System and method for enabling a user to control a context of a client device of a buddy in a social network

Abstract

A method comprises retrieving a profile of a given user; using the profile to identify a buddy of the given user; delivering a shared control request of the given user to a buddy device of the buddy; enabling the buddy to accept or reject the shared control request; and allowing the given user to control a context of the buddy device when the buddy accepts the shared control request.

1 . A method comprising: 
 retrieving a profile of a given user;    using the profile to identify a buddy of the given user;    delivering a shared control request of the given user to a buddy device of the buddy;    enabling the buddy to accept or reject the shared control request; and    allowing the given user to control a context of the buddy device when the buddy accepts the shared control request.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the using the profile to identify the buddy comprises: 
 identifying one or more instant messaging applications to which the given user subscribes as indicated in the profile;    identifying one or more other users in the one or more instant messaging applications; and    designating one of the other users as the buddy.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising selecting the buddy from the one or more other users by the given user.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the using the profile to identify the buddy comprises: 
 retrieving one or more characteristics of the given user as indicated in the profile;    examining one or more other user profiles to identify another user with characteristics similar to the given user; and    designating the other user with the similar characteristics as the buddy.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the shared control request comprises a request to allow the given user to control one or more content items displayed on the buddy device.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising propagating the context of the given user to the buddy that accepted the shared control request.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the propagating comprises propagating a change in context of the given user to the buddy that accepted the shared control request.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the context comprises a notion of the action that the user is performing at a given point in time.  
   
   
       9 . A system comprising: 
 a content store for storing content items;    a given user device coupled to the content store and operative to enable selection and presentation of content items stored in the content store to a given user;    an other-user device coupled to the content store and operative to enable selection and presentation of content items stored in the content store to another user; and    a content distribution server operative to identify the other user as being a buddy of the given user, to receive a shared control request from the given user device, to deliver the shared control request to the other-user device, to receive an acceptance or a rejection to the shared control request from the other-user device, and to allow the given user to control a context of the other-user device when an acceptance is received.    
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the content store is maintained on the content distribution server.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the content store is maintained external to the content distribution server.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the given user device and the other-user device includes one of a personal computer, a set top box, or a personal digital assistant.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the content distribution server includes a profile data store for storing identification of buddies of a given user.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the content distribution server is operative to propagate a content item selected by the given user to the given user device and the other-user device.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 9 , 
 further comprising a second other-user device coupled to the content store and operative to enable selection and presentation of content items stored in the content store to a second other user; and    wherein the content distribution server is operative to identify the second other user as being a second buddy of the given user, to receive a second shared control request from the given user device, to deliver the shared control request to the second other-user device, to receive an acceptance or a rejection to the shared control request from the second other-user device, and to allow the given user to control the context of the second other-user device when an acceptance is received.    
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the content distribution server is operative to propagate a content item selected by the given user to the other-user device and to the second other-user device.  
   
   
       17 . A system comprising: 
 retrieving means for retrieving a profile of a given user;    identifying means for identifying a buddy in a social network with the given user;    delivering means for delivering a shared control request of the given user to the buddy;    enabling means for enabling the buddy to accept or reject the shared control request; and    allowing means for allowing the given user to control a client device context of the buddy when the buddy accepts the shared control request.    
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the retrieving means includes a profile component coupled to a profile store that stores profiles of users.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the identifying means includes a messaging component in communication with a messenger application on the given user device.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 17 ,wherein the identifying means includes a messaging component that examines the other user profiles to identify the subset of the other users having characteristics in common with the given user.  
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the delivering means, enabling means and allowing means each include at least a portion of a TV application component, the TV application component being in communication with the given user device and the other-user device, the TV application component having access to a content data store and controlling the distribution of content items from the content data store to the given user device and the other-user device.