Patent Publication Number: US-11394676-B2

Title: Media content response in a messaging system

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/368,037, filed on Mar. 28, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     A content sharing platform may receive millions of messages from users desiring to share media content such as audio, images, and video between user devices (e.g., mobile devices, personal computers, etc.). The media content of these messages may be associated with a common geolocation, a common time period, a common event, and so forth. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate example embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing an example networked system for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating further details regarding the messaging system, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating data which may be stored in a database of a messaging server system, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message, according to some embodiments, generated by a messaging client application for communication. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating aspects of a method, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIGS. 6-11  illustrate example graphical user interfaces, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software architecture that may be installed on a machine, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in the form of a computer system, within which a set of instructions may be executed for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to an example embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Systems and methods described herein relate to a media content response in a messaging system. For example, a first user may send to a second user, via her computing device, a message comprising media content, such as a video of herself at a concert, a picture of her and family at a park, and so forth. The second user may receive and view the message via his computing device. If the second user would like to respond to the message with a photograph or video of himself, however, it can be a cumbersome process. For example, the second user would need to open a camera application to capture the photo or video of himself, save the photo or video. The second user may need to then open a messaging application, attach or import the photo or video, indicate a user to respond to, and so forth. It has been found that multiple steps to respond to a message using media content results in deterring many users from actually responding to the message and thus, results in less use and interactions via a messaging system. 
     Accordingly, example embodiments include improvements to a messaging system and improvements to responding to a message comprising media content with another message comprising media content. For instance, example embodiments allow a user to simply interact with a gesture or touch on a first message media content item displayed on his computing device to trigger a camera view to capture a second media content to send as a message in response to the first message. For example, a user can use his or her finger or hand to swipe up on the display of the media content item (e.g., while the video or image is being displayed) to launch a camera view to capture his own image or video and respond to the user that sent him the original media content item. Further details are described below. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a networked system  100  (e.g., a content sharing platform or messaging system) for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network. The networked system  100  includes multiple client devices  110 , each of which hosts a number of client applications  114 . Each client application  114  is communicatively coupled to other instances of the client application  114  and a server system  108  via a network  104 . 
     The client device  110  may comprise, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, portable digital assistant (PDA), smart phone, tablet, ultrabook, netbook, laptop, multi-processor system, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronic system, game console, set-top box, computer in a vehicle, wearable device, or any other communication device that a user may utilize to access the networked system  100 . In some embodiments, the client device  110  may comprise a display module (not shown) to display information (e.g., in the form of user interfaces). In further embodiments, the client device  110  may comprise one or more of touch screens, accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, microphones, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and so forth. 
     The client device  110  may be a device of a user that is used to create media content items such as video, images (e.g., photographs), audio, and media overlays and to send and receive messages containing such media content items, text, media overlays, and so forth, to and from other users. The client device  110  may be a device of a user that is used to create and edit messages comprising media content, including video, one or more images (e.g., photographs), media overlays or other creative tools, text, and so forth. The client device  110  may further be a device that is used to view and generate interactive messages, view other users on a map, and so forth. 
     One or more users may be a person, a machine, or other means of interacting with the client device  110 . In example embodiments, the user may not be part of the system  100  but may interact with the system  100  via the client device  110  or other means. For instance, the user may provide input (e.g., touch screen input or alphanumeric input) to the client device  110 , and the input may be communicated to other entities in the system  100  (e.g., third-party servers, the server system  108 , etc.) via the network  104 . In this instance, the other entities in the system  100 , in response to receiving the input from the user, may communicate information to the client device  110  via the network  104  to be presented to the user. In this way, the user may interact with the various entities in the system  100  using the client device  110 . 
     The system  100  may further include the network  104 . One or more portions of the network  104  may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a WI-FI network, a WiMax network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. 
     The client device  110  may access the various data and applications provided by other entities in the system  100  via a web client (e.g., a browser, such as the Internet Explorer® browser developed by Microsoft® Corporation of Redmond, Wash. State) or one or more client applications  114 . The client device  110  may include one or more client applications  114  (also referred to as “apps”) such as, but not limited to, a web browser, a messaging application, an electronic mail (email) application, an e-commerce site application, a mapping or location application, a media overlay application, an interactive messaging application, an image or video capture application, and the like. 
     In some embodiments, one or more client applications  114  may be included in a given one of the client devices  110 , and configured to locally provide a user interface and at least some of the functionalities of the application, with the client application  114  configured to communicate with other entities in the system  100  (e.g., third-party servers, the server system  108 , etc.), on an as-needed basis, for data and/or processing capabilities not locally available (e.g., to process user queries, to authenticate a user, to verify a method of payment, etc.). Conversely, one or more client applications  114  may not be included in the client device  110 , and then the client device  110  may use its web browser to access the one or more applications hosted on other entities in the system  100  (e.g., third-party servers, the server system  108 , etc.). 
     In one example, a client application  114  may be a messaging application that allows a user to take a photograph or video, add a caption or otherwise edit the photograph or video, and then send the photograph or video to another user. In one example, the message may be ephemeral and be removed from a receiving user device after viewing or after a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 10 seconds, 24 hours, etc.). An ephemeral message refers to a message that is accessible for a time-limited duration. An ephemeral message may be a text, an image, a video, and other such content that may be stitched or joined together in accordance with embodiments described herein. The access time for the ephemeral message may be set by the message sender. Alternatively, the access time may be a default setting or a setting specified by the recipient. Regardless of the setting technique, the message is transitory. 
