US20050108754A1 - Personalized content application - Google Patents

Personalized content application Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20050108754A1
US20050108754A1 US10/717,183 US71718303A US2005108754A1 US 20050108754 A1 US20050108754 A1 US 20050108754A1 US 71718303 A US71718303 A US 71718303A US 2005108754 A1 US2005108754 A1 US 2005108754A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
content
user
channels
media content
channel
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/717,183
Inventor
Tom Carhart
Murgesh Navar
Sergiy Bilobrov
Andrey Yruski
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
VoloMedia Inc
Original Assignee
Serenade Systems
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to US10/717,183 priority Critical patent/US20050108754A1/en
Application filed by Serenade Systems filed Critical Serenade Systems
Assigned to SERENADE SYSTEMS reassignment SERENADE SYSTEMS ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: CARHART, TOM, NAVAR, MURGESH, YRUSKI, ANDREY, BILOBROV, SERGIY
Priority to EP04256651A priority patent/EP1545031A2/en
Priority to CA002488022A priority patent/CA2488022A1/en
Publication of US20050108754A1 publication Critical patent/US20050108754A1/en
Assigned to AUDIOFEAST, INC. reassignment AUDIOFEAST, INC. CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: SERENADE SYSTEMS, INC.
Assigned to VOLOMEDIA, INC. reassignment VOLOMEDIA, INC. CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: PODBRIDGE, INC.
Assigned to PODBRIDGE, INC. reassignment PODBRIDGE, INC. CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: AUDIOFEAST, INC.
Priority to US12/248,691 priority patent/US7568213B2/en
Priority to US12/690,888 priority patent/US8281348B2/en
Priority to US13/633,090 priority patent/US8661480B2/en
Priority to US14/188,960 priority patent/US9247301B2/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47End-user applications
    • H04N21/472End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H20/00Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast
    • H04H20/10Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
    • H04H20/103Transmitter-side switching
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H20/00Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast
    • H04H20/38Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H20/00Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast
    • H04H20/40Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/09Arrangements for device control with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time; Arrangements for control of broadcast-related services
    • H04H60/14Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
    • H04H60/21Billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information
    • H04H60/22Billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information per use
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/35Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users
    • H04H60/46Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users for recognising users' preferences
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/61Arrangements for services using the result of monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
    • H04H60/66Arrangements for services using the result of monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54 for using the result on distributors' side
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/60Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client, e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client 
    • H04N21/61Network physical structure; Signal processing
    • H04N21/6156Network physical structure; Signal processing specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network
    • H04N21/6181Network physical structure; Signal processing specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network involving transmission via a mobile phone network
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/27Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04HBROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/35Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users
    • H04H60/49Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users for identifying locations
    • H04H60/51Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users for identifying locations of receiving stations

