. For example, such computing systems  100  and  200  may include personal computers, personal digital assistants, wireless/cellular phones, and pagers.  
         [0019]    In one embodiment, the first computing system  100  has a media capture program  110 , a media capture device  120 , a media transfer program  135 , and a network interface program  170  stored thereon. The second computing system  200  includes a network interface program  170 , an electronic mail program  210 , and a media file viewing program  220 . The media messaging system  300  has a media management program  310 , a media database  320 , a user preference database  330 , a memory  340 , and a media log database  370 . The message management system  500  includes a message management program  510  and a message database  520 . The first computing system  100  interacts over the system  10  and is in communication with the media messaging system  300 . The media messaging system  300  is in communication with the message management system  500 . The second computing system  200  also is in communication with the message management system  500 . Such communication is useful for the transfer of video and audio files from the first computing system  100  to the second computing system  200 .  
         [0020]    First Computing System  
         [0021]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first computing system  100  includes a media capture program  110 , a media capture device  120 , a media transfer program  135 , and a network interface program  170 . The media capture device  120  may be any suitable device for interfacing with a computing system  100 , such as a video camera connected through a video capture card or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, together with any required software. Those skilled in the art are familiar with techniques for connecting a media capture device  120  to a computing system  100 . It should be appreciated that the media capture device  120  may be either wholly or partially contained within the first computing system  100   a  (FIG. 1) or wholly external to the first computing system  100  (FIG. 2). The media capture program  110  is used to acquire media source information (e.g., audio, video, etc.) from the media capture device  120 . The media transfer program  135  is used to transfer a media message  410  from the first computing system  100  to the media messaging system  300 . The network interface program  170  is used to provide the first computing system  100  access to the system  10 .  
         [0022]    Second Computing System  
         [0023]    As also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second computing system  200  includes a network interface program  170  and a media file viewing program  220 . The network interface program  170  is used to provide the second computing system  200  with access to the system  10 . The media file viewing program  220  is used to consume any media file used in the present invention.  
         [0024]    Media Messaging System  
         [0025]    As also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the media messaging system  300  includes a media management program  310 , a media database  320 , a user preference database  330 , a memory  340 , and a media log database  370 . The media management program  310  manages incoming media messages and transmits messages which allow the user of the second computing system  200  to retrieve the messages. Specifically, the media management program  310  extracts a copied media file  415  from a media message  410 , and stores the copied media file  415  as a transferred media file  325  in the media database  320 . In the meantime, the media management program  310  will insert into the media log database  370  a media record  345  which includes a location link  360  to the transferred media file  325  and the user preference database  330 . It is contemplated that there may be one or more media records  345  located in the media log database  370 . The media management program  310  also inserts a hyperlink to the media record  345  in an outgoing message, and transmits the outgoing message to the message management system  500 . The hyperlink may be a link to data within the media database  320  (video, audio, text, file) using any type of CGI script, which allows the user to access a file that is contained somewhere within the system  10 . Such a CGI script may be, for example, perl, ASP (active server page), JSP (java server script), PHP (personal home page), or C++. The media database  320  contains the transferred media file  325 , and is accessed by a message recipient during file retrieval. The user preference database  330  contains information concerning the preferences of users registered with the media messaging system  300 . The memory  340  contains any machine instruction used in managing incoming and outgoing messages. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the user preference database  330  could be contained within the memory  340 . The media log database  370  may contain a media record  345  concerning the fields that are entered by a message sender, as well as the location from which a transferred media file  325  may be retrieved, user identification information, and a link to the user preference database  330 .  
         [0026]    Message Management System  
         [0027]    The message management system  500  is responsible for receiving messages from the media messaging system  300  or any other computing system within the system  10  and storing the messages until they are retrieved. Such a message management system  500  is well known to those skilled in the art, and may be, for example, a POP 3  mail server. The message management program  510  monitors incoming messages sent to electronic mail addresses of particular users. If a message is received for a user, the message management program  510  stores the message in a message database  520 . When a user attempts to retrieve his or her messages from the message management system  500 , the message management program  510  identifies the user, preferably based upon a user login and password. When a user is authorized to view or retrieve his or her messages, the message management program  510  references the message database  520  to retrieve or make available the messages that belong to that user.  