     The messaging application may further allow a user to create a gallery or message collection. A gallery may be a collection of photos and videos which may be viewed by other users “following” the user&#39;s gallery (e.g., subscribed to view and receive updates in the user&#39;s gallery). In one example, the gallery may also be ephemeral (e.g., lasting 24 hours, lasting for a duration of an event (e.g., during a music concert, sporting event, etc.), or lasting another predetermined time). 
     An ephemeral message may be associated with a message duration parameter, the value of which determines an amount of time that the ephemeral message will be displayed to a receiving user of the ephemeral message by the client application  114 . The ephemeral message may be further associated with a message receiver identifier and a message timer. The message timer may be responsible for determining the amount of time the ephemeral message is shown to a particular receiving user identified by the message receiver identifier. For example, the ephemeral message may only be shown to the relevant receiving user for a time period determined by the value of the message duration parameter. 
     In another example, the messaging application may allow a user to store photographs and videos and create a gallery that is not ephemeral and that can be sent to other users. For example, a user may assemble photographs and videos from a recent vacation to share with friends and family. 
     The server system  108  may provide server-side functionality via the network  104  (e.g., the Internet or a wide area network (WAN)) to one or more client devices  110  and/or one or more third-party servers (not shown). The server system  108  may include an application programming interface (API) server  102 , an application server  112 , a messaging application server  116 , a media content processing system  118 , and a social network system  122 , which may be communicatively coupled with each other and with one or more data storages, such as one or more databases  120 . 
     The server system  108  may be a cloud computing environment, according to some example embodiments. The server system  108 , and any servers associated with the server system  108 , may be associated with a cloud-based application, in one example embodiment. 
     The one or more databases  120  may be storage devices that store information such as untreated media content, original media content from users (e.g., high-quality media content), processed media content (e.g., media content that is formatted for sharing with client devices  110  and viewing on client devices  110 ), context data related to a media content item, context data related to a user device (e.g., a computing or client device  110 ), media overlays, media overlay smart widgets or smart elements, user data, user device information, media content (e.g., video and images), media content data (e.g., data associated with video and images), computing device context data, serialized data, session data items, user device location data, mapping information, interactive message usage data, interactive message metrics data, and so forth. The one or more databases  120  may further store information related to third-party servers, third-party applications, client devices  110 , client applications  114 , users, and so forth. 
     The one or more databases  120  may include cloud-based storage external to the server system  108  (e.g., hosted by one or more third-party entities external to the server system  108 ). While the storage devices are shown as database(s)  120 , it is to be understood that the system  100  may access and store data in storage devices such as databases  120 , blob storages, and other types of storage methods. 
     The system  100  may further include one or more third-party servers (not shown). The one or more third-party servers may include one or more third-party applications. The one or more third-party applications, executing on the third-party server(s), may interact with the server system  108  via the API server  102  via a programmatic interface provided by the API server  102 . For example, one or more of the third-party applications may request and utilize information from the server system  108  via the API server  102  to support one or more features or functions on a website hosted by a third party or an application hosted by the third party. The third-party website or application, for example, may provide functionality that is supported by relevant functionality and data in the server system  108 . 
     Accordingly, each client application  114  is able to communicate and exchange data with other client applications  114  and with the server system  108  via the network  104 . The data exchanged between client applications  114 , and between a client application  114  and the server system  108 , includes functions (e.g., commands to invoke functions) as well as payload data (e.g., text, audio, video, or other multimedia data). 
     The server system  108  provides server-side functionality via the network  104  to a particular client application  114 . While certain functions of the system  100  are described herein as being performed either by a client application  114  or by the server system  108 , it will be appreciated that the location of certain functionality either within the client application  114  or within the server system  108  is a design choice. For example, it may be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technology and functionality within the server system  108 , but to later migrate this technology and functionality to the client application  114  where a client device  110  has a sufficient processing capacity. 
     The server system  108  supports various services and operations that are provided to the client application  114 . Such operations include transmitting data to, receiving data from, and processing data generated by the client application  114 . This data may include message content, client device information, geolocation information, media annotation and overlays, message content persistence conditions, social network information, live event information, date and time stamps, media content (e.g., video and images), media content data (e.g., data associated with video and images), interactive message usage data, and chance mode data, as examples. Data exchanges within the networked system  100  are invoked and controlled through functions available via user interfaces (UIs) of the client application  114 . 
     In the server system  108 , the API server  102  is coupled to, and provides a programmatic interface to, the application server  112 . The application server  112  is communicatively coupled to a database server  124 , which facilitates access to the one or more databases  120  in which is stored data associated with messages processed by the application server  112 . 
     The API server  102  receives and transmits message data (e.g., commands and message payloads) between the client device  110  and the application server  112 . Specifically, the API server  102  provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that can be called or queried by the client application  114  in order to invoke functionality of the application server  112 . The API server  102  exposes various functions supported by the application server  112 , including account registration; login functionality; the sending of messages, via the application server  112 , from a particular client application  114  to another client application  114 ; the sending of media files (e.g., images or video) from a client application  114  to the messaging application server  116 , for possible access by another client application  114 ; the setting of a collection of media data (e.g., a gallery, story, message collection, or media collection); the retrieval of such collections; the retrieval of a list of friends of a user of a client device  110 ; the retrieval of messages and content; the adding of friends to and deletion of friends from a social graph; the location of friends within a social graph; opening an application event (e.g., relating to the client application  114 ); mapping data; the creation and generation of a media overlay, and so forth. 
     The application server  112  hosts a number of applications and subsystems, including the messaging application server  116 , the media content processing system  118 , and the social network system  122 . The messaging application server  116  implements a number of message processing technologies and functions, particularly related to the aggregation and other processing of content (e.g., textual and multimedia content) included in messages received from multiple instances of the client application  114 . The text and media content from multiple sources may be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., called stories, galleries, or media collections). These collections are then made available, by the messaging application server  116 , to the client application  114 . Other processor- and memory-intensive processing of data may also be performed server-side by the messaging application server  116 , in view of the hardware requirements for such processing. 