Definitions

  • the present invention is related to the subject matter of the co-filed application entitled “Content Distribution Architecture,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their intirety for all purposes.
  • the present invention relates to digital media and more particularly, in certain embodiments, to systems and methods for presenting digital media to a user.
  • Improvements in processor speed, digital storage capacity, and network bandwidth have enabled remarkable advances in the consumer audio and video experience.
  • User control over video experience has been enhanced by personal video recorders that exploit digital storage advances to cache large amounts of video programming for later viewing.
  • Conventional terrestrial and CATV programming delivery choices have been supplemented with digital video content broadcast via cable or satellite as well as high definition satellite and terrestrial broadcasts with high definition cable services being under serious discussion.
  • radio Another traditional form of audio content distribution is radio. Even with the advent of more advanced audio content distribution technologies, radio continues to be popular. For music listeners, radio offers an element of serendipity in that even if the station selection is indicative of a music type preference, the sequence of songs played will be a surprise and new songs will sometimes be heard for the first time. For those interested in news, sports, and other programming the radio offers frequent updates, potentially interspersed with other types of contents such as music, and easy multitasking with other activities not possible with newspapers and web news sources.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide, e.g, user customization of radio channel selections, immediate availability of multiple pre-programmed and/or customized channels, the ability to intersperse different types of content including periodically refreshed information content, availability of personal radio functions on devices such as car audio systems, PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, etc.
  • Available channels include, e.g., pre-programmed channels selected for the user based on an interest profile, user-owned content, user-specified recorded content, etc.
  • An audio user interface facilitates user selection of programming and user purchase of currently played audio material.
  • An overall radio experience is thus provided that combines the customization and flexibility of digital media with the immediacy and ubiquity of radio.
  • the present invention also finds application to video materials.
  • FIG. 1 depicts elements of a computer system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 depicts elements of a portable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 depicts a physical arrangement of a portable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 depicts elements of a content distribution architecture according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 depicts a channel list according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6A is a flowchart describing steps of operating a personalized radio service according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6B depicts a channel prioritization scheme according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6C depicts is a flowchart describing steps of synchronizing a portable device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 7A-7B depicts the structure of playlists derived from preferred radio channel tree structures according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 depicts dynamic playback management according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9 depicts operation of an audio user interface according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide a very powerful media user interface.
  • a specific application to audio media materials and personalized radio is disclosed but it will be appreciated that other embodiments of the present invention will provide a user interface to video materials or other media.
  • Audio-related embodiments combine the customizability and wide range of choices of digital media with the immediacy, serendipity, ubiquity, and continually refreshed content of the radio experience.
  • Customized audio content is pre-cached allowing the user to choose among multiple immediately available programming offerings.
  • a PC is used as a staging device to retrieve and organize audio content but the listening experience is not limited to the PC but is also available on a range of portable devices such as MP3 players, PDAs, smartphones, etc.
  • Embodiments of the present invention are fully sensitive to rights management concerns. While providing local caching of desired content, the content is only available through the user interface that enforces restrictions as appropriate against e.g., rewinding content, propagating content to other users, copying content, etc. Generally speaking, only registered devices may receive licensed content.
  • an appropriately configured personal computer referred to herein as a “station,” is used for radio personalization, management and organization of content, retrieval of content via a network, rights management and enforcement, recording, etc.
  • Playing of content may be done via either the station or a portable device such as MP3 player, PDA, smartphone, car audio system, etc.
  • the station or portable device preferably also allows for convenient listener rating of audio materials to facilitate publisher collection of ratings, easy user access to information about currently playing content, easy purchase of currently playing content, etc.
  • FIG. 1 depicts elements of a representative personal computer 100 serving as a station according to one embodiments of the present invention.
  • Personal computer 100 may be a laptop computer, desktop computer, etc.
  • the various elements are depicted as being interconnected by a bus 102 .
  • bus 102 it will be understood that the actual interconnections among the various elements of a modern personal computer are more complex. Further bus details are not presented because they are not germane to the operation of the present invention.
  • various elements may be either inside the computer's structure, outside the computer's structure, or implemented by elements both inside and outside the computer body.
  • Computer 100 incorporates basic elements such as a processor 104 , a memory 106 , a hard drive 108 , and a CD read/write player 110 .
  • Processor 104 typically executes instructions stored in memory 106 .
  • the instructions perform the functions of the present invention. Longer term storage of instructions may be on hard drive 106 , on a CD accessed through player 110 , on other media such as a DVD-ROM, etc.
  • Another example of a computer-readable medium that carries the instructions may be a signal received over a network, i.e., downloading of software.
  • Audio content may be cached on hard drive 108 and loaded into memory 106 while being played.
  • Computer 100 also includes various elements to interact with the user. There is a display 112 , a keyboard/mouse 114 , and sound system/speakers 116 . Display 112 and keyboard/mouse 114 facilitate customization and selection of content. Sound system/speakers 116 allow playing of user audio content at the station.
  • Computer 100 can obtain content in many different ways.
  • content may be remotely retrieved from a network via a network interface 118 .
  • Network interface 118 may incorporate one or more of, e.g., an Ethernet interface, DSL modem, cable modem, fiber optic transceiver, wireless modem, etc.
  • Content may also be retrieved from a CD inserted in player 110 or from other media inserted in a appropriate peripheral device.
  • Embodiments of the present invention further provide capturing and recording of audio material received via a radio receiver/recorder 120 .
  • Radio receiver/recorder 120 may include capabilities for reception of e.g., conventional or digital AM/FM, conventional or digital shortwave, digital satellite, TV audio, etc. To ameliorate the impact of electromagnetic interference, radio receiver/recorder 120 is preferably located outside the body of computer 100 .
  • Audio content that has been organized and collected on computer 100 may also be transferred to another device for more convenient listening.
  • computer 100 is equipped with a synchronization interface 122 .
  • synchronization interface 122 Via synchronization interface 122 , selected audio content may be transferred to another device.
  • user selections such as ratings of content, purchase orders for content, may be transferred back to computer 100 for relaying to the content publisher.
  • Synchronization interface 122 may be, e.g., a USB interface, wireless interface such as a Bluetooth interface, etc. Synchronization may alternatively occur across a network by employing network interface 118 . For example, synchronization may occur via an IEEE 802.11 network or link, or across the Internet.
  • FIG. 2 depicts elements of a representative portable device 200 configured to implement embodiments of the present invention.
  • Portable device 200 is, e.g., a smartphone, MP3 player, PDA, car audio device, etc. Not all of the depicted elements will necessarily be found in all of the device types.
  • Depicted portable device 200 includes a processor 202 , a memory 204 , a hard drive 206 , and a flash memory device 208 .
  • the various memory and storage devices can store instructions to be executed by processor 202 in the course of implementing functions of the present invention. Instructions can also be loaded via a network or other link to a computer or other device.
  • Each of the various memory devices are also usable to store audio content. To provide a high quality customized personal radio service, it is preferable, albeit not absolutely necessary, to have 256 MB of memory available for storage of audio content. Multiple channels of audio content are then preferably available within 250 milliseconds.
  • Software to implement the present invention may operate in the context of portable device operating system software.
  • portable device operating software include, e.g., the PalmTM OS, Windows MobileTM, various types of SymbianTM operating system such as Series 60TM, UIQTM, etc.
  • Portable device 200 also includes a network/synchronization interface 210 .
  • Network/synchronization interface 210 may provide a short range link to computer 100 via, e.g., a USB connection, a wireless BluetoothTM connection, a wireless 802.11 connection, etc.
  • To implement a longer range synchronization link there may be, e.g., a 2.5 G or 3 G cellular interface such as, e.g., a GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000, UMTS, 1xEV-DO, 1xEV-DV.
  • These types of wireless interface may also be used to download audio content directly from a network including, e.g., news/traffic updates.
  • GPS receiver 213 there is also a GPS receiver 213 .
  • GPS receiver 213 exploits the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a current location of portable device 200 .
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • Alternative location determining technologies may also be used.
  • the user interface features of the present invention exploit a display 212 and an input device 214 that can incorporate buttons, dials, a touchscreen, pen-based input, etc.
  • Sounds system/speaker (or headphones) 216 play audio content and can also play audio cues for the user interface.
  • FIG. 3 depicts a physical arrangement of some of the elements of FIG. 2 in a simplified representative portable device 200 .
  • Display 212 is positioned above a series of buttons 302 and a jog dial 304 that form a part of input device 214 .
  • FIG. 4 depicts elements of a content distribution architecture according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • Station (computer) 100 acts as a staging device for audio content.
  • Either station (computer) 100 or portable device 200 may play content.
  • Some of the audio content is pre-programmed by a publisher (or publishers) 402 and propagated via a distribution network 404 operating across the Internet. Details of distribution network 402 are presented in the co-filed application entitled “Content Distribution Architecture.” Therein is disclosed a peer-to-peer distribution architecture that provides both quality of service guarantees and protection of ownership rights.
  • a channel specifies media content that can be selected by a user for immediate play. By specifying a channel, one does not necessarily specify an order of play.
  • Some channels are specified by a remote publisher and pre-defined from the perspective of the user.
  • Other pre-defined channels correspond to e.g., user-owned media content derived from CDs, DVDs, etc., locally or remotely recorded content from Internet, over-the-air, cable, satellite, etc., text from the web or other source that has been converted to audio, etc.
  • custom channels may be created by a user by way of combining pre-defined channels.
  • Some publisher-defined channels correspond to music genres and sub-genres.
  • Other pre-programmed channels may include radio shows, news materials, etc.
  • Other types of channels consist of content that the user has separately acquired rights to.
  • a channel may be the contents of a CD that the user has copied onto the station's hard drive.
  • a channel may be a playlist that the user has constructed from multiple CDs.
  • Embodiments of the present invention also provide the capability to construct channels from recorded content.
  • the user may specify radio stations and/or radio programs for recording.
  • An additional feature permits the user to even specify a song, artist, or music genre and have radio receiver/recorder 120 record content conforming to the selected criteria.
  • station 100 will analyze a signature of the content as known in the art and compare it to a remote database to identify the content and determine whether to record it.
  • the recording function may also be performed by a remote server in accordance with the user's criteria with the content being downloaded to the local station. Also, recording, either local or remote, can be extended to Internet-based broadcasters.
  • the user can define another type of fixed channel by selecting a website and having the station or a remote server convert the text to speech using conventional text-to-speech techniques as known in the art. In this way, a vast range of textual content can be made available as a part of a personalized radio service.
  • FIG. 5 depicts elements of a user interface for managing channels and devices according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • a first screen area 502 shows a list of fixed channels provided by the operator. The channels are presented in a tree structure with certain channels including other channels and so on. By clicking on the “+” or “ ⁇ ” the user can expand or collapse nodes of the tree structure.
  • the music channel preferably includes multiple genre channels, each of which include sub-genre channels, each of which include artist channels, etc.
  • the “Sports” channel has been expanded to show three constituent channels, of which one, “World Sports,” has been expanded to show three constituents.
  • a second screen area 504 shows user-preferred channels. Some of these preferred channels are custom channels constructed as described below. The depicted “My Station” is an example of such a channel. Other preferred channels include, e.g., user-owned playlists such as the one shown as “My Music.” Other channels that may appear here include recorded content and content converted to speech from text.
  • the channels of screen area 504 may also have a tree structure.
  • a personalized radio service according to the present invention may offer many avenues for customization. By querying the user about his or her characteristics and preferences the personalized radio service may select the most suitable selection of fixed channels from a larger universe of choices. Alternatively, the user could select fixed channels from a linear list or tree-structured list.
  • the user may also define custom services as combinations of fixed channels. Some of these fixed channels may appear on the list constructed based on the user's query responses and displayed as available for play. Other fixed channels may be so-called “hidden” fixed channels that are also chosen based on the user's query responses but not displayed to the user for separate content play.
  • Custom channels may also be defined as combinations of these types of fixed channels.
  • FIG. 6A is a flowchart describing steps of radio service personalization according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • the pre-defined channel tree structure shown in screen area 502 is displayed. These channels, or a subset thereof, may be available even prior to user profile input. As will be explained below, a limited amount of content may be cached for each of these initially displayed channels.
  • the user is queried as to his or her interests and characteristics to obtain user profile input.
  • the user may be queried as to home address, gender, income range, educational level, musical interests, hobbies, profession, marital status, number of children, etc.
  • registration and capturing of profile information are accompanied by a displayed “co-pilot,” an audio-visual character who helps prompt the user and gives words of encouragement in response to the user's entries, e.g., “I like 60s music too!,” “Now we're going to ask you a few questions about your family,” etc.
  • the co-pilot thus serves a direct practical function by guiding the user through the queries and also makes the personalization tasks less wearisome.
  • selection may proceed through dynamic expansion of available choices depending on previous input. For example, if the user selects “Jazz” music from a list of available genres, he or she may then be presented with a list of available sub genres including “Classic,” “Blues,” “Smooth,” and “Vocals.”
  • User profile input may also affect the choices of predefined channels in screen area 502 .
  • the user profile input is solicited before any display of the predefined channels or any element of the user interface of FIG. 5 .
  • the station sets up default preferred channels to list in screen area 504 .
  • the default preferred channels are selected by applying rules to user profile input gathered in step 604 .
  • the rules themselves are generated centrally and distributed over the network or may be hardcoded into the personalized radio service software. For example if the user indicates that he listens to sports more than rarely, a personalized sports channel may be set up with three constituent channels consisting of special programs, general sporting news, and world sports.
  • the preferred channels may also be interspersed with commercials, news breaks, or other programming.
  • This programming may take the form of “hidden” channels as discussed below that are selected on the basis of the user profile inputs.
  • Step 608 represents a process of user-guided establishment of preferred channels.
  • the user can define his own preferred channels. For example, a user can click on a button 506 denoted as “new channel” then populate the new preferred channel by clicking and dragging from screen area 502 or by marking entries in screen area 502 and clicking on button 508 marked “add to customized channel.” Any node of the tree structure 502 may be selected for inclusion in a preferred channel.
  • a preferred channel established in this way may also have a tree structure consisting of nodes or subtrees selected from screen area 502 or from other entries in screen area 504 .
  • the user-established preferred channels may also be interspersed with material from hidden channels.
  • the user may further customize a preferred channel by deleting one or more selected nodes from the tree representing a selected preferred channel. For example, the user may be interested in having a preferred channel for a particular combination of music genres but is uninterested in one or more specific subgenres. By deleting nodes representing the undesired subgenres, the preferred channel is further tailored to the user's preferences.
  • a delete button 520 may be used for requesting deletion of nodes.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide a desirable user media experience within the constraints of network bandwidth and available storage space. Accordingly, at step 610 , priorities are established for caching of channels. Ideally, all of the content of all the desired channels would be cached but by careful prioritization and updates, the user can gain the desired experience even where bandwidth and storage must be conserved.
  • each channel may be divided into “programs.”
  • a first program includes, e.g., three songs or the time equivalent, sampled at a medium quality level.
  • a second program includes the next seven songs, or the time equivalent, sampled at a higher quality level.
  • a third program includes the remainder of an hour of channel content sampled at the higher quality level.
  • a fourth program includes two more hours of channel content.
  • a fifth program includes the remainder of the channel contents.
  • a cached channel depth is defined as illustrated in FIG. 6B .
  • the storage allocation plan is defined in terms of channel depths.
  • One example plan operates as follows. Initially all of the channels shown in screen area 502 are preferably downloaded to CD 1 . These predefined channels are then trickle downloaded to CD 2 over time. Preferred channels are downloaded initially to CD 3 and then trickled to CD 4 . Further increases in channel depth are then based on available storage space, the time spent by the user listening, and/or specific user input. Channel depth may also be decreased if listening patterns reveal user disinterest. Eventually, channel depth for a rarely used channel may sink to CD 0 , meaning no storage or bandwidth resources are used for this particular channel.
  • station 100 assigns a priority to each desired program.
  • the configured channel depth of the channel or channels to which a program belongs is one fact. Programs within the desired channel depth of a channel have their download priority increased. Factors other than configured channel depth may also influence priority. For example, download priority may also be increased for time-sensitive content (e.g., news) relative to time-insensitive content (e.g., music).
  • the user may also explicitly program channel depth and priority levels of 0 to conserve storage resources and download bandwidth.
  • Default channel depths and/or priorities for particular channels may also be set by publisher 402 and overridden locally by individual subscriber action or automatic response to profile input. Furthermore, the default priorities themselves may be based on aggregated preference feedback. Content belonging to a popular channel is thus more broadly distributed.
  • the user interface is extended to give the subscriber visibility into the current channel depth configurations and caching status. For example, by passing a cursor over a particular node of the displayed tree structure or clicking and selecting configuration information for that node, the user may see the maximum theoretical available channel depth for channels of that node, specified in playtime and/or storage resources, how much of the channel is already locally cached, and how much of the channel is scheduled to be cached. The user then also has the opportunity to directly modify the scheduled caching depth and thus override the previously configured caching depth. This can immediately free up storage resources for caching of other channels.
  • content is cached in accordance with the established priority levels. Caching of content may occur via distribution network 404 in accordance with the techniques described in “Content Distribution Architecture.” In one implementation, prior to caching, dummy files are created locally within the allocated storage space. As the actual content is downloaded, these dummy files are overwritten.
  • Step 614 represents the playing of content either on station 100 , another station logged into station 100 , or portable device 200 .
  • Channels may be selected by, e.g., use of radio buttons displayed by station 100 , selection of channel entries in the interface depicted in FIG. 5 , etc.
  • the dial or buttons of portable device 200 may be used to select channels.
  • a highly beneficial feature of embodiments of the present invention is that the multiple channel selections are guaranteed to be available for immediate play due to the pre-caching. This contrasts sharply with the usual Internet streaming audio experience where the listener must wait as each station is contacted, the material is buffered, etc.
  • each of the multiple channels is available in less than 250 milliseconds, to provide a tuning experience similar to that of conventional radio.
  • both predefined and preferred channels will often have a hierarchical structure incorporating other channels as has been described in reference to FIG. 5 .
  • other types of content such as commercials and sound effects may be interspersed with the predefined or preferred channels.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide that the user's profile input is used to convert the tree structure of a selected channel to a linear playlist.
  • the indicated relative degrees of user preference may be used to allocate playtime among musical genres or subgenres, or among types of information programming. Other rules dictate the frequency of news programming within a channel otherwise devoted to music, etc.
  • insertion points for different types of content will be predefined based on the rules even if the content itself is not yet cached.
  • the user may also select a random mode, particularly for music where constituent channels are selected at random.
  • the user has an option to select a “radio-off” feature so that the underlying content, e.g., music, etc. is played without the interruptions.
  • Step 610 represents the process of transferring cached audio content from station 100 to portable device 200 .
  • Portable device 200 may synchronize its locally cached content to what is now available on station 100 whenever the appropriate synchronization interfaces are locally or remotely connected or synchronization may occur via a local connection or over a network by request.
  • the caching of audio content corresponding to multiple channels allows for play-on-demand of these channels at step 612 . This can occur on either station 100 or portable device 102 .
  • FIGS. 7A-7B depict linear playlists that have been generated from preferred channel tree structures according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7A depicts a preferred channel including music interspersed with various information bulletins.
  • the preferred channel starts play, it begins with an introduction and welcome message. Then a “song 1” is played followed by “The Slight Entertainment Minute,” an entertainment news program. This is followed by “Song 2” and “Song 3,” which are in turn followed by a short news program, “Local Events Podunk Times.” Then the user hears “Song 4” and “The Funny Minute,” a short comedy program.
  • the songs themselves may be part of one predefined channel or multiple predefined channels selected by the user.
  • Each of the entertainment programs are also supplied by a particular channel.
  • FIG. 7B depicts a linear playlist derived from another preferred channel, an all-talk channel.
  • the items are “Live Gab,” “Bike Talk,” “Sports News,” and “Dog Radio.”
  • Each of these items may be provided by a channel selected by the user for inclusion in the preferred channel.
  • the channel for “Live Gab,” may simply consist of one or more episodes of this show.
  • FIG. 8 depicts how linear playlists are derived from cached content according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • Three preferred channels are depicted, “Bill's Radio,” “Bill's Comedy,” and “Bill's Hits.”
  • the audio content to play for the constituent channels making up these preferred channels is organized as a series of “files.” For example, individual songs of a music channel are stored as files “s1,” “s2,” “s3,” etc.
  • DJ messages include DJ messages, “DJ1,” “DJ2,” etc., entertainment items, “e1,” “e2,” etc., promotion items, “pr1,” “pr2,” etc., and “Headlines.”
  • stingers sound effects used for identification and announcements.
  • the insertion points are predefined when the preferred channels are defined.
  • the playlist is then compiled at time of play based on the currently cached content.
  • Each of these types is a channel that is cached to a determined channel depth by associating priority levels to constituent programs of the channel, each such program being in turn made up of a set of files. Separate pointers are maintained for each constituent channel. As content from a particular channel is included and played, the corresponding pointer advances. In this way, repetition of content is avoided.
  • Some channels, particularly channels having promotional content may form a part of the tree structure of multiple preferred channels. It is desirable then to preserve pointer state when the user switches to a different preferred channel. In this way, inserted content such as advertisements will not be prematurely repeated since the pointers will continue where they left off during play of the previously selected preferred channel.
  • the priority level of content for download may change dynamically in accordance with the listening time devoted to a channel. As listening time increases, a greater channel depth will be requested. This may happen automatically or based on further user input. For example, if the listener completes the available content on a CD(x) channel, she may be prompted for interest in further content. If there is further interest, programs up to CD(x+1) or CD(x+2) are marked for high priority download. Also, if the user's listening exhausts the currently locally cached content, previously played content can be repeated.
  • time-sensitive content such as news may be refreshed more frequently and at regular intervals even at relatively low channel depths. This is done by increasing the priority levels of these programs. For channels that include such periodically refreshed content, the overall effect is to make the whole channel seem fresh while actually consuming relatively little primetime network bandwidth.
  • embodiments of the present invention exploit the recognition that a large component of the radio experience can be conveyed by content that has been forwarded and stored rather than broadcast in real time. Also, the user listens at times convenient to him rather than having to follow a broadcast schedule.
  • Another aspect of the present invention concerns synchronization between station 100 and portable device 200 .
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide a customized radio experience on portable device 200 despite the limited networking capabilities and storage bandwidth capabilities of that device.
  • FIG. 6C is a flowchart describing steps of performing such synchronization according to one embodiments of the present invention.
  • the station accepts user input selecting content to transfer to the portable device.
  • the portable device need not be docked at this time.
  • portable devices are listed in a third screen area 510 .
  • the user can add a new device by entering configuration input after selecting entry 512 , marked “Add New Device.” To add content from a predefined channel to a selected device, the user activates a button 514 marked “Add to Device.” To similarly add content from a preferred channel to a selected device, the user activates a button 516 , also marked “Add to Device.” Other channels such as the hidden channels referred to above are selected for transfer by default without user input.
  • the portable device is docked to the station via any suitable type of connection.
  • the synchronization may initiate automatically upon docking or may occur in response to user selection of a sync button 518 .
  • the amount of available storage space on the portable device is determined.
  • the channels designated for this device are pruned to match the available space. In a preferred embodiment, all of the cached content for each channel remaining after pruning will be transferred to the portable device. Where there is insufficient space, channels may pruned away from the transfer list. Channels to be pruned may be selected by the user after prompting or may be automatically selected based on earlier profile input, or in any suitable way. In an alternative implementation, the channel depths defined by station 100 are shrunk for transferred content such that less content of each channel is transferred but more channels may be portably cached.
  • the desired content, as pruned is transferred to the portable device.
  • the portable device is docked again at a later time. In the interim, the user has presumably listened to some of the previously transferred content.
  • distribution of news channels, traffic channels, etc. may be via wireless networks directly accessible to portable device 200 rather than through station 100 . This further improves the immediacy of the radio experience while restricting wireless bandwidth demands only to content that benefits from timely updates. Wireless networking demands are further diminished by using packet-based asynchronous downloading that opportunistically exploits available wireless transmission opportunities rather than requiring continuous downloads at fixed times.
  • selection of interspersed content may be based on location information within the portable device. For example, multiple advertising channels may be transferred to the portable device at the time of docking. When content is being played, a particular one of the advertising channels is selected to provide interspersed promotional content based on the current location of the portable device. In this way, the user can hear advertisements of particular relevance to his current location.
  • the location information may be provided by, e.g., GPS receiver 213 , or by way of triangulation of among cellular system towers.
  • the pre-cached content will be subject to copyright restrictions and/or contractual arrangement with the contract owners. Accordingly, there is preferably no direct user access to cached content.
  • the cached content is itself preferably encrypted. There is no capability to transfer the audio content to another station or unregistered portable device without the permission of the operator of distribution network 404 .
  • the user can employ the personalized radio interface to purchase content.
  • This content will then be copied from the encrypted cache and become available for burning onto a CD, etc.
  • embodiments of the present invention provide a convenient audio user interface for purchase of currently playing content.
  • Embodiments of the present invention also accommodate the user's desire to listen to his or her channel selections at another computer, for example, the user's work computer.
  • Station 100 can be configured to stream cached audio to another computer over the Internet.
  • the second computer is configured with appropriate access software. The user enters his or her password at the second computer but then obtains full access to the channels cached at station 100 .
  • the personalized radio service also provides rights-sensitive mechanisms for sharing audio content with friends and community.
  • the user can send selected fixed channel and custom channel specifications to other subscribers to allow them to readily request and play the same content.
  • a messaging structure is built into the service so that text messages can be sent among subscribers along with identifiers specifying channels (both fixed and custom), individual radio programs, and possibly individual songs. Conventional email can also be used for this purpose.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide a powerful, convenient audio user interface that interprets user actions in the context of currently played content.
  • the user can, e.g., evaluate content, request information on content, purchase content, etc.
  • XML code associated with the file tells the station or portable device how to interpret user actions taken during play of that file.
  • FIG. 9 depicts the sequence of user input and computer requests.
  • the user requests information about a song and can purchase it.
  • a button on portable device 200 or appropriate “virtual button” on the display of station 100 is defined to be an “information” or “action” button. Activation of this button is an example of a user action.
  • FIG. 9 during “Song 2” there is a first activation 902 of the information button. This causes, as signified by block 904 , display of the song name and song artist or, alternatively, playing of speech conveying similar information. This information may be extracted from a meta-tag stored within the content file and then converted into speech. The price of the song may also be conveyed then.
  • a second activation 906 of the information button within a pre-defined time period indicates the user's desire to purchase the song and leads to, at block 908 , display or speech of a message indicating the purchase and requesting confirmation.
  • a third activation 910 of the information button leads to confirmation of the purchase at block 912 .
  • the user gains additional rights to the purchased content, e.g., the right to burn the content on a CD, the right to rewind the content when it is being played as part of the personalized radio service, etc. Even if the purchase transaction occurs on the portable device, the rights enhancement may be implemented at the station following synchronization.
  • promotional content “I1” is played and the user has a chance to request information on the promoted goods or services.
  • the user can navigate through a tree of information options including requesting receipt of an informational email or brochure.
  • the promotional content “I1” includes music and a spoken message, “Want to learn about cool new Acme products?, press your info key.”
  • a first activation 916 of the information button leads to playing of a first promotional audio item 918 , perhaps describing a first Acme product.
  • a second activation 920 of the information button during first promotional audio item 918 is interpreted as a request for information and a message 922 requesting confirmation is displayed or spoken.
  • a third activation 924 of the information button then actually leads to the requested information being sent or emailed at block 926 .
  • a second promotional item 928 about a second Acme product is played. Activation (not shown) of the information button during second promotional item 928 would indicate interest in information about the second product.
  • Another feature of the audio user interface plays a brief announcement message when a channel is selected. This can be a message announcing the channel, facilitating tuning among channels when the user is driving or otherwise unable to focus full intention on a visual display.
  • the announcement message may consist of content extracted from a meta-tag associated with the channel and converted to speech.
  • Another feature of the audio user interface is how user interface-related interruptions to currently played content are handled.
  • the currently played content pauses to allow playing of a user audio interface prompt. After the prompt is played, play of the content resumes where it left off.
  • a selected button on the portable device or virtual counterparts on the station can also be used to skip undesired content. These skip commands can be tracked and reported to publisher 402 . Also, as the listener hears content, he or she can evaluate it. In one simple evaluation scheme a first button is used to indicate approval of the content while a second button is used to indicate disapproval. This feedback can also be reported to publisher 402 .
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide publisher 402 as a powerful and convenient tool for distributing audio content, soliciting purchase of the content or other goods, and soliciting and collecting feedback about the content.
  • Publisher 402 need not incorporate distribution network functionality but rather only prepares audio material for injection into distribution network 402 along with appropriate catalog entries identifying the contents. Details of this process are discussed in greater detail in the co-filed application, “Content Distribution Architecture.”
  • An advantage of the publishing scheme is that the publisher need not operate the distribution network or operate servers that host large amounts of audio content. New content need be injected into distribution network 402 only once.
  • publisher 402 In addition to injecting audio content into distribution network 404 , publisher 402 also receives information back from listeners.
  • the received information may also be collected by a separate node or nodes.
  • the received information can include information about content desirability including, e.g., counts of skips for particular content, up and down votes, etc. Content desirability information can be used to set default priority levels as described above.
  • the user input will be anonymous, demographic information based on user input at time of registration can be collected and correlated to user responses.
  • the received information can also include purchase orders and requests for information.