         [0028]    System Operation  
         [0029]    When the user of the first computing system  100  (FIG. 1) wishes to transmit a media message  410  to the user of the second computing system  200 , the user of the first computing system  100  must first select a media source. The user can either select a media file  105  that is already stored on the first computing system  100 , or the user can generate a media file  105  using a media feed provided by the media capture device  120 .  
         [0030]    The media capture device  120  may be capable of directly providing a media file  105  to the first computing system  100  using an internal media capture program  110 , or a media capture program  110  external to the media capture device  120  may be provided. The media capture program  110  acquires the media feed and generates a media file  105 . Such a media file  105  may, for example, be a file capable of being viewed with Real Networks&#39; Real Player, Apple&#39;s Quicktime, or Microsoft&#39;s Windows Media Player. Further, the media file  105  may be a file capable of being viewed in a streaming manner such that the entire media file  105  does not have to be downloaded before the recipient can consume the content.  
         [0031]    Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 2, if the media capture device  120  is not of a type that is capable of capturing a media feed, the user of the first computing system  100  may employ an external media capture program  110 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a media capture interface  112  associated with a media capture program  110 . An “open” button  114 , a “save” button  116 , a “camera” button  118 , a “record” button  120 , a “play” button  122 , a “stop” button  124 , a “pause” button  126 , and a “send” button  128  are shown in the illustrated media capture interface  112 . Also shown is a media display area  130 , in which media files  105  are displayed. The “open” button  114  is used to generate an interface from which the user can select a file to be opened and displayed in the media display area  130 . The “save” button  116  is used to save the media file  105  that has been acquired. The “camera” button is used to select the media capture device  120  as the source of the media signal. The “record” button  120  is used to record the incoming media feed from the media capture device  120 . The “play” button  122  is used to play a media file  105  so that it is displayed in the media display area  130 . The “stop” button  124  is used to stop the playback of the media file  105 . The “pause” button  126  is used to pause the playback of the media file  105 . The “send” button  128  is used to send the media file  105  to another user, such as the user of the first computing system  200 .  
         [0033]    Once the user of the first computing system  100  has selected the media file  105  that is to be transferred to the user of the second computing system  200 , the user accesses the media transfer program  135 , such as by selecting the “send” button  128  in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3. When the media transfer program  135  is opened, the first computing system  100  generates a media transfer interface  140 . The media transfer interface  140  includes a “to” button  142 , a “to” data entry field  144 , a “cc” button  146 , a “cc” data entry field  148 , a subject data entry field  150 , a “video” check box  152 , an “audio” check box  154 , a message entry field  156 , a “public access” check box  158 , a “category” pulldown menu  160 , a “theme” pulldown menu  162 , a “preview” button  164 , a “send” button  166 , and an “exit” button  168 . The user enters the recipient&#39;s electronic mail (e-mail) address in the “to” data entry field  144 . The user may also enter other recipients&#39; e-mail addresses in either the “to” data entry field  144  or the “cc” data entry field  148 . The user may enter a subject for the message in the “subject” data entry field  150 . The user may also determine whether to send the video portion of the file, the audio portion of the file, or both the video and the audio portions of the file through the selection of the “video” check box  152  and the “audio” check box  154 . In the message data entry field  156 , the user enters a message to be viewed by the recipient. The “public access” check box  158  is selected or checked to indicate that the public should have access to the media file  105 , or copies thereof.  
         [0034]    The “category” pulldown menu  160  is used to indicate the category to which the message applies. In one embodiment of the present invention, the categories listed in the “category” pulldown menu  160  are dependent upon whether the “public access” check box  158  is selected.  
         [0035]    In one exemplary embodiment, categories that are available when the “public access” check box  158  is not selected may include “General Mail,” “Special Video 1, ” and “Special Video 2, ” while those available when the “public access” check box  158  is selected may include “Video Group 1,” “Video Group 2,” and “Video Group 3.” The categories listed in the “category” pulldown menu  160  may determine the themes listed in the “theme” pulldown menu  162 .  