     The application server  112  also includes the media content processing system  118 , which is dedicated to performing various media content processing operations, typically with respect to images or video received within the payload of a message at the messaging application server  116 . The media content processing system  118  may access one or more data storages (e.g., the database(s)  120 ) to retrieve stored data to use in processing media content and to store results of processed media content. 
     The social network system  122  supports various social networking functions and services, and makes these functions and services available to the messaging application server  116 . To this end, the social network system  122  maintains and accesses an entity graph  304  (depicted in  FIG. 3 ) within the database(s)  120 . Examples of functions and services supported by the social network system  122  include the identification of other users of the networked system  100  with whom a particular user has relationships or whom the particular user is “following,” and also the identification of other entities and interests of a particular user. 
     The messaging application server  116  may be responsible for generation and delivery of messages between users of client devices  110 . The messaging application server  116  may utilize any one of a number of message delivery networks and platforms to deliver messages to users. For example, the messaging application server  116  may deliver messages using electronic mail (email), instant messaging (IM), Short Message Service (SMS), text, facsimile, or voice (e.g., Voice over IP (VoIP)) messages via wired networks (e.g., the Internet), plain old telephone service (POTS), or wireless networks (e.g., mobile, cellular, WIFI, Long Term Evolution (LTE), or Bluetooth). 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram  200  illustrating further details regarding the system  100 , according to example embodiments. Specifically, the system is shown to comprise the messaging client application  114  and the application server  112 , which in turn embody a number of subsystems, namely an ephemeral timer system  202 , a collection management system  204 , and an annotation system  206 . 
     The ephemeral timer system  202  is responsible for enforcing the temporary access to content permitted by the messaging client application  114  and the messaging application server  116 . To this end, the ephemeral timer system  202  incorporates a number of timers that, based on duration and display parameters associated with a message, or a collection of messages (e.g., otherwise referred to herein as “media collections,” “galleries,” “message collections,” “stories,” and the like), selectively display and enable access to messages and associated content via the messaging client application  114 . 
     The collection management system  204  is responsible for managing collections of media (e.g., collections of text, image, video, and audio data). In some examples, a collection of content (e.g., messages, including images, video, text, and audio) may be organized into an “event gallery” or an “event story.” Such a collection may be made available for a specified time period, such as the duration of an event to which the content relates. For example, content relating to a music concert may be made available as a “story” for the duration of that music concert. The collection management system  204  may also be responsible for publishing an icon that provides notification of the existence of a particular collection to the user interface of the messaging client application  114 . 
     The collection management system  204  furthermore includes a curation interface  208  that allows a collection manager to manage and curate a particular collection of content. For example, the curation interface  208  enables an event organizer to curate a collection of content relating to a specific event (e.g., delete inappropriate content or redundant messages). Additionally, the collection management system  204  employs machine vision (or image recognition technology) and content rules to automatically curate a content collection. In certain embodiments, compensation (e.g., money, non-money credits or points associated with the messaging system or a third-party reward system, travel miles, access to artwork or specialized lenses, etc.) may be paid to a user for inclusion of user-generated content into a collection. In such cases, the curation interface  208  operates to automatically make payments to such users for the use of their content. 
     The annotation system  206  provides various functions that enable a user to annotate or otherwise modify or edit media content associated with a message. For example, the annotation system  206  provides functions related to the generation and publishing of media overlays for messages processed by the networked system  100 . In one example, the annotation system  206  operatively supplies a media overlay (e.g., a filter or media augmentation) to the messaging client application  114  based on a geolocation of the client device  110 . In another example, the annotation system  206  operatively supplies a media overlay to the messaging client application  114  based on other information, such as social network information of the user of the client device  110 . A media overlay may include audio and visual content and visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content include pictures, texts, logos, animations, and sound effects. An example of a visual effect includes color overlaying. The audio and visual content or the visual effects can be applied to a media content item (e.g., a photo) at the client device  110 . For example, the media overlay includes text that can be overlaid on top of a photograph taken by the client device  110 . In another example, the media overlay includes an identification of a location overlay (e.g., Venice Beach), a name of a live event, a name of a merchant overlay (e.g., Beach Coffee House), or of a home of a user. In another example, the annotation system  206  uses the geolocation of the client device  110  to identify a media overlay that includes the name of a merchant at the geolocation of the client device  110 . The media overlay may include other indicia associated with the merchant. The media overlays may be stored in the database(s)  120  and accessed through the database server  124 . 
     The annotation system  206  may further enable a user to interact with an interactive message, such as by adding one or more media content items to the interactive message, as described in further detail below. In one example embodiment, the annotation system  206  provides a publication platform that allows a user or merchant to create an interactive message with a plurality of objects associated with the interactive message for which users may add personal content. For example, a designer may create a video of a rock band with various interactive objects for different members of the band (a drummer, a keyboard player, a guitarist, etc.). The video of the rock band may be made available to users as an interactive message. Further details of interactive messages is described in “Generating Interactive Messages With Asynchronous Media Content” application Ser. No. 15/860,397 and “Generating Interactive Messages With Asynchronous Media Content” application Ser. No. 16/237,296, which are each incorporated herein in their entirety. 
     In one example embodiment, the annotation system  206  provides a user-based publication platform that enables users to select a geolocation on a map, and upload content associated with the selected geolocation. The user may also specify circumstances under which a particular media overlay is to be offered to other users. The annotation system  206  generates a media overlay that includes the uploaded content and associates the uploaded content with the selected geolocation. 