Abstract

A personalized media service provides, e.g., user customization of radio channel selections, immediate availability of multiple pre-programmed and/or customized channels, the ability to intersperse different types of content including periodically refreshed information content, availability of personal radio functions on devices such as car audio systems, PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, etc. Available channels include, e.g., pre-programmed channels selected for the user based on an interest profile, user-owned content, user-specified recorded content, etc. An audio user interface facilitates user selection of programming and user purchase of currently played audio material. An overall radio experience is thus provided that combines the customization and flexibility of digital media with the immediacy and ubiquity of radio. Video materials may also be accommodated.

Description

  • The present invention is related to the subject matter of the co-filed application entitled “Content Distribution Architecture,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their intirety for all purposes.
  • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention relates to digital media and more particularly, in certain embodiments, to systems and methods for presenting digital media to a user.
  • Improvements in processor speed, digital storage capacity, and network bandwidth have enabled remarkable advances in the consumer audio and video experience. User control over video experience has been enhanced by personal video recorders that exploit digital storage advances to cache large amounts of video programming for later viewing. Conventional terrestrial and CATV programming delivery choices have been supplemented with digital video content broadcast via cable or satellite as well as high definition satellite and terrestrial broadcasts with high definition cable services being under serious discussion.
  • The user audio experience has also been transformed. The shift from the traditional phonograph media to compact discs (CDs) in combination with the subsequent widescale distribution of personal computers with built-in read/write CD players allowed audiophiles to create their own “favorites” CDs for personal use. More recently, the advent of portable MP3 players allows users to carry their favorite songs anywhere they are. Distribution of music over the Internet has also advanced although certain forms of distribution have proven controversial due to concerns over copyrights.
  • Another traditional form of audio content distribution is radio. Even with the advent of more advanced audio content distribution technologies, radio continues to be popular. For music listeners, radio offers an element of serendipity in that even if the station selection is indicative of a music type preference, the sequence of songs played will be a surprise and new songs will sometimes be heard for the first time. For those interested in news, sports, and other programming the radio offers frequent updates, potentially interspersed with other types of contents such as music, and easy multitasking with other activities not possible with newspapers and web news sources.
  • The above-mentioned technological advances have been applied to radio to a certain extent. Digital radio broadcasts are available via the Internet and satellite. Standards have also emerged for digital AM, FM, and shortwave broadcasts. These developments have increased audio fidelity and expanded the number of available stations. However, the full potential of current processing, networking, and digital storage technologies remains unrealized. Users cannot customize radio content to the extent that they can rearrange their stored music content. A broad spectrum of pre-programmed radio content is now broadcast over the Internet but an important part of the appeal of radio is its availability in settings other than adjacent to a broadband internet connection, e.g., in the car, while exercising, etc.
  • Current Internet broadcasting technologies are also deficient in other respects in comparison to traditional radio. When tuning a conventional radio, one expects immediate access to any selected station whether it be by turning a tuning knob or pushing a preselect button. The listener can almost instantaneously assess his interest in the selected station and either continue listening or move on to another station. In this way, the listener can rapidly assess a large number of audio listening choices. The Internet cannot yet provide this user experience. When the user selects an Internet radio station, he must wait while his computer connects and buffers audio material from the station. This delay, although not necessarily very long, is sufficient to slow user selection among stations and detract from the user experience.
  • What is needed are systems and methods for combining the customization and broad range of choices associated with digital media with the immediacy, ubiquity and continually refreshed content of radio.
  • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide, e.g, user customization of radio channel selections, immediate availability of multiple pre-programmed and/or customized channels, the ability to intersperse different types of content including periodically refreshed information content, availability of personal radio functions on devices such as car audio systems, PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, etc. Available channels include, e.g., pre-programmed channels selected for the user based on an interest profile, user-owned content, user-specified recorded content, etc. An audio user interface facilitates user selection of programming and user purchase of currently played audio material. An overall radio experience is thus provided that combines the customization and flexibility of digital media with the immediacy and ubiquity of radio. The present invention also finds application to video materials.
  • Further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventions herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • FIG. 1 depicts elements of a computer system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 depicts elements of a portable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 depicts a physical arrangement of a portable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 depicts elements of a content distribution architecture according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 depicts a channel list according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6A is a flowchart describing steps of operating a personalized radio service according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6B depicts a channel prioritization scheme according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6C depicts is a flowchart describing steps of synchronizing a portable device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 7A-7B depicts the structure of playlists derived from preferred radio channel tree structures according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 depicts dynamic playback management according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9 depicts operation of an audio user interface according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
  • Introduction
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide a very powerful media user interface. A specific application to audio media materials and personalized radio is disclosed but it will be appreciated that other embodiments of the present invention will provide a user interface to video materials or other media.
  • Audio-related embodiments combine the customizability and wide range of choices of digital media with the immediacy, serendipity, ubiquity, and continually refreshed content of the radio experience. Customized audio content is pre-cached allowing the user to choose among multiple immediately available programming offerings. A PC is used as a staging device to retrieve and organize audio content but the listening experience is not limited to the PC but is also available on a range of portable devices such as MP3 players, PDAs, smartphones, etc.
  • Embodiments of the present invention are fully sensitive to rights management concerns. While providing local caching of desired content, the content is only available through the user interface that enforces restrictions as appropriate against e.g., rewinding content, propagating content to other users, copying content, etc. Generally speaking, only registered devices may receive licensed content.
  • Devices and Systems
  • As has already been mentioned user interfaces of the present invention exploit a variety of systems and devices. Preferably, an appropriately configured personal computer, referred to herein as a “station,” is used for radio personalization, management and organization of content, retrieval of content via a network, rights management and enforcement, recording, etc. Playing of content may be done via either the station or a portable device such as MP3 player, PDA, smartphone, car audio system, etc. The station or portable device preferably also allows for convenient listener rating of audio materials to facilitate publisher collection of ratings, easy user access to information about currently playing content, easy purchase of currently playing content, etc.
  • FIG. 1 depicts elements of a representative personal computer 100 serving as a station according to one embodiments of the present invention. Personal computer 100 may be a laptop computer, desktop computer, etc. The various elements are depicted as being interconnected by a bus 102. However, it will be understood that the actual interconnections among the various elements of a modern personal computer are more complex. Further bus details are not presented because they are not germane to the operation of the present invention. Also, it will be appreciated that various elements may be either inside the computer's structure, outside the computer's structure, or implemented by elements both inside and outside the computer body.
  • Computer 100 incorporates basic elements such as a processor 104, a memory 106, a hard drive 108, and a CD read/write player 110. Processor 104 typically executes instructions stored in memory 106. The instructions perform the functions of the present invention. Longer term storage of instructions may be on hard drive 106, on a CD accessed through player 110, on other media such as a DVD-ROM, etc. Another example of a computer-readable medium that carries the instructions may be a signal received over a network, i.e., downloading of software.
  • Another key role of the various memory and storage devices is to store content to be played upon command. For example, audio content may be cached on hard drive 108 and loaded into memory 106 while being played.
  • Computer 100 also includes various elements to interact with the user. There is a display 112, a keyboard/mouse 114, and sound system/speakers 116. Display 112 and keyboard/mouse 114 facilitate customization and selection of content. Sound system/speakers 116 allow playing of user audio content at the station.
  • Computer 100 can obtain content in many different ways. For example, content may be remotely retrieved from a network via a network interface 118. Network interface 118 may incorporate one or more of, e.g., an Ethernet interface, DSL modem, cable modem, fiber optic transceiver, wireless modem, etc. Content may also be retrieved from a CD inserted in player 110 or from other media inserted in a appropriate peripheral device. Embodiments of the present invention further provide capturing and recording of audio material received via a radio receiver/recorder 120. Radio receiver/recorder 120 may include capabilities for reception of e.g., conventional or digital AM/FM, conventional or digital shortwave, digital satellite, TV audio, etc. To ameliorate the impact of electromagnetic interference, radio receiver/recorder 120 is preferably located outside the body of computer 100.
  • Audio content that has been organized and collected on computer 100 may also be transferred to another device for more convenient listening. Accordingly, computer 100 is equipped with a synchronization interface 122. Via synchronization interface 122, selected audio content may be transferred to another device. Also, user selections such as ratings of content, purchase orders for content, may be transferred back to computer 100 for relaying to the content publisher. Synchronization interface 122, may be, e.g., a USB interface, wireless interface such as a Bluetooth interface, etc. Synchronization may alternatively occur across a network by employing network interface 118. For example, synchronization may occur via an IEEE 802.11 network or link, or across the Internet.
  • FIG. 2 depicts elements of a representative portable device 200 configured to implement embodiments of the present invention. Portable device 200 is, e.g., a smartphone, MP3 player, PDA, car audio device, etc. Not all of the depicted elements will necessarily be found in all of the device types. Depicted portable device 200 includes a processor 202, a memory 204, a hard drive 206, and a flash memory device 208. The various memory and storage devices can store instructions to be executed by processor 202 in the course of implementing functions of the present invention. Instructions can also be loaded via a network or other link to a computer or other device. Each of the various memory devices are also usable to store audio content. To provide a high quality customized personal radio service, it is preferable, albeit not absolutely necessary, to have 256 MB of memory available for storage of audio content. Multiple channels of audio content are then preferably available within 250 milliseconds.
  • Software to implement the present invention may operate in the context of portable device operating system software. Examples of portable device operating software include, e.g., the Palm™ OS, Windows Mobile™, various types of Symbian™ operating system such as Series 60™, UIQ™, etc.
  • Portable device 200 also includes a network/synchronization interface 210. Network/synchronization interface 210 may provide a short range link to computer 100 via, e.g., a USB connection, a wireless Bluetooth™ connection, a wireless 802.11 connection, etc. To implement a longer range synchronization link, there may be, e.g., a 2.5 G or 3 G cellular interface such as, e.g., a GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000, UMTS, 1xEV-DO, 1xEV-DV. These types of wireless interface may also be used to download audio content directly from a network including, e.g., news/traffic updates.
  • In certain implementations, there is also a GPS receiver 213. GPS receiver 213 exploits the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a current location of portable device 200. Alternative location determining technologies may also be used.
  • The user interface features of the present invention exploit a display 212 and an input device 214 that can incorporate buttons, dials, a touchscreen, pen-based input, etc. Sounds system/speaker (or headphones) 216 play audio content and can also play audio cues for the user interface.
  • FIG. 3 depicts a physical arrangement of some of the elements of FIG. 2 in a simplified representative portable device 200. Display 212 is positioned above a series of buttons 302 and a jog dial 304 that form a part of input device 214.
  • FIG. 4 depicts elements of a content distribution architecture according to one embodiment of the present invention. Station (computer) 100 acts as a staging device for audio content. Either station (computer) 100 or portable device 200 may play content. Some of the audio content is pre-programmed by a publisher (or publishers) 402 and propagated via a distribution network 404 operating across the Internet. Details of distribution network 402 are presented in the co-filed application entitled “Content Distribution Architecture.” Therein is disclosed a peer-to-peer distribution architecture that provides both quality of service guarantees and protection of ownership rights.
  • Channels
  • In the description that follows, a basic unit of media content organization is referred to as a “channel.” A channel specifies media content that can be selected by a user for immediate play. By specifying a channel, one does not necessarily specify an order of play. Some channels are specified by a remote publisher and pre-defined from the perspective of the user. Other pre-defined channels correspond to e.g., user-owned media content derived from CDs, DVDs, etc., locally or remotely recorded content from Internet, over-the-air, cable, satellite, etc., text from the web or other source that has been converted to audio, etc. According to embodiments of the present invention, custom channels may be created by a user by way of combining pre-defined channels.
  • Some publisher-defined channels correspond to music genres and sub-genres. Other pre-programmed channels may include radio shows, news materials, etc. Other types of channels consist of content that the user has separately acquired rights to. For example, a channel may be the contents of a CD that the user has copied onto the station's hard drive. A channel may be a playlist that the user has constructed from multiple CDs.
  • Embodiments of the present invention also provide the capability to construct channels from recorded content. With appropriate capabilities incorporated within radio receiver/recorder 120, the user may specify radio stations and/or radio programs for recording. An additional feature permits the user to even specify a song, artist, or music genre and have radio receiver/recorder 120 record content conforming to the selected criteria. If, as will often be the case, the content is not appropriately tagged, station 100 will analyze a signature of the content as known in the art and compare it to a remote database to identify the content and determine whether to record it. The recording function may also be performed by a remote server in accordance with the user's criteria with the content being downloaded to the local station. Also, recording, either local or remote, can be extended to Internet-based broadcasters.
  • The user can define another type of fixed channel by selecting a website and having the station or a remote server convert the text to speech using conventional text-to-speech techniques as known in the art. In this way, a vast range of textual content can be made available as a part of a personalized radio service.
  • FIG. 5 depicts elements of a user interface for managing channels and devices according to one embodiment of the present invention. A first screen area 502 shows a list of fixed channels provided by the operator. The channels are presented in a tree structure with certain channels including other channels and so on. By clicking on the “+” or “−” the user can expand or collapse nodes of the tree structure. For example, the music channel preferably includes multiple genre channels, each of which include sub-genre channels, each of which include artist channels, etc. In the depicted example, the “Sports” channel has been expanded to show three constituent channels, of which one, “World Sports,” has been expanded to show three constituents.
  • A second screen area 504 shows user-preferred channels. Some of these preferred channels are custom channels constructed as described below. The depicted “My Station” is an example of such a channel. Other preferred channels include, e.g., user-owned playlists such as the one shown as “My Music.” Other channels that may appear here include recorded content and content converted to speech from text. The channels of screen area 504 may also have a tree structure.
  • User Channel Customization
  • A personalized radio service according to the present invention may offer many avenues for customization. By querying the user about his or her characteristics and preferences the personalized radio service may select the most suitable selection of fixed channels from a larger universe of choices. Alternatively, the user could select fixed channels from a linear list or tree-structured list.
  • According to the present invention, the user may also define custom services as combinations of fixed channels. Some of these fixed channels may appear on the list constructed based on the user's query responses and displayed as available for play. Other fixed channels may be so-called “hidden” fixed channels that are also chosen based on the user's query responses but not displayed to the user for separate content play.
  • Other avenues of customization include the personalized recording, user-owned content, and website text-to-speech features discussed above. Custom channels may also be defined as combinations of these types of fixed channels.
  • FIG. 6A is a flowchart describing steps of radio service personalization according to one embodiment of the present invention. At step 602, the pre-defined channel tree structure shown in screen area 502 is displayed. These channels, or a subset thereof, may be available even prior to user profile input. As will be explained below, a limited amount of content may be cached for each of these initially displayed channels.
  • At step 604, the user is queried as to his or her interests and characteristics to obtain user profile input. For example, the user may be queried as to home address, gender, income range, educational level, musical interests, hobbies, profession, marital status, number of children, etc. As there may be a relatively lengthy series of questions, in one implementation, registration and capturing of profile information are accompanied by a displayed “co-pilot,” an audio-visual character who helps prompt the user and gives words of encouragement in response to the user's entries, e.g., “I like 60s music too!,” “Now we're going to ask you a few questions about your family,” etc. The co-pilot thus serves a direct practical function by guiding the user through the queries and also makes the personalization tasks less wearisome.
  • For certain types of input, selection may proceed through dynamic expansion of available choices depending on previous input. For example, if the user selects “Jazz” music from a list of available genres, he or she may then be presented with a list of available sub genres including “Classic,” “Blues,” “Smooth,” and “Vocals.”
  • User profile input may also affect the choices of predefined channels in screen area 502. In some implementations, the user profile input is solicited before any display of the predefined channels or any element of the user interface of FIG. 5.
  • At step 606, the station sets up default preferred channels to list in screen area 504. The default preferred channels are selected by applying rules to user profile input gathered in step 604. The rules themselves are generated centrally and distributed over the network or may be hardcoded into the personalized radio service software. For example if the user indicates that he listens to sports more than rarely, a personalized sports channel may be set up with three constituent channels consisting of special programs, general sporting news, and world sports.
  • The preferred channels may also be interspersed with commercials, news breaks, or other programming. This programming may take the form of “hidden” channels as discussed below that are selected on the basis of the user profile inputs.
  • Step 608 represents a process of user-guided establishment of preferred channels. The user can define his own preferred channels. For example, a user can click on a button 506 denoted as “new channel” then populate the new preferred channel by clicking and dragging from screen area 502 or by marking entries in screen area 502 and clicking on button 508 marked “add to customized channel.” Any node of the tree structure 502 may be selected for inclusion in a preferred channel. A preferred channel established in this way may also have a tree structure consisting of nodes or subtrees selected from screen area 502 or from other entries in screen area 504. The user-established preferred channels may also be interspersed with material from hidden channels.
  • The user may further customize a preferred channel by deleting one or more selected nodes from the tree representing a selected preferred channel. For example, the user may be interested in having a preferred channel for a particular combination of music genres but is uninterested in one or more specific subgenres. By deleting nodes representing the undesired subgenres, the preferred channel is further tailored to the user's preferences. A delete button 520 may be used for requesting deletion of nodes.