         [0036]    The “theme” pulldown menu  162  is used to indicate the theme to which the message applies. In one embodiment, as discussed above, the theme is based upon the selected category. For example, under the “General Mail” category, available themes may include “Announcement &amp; Events,” “Birthday,” “Congratulations,” “Good Bye,” “Family Talks,” “Friendship,” “Hello,”“Thank You,” and “Welcome.” Themes available for the “Special Video 1” category may include “Clubs &amp; Events,” “Children &amp; Kids,” “Movies,” “Music,” “Humor,” “Travel &amp; Vacation,” “Song/Karaoke,” “News &amp; Sports,” and “Hobbies.” Other categories may include various other themes which may or may not be particular to the nature of the access, i.e. public or private. These themes may, for example, further include “Advertisement,” “Speech,” “Pets &amp; Animals,” “Holidays,” “Seasonal,” and “Nature.” Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a multitude of categories and themes may be created for use with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0037]    The “preview” button  164  allows the user to preview the message prior to sending it to the recipient. The “send” button  166  is used when the user is finished creating the message and is ready to send the message to the recipient. The “exit” button is used to exit out of the media transfer interface  140 .  
         [0038]    When the user selects the “send” button  166 , the first computing system  100  determines whether there is a connection to the system  10 . If there is not a connection, the first computing system  100  establishes a connection using techniques known to those skilled in the art. Once a connection has been established, a copy of the media file  105  (copied media file  415 ) is transferred to the media messaging system  300  within the media message  410 . It should be appreciated that the media file  105 , rather than the copied media file  415 , could be transferred to the media messaging system. This transfer may be manifested to the user via a file transfer interface such as that shown in FIG. 5. As shown, a “cancel” button may be provided to enable the user to cancel the transfer, if desired.  
         [0039]    It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the media message  410  could be sent via electronic mail through the message management system  500  to the media messaging system  300 .  
         [0040]    The media messaging system  300  receives the media message  410  that was transferred from the first computing system  100 . The media management program  310  performs various operations on the media message  410 .  
         [0041]    The media management program  310  retrieves information contained in the media message  410 . For example, the media message  410  generally will include the e-mail address of the intended recipient, as well as the copied media file  415 . The media message  410  may further include a subject line, a message, and other information. The media management program  310  extracts the copied media file  415  from the remainder of the message and stores the copied media file  415  in the media database  320  as the transferred media file  325 . The media management program  310  determines the location in which it stored the transferred media file  325  and will insert into the media log database  370  a media record  345  which includes a location link  360  to the transferred media file  325  and the user preference database  330 . The media management program  310  then generates the modified media message  420  by inserting the hyperlink  350  into the original media message  410 , with the copied media file  415  having been removed. The hyperlink  350  is directed to the media record  345 . It is foreseen that the hyperlink  350  could point directly to the transferred media file  415  rather than to the media record  345 .  
         [0042]    After the modified media message  420  is generated, the media management program  310  sends the modified media message  420  to the e-mail address of the intended recipient, via the message management system  500 . The message management program  510  stores the modified media message  420  in the message database  520  until the user of the second computing system  200  attempts to retrieve his or her messages. Using techniques known to those skilled in the art, or any other suitable technique, the user of the second computing system  200  retrieves his or her mail messages, including the modified mail message  420 . This is preferably done through the use of an electronic mail program  210  or a network interface program  170 , such as a web browser.  
         [0043]    The user views the modified mail message through an interface associated with the electronic mail program  210  or an interface associated with the network interface program  170 . Contained within the modified media message  420  is the hyperlink  350 . When the recipient selects or clicks hyperlink  350 , the electronic mail program  210  connects to the media messaging system  300 . Preferably, the electronic mail program  210  accesses the media record  345  stored on the media messaging system  300 . The media record  345  contains the location link  360  to the transferred media file  325  stored in the media database  320  and to the user preference database  330 .  
         [0044]    When the recipient selects the transferred media file  325  through the location link  360 , the second computing system  200  preferably will launch a media file “viewing” program  220 . Automatic launching of associated programs based upon file extensions is well-known to those skilled in the art. The media file viewing program  220  generates an interface from which the user of the second computing system  200  may view the transferred media file  325 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the transferred media file  325  is provided in a streaming manner. In another embodiment, the user is provided with an option to download the entire transferred media file  325  to the second computing system  200 .  