     In another example embodiment, the annotation system  206  provides a merchant-based publication platform that enables merchants to select a particular media overlay associated with a geolocation via a bidding process. For example, the annotation system  206  associates the media overlay of a highest-bidding merchant with a corresponding geolocation for a predefined amount of time. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram  300  illustrating data which may be stored in the database(s)  120  of the server system  108 , according to certain example embodiments. While the content of the database(s)  120  is shown to comprise a number of tables, it will be appreciated that the data could be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., as an object-oriented database). 
     The database  120  includes message data stored within a message table  314 . An entity table  302  stores entity data, including an entity graph  304 . Entities for which records are maintained within the entity table  302  may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects, places, events, and so forth. Regardless of type, any entity regarding which the server system  108  stores data may be a recognized entity. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier, as well as an entity type identifier (not shown). 
     The entity graph  304  furthermore stores information regarding relationships and associations between entities. Such relationships may be social, professional (e.g., work at a common corporation or organization), interested-based, or activity-based, merely for example. 
     The database  120  also stores annotation data, in the example form of media overlays or filters, in an annotation table  312 . Annotation data may also be referred to herein as “creative tools” or “interactive features.” Annotation data may comprise predefined interactive messages to be provided to users. 
     Media overlays or filters, for which data is stored within the annotation table  312 , are associated with and applied to videos (for which data is stored in a video table  310 ) and/or images (for which data is stored in an image table  308 ). Filters, in one example, are overlays that are displayed as overlaid on an image or video during presentation to a recipient user. Filters may be of various types, including user-selected filters from a gallery of filters presented to a sending user by the messaging client application  114  when the sending user is composing a message. Other types of filters include geolocation filters (also known as “geo-filters”), which may be presented to a sending user based on geographic location. For example, geolocation filters specific to a neighborhood or special location may be presented within a user interface by the messaging client application  114 , based on geolocation information determined by a GPS unit of the client device  110 . Another type of filter is a data filter, which may be selectively presented to a sending user by the messaging client application  114 , based on other inputs or information gathered by the client device  110  during the message creation process. Examples of data filters include a current temperature at a specific location, a current speed at which a sending user is traveling, a battery life for a client device  110 , or the current time. 
     Other annotation data that may be stored within the annotation table  312  is so-called “lens” data. A “lens” may be a real-time special effect and sound that may be added to an image or a video. 
     As mentioned above, the video table  310  stores video data which, in one embodiment, is associated with messages for which records are maintained within the message table  314 . Similarly, the image table  308  stores image data associated with messages for which message data is stored in the message table  314 . The entity table  302  may associate various annotations from the annotation table  312  with various images and videos stored in the image table  308  and the video table  310 . 
     A story table  306  stores data regarding collections of messages and associated image, video, or audio data, which are compiled into a collection (e.g., a story, gallery, or media collection). The creation of a particular collection may be initiated by a particular user (e.g., any user for whom a record is maintained in the entity table  302 ). A user may create a “personal story” in the form of a collection of content that has been created and sent/broadcast by that user. To this end, the user interface of the messaging client application  114  may include an icon that is user-selectable to enable a sending user to add specific content to his or her personal story. 
     A media or message collection may also constitute a “live story,” which is a collection of content from multiple users that is created manually, automatically, or using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example, a “live story” may constitute a curated stream of user-submitted content from various locations and events. Users whose client devices  110  have location services enabled and are at a common event location at a particular time may, for example, be presented with an option, via a user interface of the messaging client application  114 , to contribute content to a particular live story. The live story may be identified to the user by the messaging client application  114 , based on his or her location. The end result is a “live story” told from a community perspective. 
     A further type of content collection is known as a “location story,” which enables a user whose client device  110  is located within a specific geographic location (e.g., on a college or university campus) to contribute to a particular collection. In some embodiments, a contribution to a location story may require a second degree of authentication to verify that the end user belongs to a specific organization or other entity (e.g., is a student on the university campus). 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message  400 , according to some embodiments, generated by a client application  114  for communication to a further client application  114  or the messaging application server  116 . The content of a particular message  400  is used to populate the message table  314  stored within the database(s)  120 , accessible by the messaging application server  116 . Similarly, the content of a message  400  is stored in memory as “in-transit” or “in-flight” data of the client device  110  or the application server  112 . The message  400  is shown to include the following components:
         A message identifier  402 : a unique identifier that identifies the message  400 .   A message text payload  404 : text, to be generated by a user via a user interface of the client device  110  and that is included in the message  400 .   A message image payload  406 : image data, captured by a camera component of a client device  110  or retrieved from memory of a client device  110 , and that is included in the message  400 .   A message video payload  408 : video data, captured by a camera component or retrieved from a memory component of the client device  110  and that is included in the message  400 .   A message audio payload  410 : audio data, captured by a microphone or retrieved from the memory component of the client device  110 , and that is included in the message  400 .   Message annotations  412 : annotation data (e.g., media overlays such as filters, stickers, or other enhancements) that represents annotations to be applied to the message image payload  406 , message video payload  408 , or message audio payload  410  of the message  400 .   A message duration parameter  414 : a parameter value indicating, in seconds, the amount of time for which content of the message  400  (e.g., the message image payload  406 , message video payload  408 , and message audio payload  410 ) is to be presented or made accessible to a user via the messaging client application  114 .   A message geolocation parameter  416 : geolocation data (e.g., latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates) associated with the content payload of the message  400 . Multiple message geolocation parameter  416  values may be included in the payload, each of these parameter values being associated with respective content items included in the content (e.g., a specific image within the message image payload  406 , or a specific video in the message video payload  408 ).   A message story identifier  418 : identifier values identifying one or more content collections (e.g., “stories”) with which a particular content item in the message image payload  406  of the message  400  is associated. For example, multiple images within the message image payload  406  may each be associated with multiple content collections using identifier values.   A message tag  420 : each message  400  may be tagged with multiple tags, each of which is indicative of the subject matter of content included in the message payload. For example, where a particular image included in the message image payload  406  depicts an animal (e.g., a lion), a tag value may be included within the message tag  420  that is indicative of the relevant animal. Tag values may be generated manually, based on user input, or may be automatically generated using, for example, image recognition.   A message sender identifier  422 : an identifier (e.g., a messaging system identifier, email address, or device identifier) indicative of a user of the client device  110  on which the message  400  was generated and from which the message  400  was sent.   A message receiver identifier  424 : an identifier (e.g., a messaging system identifier, email address, or device identifier) indicative of a user of the client device  110  to which the message  400  is addressed.       