  • Channel Prioritization and Downloading
  • At this point, channels of interest have been determined. Embodiments of the present invention provide a desirable user media experience within the constraints of network bandwidth and available storage space. Accordingly, at step 610, priorities are established for caching of channels. Ideally, all of the content of all the desired channels would be cached but by careful prioritization and updates, the user can gain the desired experience even where bandwidth and storage must be conserved.
  • For purposes of allocation of storage space and networking bandwidth, each channel may be divided into “programs.” A first program includes, e.g., three songs or the time equivalent, sampled at a medium quality level. A second program includes the next seven songs, or the time equivalent, sampled at a higher quality level. A third program includes the remainder of an hour of channel content sampled at the higher quality level. A fourth program includes two more hours of channel content. A fifth program includes the remainder of the channel contents.
  • For each channel, a cached channel depth is defined as illustrated in FIG. 6B.
      • CD0 (not shown): no content
      • CD1 includes program 1
      • CD2 includes programs 1-2
      • CD3 includes program 1-3
      • CD4 includes program 1-4
      • CD5 includes program 1-5.
  • The storage allocation plan is defined in terms of channel depths. One example plan operates as follows. Initially all of the channels shown in screen area 502 are preferably downloaded to CD1. These predefined channels are then trickle downloaded to CD2 over time. Preferred channels are downloaded initially to CD3 and then trickled to CD4. Further increases in channel depth are then based on available storage space, the time spent by the user listening, and/or specific user input. Channel depth may also be decreased if listening patterns reveal user disinterest. Eventually, channel depth for a rarely used channel may sink to CD0, meaning no storage or bandwidth resources are used for this particular channel.
  • To determine allocation of download bandwidth, station 100 assigns a priority to each desired program. The configured channel depth of the channel or channels to which a program belongs is one fact. Programs within the desired channel depth of a channel have their download priority increased. Factors other than configured channel depth may also influence priority. For example, download priority may also be increased for time-sensitive content (e.g., news) relative to time-insensitive content (e.g., music). The user may also explicitly program channel depth and priority levels of 0 to conserve storage resources and download bandwidth.
  • Default channel depths and/or priorities for particular channels may also be set by publisher 402 and overridden locally by individual subscriber action or automatic response to profile input. Furthermore, the default priorities themselves may be based on aggregated preference feedback. Content belonging to a popular channel is thus more broadly distributed.
  • In one implementation, the user interface is extended to give the subscriber visibility into the current channel depth configurations and caching status. For example, by passing a cursor over a particular node of the displayed tree structure or clicking and selecting configuration information for that node, the user may see the maximum theoretical available channel depth for channels of that node, specified in playtime and/or storage resources, how much of the channel is already locally cached, and how much of the channel is scheduled to be cached. The user then also has the opportunity to directly modify the scheduled caching depth and thus override the previously configured caching depth. This can immediately free up storage resources for caching of other channels.
  • At step 612, content is cached in accordance with the established priority levels. Caching of content may occur via distribution network 404 in accordance with the techniques described in “Content Distribution Architecture.” In one implementation, prior to caching, dummy files are created locally within the allocated storage space. As the actual content is downloaded, these dummy files are overwritten.
  • Content Play
  • Step 614 represents the playing of content either on station 100, another station logged into station 100, or portable device 200. Channels may be selected by, e.g., use of radio buttons displayed by station 100, selection of channel entries in the interface depicted in FIG. 5, etc. Alternatively, the dial or buttons of portable device 200 may be used to select channels. A highly beneficial feature of embodiments of the present invention is that the multiple channel selections are guaranteed to be available for immediate play due to the pre-caching. This contrasts sharply with the usual Internet streaming audio experience where the listener must wait as each station is contacted, the material is buffered, etc. In preferred embodiments, each of the multiple channels is available in less than 250 milliseconds, to provide a tuning experience similar to that of conventional radio.
  • Although individual channels have been downloaded, both predefined and preferred channels will often have a hierarchical structure incorporating other channels as has been described in reference to FIG. 5. Furthermore, other types of content such as commercials and sound effects may be interspersed with the predefined or preferred channels.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide that the user's profile input is used to convert the tree structure of a selected channel to a linear playlist. For example, the indicated relative degrees of user preference may be used to allocate playtime among musical genres or subgenres, or among types of information programming. Other rules dictate the frequency of news programming within a channel otherwise devoted to music, etc.
  • Other rules pertain to insertion of information programming, commercials, etc. within other types of programming. Some of this inserted programming is from channels explicitly included through operation of the user interface. Other inserted programming such as commercials may come from hidden channels that have also been cached.
  • Typically, insertion points for different types of content will be predefined based on the rules even if the content itself is not yet cached. The user may also select a random mode, particularly for music where constituent channels are selected at random. Also, for preferred channels that include periodic information bulletins, etc., the user has an option to select a “radio-off” feature so that the underlying content, e.g., music, etc. is played without the interruptions.
  • Step 610 represents the process of transferring cached audio content from station 100 to portable device 200. Portable device 200 may synchronize its locally cached content to what is now available on station 100 whenever the appropriate synchronization interfaces are locally or remotely connected or synchronization may occur via a local connection or over a network by request.
  • The caching of audio content corresponding to multiple channels allows for play-on-demand of these channels at step 612. This can occur on either station 100 or portable device 102.
  • FIGS. 7A-7B depict linear playlists that have been generated from preferred channel tree structures according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A depicts a preferred channel including music interspersed with various information bulletins. When the preferred channel starts play, it begins with an introduction and welcome message. Then a “song 1” is played followed by “The Slight Entertainment Minute,” an entertainment news program. This is followed by “Song 2” and “Song 3,” which are in turn followed by a short news program, “Local Events Podunk Times.” Then the user hears “Song 4” and “The Funny Minute,” a short comedy program. The songs themselves may be part of one predefined channel or multiple predefined channels selected by the user. Each of the entertainment programs are also supplied by a particular channel.
  • FIG. 7B depicts a linear playlist derived from another preferred channel, an all-talk channel. After the introduction message, “I1,” the items are “Live Gab,” “Bike Talk,” “Sports News,” and “Dog Radio.” Each of these items may be provided by a channel selected by the user for inclusion in the preferred channel. For example, the channel for “Live Gab,” may simply consist of one or more episodes of this show.
  • FIG. 8 depicts how linear playlists are derived from cached content according to one embodiment of the present invention. Three preferred channels are depicted, “Bill's Radio,” “Bill's Comedy,” and “Bill's Hits.” The audio content to play for the constituent channels making up these preferred channels is organized as a series of “files.” For example, individual songs of a music channel are stored as files “s1,” “s2,” “s3,” etc. Other constituent channels include DJ messages, “DJ1,” “DJ2,” etc., entertainment items, “e1,” “e2,” etc., promotion items, “pr1,” “pr2,” etc., and “Headlines.” There are also “stingers,” “p1,” “p2,” etc., sound effects used for identification and announcements. Some of these channels, for example, the stinger and promotion channels are typically hidden from the user interface. The insertion points are predefined when the preferred channels are defined. The playlist is then compiled at time of play based on the currently cached content.
  • Each of these types is a channel that is cached to a determined channel depth by associating priority levels to constituent programs of the channel, each such program being in turn made up of a set of files. Separate pointers are maintained for each constituent channel. As content from a particular channel is included and played, the corresponding pointer advances. In this way, repetition of content is avoided.
  • Some channels, particularly channels having promotional content may form a part of the tree structure of multiple preferred channels. It is desirable then to preserve pointer state when the user switches to a different preferred channel. In this way, inserted content such as advertisements will not be prematurely repeated since the pointers will continue where they left off during play of the previously selected preferred channel.
  • The priority level of content for download may change dynamically in accordance with the listening time devoted to a channel. As listening time increases, a greater channel depth will be requested. This may happen automatically or based on further user input. For example, if the listener completes the available content on a CD(x) channel, she may be prompted for interest in further content. If there is further interest, programs up to CD(x+1) or CD(x+2) are marked for high priority download. Also, if the user's listening exhausts the currently locally cached content, previously played content can be repeated.
  • Certain types of time-sensitive content such as news may be refreshed more frequently and at regular intervals even at relatively low channel depths. This is done by increasing the priority levels of these programs. For channels that include such periodically refreshed content, the overall effect is to make the whole channel seem fresh while actually consuming relatively little primetime network bandwidth. One can see here a key advantage provided over digital terrestrial and satellite broadcast schemes in that they use expensive wireless bandwidth resources for live streaming of all content even where the content is not time-sensitive. By contrast, embodiments of the present invention exploit the recognition that a large component of the radio experience can be conveyed by content that has been forwarded and stored rather than broadcast in real time. Also, the user listens at times convenient to him rather than having to follow a broadcast schedule.
  • Synchronization and Transfer of Content to Portable Device
  • Another aspect of the present invention concerns synchronization between station 100 and portable device 200. Embodiments of the present invention provide a customized radio experience on portable device 200 despite the limited networking capabilities and storage bandwidth capabilities of that device.
  • FIG. 6C is a flowchart describing steps of performing such synchronization according to one embodiments of the present invention. At step 650, the station accepts user input selecting content to transfer to the portable device. The portable device need not be docked at this time. Referring again to FIG. 5, portable devices are listed in a third screen area 510. The user can add a new device by entering configuration input after selecting entry 512, marked “Add New Device.” To add content from a predefined channel to a selected device, the user activates a button 514 marked “Add to Device.” To similarly add content from a preferred channel to a selected device, the user activates a button 516, also marked “Add to Device.” Other channels such as the hidden channels referred to above are selected for transfer by default without user input.
  • At step 652, the portable device is docked to the station via any suitable type of connection. The synchronization may initiate automatically upon docking or may occur in response to user selection of a sync button 518. At step 654, the amount of available storage space on the portable device is determined. At step 656, the channels designated for this device are pruned to match the available space. In a preferred embodiment, all of the cached content for each channel remaining after pruning will be transferred to the portable device. Where there is insufficient space, channels may pruned away from the transfer list. Channels to be pruned may be selected by the user after prompting or may be automatically selected based on earlier profile input, or in any suitable way. In an alternative implementation, the channel depths defined by station 100 are shrunk for transferred content such that less content of each channel is transferred but more channels may be portably cached. At step 658, the desired content, as pruned is transferred to the portable device.
  • At step 660, the portable device is docked again at a later time. In the interim, the user has presumably listened to some of the previously transferred content. At step 662, it is determined which content has been listened to. Step 662 may also determine which content has been refreshed on the station due to time sensitivity. Stale or already played content on the portable device is then replaced. The replacement content may be the content that was pruned at step 656. This preserves the freshness of the radio experience on the portable device.
  • In certain implementations, distribution of news channels, traffic channels, etc., may be via wireless networks directly accessible to portable device 200 rather than through station 100. This further improves the immediacy of the radio experience while restricting wireless bandwidth demands only to content that benefits from timely updates. Wireless networking demands are further diminished by using packet-based asynchronous downloading that opportunistically exploits available wireless transmission opportunities rather than requiring continuous downloads at fixed times.
  • In another variation, selection of interspersed content may be based on location information within the portable device. For example, multiple advertising channels may be transferred to the portable device at the time of docking. When content is being played, a particular one of the advertising channels is selected to provide interspersed promotional content based on the current location of the portable device. In this way, the user can hear advertisements of particular relevance to his current location. The location information may be provided by, e.g., GPS receiver 213, or by way of triangulation of among cellular system towers.
  • Remote Access to Content and Rights Management
  • Much of the pre-cached content will be subject to copyright restrictions and/or contractual arrangement with the contract owners. Accordingly, there is preferably no direct user access to cached content. The cached content is itself preferably encrypted. There is no capability to transfer the audio content to another station or unregistered portable device without the permission of the operator of distribution network 404.
  • Where arrangements have been made with the rights owner, the user can employ the personalized radio interface to purchase content. This content will then be copied from the encrypted cache and become available for burning onto a CD, etc. As will be explained below, embodiments of the present invention provide a convenient audio user interface for purchase of currently playing content.
  • Embodiments of the present invention also accommodate the user's desire to listen to his or her channel selections at another computer, for example, the user's work computer. Station 100 can be configured to stream cached audio to another computer over the Internet. The second computer is configured with appropriate access software. The user enters his or her password at the second computer but then obtains full access to the channels cached at station 100.
  • The personalized radio service also provides rights-sensitive mechanisms for sharing audio content with friends and community. The user can send selected fixed channel and custom channel specifications to other subscribers to allow them to readily request and play the same content. A messaging structure is built into the service so that text messages can be sent among subscribers along with identifiers specifying channels (both fixed and custom), individual radio programs, and possibly individual songs. Conventional email can also be used for this purpose.
  • Audio User Interface
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide a powerful, convenient audio user interface that interprets user actions in the context of currently played content. The user can, e.g., evaluate content, request information on content, purchase content, etc. In one implementation, XML code associated with the file tells the station or portable device how to interpret user actions taken during play of that file. These features allow the user to make requests by simply touching a button even when driving, jogging, etc.
  • FIG. 9 depicts the sequence of user input and computer requests. In the first interaction 900, the user requests information about a song and can purchase it. A button on portable device 200 or appropriate “virtual button” on the display of station 100 is defined to be an “information” or “action” button. Activation of this button is an example of a user action. In FIG. 9, during “Song 2” there is a first activation 902 of the information button. This causes, as signified by block 904, display of the song name and song artist or, alternatively, playing of speech conveying similar information. This information may be extracted from a meta-tag stored within the content file and then converted into speech. The price of the song may also be conveyed then. A second activation 906 of the information button within a pre-defined time period indicates the user's desire to purchase the song and leads to, at block 908, display or speech of a message indicating the purchase and requesting confirmation. A third activation 910 of the information button leads to confirmation of the purchase at block 912. After that, the user gains additional rights to the purchased content, e.g., the right to burn the content on a CD, the right to rewind the content when it is being played as part of the personalized radio service, etc. Even if the purchase transaction occurs on the portable device, the rights enhancement may be implemented at the station following synchronization.
  • In a second exemplary interaction 914, promotional content, “I1” is played and the user has a chance to request information on the promoted goods or services. By successive user activations of the information button, the user can navigate through a tree of information options including requesting receipt of an informational email or brochure.
  • In the example, the promotional content, “I1” includes music and a spoken message, “Want to learn about cool new Acme products?, press your info key.” A first activation 916 of the information button leads to playing of a first promotional audio item 918, perhaps describing a first Acme product. A second activation 920 of the information button during first promotional audio item 918 is interpreted as a request for information and a message 922 requesting confirmation is displayed or spoken. A third activation 924 of the information button then actually leads to the requested information being sent or emailed at block 926. Alternatively, if the first promoted product is not of interest, a second promotional item 928 about a second Acme product is played. Activation (not shown) of the information button during second promotional item 928 would indicate interest in information about the second product.
  • Another feature of the audio user interface plays a brief announcement message when a channel is selected. This can be a message announcing the channel, facilitating tuning among channels when the user is driving or otherwise unable to focus full intention on a visual display. The announcement message may consist of content extracted from a meta-tag associated with the channel and converted to speech.
  • Another feature of the audio user interface provided by embodiments of the present invention is how user interface-related interruptions to currently played content are handled. The currently played content pauses to allow playing of a user audio interface prompt. After the prompt is played, play of the content resumes where it left off.
  • A selected button on the portable device or virtual counterparts on the station can also be used to skip undesired content. These skip commands can be tracked and reported to publisher 402. Also, as the listener hears content, he or she can evaluate it. In one simple evaluation scheme a first button is used to indicate approval of the content while a second button is used to indicate disapproval. This feedback can also be reported to publisher 402.
  • Publisher Interface
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide publisher 402 as a powerful and convenient tool for distributing audio content, soliciting purchase of the content or other goods, and soliciting and collecting feedback about the content. Publisher 402 need not incorporate distribution network functionality but rather only prepares audio material for injection into distribution network 402 along with appropriate catalog entries identifying the contents. Details of this process are discussed in greater detail in the co-filed application, “Content Distribution Architecture.” An advantage of the publishing scheme is that the publisher need not operate the distribution network or operate servers that host large amounts of audio content. New content need be injected into distribution network 402 only once.
  • In addition to injecting audio content into distribution network 404, publisher 402 also receives information back from listeners. The received information may also be collected by a separate node or nodes. The received information can include information about content desirability including, e.g., counts of skips for particular content, up and down votes, etc. Content desirability information can be used to set default priority levels as described above. Although preferably the user input will be anonymous, demographic information based on user input at time of registration can be collected and correlated to user responses. The received information can also include purchase orders and requests for information.
  • It is understood that the examples and embodiments that are described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications and changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims and their full scope of equivalents. For example, the order of processing of flowchart steps is merely representative. Steps that are depicted as occurring in series may instead occur in parallel. Steps may be skipped, other steps may be added, etc.