         [0045]    The manner in which the transferred media file  325  is viewed may depend upon whether the user has registered with the media messaging system  300 .  
         [0046]    The flowchart of FIG. 6 illustrates one exemplary process by which new users may register with the media messaging system  300 . As shown, after a user of the first computing system  100  accesses the media messaging system  300  and starts the registration process (block  600 ), a determination may be made whether that user is already registered with the media messaging system  300  (block  602 ). This may be done by comparing identifiers associated with the first computing system  100  against the user preference database  330 . If the media management system  300  determines that the user of the first computing system is registered with the system, then no registration is required (block  612 ) and the registration process of FIG. 6 ends. In one exemplary embodiment, if the media management server  300  determines that the user is not registered, or if the user wishes to register again (e.g., to change the user&#39;s identification or preference information), the user is provided with an option to register with the media messaging system  300  through a user interface (block  604 ). If the user chooses to not register with the media messaging system  300 , then no registration takes place and the registration process ends (block  612 ). If the user chooses to register, then the media messaging system  300  will get user identification information (block  606 ). Through a user interface, the user may enter identification information such as a username or an e-mail address. Further, the user may be presented with an option to enter a password. An identifier associated with the computing system may also constitute identification information. The user may also be prompted to enter user preference information (block  608 ). The user preference data may, for example, include age, geographical location, and hobbies or interests. Selections may be made using any suitable method. Some exemplary techniques known to those skilled in the art include pull-down menus, radio buttons, and check-boxes. User identification and preference information is then stored in the user preference database  330  (block  610 ). After the user identification and preference information is stored, the registration process of FIG. 6 ends.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 7 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a process in which a user may be provided with additional content based on stored preference data for that user. Upon receiving a modified media message  410  with which a hyperlink  350  is associated, a user may select the hyperlink as explained above to start accessing the transferred media file  325  pointed to by the hyperlink (block  620 ). The media management program  310  determines if the user is registered with the media messaging system (block  622 ). If the user is not registered with the media messaging system  300 , the user is preferably provided with an option to register (block  624 ). If the user chooses to register, then registration information is acquired (block  626 ) in a manner such as that described above in connection with blocks  606 ,  608 , and  610  of FIG. 6.  
         [0048]    If the block  622  determines that the user registered previously or if the block  624  determines that the user chose to register when the user attempted to access the media file  105 , the user preference database  330  will contain preference data about the user. In one embodiment of the present invention, the media management program  310  then presents the user with additional content related to the user&#39;s preference data (block  628 ). The additional content may, for example, be advertisements or news relating to subjects of interest to the user. The additional content may be presented before the transferred media file  325  is viewed, or after the transferred media file  325  is viewed. The additional content may also or alternatively be viewed while the transferred media file  325  is being viewed. This could be done, for example, by providing one or more areas for additional content outside of the area in which the transferred media file  325  is viewed. In one exemplary embodiment, one or more forms of additional content are presented to the recipient.  
         [0049]    In another exemplary embodiment in which the recipient is registered with the media messaging system  300 , the additional content may be randomly selected by the media management program  310 . Specifically, the content may be based on the user&#39;s preferences as entered in the user preference database  330 , or on the category and theme chosen by the sender. For example, if the registered recipient has entered that he is interested in Travel, and the sender chose a theme which is focused on Animals, the recipient will view additional content that is Travel or Animal oriented.  
         [0050]    Alternatively, should the user choose not to register (see block  624 ), the user would be shown the requested transferred media file  325  without any additional preference-based content (block  630 ). The media management program  310  may choose which additional content, if any, is then presented to the user. In another alternative embodiment, the user would be shown the requested transferred media file  325  with additional preference-based content based upon selections made by the sender in the “category” pulldown menu  160  and the “theme” pulldown menu  162 .  
         [0051]    Referring to FIG. 8, another exemplary embodiment of the present invention in which the media messaging system  300  and the message management system  500  are not integrated within a single system. Building non-integrated systems and establishing communication between multiple systems is well known to those skilled in the art of networking.  
         [0052]    While the invention has been discussed in terms of one or more embodiments, it should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the invention is not so limited. The embodiments are explained herein by way of example, and there are numerous modifications, variations and other embodiments that may be employed that would still be within the scope of the claimed invention.