     The contents (e.g., values) of the various components of the message  400  may be pointers to locations in tables within which content data values are stored. For example, an image value in the message image payload  406  may be a pointer to (or address of) a location within an image table  308 . Similarly, values within the message video payload  408  may point to data stored within a video table  310 , values stored within the message annotations  412  may point to data stored in an annotation table  312 , values stored within the message story identifier  418  may point to data stored in a story table  306 , and values stored within the message sender identifier  422  and the message receiver identifier  424  may point to user records stored within an entity table  302 . 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating aspects of a method  500 , according to some example embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the method  500  is described with respect to the networked system  100  of  FIG. 1 . It is to be understood that the method  500  may be practiced with other system configurations in other embodiments. 
     As mentioned above, users may send and receive messages comprising media content to and from other users. For example, a user can capture, via her computing device (e.g., client device  110 ) media content (e.g., video, image(s), audio) and send, via her computing device, a message comprising the media content to another user (or to more than one other users). In one example, the media content comprises at least one of a video, an image, and audio. In one example, after capturing the media content, the user can augment the first media content item. For example, the user can add text or audio, use creative tools to alter the first media content (e.g., change colors, add visual effects such as bunny ears or funny glasses, enhance facial features, etc.), use one or more media overlays, and so forth. The user can then send a message, via her computing device, comprising the media content item or augmented media content item to the one or more other users. In one example, the message is an interactive message, as explained above. 
     In one example, a first computing device (e.g., client device  110 , server system  108 , application server  112 , media content processing system  118 , etc.) receives a first message comprising first media content (e.g., from a second computing device). For example, a friend is sending another friend a photograph of herself at a park enjoying the weather. In operation  502 , the computing device causes the message comprising the first media content to be displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a display of the first computing device. 
     In one example, causing display of the first media content comprises displaying the first media content in the GUI and overlaying an interface component on the first media content indicating an option to respond to the message (e.g., using a camera).  FIG. 6  illustrates an example GUI  600  displaying a media content item in the example form of a photograph  602  and the overlaid interface component  604 . In this example, the overlaid interface component  604  or interactable interface, is a camera icon beneath a caret indicating that selection of the interface component  604  results in opening a camera view to capture an image or video. Other icons or images can be used for the interface component  604 , in other examples. For example, the display of the computing device may comprise a touch screen display. A user interacts with the interface component  604  by touching, tapping, or swiping the interface component  604 . In this example, the caret may indicate that a user can swipe up on the interface component  604  to launch the camera view. The example display in  FIG. 6  also shows an optional chat interface component  606  that, when selected by the user, allows the user to interact with the other user by exchanging text messages. 
     In another example, no specific interface component is overlaid on the display of the media content item. Instead, instructions are provided to the user that the user can use a gesture when viewing a media content item of a message to respond to the message with another media content item. For example, instructions may be presented to the user when he opens the messaging application, when he views the media content item, or elsewhere, to alert the user to the fact that he can simply swipe up when the media content item is displayed or touch or press a predefined portion of the display screen to launch a camera view to capture another media content item to respond to the message. 
     Returning to  FIG. 5 , in operation  504 , the first computing device detects user input via the GUI during display of the message comprising the first media content. For example, the user input can be a gesture on a display screen and/or a selection of a corresponding GUI element in the GUI. For example, the first computing device detects a gesture made via the display of the first computing device during display of the message comprising the first media content. For example, the first computing device detects when a user places one or more fingers (or hand or other body part) on the display (e.g., touch screen) and interprets the pattern of touch or touches as a particular gesture. For example, the first computing device detects when the first user places one or more fingers on the display and tracks the position of the user&#39;s finger(s) until the user&#39;s finger(s) stop touching the display. The computing device can then determine a location, shape, direction, speed, duration, and so forth, of the gesture. 
     In operation  506 , the first computing device determines whether the user input (e.g., gesture) triggers a second GUI to respond to the message by launching a camera view to capture a second media content item. For example, the first computing device determines whether the location, shape, direction, speed, duration, and so forth, triggers launching a camera view in a second GUI. Using the example described above, the first computing device determines whether a user has pressed or swiped up (e.g., swiped in an upward motion) on the display (e.g., on the interface component  604  or other predefined area on the display). 
     If the first computing device determines that the gesture does not trigger the second GUI (or other action) then no further action is taken. If the first computing device determines that the gesture does trigger the second GUI (e.g., the user has swiped in an upward direction on the display or selected a corresponding element on the display), the first computing device causes the second GUI to display on the display of the first computing device, as shown in operation  508 . For example, the first computing device launches a camera view and displays the second GUI with the camera view as shown in the display  700  of  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 7  illustrates display of a camera view showing the image  704  or view of what can be seen through the camera lens of the first computing device. The display  700  also has a capture interface component  702  that the user can press or hold to capture an image or video of what can be seen through the camera lens. 