Claims (44)

1. A method for providing a personal media service, said method comprising:
providing a user with a selection of pre-defined channels;
storing, in a local cache, media content of at least two pre-defined channels provided by a remote publisher;
receiving input from said user specifying a custom channel as a combination of at least two pre-defined channels of said selection; and
wherein play of said custom channel and both of said least two-predefined channels provided by said remote publisher is immediately available from said local cache.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein playing said cached media content of said custom channel comprises:
playing interleaved media content of said at least two pre-defined channels that have been combined into said custom channel.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing said user with a selection of pre-defined channels comprises:
displaying a list of said pre-defined channels.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein receiving input from said user comprises:
dragging icons from said list representing first and second pre-defined channels to a screen area used to configure said custom channel.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein upon playing of said custom channel, content from said first and second pre-defined channels are given substantially equal time.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said pre-defined channels of said selection comprises content owned by said user.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said pre-defined channels of said selection comprises content broadcasted via Internet.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said pre-defined channels of said selection comprises content broadcast via airwaves.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said pre-defined channels of said selection comprises web text converted to speech.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
sending information specifying content of said custom channel via a network.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting media content of said local cache to a remote location via a network upon receipt of authentication information from said remote location.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
based on user input, developing information specifying a media content type to be recorded;
monitoring content of one of said pre-defined channels;
analyzing said content to capture a content identification signature; and
recording and preserving said content for later play only if said content identification signature indicates correspondence to said media content type.
14. A method for providing a personal media service, said method comprising:
providing a user with a group of pre-defined channels;
accepting a user selection of at least two of said pre-defined channels; and
selecting supplemental media content to interleave with media content of said at least two selected pre-defined channels; and
caching said selected supplemental media content along with said two pre-defined channels to make available for immediate play;
playing media content of a first one of said selected pre-defined channels interspersed with said supplemental media content.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein playing comprises:
maintaining a pointer within said supplemental media content;
at selected points with said media content of said first selected pre-defined channel, playing a portion of said supplemental media content determined by said pointer while advancing said pointer.
16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
receiving from said user information about user preferences; and
selecting said supplemental media content based on said user preferences.
17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
after playing first selected channel interspersed with said supplemental media content, playing said second selected channel interspersed with said supplemental media content while continuing to advance through said supplemental media content.
18. The method of claim 14 wherein selecting said supplemental media content comprises selecting based on a current location of a portable device.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
determining said current location employing GPS.
20. A method of providing a personal media service, said method comprising:
receiving a series of preferences from a user;
applying rules to said preferences to identify a list of pre-defined channels available to said user;
displaying said list of pre-defined channels to said user; and
locally caching at least two of said pre-defined channels so that either is available for immediate play.
21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:
playing media content of at least one of said pre-defined channels;
receiving a command from said user to skip a portion of said media content;
skipping said portion of said media content and then resuming playing; and
transmitting information indicating said skipped portion to a remote monitoring site.
22. A method of presenting information about media content, said method comprising:
accepting user input selecting said media content for immediate play;
retrieving data relating to said media content;
converting said data to speech;
playing said speech; and thereafter
playing said media content.
23. A method of providing a personalized media service, said method comprising:
playing media content;
detecting a first single user action simultaneous with playing of said media content; and
responsive to said first single user action, performing a first operation selected in accordance with specific media content playing simultaneous with said first single user action.
24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:
after performing said first operation, receiving a second single user action; and
responsive to said second single user action, performing a second operation.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein said first and second single user actions comprise button depressions and said specific media content comprises a song.
26. The method of claim 24 wherein said second operation comprises a purchase of said specific media content.
27. The method of claim 24 wherein said second operation comprises transmitting a request for user information pertaining to said specific media content.
28. A method of downloading media content, said method comprising:
automatically checking available disk space for local cache, responsive to said availability, determining caching depths for a plurality of channels; and
controlling downloading of said content based on said caching depths.
29. A method of downloading media content, said method comprising:
accepting user profile input;
applying rules to said user profile input to determine channel preferences;
responsive to said channel preferences; and
determining caching depths for a plurality of channels; and
controlling downloading of said content based on said channel caching depths.
30. A method of downloading media content, said method comprising:
accepting user profile input;
applying rules to said user profile input to determine channel preferences;
responsive to said channel preferences, assigning relative priorities to content within said plurality of channels; and
controlling downloading rate of said content based on said channel priorities.
31. The method of claim 29 further comprising:
allocating storage space for said content based on said channel caching depths.
32. The method of claim 31 further comprising:
within said allocated storage space creating dummy files to be replaced by content-storing files upon downloading.
33. The method of claim 29 further comprising:
downloading to refresh already played content.
34. The method of claim 29 further comprising:
downloading to refresh stale content.
35. The method of claim 29 further comprising:
modifying said channel depths responsive to user selection of channels for play.
36. The method of claim 30 further comprising:
modifying said priorities responsive to user selection of channels for play
37. A method of downloading media content, said method comprising:
gathering information of selections of channels for play as made by a plurality of users;
assigning relative priorities to content within said plurality of channels based on a summation of said selections; and
controlling downloading rate of said content based on said channel priorities.
38. The method of claim 32 wherein assigning said priorities comprises:
assigning said priorities responsive to content type.
39. A method for creating a simulated radio experience on a portable device with limited storage capacity, said method comprising:
caching content of a plurality of channels at a station;
accepting user input specifying selected ones of said channels for availability on said portable device;
determining an allocated available storage capacity on said portable device;
pruning said selected channels to fit said storage capacity; and
transferring content of said selected channels as pruned; and
playing said transferred content on said portable device.
40. A method for creating a simulated radio experience on a portable device with limited storage capacity, said method comprising:
accepting user input specifying a channel for availability on said portable device;
upon a first synchronization between a station and said portable device,
transferring content of said channel from said station to said portable device; and
upon a second synchronization between said station and said portable device, determining which previously transferred content has already been played and transferring further content to replace said previously played content.
41. A method for providing information to a user said method comprising:
displaying available media content organized into a tree structure; and
displaying total size of all available content under a selected node; and
displaying total size of all available content already in the local cache under said node.
42. The method of claim 40 further comprising:
accepting user input; and
responsive to said input modifying a pre-configured caching depth.
43. A method for customizing a personal media service, said method comprising:
displaying available media content organized into a first tree structure;
accepting user input selecting nodes of said first tree structure to specify a custom channel;
displaying a representation of a second tree structure comprising said selected nodes;
converting said second tree structure to a linear playlist; and
playing content in accordance with said linear playlist.
44. The method of claim 43 wherein converting comprises:
weighting playtime of content corresponding to said selected nodes in accordance with user profile input.
45. A method for customizing a personal media service, said method comprising:
displaying available media content organized into a first tree structure;
accepting user input selecting nodes of said first tree structure to specify a custom channel;
displaying a representation of a second tree structure comprising said selected nodes;
accepting user input modifying said second tree structure by deleting specified nodes;
converting said second tree structure, as modified, to a linear playlist; and
playing content in accordance with said linear playlist.
US10/717,183 2003-11-19 2003-11-19 Personalized content application Abandoned US20050108754A1 (en)

Priority Applications (7)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10/717,183 US20050108754A1 (en) 2003-11-19 2003-11-19 Personalized content application
EP04256651A EP1545031A2 (en) 2003-11-19 2004-10-28 Method and apparatus for providing a personalized media service
CA002488022A CA2488022A1 (en) 2003-11-19 2004-11-18 Episodic media delivery
US12/248,691 US7568213B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2008-10-09 Method for providing episodic media content
US12/690,888 US8281348B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2010-01-20 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel
US13/633,090 US8661480B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2012-10-01 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel
US14/188,960 US9247301B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2014-02-25 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10/717,183 US20050108754A1 (en) 2003-11-19 2003-11-19 Personalized content application

Related Child Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/248,691 Continuation US7568213B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2008-10-09 Method for providing episodic media content
US12/690,888 Continuation US8281348B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2010-01-20 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20050108754A1 true US20050108754A1 (en) 2005-05-19

Family

ID=34522983

Family Applications (5)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/717,183 Abandoned US20050108754A1 (en) 2003-11-19 2003-11-19 Personalized content application
US12/248,691 Expired - Lifetime US7568213B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2008-10-09 Method for providing episodic media content
US12/690,888 Expired - Lifetime US8281348B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2010-01-20 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel
US13/633,090 Expired - Lifetime US8661480B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2012-10-01 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel
US14/188,960 Expired - Lifetime US9247301B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2014-02-25 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel

Family Applications After (4)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/248,691 Expired - Lifetime US7568213B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2008-10-09 Method for providing episodic media content
US12/690,888 Expired - Lifetime US8281348B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2010-01-20 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel
US13/633,090 Expired - Lifetime US8661480B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2012-10-01 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel
US14/188,960 Expired - Lifetime US9247301B2 (en) 2003-11-19 2014-02-25 Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (5) US20050108754A1 (en)
EP (1) EP1545031A2 (en)
CA (1) CA2488022A1 (en)

Cited By (99)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040193609A1 (en) * 2003-03-26 2004-09-30 Sony Corporation Master content directory service server for providing a consolidated network-wide content directory
US20050049933A1 (en) * 2003-08-29 2005-03-03 Manish Upendran System and method for performing purchase transactions utilizing a broadcast-based device
US20050055722A1 (en) * 2003-09-09 2005-03-10 Sony Corporation Intelligent routing of digital content
US20050055352A1 (en) * 2003-09-08 2005-03-10 Sony Corporation Content directory and synchronization bridge
US20050060370A1 (en) * 2003-09-17 2005-03-17 Sony Corporation Version based content distribution and synchronization system and method
US20050060435A1 (en) * 2003-09-17 2005-03-17 Sony Corporation Middleware filter agent between server and PDA
US20050071486A1 (en) * 2003-09-25 2005-03-31 Sony Corporation Information and content exchange document type definitions to support content distribution
US20050138141A1 (en) * 2003-12-04 2005-06-23 Hill Mark C. Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating distribution of recorded content
US20050144294A1 (en) * 2003-12-03 2005-06-30 Gellens Randall C. Efficient use of communication channel for periodic/occasional lower-priority and/or opportunistic data exchanges
US20050165941A1 (en) * 2004-01-22 2005-07-28 Edward Eytchison Methods and apparatuses for streaming content
US20060136648A1 (en) * 2002-07-18 2006-06-22 Thomas Gros Bus station with integrated bus monitor function
US20060190616A1 (en) * 2005-02-04 2006-08-24 John Mayerhofer System and method for aggregating, delivering and sharing audio content
US20060205349A1 (en) * 2005-03-08 2006-09-14 Enq Semiconductor, Inc. Apparatus and method for wireless audio network management
US20060265637A1 (en) * 2005-05-21 2006-11-23 Apple Computer, Inc. Utilization of podcasts on portable media devices
US20060271516A1 (en) * 2005-05-25 2006-11-30 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Method and system for searching incomplete lists
US20070005651A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-01-04 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Restoring modified assets
US20070005423A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-01-04 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Providing promotional content
US20070033295A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2007-02-08 Apple Computer, Inc. Host configured for interoperation with coupled portable media player device
US20070061842A1 (en) * 2005-09-13 2007-03-15 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, Lp System and method for providing a unified programming guide
US20070097975A1 (en) * 2005-11-02 2007-05-03 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Service to push author-spoken audio content with targeted audio advertising to users
US20070129828A1 (en) * 2005-12-07 2007-06-07 Apple Computer, Inc. Portable audio device providing automated control of audio volume parameters for hearing protection
US20070166683A1 (en) * 2006-01-05 2007-07-19 Apple Computer, Inc. Dynamic lyrics display for portable media devices
US20070186231A1 (en) * 2006-02-03 2007-08-09 Sbc Knowledge Ventures L.P. System and method for controlling settings for television services
US20070192368A1 (en) * 2006-02-16 2007-08-16 Zermatt Systems, Inc. Programming content on a device
US20070192800A1 (en) * 2006-02-10 2007-08-16 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, Lp Dynamic multimedia channel grouping
US20070208911A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2007-09-06 Apple Inc. Media player with instant play capability
US20070274519A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-11-29 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Authorization for media content alteration
US20070273714A1 (en) * 2006-05-23 2007-11-29 Apple Computer, Inc. Portable media device with power-managed display
US20070299877A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-12-27 Searete Llc Group content substitution in media works
US20080004732A1 (en) * 2006-06-30 2008-01-03 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Audio reproducing apparatus
US20080028422A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2008-01-31 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Implementation of media content alteration
US20080091731A1 (en) * 2006-10-14 2008-04-17 Asustek Computer Inc. Multi-media file automatic updating method and software program thereof
US20080125890A1 (en) * 2006-09-11 2008-05-29 Jesse Boettcher Portable media playback device including user interface event passthrough to non-media-playback processing
US20080163303A1 (en) * 2006-12-29 2008-07-03 Goosean Media Inc. Video playback device for channel browsing
US20080162570A1 (en) * 2006-10-24 2008-07-03 Kindig Bradley D Methods and systems for personalized rendering of digital media content
US20080177773A1 (en) * 2007-01-22 2008-07-24 International Business Machines Corporation Customized media selection using degrees of separation techniques
US20080181533A1 (en) * 2007-01-31 2008-07-31 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Targeted obstrufication of an image
US20080180459A1 (en) * 2007-01-31 2008-07-31 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Anonymization pursuant to a broadcasted policy
US20080204218A1 (en) * 2007-02-28 2008-08-28 Apple Inc. Event recorder for portable media device
US20080215170A1 (en) * 2006-10-24 2008-09-04 Celite Milbrandt Method and apparatus for interactive distribution of digital content
US20080222546A1 (en) * 2007-03-08 2008-09-11 Mudd Dennis M System and method for personalizing playback content through interaction with a playback device
US7426593B2 (en) * 2005-02-24 2008-09-16 Sony Corporation Information processing system, reproducing terminal device and reproducing method, information processing device and method, and program for synchronous display of content
US20080263098A1 (en) * 2007-03-14 2008-10-23 Slacker, Inc. Systems and Methods for Portable Personalized Radio
US20080257134A1 (en) * 2007-04-18 2008-10-23 3B Music, Llc Method And Apparatus For Generating And Updating A Pre-Categorized Song Database From Which Consumers May Select And Then Download Desired Playlists
US20080309670A1 (en) * 2007-06-18 2008-12-18 Bodin William K Recasting A Legacy Web Page As A Motion Picture With Audio
US20080313308A1 (en) * 2007-06-15 2008-12-18 Bodin William K Recasting a web page as a multimedia playlist
US20080313233A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2008-12-18 Searete Llc Implementing audio substitution options in media works
US20090006965A1 (en) * 2007-06-26 2009-01-01 Bodin William K Assisting A User In Editing A Motion Picture With Audio Recast Of A Legacy Web Page
US20090003800A1 (en) * 2007-06-26 2009-01-01 Bodin William K Recasting Search Engine Results As A Motion Picture With Audio
US20090234529A1 (en) * 2008-03-15 2009-09-17 Volkswagen Of America, Inc. Method for Processing Data Based on an Evaluation of Real-Time Measurements of Movements of a User in a Vehicle and Based on Statistical Data on User Interactions With Input Devices in the Vehicle
CN100546379C (en) * 2006-04-24 2009-09-30 中国科学院自动化研究所 Personalized customization method and device thereof based on the sports video of mobile device
US20090300480A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2009-12-03 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Media segment alteration with embedded markup identifier
US20090313432A1 (en) * 2008-06-13 2009-12-17 Spence Richard C Memory device storing a plurality of digital media files and playlists
US20090313303A1 (en) * 2008-06-13 2009-12-17 Spence Richard C Method for playing digital media files with a digital media player using a plurality of playlists
US20100031146A1 (en) * 2008-08-01 2010-02-04 International Business Machines Corporation Parallel Visual Radio Station Selection
US7673238B2 (en) 2006-01-05 2010-03-02 Apple Inc. Portable media device with video acceleration capabilities
US20100056042A1 (en) * 2006-02-16 2010-03-04 Dell Products L.P. Providing content to a device
US20100106508A1 (en) * 2008-10-28 2010-04-29 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System for providing audio recordings
US20100106852A1 (en) * 2007-10-24 2010-04-29 Kindig Bradley D Systems and methods for providing user personalized media content on a portable device
US20100146545A1 (en) * 2008-12-04 2010-06-10 Eldon Technology Limited Randomly selecting current programming
US20100162120A1 (en) * 2008-12-18 2010-06-24 Derek Niizawa Digital Media Player User Interface
US7831199B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2010-11-09 Apple Inc. Media data exchange, transfer or delivery for portable electronic devices
US7848527B2 (en) 2006-02-27 2010-12-07 Apple Inc. Dynamic power management in a portable media delivery system
US7856564B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2010-12-21 Apple Inc. Techniques for preserving media play mode information on media devices during power cycling
US7913280B1 (en) * 2006-03-24 2011-03-22 Qurio Holdings, Inc. System and method for creating and managing custom media channels
US20110105094A1 (en) * 2009-10-29 2011-05-05 Microsoft Corporation Location integration in software defined radio
US20110129201A1 (en) * 2009-11-30 2011-06-02 International Business Machines Corporation Customized playback of broadcast media
US20110167344A1 (en) * 2010-01-04 2011-07-07 Yang Pan Media delivery system based on media assets stored in different devices connectable through a communication means
US7985911B2 (en) 2007-04-18 2011-07-26 Oppenheimer Harold B Method and apparatus for generating and updating a pre-categorized song database from which consumers may select and then download desired playlists
US8020762B2 (en) 2005-05-21 2011-09-20 Apple Inc. Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting
US8090130B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2012-01-03 Apple Inc. Highly portable media devices
US8095951B1 (en) 2005-05-06 2012-01-10 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan
US8151259B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2012-04-03 Apple Inc. Remote content updates for portable media devices
US8255640B2 (en) * 2006-01-03 2012-08-28 Apple Inc. Media device with intelligent cache utilization
US8300841B2 (en) 2005-06-03 2012-10-30 Apple Inc. Techniques for presenting sound effects on a portable media player
US8315950B2 (en) 2007-12-31 2012-11-20 Sandisk Technologies Inc. Powerfully simple digital media player and methods for use therewith
US8341524B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2012-12-25 Apple Inc. Portable electronic device with local search capabilities
US8396948B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2013-03-12 Apple Inc. Remotely configured media device
US8407737B1 (en) 2007-07-11 2013-03-26 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan transport bar
US8516533B2 (en) 2008-11-07 2013-08-20 Digimarc Corporation Second screen methods and arrangements
US8528036B2 (en) 2009-02-12 2013-09-03 Digimarc Corporation Media processing methods and arrangements
US8640166B1 (en) 2005-05-06 2014-01-28 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for content surfing
US8689113B2 (en) 2004-01-22 2014-04-01 Sony Corporation Methods and apparatus for presenting content
US8875187B2 (en) 1996-07-03 2014-10-28 United Video Properties, Inc. Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with scan feature
US20150066510A1 (en) * 2013-09-05 2015-03-05 International Business Machines Corporation Variable-depth audio presentation of textual information
US20150156201A1 (en) * 2013-11-29 2015-06-04 Yahoo! Inc. Method for sharing a media collection in a network environment
US9065979B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2015-06-23 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Promotional placement in media works
US9092928B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2015-07-28 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Implementing group content substitution in media works
US9215512B2 (en) 2007-04-27 2015-12-15 Invention Science Fund I, Llc Implementation of media content alteration
US9230601B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2016-01-05 Invention Science Fund I, Llc Media markup system for content alteration in derivative works
WO2016014108A1 (en) * 2014-07-25 2016-01-28 Tribune Digital Ventures, Llc Retrieval and playout of media content
US20160335258A1 (en) 2006-10-24 2016-11-17 Slacker, Inc. Methods and systems for personalized rendering of digital media content
US9544526B2 (en) 2006-07-31 2017-01-10 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing custom media content flipping
US9747248B2 (en) 2006-06-20 2017-08-29 Apple Inc. Wireless communication system
US10019500B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2018-07-10 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for sharing and searching playlists
US10275463B2 (en) 2013-03-15 2019-04-30 Slacker, Inc. System and method for scoring and ranking digital content based on activity of network users
US10296639B2 (en) 2013-09-05 2019-05-21 International Business Machines Corporation Personalized audio presentation of textual information
US20190158932A1 (en) * 2017-11-21 2019-05-23 Kt Corporation Providing promotion channel
US11303370B2 (en) * 2011-02-14 2022-04-12 Sirius Xm Radio Inc. Method and apparatus for enhanced playback of content while switching among channels of broadcast or streamed content while being received (“Tune Start”)

Families Citing this family (59)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8352400B2 (en) 1991-12-23 2013-01-08 Hoffberg Steven M Adaptive pattern recognition based controller apparatus and method and human-factored interface therefore
US7904187B2 (en) 1999-02-01 2011-03-08 Hoffberg Steven M Internet appliance system and method
US9008812B2 (en) * 2008-06-19 2015-04-14 Sirius Xm Radio Inc. Method and apparatus for using selected content tracks from two or more program channels to automatically generate a blended mix channel for playback to a user upon selection of a corresponding preset button on a user interface
DE602004010098T3 (en) 2003-05-06 2014-09-04 Apple Inc. METHOD FOR MODIFYING A MESSAGE STORAGE AND TRANSMISSION NETWORK SYSTEM AND DATA ANSWERING SYSTEM
US20050149987A1 (en) * 2003-12-24 2005-07-07 Gilles Boccon-Gibod Television viewing communities
US7693887B2 (en) 2005-02-01 2010-04-06 Strands, Inc. Dynamic identification of a new set of media items responsive to an input mediaset
WO2006084102A2 (en) 2005-02-03 2006-08-10 Musicstrands, Inc. Recommender system for identifying a new set of media items responsive to an input set of media items and knowledge base metrics
EP1844386A4 (en) 2005-02-04 2009-11-25 Strands Inc System for browsing through a music catalog using correlation metrics of a knowledge base of mediasets
US7840570B2 (en) 2005-04-22 2010-11-23 Strands, Inc. System and method for acquiring and adding data on the playing of elements or multimedia files
US7958131B2 (en) * 2005-08-19 2011-06-07 International Business Machines Corporation Method for data management and data rendering for disparate data types
US8977636B2 (en) 2005-08-19 2015-03-10 International Business Machines Corporation Synthesizing aggregate data of disparate data types into data of a uniform data type
US8266220B2 (en) * 2005-09-14 2012-09-11 International Business Machines Corporation Email management and rendering
US7877387B2 (en) 2005-09-30 2011-01-25 Strands, Inc. Systems and methods for promotional media item selection and promotional program unit generation
US8694319B2 (en) 2005-11-03 2014-04-08 International Business Machines Corporation Dynamic prosody adjustment for voice-rendering synthesized data
BRPI0620084B1 (en) 2005-12-19 2018-11-21 Apple Inc method for identifying individual users in a defined user community, based on comparing the first user's profile with other user profiles, for a first community member, and method for measuring individual user similarity for a first user in a defined user community. users
US8271107B2 (en) * 2006-01-13 2012-09-18 International Business Machines Corporation Controlling audio operation for data management and data rendering
US20070244880A1 (en) 2006-02-03 2007-10-18 Francisco Martin Mediaset generation system
WO2007092053A1 (en) 2006-02-10 2007-08-16 Strands, Inc. Dynamic interactive entertainment
JP5075132B2 (en) 2006-02-10 2012-11-14 アップル インコーポレイテッド System and method for prioritizing mobile media player files
US9135339B2 (en) 2006-02-13 2015-09-15 International Business Machines Corporation Invoking an audio hyperlink
WO2007103923A2 (en) 2006-03-06 2007-09-13 La La Media, Inc Article trading process
WO2008010071A2 (en) * 2006-07-18 2008-01-24 Psitek (Proprietary) Limited Information retrieval and delivery system and components
US9196241B2 (en) 2006-09-29 2015-11-24 International Business Machines Corporation Asynchronous communications using messages recorded on handheld devices
US8046803B1 (en) 2006-12-28 2011-10-25 Sprint Communications Company L.P. Contextual multimedia metatagging
US8219402B2 (en) 2007-01-03 2012-07-10 International Business Machines Corporation Asynchronous receipt of information from a user
US9318100B2 (en) 2007-01-03 2016-04-19 International Business Machines Corporation Supplementing audio recorded in a media file
US8554265B1 (en) * 2007-01-17 2013-10-08 At&T Mobility Ii Llc Distribution of user-generated multimedia broadcasts to mobile wireless telecommunication network users
KR101282958B1 (en) * 2007-02-13 2013-07-08 삼성전자주식회사 Broadcasting receive apparatus for reporting buying information and the same method
US8671000B2 (en) 2007-04-24 2014-03-11 Apple Inc. Method and arrangement for providing content to multimedia devices
US8060407B1 (en) 2007-09-04 2011-11-15 Sprint Communications Company L.P. Method for providing personalized, targeted advertisements during playback of media
US8001002B2 (en) * 2007-09-07 2011-08-16 Microsoft Corporation Interactively presenting advertising content offline
US8326998B2 (en) * 2007-12-20 2012-12-04 Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. Multimedia personal assistant
US8806530B1 (en) 2008-04-22 2014-08-12 Sprint Communications Company L.P. Dual channel presence detection and content delivery system and method
US8583771B2 (en) * 2008-07-01 2013-11-12 Cisco Technology, Inc. Mapping human-meaningful parameters to network-meaningful parameters to permit user to establish traffic importance in home network
US20100017725A1 (en) * 2008-07-21 2010-01-21 Strands, Inc. Ambient collage display of digital media content
US20100057668A1 (en) * 2008-09-04 2010-03-04 Cisco Technology, Inc. Mapping human-meaningful parameters to network-meaningful parameters for media transformation
US8601003B2 (en) 2008-09-08 2013-12-03 Apple Inc. System and method for playlist generation based on similarity data
WO2010040082A1 (en) 2008-10-02 2010-04-08 Strands, Inc. Real-time visualization of user consumption of media items
DE102009001366B4 (en) * 2009-03-06 2014-07-03 Airbus Operations Gmbh System for providing functions to a passenger
US8492638B2 (en) * 2009-08-05 2013-07-23 Robert Bosch Gmbh Personalized entertainment system
US20110060738A1 (en) 2009-09-08 2011-03-10 Apple Inc. Media item clustering based on similarity data
US8990104B1 (en) 2009-10-27 2015-03-24 Sprint Communications Company L.P. Multimedia product placement marketplace
EP2317740A3 (en) 2009-10-31 2012-12-19 Telio AG Messaging system comprising a coordination device for speech transfer
DE202010006219U1 (en) 2009-10-31 2011-03-31 Telio Ag Coordinating device of media content
EP2317706A3 (en) 2009-10-31 2011-11-09 Woizzer AG Method and device for transferring voice messages
EP2317741A3 (en) 2009-10-31 2012-12-19 Telio AG Coordinating device for media content
US20120124162A1 (en) * 2010-06-10 2012-05-17 Cricket Communications, Inc. Method and apparatus for selecting media content in a mobile communications device
DE102010031772A1 (en) 2010-07-21 2011-03-17 Daimler Ag Method for preparation of consumable e.g. digital contents to be used during driving of car, involves processing selection of digital contents by data exchange in network, and replaying selection for consuming digital contents
US8983905B2 (en) 2011-10-03 2015-03-17 Apple Inc. Merging playlists from multiple sources
IL220411A0 (en) 2012-06-14 2012-10-31 Haim Nachum Markovitz Information presentation system and method
US9100708B2 (en) * 2012-08-31 2015-08-04 Echostar Technologies L.L.C. Electronic program guides, systems and methods providing a collapsible channel listing
US20140074959A1 (en) * 2012-09-10 2014-03-13 Apple Inc. Client side media station generation
US20140114985A1 (en) * 2012-10-23 2014-04-24 Apple Inc. Personalized media stations
US9628543B2 (en) * 2013-09-27 2017-04-18 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Initially establishing and periodically prefetching digital content
USD776126S1 (en) 2014-02-14 2017-01-10 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Display screen or portion thereof with a transitional graphical user interface
US9841943B1 (en) 2016-06-06 2017-12-12 Google Llc Creation and control of channels that provide access to content from various audio-provider services
US20180184152A1 (en) * 2016-12-23 2018-06-28 Vitaly M. Kirkpatrick Distributed wireless audio and/or video transmission
US10936653B2 (en) 2017-06-02 2021-03-02 Apple Inc. Automatically predicting relevant contexts for media items
CN111435371B (en) * 2019-01-15 2023-08-11 百度在线网络技术(北京)有限公司 Video recommendation method and system, computer program product and readable storage medium