     In operation  510 , the first computing device detects capture of the second media content via the second GUI comprising the camera view. For example, the first computing device detects the user interaction (e.g. press) of the capture interface component  702 . The first computing device can then display the captured second media content to the user so that the user can view what has been captured. In one example, the user can also modify the image  704  using creative tools (e.g., editing tools, media overlays, etc.). 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a display  800  showing the captured image (or video)  808 , creative tools  804 , saving and sharing tools  806 , and a reply interface component  802 . The reply interface component  802  allows the user to reply to the message with the first media content, with a message comprising the second media content. The user can select the reply interface component ( 802 ) to indicate that the second media content should be sent as a second message in reply to the first message. For example, the user provides an input via the reply interface component  802  or other predefined component or area on the display  800 . 
     The first computing device receives the input via the display requesting that a reply message comprising the second media content be sent in response to the first message. In operation  512 , the first computing device sends the reply message comprising the second media content in response to the first message. For example, the first message may be sent via a second computing device and the first computing device may send the reply message to the second computing device (or another device associated with a user that sent the first message). In one example, the first computing device sends the reply message via server system  108 . 
     In one example, the first message is an interactive message, as explained above, and the captured second media content is added to at least one object in the interactive message. The reply message comprises the first message with the second media content added to the at least one object in the interactive message. 
     For example, an interactive message is a predefined message comprising media content (e.g., videos, images, etc.) with a plurality of objects associated with different areas or characters in the interactive message for which users may add personal content (e.g., band members, game players, locations in a scene, etc.). For example, an interactive message may be a video of a band playing that has an object for each band member. Users may be able to add an image or video of his or her face to the face for each band member.  FIG. 9  illustrates an example GUI  900  displaying an example interactive message  902  where a user may add an image or video of himself to a band. A first interactive object  904  in the interactive message  902  may be a drummer. The user may capture an image or video of his face to add to the drummer. For example, the user may select an option on the display or elsewhere on the computing device to start capturing video of himself. The computing device may capture a video of the user and associate the video of the user with the first interactive object  904  of the drummer. In one example, the computing device may identify a portion of the video or image that may be captured and capture only the portion of the video or image. In this example, for instance, the computing device may detect the face of the user and only capture the face of the user to display as the face of the drummer  906 . This will result in a smaller file size for the media content item. The image or video of the user (e.g., the user&#39;s face) is displayed in the first interactive object  904  of the drummer  906 . 
     The user may then send the interactive message (first message) comprising first media content (the drummer with an image or video of the user&#39;s face) to another user  902 , via his computing device. For example, as described above, the computing device sends the first message to a first computing device, the first computing device receives the first message comprising the first media content and causes display of the first message comprising first media content, as described above and with respect to operation  502  of  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an example GUI  1000  displaying the first interactive message  1002  displayed on the first computing device. As described above, in one example, causing display of the first media content comprises displaying the first media content (e.g., interactive message comprising the drummer with an image or video of the user&#39;s face) in the GUI and overlaying an interface component on the first media content indicating an option to respond to the message (e.g., using a camera to add a second media content to the first interactive message). In the example GUI  1000  shown in  FIG. 10 , an interface component  1004  is overlaid on the first interactive message  1002 . In this example, the overlaid interface component  1004  or interactable interface, has “play” text with a caret appearing over it indicating that selection of the interface component  1004  results in opening a GUI to play or interact with the interactive message  1002 . Other icons or images can be used for the interface component  1004 , in other examples. The example display in  FIG. 10  also shows an optional chat interface component  1006  that, when selected by the user, allows the user to interact with the other user by exchanging text messages. 
     In another example, as explained above, no specific interface component is overlaid on the display of the media content item. Instead, instructions are provided to the user that the user can use a gesture when viewing a media content item of a message to respond to the message with another media content item. For example, instructions may be presented to the user when he opens the messaging application, when he views the media content item, or elsewhere, to alert the user to the fact that he can simply swipe up when the media content item is displayed or touch or press a predefined portion of the display screen to launch a camera view to capture another media content item to respond to the interactive message. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates an example GUI  1100  displaying an interactive message  1102  where the user who received the interactive message (e.g., first message) may add second media content to the interactive message (e.g., add an image or video of himself to the band). A second interactive object  1104  in the interactive message  1102  may be a keyboard player. The user may capture a second media content (e.g., an image or video of his face) to add to the keyboard player, as explained above for the drummer. The image or video  1106  of the user is displayed (e.g., as the face portion of the keyboard player) in the second interactive object  1104  of the keyboard player. In one example, the second interactive object  1104  (and any other objects other than the objects that have already been included by other users) is not visible until the second user is viewing the interactive message  1102 . In one example, the second interactive object  1104  may appear when the user is viewing the interactive message  1102 , indicating that the user may add content to the interactive message  1102 . 
     The GUI  1100  includes a reply interface component  1108 . As explained above, the reply interface component  1108  allows the user to reply to the message with the first media content, with a message comprising the second media content (e.g., the keyboard player with an image or video of the user&#39;s face). The user can select the reply interface component  1108  to indicate that the second media content should be sent as a second message in reply to the first message. For example, the user provides an input via the reply interface component  1108  or other predefined component or area on the display, as explained above. Accordingly, the reply message is a composite message or a collaborative message comprising the combination of media content of the received message and media content captured by the receiving device&#39;s camera. 
     In one example, the first message is an interactive message corresponding to a game played between a first user sending the first message and a second user replying to the first message. In this example, the reply message comprises media content corresponding to the second user&#39;s play in the game. 