Citations (47)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5132992A (en) * 1991-01-07 1992-07-21 Paul Yurt Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US5253275A (en) * 1991-01-07 1993-10-12 H. Lee Browne Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US5436653A (en) * 1992-04-30 1995-07-25 The Arbitron Company Method and system for recognition of broadcast segments
US5511186A (en) * 1992-11-18 1996-04-23 Mdl Information Systems, Inc. System and methods for performing multi-source searches over heterogeneous databases
US5524051A (en) * 1994-04-06 1996-06-04 Command Audio Corporation Method and system for audio information dissemination using various modes of transmission
US5541638A (en) * 1994-06-28 1996-07-30 At&T Corp. User programmable entertainment method and apparatus
US5572442A (en) * 1994-07-21 1996-11-05 Information Highway Media Corporation System for distributing subscription and on-demand audio programming
US5590195A (en) * 1993-03-15 1996-12-31 Command Audio Corporation Information dissemination using various transmission modes
US5721827A (en) * 1996-10-02 1998-02-24 James Logan System for electrically distributing personalized information
US5809472A (en) * 1996-04-03 1998-09-15 Command Audio Corporation Digital audio data transmission system based on the information content of an audio signal
US5815671A (en) * 1996-06-11 1998-09-29 Command Audio Corporation Method and apparatus for encoding and storing audio/video information for subsequent predetermined retrieval
US5892536A (en) * 1996-10-03 1999-04-06 Personal Audio Systems and methods for computer enhanced broadcast monitoring
US5914941A (en) * 1995-05-25 1999-06-22 Information Highway Media Corporation Portable information storage/playback apparatus having a data interface
US5924068A (en) * 1997-02-04 1999-07-13 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. Electronic news reception apparatus that selectively retains sections and searches by keyword or index for text to speech conversion
US5956629A (en) * 1996-08-14 1999-09-21 Command Audio Corporation Method and apparatus for transmitter identification and selection for mobile information signal services
US5979724A (en) * 1998-09-01 1999-11-09 Command Audio Corporation Automobile universal dashboard mounting apparatus
US5985692A (en) * 1995-06-07 1999-11-16 Microunit Systems Engineering, Inc. Process for flip-chip bonding a semiconductor die having gold bump electrodes
US5987525A (en) * 1997-04-15 1999-11-16 Cddb, Inc. Network delivery of interactive entertainment synchronized to playback of audio recordings
US6002720A (en) * 1991-01-07 1999-12-14 H. Lee Browne, D/B/A Greenwich Information Technologies Llc Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US6067278A (en) * 1998-04-06 2000-05-23 Recoton Corporation Digital recorder for car radio
US6081780A (en) * 1998-04-28 2000-06-27 International Business Machines Corporation TTS and prosody based authoring system
US6088455A (en) * 1997-01-07 2000-07-11 Logan; James D. Methods and apparatus for selectively reproducing segments of broadcast programming
US6173112B1 (en) * 1997-11-28 2001-01-09 International Business Machines Corporation Method and system for recording in-progress broadcast programs
US6185532B1 (en) * 1992-12-18 2001-02-06 International Business Machines Corporation Digital broadcast system with selection of items at each receiver via individual user profiles and voice readout of selected items
US6192340B1 (en) * 1999-10-19 2001-02-20 Max Abecassis Integration of music from a personal library with real-time information
US6199076B1 (en) * 1996-10-02 2001-03-06 James Logan Audio program player including a dynamic program selection controller
US6233633B1 (en) * 1998-03-05 2001-05-15 Sony Corporation Data transfer between a computer and a digital storage device using a computer sound card to convert the processed digital data to analog form
US6246672B1 (en) * 1998-04-28 2001-06-12 International Business Machines Corp. Singlecast interactive radio system
US6253237B1 (en) * 1998-05-20 2001-06-26 Audible, Inc. Personalized time-shifted programming
US6272328B1 (en) * 1999-05-12 2001-08-07 Xm Satellite Radio Inc. System for providing audio signals from an auxiliary audio source to a radio receiver via a DC power line
US6282511B1 (en) * 1996-12-04 2001-08-28 At&T Voiced interface with hyperlinked information
US6300880B1 (en) * 1996-01-16 2001-10-09 Philips Electronics North America Corp. Multichannel audio distribution system having portable receivers
US6330334B1 (en) * 1993-03-15 2001-12-11 Command Audio Corporation Method and system for information dissemination using television signals
US20020054752A1 (en) * 1998-08-07 2002-05-09 Anthony Wood Video data recorder with personal channels
US6393430B1 (en) * 1998-05-08 2002-05-21 Sony Corporation Method and system for automatically recording music data files by using the hard drive of a personal computer as an intermediate storage medium
US6407750B1 (en) * 1999-01-08 2002-06-18 Sony Corporation Broadcast and recorded music management system particularly for use in automobile
US6421717B1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2002-07-16 Avantgo, Inc. System, method, and computer program product for customizing channels, content, and data for mobile devices
US6446080B1 (en) * 1998-05-08 2002-09-03 Sony Corporation Method for creating, modifying, and playing a custom playlist, saved as a virtual CD, to be played by a digital audio/visual actuator device
US6449226B1 (en) * 1999-10-13 2002-09-10 Sony Corporation Recording and playback apparatus and method, terminal device, transmitting/receiving method, and storage medium
US6453252B1 (en) * 2000-05-15 2002-09-17 Creative Technology Ltd. Process for identifying audio content
US6460076B1 (en) * 1998-12-21 2002-10-01 Qwest Communications International, Inc. Pay per record system and method
US20030018972A1 (en) * 2001-07-17 2003-01-23 Jitesh Arora Method, system and software for display of multiple media channels
US20030088880A1 (en) * 2001-11-08 2003-05-08 International Business Machines Corporation Multi-terminal docking station system
US20030086023A1 (en) * 2001-11-06 2003-05-08 Lg Electronics Inc. Personal video recorder including a network interface
US20030095791A1 (en) * 2000-03-02 2003-05-22 Barton James M. System and method for internet access to a personal television service
US20030167318A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-09-04 Apple Computer, Inc. Intelligent synchronization of media player with host computer
US6701528B1 (en) * 2000-01-26 2004-03-02 Hughes Electronics Corporation Virtual video on demand using multiple encrypted video segments

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6850252B1 (en) * 1999-10-05 2005-02-01 Steven M. Hoffberg Intelligent electronic appliance system and method
US5677953A (en) * 1993-09-14 1997-10-14 Spyrus, Inc. System and method for access control for portable data storage media
US5732216A (en) * 1996-10-02 1998-03-24 Internet Angles, Inc. Audio message exchange system
US20030093790A1 (en) * 2000-03-28 2003-05-15 Logan James D. Audio and video program recording, editing and playback systems using metadata
US5986692A (en) * 1996-10-03 1999-11-16 Logan; James D. Systems and methods for computer enhanced broadcast monitoring
US5728098A (en) * 1996-11-07 1998-03-17 Sdgi Holdings, Inc. Multi-angle bone screw assembly using shape-memory technology
US6993290B1 (en) * 2000-02-11 2006-01-31 International Business Machines Corporation Portable personal radio system and method
US20040034624A1 (en) * 2002-08-14 2004-02-19 Kenneth Deh-Lee Method and system of managing repository for a mobile workforce

Patent Citations (57)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6144702A (en) * 1991-01-07 2000-11-07 Greenwich Information Technologies, Llc Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US5550863A (en) * 1991-01-07 1996-08-27 H. Lee Browne Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US5132992A (en) * 1991-01-07 1992-07-21 Paul Yurt Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US6002720A (en) * 1991-01-07 1999-12-14 H. Lee Browne, D/B/A Greenwich Information Technologies Llc Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US5253275A (en) * 1991-01-07 1993-10-12 H. Lee Browne Audio and video transmission and receiving system
US5436653A (en) * 1992-04-30 1995-07-25 The Arbitron Company Method and system for recognition of broadcast segments
US5511186A (en) * 1992-11-18 1996-04-23 Mdl Information Systems, Inc. System and methods for performing multi-source searches over heterogeneous databases
US6185532B1 (en) * 1992-12-18 2001-02-06 International Business Machines Corporation Digital broadcast system with selection of items at each receiver via individual user profiles and voice readout of selected items
US5751806A (en) * 1993-03-15 1998-05-12 Command Audio Corporation Audio information dissemination using various transmission modes
US6330334B1 (en) * 1993-03-15 2001-12-11 Command Audio Corporation Method and system for information dissemination using television signals
US5590195A (en) * 1993-03-15 1996-12-31 Command Audio Corporation Information dissemination using various transmission modes
US5524051A (en) * 1994-04-06 1996-06-04 Command Audio Corporation Method and system for audio information dissemination using various modes of transmission
US5541638A (en) * 1994-06-28 1996-07-30 At&T Corp. User programmable entertainment method and apparatus
US5572442A (en) * 1994-07-21 1996-11-05 Information Highway Media Corporation System for distributing subscription and on-demand audio programming
US5914941A (en) * 1995-05-25 1999-06-22 Information Highway Media Corporation Portable information storage/playback apparatus having a data interface
US5985692A (en) * 1995-06-07 1999-11-16 Microunit Systems Engineering, Inc. Process for flip-chip bonding a semiconductor die having gold bump electrodes
US6300880B1 (en) * 1996-01-16 2001-10-09 Philips Electronics North America Corp. Multichannel audio distribution system having portable receivers
US5809472A (en) * 1996-04-03 1998-09-15 Command Audio Corporation Digital audio data transmission system based on the information content of an audio signal
US5815671A (en) * 1996-06-11 1998-09-29 Command Audio Corporation Method and apparatus for encoding and storing audio/video information for subsequent predetermined retrieval
US5956629A (en) * 1996-08-14 1999-09-21 Command Audio Corporation Method and apparatus for transmitter identification and selection for mobile information signal services
US6199076B1 (en) * 1996-10-02 2001-03-06 James Logan Audio program player including a dynamic program selection controller
US5721827A (en) * 1996-10-02 1998-02-24 James Logan System for electrically distributing personalized information
US5892536A (en) * 1996-10-03 1999-04-06 Personal Audio Systems and methods for computer enhanced broadcast monitoring
US6282511B1 (en) * 1996-12-04 2001-08-28 At&T Voiced interface with hyperlinked information
US6088455A (en) * 1997-01-07 2000-07-11 Logan; James D. Methods and apparatus for selectively reproducing segments of broadcast programming
US5924068A (en) * 1997-02-04 1999-07-13 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. Electronic news reception apparatus that selectively retains sections and searches by keyword or index for text to speech conversion
US6161132A (en) * 1997-04-15 2000-12-12 Cddb, Inc. System for synchronizing playback of recordings and display by networked computer systems
US6240459B1 (en) * 1997-04-15 2001-05-29 Cddb, Inc. Network delivery of interactive entertainment synchronized to playback of audio recordings
US6330593B1 (en) * 1997-04-15 2001-12-11 Cddb Inc. System for collecting use data related to playback of recordings
US5987525A (en) * 1997-04-15 1999-11-16 Cddb, Inc. Network delivery of interactive entertainment synchronized to playback of audio recordings
US6061680A (en) * 1997-04-15 2000-05-09 Cddb, Inc. Method and system for finding approximate matches in database
US6230207B1 (en) * 1997-04-15 2001-05-08 Cddb, Inc. Network delivery of interactive entertainment synchronized to playback of audio recordings
US6230192B1 (en) * 1997-04-15 2001-05-08 Cddb, Inc. Method and system for accessing remote data based on playback of recordings
US6154773A (en) * 1997-04-15 2000-11-28 Cddb, Inc. Network delivery of interactive entertainment complementing audio recordings
US6173112B1 (en) * 1997-11-28 2001-01-09 International Business Machines Corporation Method and system for recording in-progress broadcast programs
US6233633B1 (en) * 1998-03-05 2001-05-15 Sony Corporation Data transfer between a computer and a digital storage device using a computer sound card to convert the processed digital data to analog form
US6067278A (en) * 1998-04-06 2000-05-23 Recoton Corporation Digital recorder for car radio
US6081780A (en) * 1998-04-28 2000-06-27 International Business Machines Corporation TTS and prosody based authoring system
US6246672B1 (en) * 1998-04-28 2001-06-12 International Business Machines Corp. Singlecast interactive radio system
US6446080B1 (en) * 1998-05-08 2002-09-03 Sony Corporation Method for creating, modifying, and playing a custom playlist, saved as a virtual CD, to be played by a digital audio/visual actuator device
US6393430B1 (en) * 1998-05-08 2002-05-21 Sony Corporation Method and system for automatically recording music data files by using the hard drive of a personal computer as an intermediate storage medium
US6253237B1 (en) * 1998-05-20 2001-06-26 Audible, Inc. Personalized time-shifted programming
US20020054752A1 (en) * 1998-08-07 2002-05-09 Anthony Wood Video data recorder with personal channels
US5979724A (en) * 1998-09-01 1999-11-09 Command Audio Corporation Automobile universal dashboard mounting apparatus
US6460076B1 (en) * 1998-12-21 2002-10-01 Qwest Communications International, Inc. Pay per record system and method
US6407750B1 (en) * 1999-01-08 2002-06-18 Sony Corporation Broadcast and recorded music management system particularly for use in automobile
US6272328B1 (en) * 1999-05-12 2001-08-07 Xm Satellite Radio Inc. System for providing audio signals from an auxiliary audio source to a radio receiver via a DC power line
US6421717B1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2002-07-16 Avantgo, Inc. System, method, and computer program product for customizing channels, content, and data for mobile devices
US6449226B1 (en) * 1999-10-13 2002-09-10 Sony Corporation Recording and playback apparatus and method, terminal device, transmitting/receiving method, and storage medium
US6192340B1 (en) * 1999-10-19 2001-02-20 Max Abecassis Integration of music from a personal library with real-time information
US6701528B1 (en) * 2000-01-26 2004-03-02 Hughes Electronics Corporation Virtual video on demand using multiple encrypted video segments
US20030095791A1 (en) * 2000-03-02 2003-05-22 Barton James M. System and method for internet access to a personal television service
US6453252B1 (en) * 2000-05-15 2002-09-17 Creative Technology Ltd. Process for identifying audio content
US20030018972A1 (en) * 2001-07-17 2003-01-23 Jitesh Arora Method, system and software for display of multiple media channels
US20030167318A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-09-04 Apple Computer, Inc. Intelligent synchronization of media player with host computer
US20030086023A1 (en) * 2001-11-06 2003-05-08 Lg Electronics Inc. Personal video recorder including a network interface
US20030088880A1 (en) * 2001-11-08 2003-05-08 International Business Machines Corporation Multi-terminal docking station system