     Example embodiments as described above provide for a number of advantages. As explained initially, a first user may send to a second user, via her computing device, a message comprising media content, such as a video of herself at a concert, a picture of her and family at a park, and so forth. The second user may receive and view the message via his computing device. If the second user would like to respond to the message with a photograph or video of himself, however, it can be a cumbersome process via conventional means. For example, the second user would need to open a camera application to capture the photo or video of himself, save the photo or video. The second user may need to then open a messaging application, attach or import the photo or video, indicate a user to respond to, and so forth. It has been found that multiple steps to respond to a message using media content results in deterring many users from actually responding to the message and thus, results in less use and interactions via a messaging system. 
     Example embodiments provide improvements to a messaging system and improvements to responding to a message comprising media content with another message comprising media content, as explained in detail above. For instance, example embodiments allow a user to simply interact with a gesture or touch on a first message media content item displayed on his computing device to trigger a camera view to capture a second media content to send as a message in response to the first message. For example, a user can use his finger or hand to swipe up on the display of the media content item (e.g., while the video or image is being displayed) to launch a camera view to capture his own image or video and respond to the user that sent him the original media content item. 
     As can be seen from example embodiments, camera access is gained for generating responsive image-based media content directly from the original media content, without any intermediate steps, user interface switches or application switches. Examiner embodiments provide a response flow for responding to an image-based or media-rich message with an image-based response message by presenting in sequence, within a common application and without displaying intermediate user interfaces: a user interface displaying the received message media content; a user interface enabling capture of new media content by the receiving device&#39;s camera; and an editing/augmentation interface. The response message is sendable responsive to user input directly from the editing/augmentation interface. 
       FIG. 12  is a block diagram  1200  illustrating a software architecture  1202 , which can be installed on any one or more of the devices described above. For example, in various embodiments, client devices  110 , server systems  102 ,  112 ,  116 ,  118 ,  122 , and  124  may be implemented using some or all of the elements of the software architecture  1202 .  FIG. 12  is merely a non-limiting example of a software architecture, and it will be appreciated that many other architectures can be implemented to facilitate the functionality described herein. In various embodiments, the software architecture  1202  is implemented by hardware such as a machine  1300  of  FIG. 13  that includes processors  1310 , memory  1330 , and I/O components  1350 . In this example, the software architecture  1202  can be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer may provide a particular functionality. For example, the software architecture  1202  includes layers such as an operating system  1204 , libraries  1206 , frameworks  1208 , and applications  1210 . Operationally, the applications  1210  invoke API calls  1212  through the software stack and receive messages  1214  in response to the API calls  1212 , consistent with some embodiments. 
     In various implementations, the operating system  1204  manages hardware resources and provides common services. The operating system  1204  includes, for example, a kernel  1220 , services  1222 , and drivers  1224 . The kernel  1220  acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers, consistent with some embodiments. For example, the kernel  1220  provides memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, and security settings, among other functionality. The services  1222  can provide other common services for the other software layers. The drivers  1224  are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware, according to some embodiments. For instance, the drivers  1224  can include display drivers, camera drivers, BLUETOOTH® or BLUETOOTH® Low Energy drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), WI-FI® drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth. 
     In some embodiments, the libraries  1206  provide a low-level common infrastructure utilized by the applications  1210 . The libraries  1206  can include system libraries  1230  (e.g., C standard library) that can provide functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematic functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries  1206  can include API libraries  1232  such as media libraries (e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of various media formats such as Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG4), Advanced Video Coding (H.264 or AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG)), graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework used to render two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite to provide various relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit to provide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries  1206  can also include a wide variety of other libraries  1234  to provide many other APIs to the applications  1210 . 
     The frameworks  1208  provide a high-level common infrastructure that can be utilized by the applications  1210 , according to some embodiments. For example, the frameworks  1208  provide various graphic user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management, high-level location services, and so forth. The frameworks  1208  can provide a broad spectrum of other APIs that can be utilized by the applications  1210 , some of which may be specific to a particular operating system  1204  or platform. 
     In an example embodiment, the applications  1210  include a home application  1250 , a contacts application  1252 , a browser application  1254 , a book reader application  1256 , a location application  1258 , a media application  1260 , a messaging application  1262 , a game application  1264 , and a broad assortment of other applications such as a third-party application  1266 . According to some embodiments, the applications  1210  are programs that execute functions defined in the programs. Various programming languages can be employed to create one or more of the applications  1210 , structured in a variety of manners, such as object-oriented programming languages (e.g., Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages (e.g., C or assembly language). In a specific example, the third-party application  1266  (e.g., an application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ software development kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the particular platform) may be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or another mobile operating system. In this example, the third-party application  1266  can invoke the API calls  1212  provided by the operating system  1204  to facilitate functionality described herein. 
     Some embodiments may particularly include a media content application  1267 . In certain embodiments, this may be a standalone application that operates to manage communications with a server system, such as third-party servers or the server system  108 . In other embodiments, this functionality may be integrated with another application (e.g., the messaging application  1262 ). The media content application  1267  may request and display various data related to messaging, media content, media collections, media overlays, interactive messages, and so forth, and may provide the capability for a user to input data related to the system via a touch interface, via a keyboard, or using a camera device of the machine  1300 , communication with a server system via the I/O components  1350 , and receipt and storage of object data in the memory  1330 . Presentation of information and user inputs associated with the information may be managed by the media content application  1267  using different frameworks  1208 , library  1206  elements, or operating system  1204  elements operating on the machine  1300 . 
       FIG. 13  is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine  1300 , according to some embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically,  FIG. 13  shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine  1300  in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions  1316  (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine  1300  to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein can be executed. In alternative embodiments, the machine  1300  operates as a standalone device or can be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine  1300  may operate in the capacity of a server machine  102 ,  112 ,  116 ,  118 ,  122 ,  124 , and the like, or a client device  110  in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine  1300  can comprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the instructions  1316 , sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by the machine  1300 . Further, while only a single machine  1300  is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include a collection of machines  1300  that individually or jointly execute the instructions  1316  to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. 
     In various embodiments, the machine  1300  comprises processors  1310 , memory  1330 , and I/O components  1350 , which can be configured to communicate with each other via a bus  1302 . In an example embodiment, the processors  1310  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) include, for example, a processor  1312  and a processor  1314  that may execute the instructions  1316 . The term “processor” is intended to include multi-core processors  1310  that may comprise two or more independent processors  1312 ,  1314  (also referred to as “cores”) that can execute instructions  1316  contemporaneously. Although  FIG. 13  shows multiple processors  1310 , the machine  1300  may include a single processor  1310  with a single core, a single processor  1310  with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor  1310 ), multiple processors  1312 ,  1314  with a single core, multiple processors  1312 ,  1314  with multiple cores, or any combination thereof. 
     The memory  1330  comprises a main memory  1332 , a static memory  1334 , and a storage unit  1336  accessible to the processors  1310  via the bus  1302 , according to some embodiments. The storage unit  1336  can include a machine-readable medium  1313  on which are stored the instructions  1316  embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions  1316  can also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory  1332 , within the static memory  1334 , within at least one of the processors  1310  (e.g., within the processor&#39;s cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine  1300 . Accordingly, in various embodiments, the main memory  1332 , the static memory  1334 , and the processors  1310  are considered machine-readable media  1313 . 
     As used herein, the term “memory” refers to a machine-readable medium  1313  able to store data temporarily or permanently and may be taken to include, but not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, and cache memory. While the machine-readable medium  1313  is shown, in an example embodiment, to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to store the instructions  1316 . The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., instructions  1316 ) for execution by a machine (e.g., machine  1300 ), such that the instructions  1316 , when executed by one or more processors of the machine  1300  (e.g., processors  1310 ), cause the machine  1300  to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, one or more data repositories in the form of a solid-state memory (e.g., flash memory), an optical medium, a magnetic medium, other non-volatile memory (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM)), or any suitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” specifically excludes non-statutory signals per se. 
     The I/O components  1350  include a wide variety of components to receive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. In general, it will be appreciated that the I/O components  1350  can include many other components that are not shown in  FIG. 13 . The I/O components  1350  are grouped according to functionality merely for simplifying the following discussion, and the grouping is in no way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components  1350  include output components  1352  and input components  1354 . The output components  1352  include visual components (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor), other signal generators, and so forth. The input components  1354  include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point-based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that provides location and force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and the like. 
     In some further example embodiments, the I/O components  1350  include biometric components  1356 , motion components  1358 , environmental components  1360 , or position components  1362 , among a wide array of other components. For example, the biometric components  1356  include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram based identification), and the like. The motion components  1358  include acceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth. The environmental components  1360  include, for example, illumination sensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensor components (e.g., machine olfaction detection sensors, gas detection sensors to detect concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position components  1362  include location sensor components (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like. 
     Communication can be implemented using a wide variety of technologies. The I/O components  1350  may include communication components  1364  operable to couple the machine  1300  to a network  1380  or devices  1370  via a coupling  1382  and a coupling  1372 , respectively. For example, the communication components  1364  include a network interface component or another suitable device to interface with the network  1380 . In further examples, communication components  1364  include wired communication components, wireless communication components, cellular communication components, near field communication (NFC) components, BLUETOOTH® components (e.g., BLUETOOTH® Low Energy), WI-FI® components, and other communication components to provide communication via other modalities. The devices  1370  may be another machine  1300  or any of a wide variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)). 
     Moreover, in some embodiments, the communication components  1364  detect identifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers. For example, the communication components  1364  include radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes such as a Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec Code, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, Uniform Commercial Code Reduced Space Symbology (UCC RSS)-2D bar codes, and other optical codes), acoustic detection components (e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals), or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, a variety of information can be derived via the communication components  1364 , such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, location via WI-FI® signal triangulation, location via detecting a BLUETOOTH® or NFC beacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth. 
     In various example embodiments, one or more portions of the network  1380  can be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a WI-FI® network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, the network  1380  or a portion of the network  1380  may include a wireless or cellular network, and the coupling  1382  may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection, or another type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling  1382  can implement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard-setting organizations, other long range protocols, or other data transfer technology. 
     In example embodiments, the instructions  1316  are transmitted or received over the network  1380  using a transmission medium via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface component included in the communication components  1364 ) and utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, in other example embodiments, the instructions  1316  are transmitted or received using a transmission medium via the coupling  1372  (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to the devices  1370 . The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying the instructions  1316  for execution by the machine  1300 , and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software. 
     Furthermore, the machine-readable medium  1313  is non-transitory (in other words, not having any transitory signals) in that it does not embody a propagating signal. However, labeling the machine-readable medium  1313  “non-transitory” should not be construed to mean that the medium is incapable of movement; the machine-readable medium  1313  should be considered as being transportable from one physical location to another. Additionally, since the machine-readable medium  1313  is tangible, the machine-readable medium  1313  may be considered to be a machine-readable device. 
     Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein. 
     Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 
     As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive or exclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, or structures described herein as a single instance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate resources in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of the present disclosure as represented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.