Cited By (190)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8875187B2 (en) 1996-07-03 2014-10-28 United Video Properties, Inc. Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with scan feature
US20070208911A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2007-09-06 Apple Inc. Media player with instant play capability
US20060136648A1 (en) * 2002-07-18 2006-06-22 Thomas Gros Bus station with integrated bus monitor function
US20040193609A1 (en) * 2003-03-26 2004-09-30 Sony Corporation Master content directory service server for providing a consolidated network-wide content directory
US9084089B2 (en) 2003-04-25 2015-07-14 Apple Inc. Media data exchange transfer or delivery for portable electronic devices
US20050049933A1 (en) * 2003-08-29 2005-03-03 Manish Upendran System and method for performing purchase transactions utilizing a broadcast-based device
US7346556B2 (en) * 2003-08-29 2008-03-18 Yahoo! Inc. System and method for performing purchase transactions utilizing a broadcast-based device
US20050055352A1 (en) * 2003-09-08 2005-03-10 Sony Corporation Content directory and synchronization bridge
US20050055722A1 (en) * 2003-09-09 2005-03-10 Sony Corporation Intelligent routing of digital content
US8359406B2 (en) 2003-09-17 2013-01-22 Sony Corporation Middleware filter agent between server and PDA
US9294441B2 (en) 2003-09-17 2016-03-22 Sony Corporation Middleware filter agent between server and PDA
US20050060370A1 (en) * 2003-09-17 2005-03-17 Sony Corporation Version based content distribution and synchronization system and method
US20050060435A1 (en) * 2003-09-17 2005-03-17 Sony Corporation Middleware filter agent between server and PDA
US7925790B2 (en) 2003-09-17 2011-04-12 Sony Corporation Middleware filter agent between server and PDA
US20110161287A1 (en) * 2003-09-17 2011-06-30 Sony Corporation Middleware filter agent between server and pda
US7735000B2 (en) 2003-09-25 2010-06-08 Sony Corporation Information and content exchange document type definitions to support content distribution
US20050071486A1 (en) * 2003-09-25 2005-03-31 Sony Corporation Information and content exchange document type definitions to support content distribution
US20050144294A1 (en) * 2003-12-03 2005-06-30 Gellens Randall C. Efficient use of communication channel for periodic/occasional lower-priority and/or opportunistic data exchanges
US7565447B2 (en) * 2003-12-03 2009-07-21 Qualcomm Incorporated Efficient use of communication channel for periodic/occasional lower-priority and/or opportunistic data exchanges
US8087055B2 (en) * 2003-12-04 2011-12-27 Radioshack Corporation Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating distribution of recorded content
US20050138141A1 (en) * 2003-12-04 2005-06-23 Hill Mark C. Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating distribution of recorded content
US20050165941A1 (en) * 2004-01-22 2005-07-28 Edward Eytchison Methods and apparatuses for streaming content
US8689113B2 (en) 2004-01-22 2014-04-01 Sony Corporation Methods and apparatus for presenting content
US10372748B2 (en) 2004-01-22 2019-08-06 Sony Corporation Methods and apparatuses for presenting content
US20070033295A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2007-02-08 Apple Computer, Inc. Host configured for interoperation with coupled portable media player device
US7706637B2 (en) 2004-10-25 2010-04-27 Apple Inc. Host configured for interoperation with coupled portable media player device
US11442563B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2022-09-13 Apple Inc. Status indicators for an electronic device
US10534452B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2020-01-14 Apple Inc. Highly portable media device
US7856564B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2010-12-21 Apple Inc. Techniques for preserving media play mode information on media devices during power cycling
US8993866B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2015-03-31 Apple Inc. Highly portable media device
US7865745B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2011-01-04 Apple Inc. Techniques for improved playlist processing on media devices
US7889497B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2011-02-15 Apple Inc. Highly portable media device
US8259444B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2012-09-04 Apple Inc. Highly portable media device
US20060190616A1 (en) * 2005-02-04 2006-08-24 John Mayerhofer System and method for aggregating, delivering and sharing audio content
US7426593B2 (en) * 2005-02-24 2008-09-16 Sony Corporation Information processing system, reproducing terminal device and reproducing method, information processing device and method, and program for synchronous display of content
US10614097B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2020-04-07 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for sharing a media collection in a network environment
US11468092B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2022-10-11 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method and system for exploring similarities
US11709865B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2023-07-25 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for sharing and searching playlists
US10860611B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2020-12-08 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for sharing and searching playlists
US11573979B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2023-02-07 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for sharing and searching playlists
US10521452B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2019-12-31 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method and system for exploring similarities
US11789975B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2023-10-17 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method and system for exploring similarities
US11048724B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2021-06-29 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method and system for exploring similarities
US10019500B2 (en) 2005-02-28 2018-07-10 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for sharing and searching playlists
US20060205349A1 (en) * 2005-03-08 2006-09-14 Enq Semiconductor, Inc. Apparatus and method for wireless audio network management
US9185332B2 (en) 2005-05-06 2015-11-10 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan
US8429686B2 (en) 2005-05-06 2013-04-23 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan
US9038103B2 (en) 2005-05-06 2015-05-19 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for content surfing
US8640166B1 (en) 2005-05-06 2014-01-28 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for content surfing
US8787736B2 (en) 2005-05-06 2014-07-22 Rovi Guides, LLC Systems and methods for providing a scan
US8127329B1 (en) 2005-05-06 2012-02-28 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan
US8387089B1 (en) 2005-05-06 2013-02-26 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan
US8095951B1 (en) 2005-05-06 2012-01-10 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan
US20060265637A1 (en) * 2005-05-21 2006-11-23 Apple Computer, Inc. Utilization of podcasts on portable media devices
US9923962B2 (en) 2005-05-21 2018-03-20 Apple Inc. Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting
US9104289B2 (en) 2005-05-21 2015-08-11 Apple Inc. Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting
US8646687B2 (en) 2005-05-21 2014-02-11 Apple Inc. Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting
US8245924B2 (en) 2005-05-21 2012-08-21 Apple Inc. Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting
US8020762B2 (en) 2005-05-21 2011-09-20 Apple Inc. Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting
US9467504B2 (en) 2005-05-21 2016-10-11 Apple Inc. Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting
US20100275236A1 (en) * 2005-05-25 2010-10-28 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. Feedback for Unavailable Content
US20060271516A1 (en) * 2005-05-25 2006-11-30 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Method and system for searching incomplete lists
US8046390B2 (en) 2005-05-25 2011-10-25 At&T Intellectual Property I, Lp Feedback for unavailable content
US7774384B2 (en) * 2005-05-25 2010-08-10 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. Obtaining user feedback for unavailable content
US9602929B2 (en) 2005-06-03 2017-03-21 Apple Inc. Techniques for presenting sound effects on a portable media player
US10750284B2 (en) 2005-06-03 2020-08-18 Apple Inc. Techniques for presenting sound effects on a portable media player
US8300841B2 (en) 2005-06-03 2012-10-30 Apple Inc. Techniques for presenting sound effects on a portable media player
US9230601B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2016-01-05 Invention Science Fund I, Llc Media markup system for content alteration in derivative works
US20080313233A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2008-12-18 Searete Llc Implementing audio substitution options in media works
US8910033B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2014-12-09 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Implementing group content substitution in media works
US20070005651A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-01-04 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Restoring modified assets
US9065979B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2015-06-23 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Promotional placement in media works
US20070005423A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-01-04 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Providing promotional content
US20070274519A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-11-29 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Authorization for media content alteration
US9092928B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2015-07-28 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Implementing group content substitution in media works
US20090300480A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2009-12-03 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Media segment alteration with embedded markup identifier
US8792673B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2014-07-29 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Modifying restricted images
US9426387B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2016-08-23 Invention Science Fund I, Llc Image anonymization
US20070299877A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2007-12-27 Searete Llc Group content substitution in media works
US20080028422A1 (en) * 2005-07-01 2008-01-31 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Implementation of media content alteration
US8126938B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2012-02-28 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Group content substitution in media works
US8732087B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2014-05-20 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Authorization for media content alteration
US9583141B2 (en) 2005-07-01 2017-02-28 Invention Science Fund I, Llc Implementing audio substitution options in media works
US20070061842A1 (en) * 2005-09-13 2007-03-15 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, Lp System and method for providing a unified programming guide
US8739219B2 (en) 2005-09-13 2014-05-27 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System and method for providing a unified programming guide
US8156527B2 (en) * 2005-09-13 2012-04-10 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System and method for providing a unified programming guide
US10536336B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2020-01-14 Apple Inc. Remotely configured media device
US8396948B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2013-03-12 Apple Inc. Remotely configured media device
US20070097975A1 (en) * 2005-11-02 2007-05-03 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Service to push author-spoken audio content with targeted audio advertising to users
US20110119138A1 (en) * 2005-11-02 2011-05-19 At&T Intellctual Property I, L.P. Service to Push Author-Spoken Audio Content with Targeted Audio Advertising to Users
US8065364B2 (en) 2005-11-02 2011-11-22 At&T Intellectual Propery I, L.P. Service to push author-spoken audio content with targeted audio advertising to users
US7904505B2 (en) 2005-11-02 2011-03-08 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. Service to push author-spoken audio content with targeted audio advertising to users
US8171078B2 (en) 2005-11-02 2012-05-01 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System and method of package creation that includes audio content and audio advertising
US8654993B2 (en) 2005-12-07 2014-02-18 Apple Inc. Portable audio device providing automated control of audio volume parameters for hearing protection
US20070129828A1 (en) * 2005-12-07 2007-06-07 Apple Computer, Inc. Portable audio device providing automated control of audio volume parameters for hearing protection
US8151259B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2012-04-03 Apple Inc. Remote content updates for portable media devices
US7831199B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2010-11-09 Apple Inc. Media data exchange, transfer or delivery for portable electronic devices
US8694024B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2014-04-08 Apple Inc. Media data exchange, transfer or delivery for portable electronic devices
US8255640B2 (en) * 2006-01-03 2012-08-28 Apple Inc. Media device with intelligent cache utilization
US8966470B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2015-02-24 Apple Inc. Remote content updates for portable media devices
US20070166683A1 (en) * 2006-01-05 2007-07-19 Apple Computer, Inc. Dynamic lyrics display for portable media devices
US7673238B2 (en) 2006-01-05 2010-03-02 Apple Inc. Portable media device with video acceleration capabilities
US20070186231A1 (en) * 2006-02-03 2007-08-09 Sbc Knowledge Ventures L.P. System and method for controlling settings for television services
US20070192800A1 (en) * 2006-02-10 2007-08-16 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, Lp Dynamic multimedia channel grouping
US9043270B2 (en) 2006-02-16 2015-05-26 Dell Products L.P. Programming content on a device
US20100056042A1 (en) * 2006-02-16 2010-03-04 Dell Products L.P. Providing content to a device
US8213857B2 (en) 2006-02-16 2012-07-03 Dell Products L.P. Providing content to a device
US8868547B2 (en) * 2006-02-16 2014-10-21 Dell Products L.P. Programming content on a device
US20070192368A1 (en) * 2006-02-16 2007-08-16 Zermatt Systems, Inc. Programming content on a device
US8615089B2 (en) 2006-02-27 2013-12-24 Apple Inc. Dynamic power management in a portable media delivery system
US7848527B2 (en) 2006-02-27 2010-12-07 Apple Inc. Dynamic power management in a portable media delivery system
US7913280B1 (en) * 2006-03-24 2011-03-22 Qurio Holdings, Inc. System and method for creating and managing custom media channels
US9027057B2 (en) 2006-03-24 2015-05-05 Qurio Holdings, Inc. System and method for creating and managing custom media channels
US8584169B1 (en) 2006-03-24 2013-11-12 Qurio Holdings, Inc. System and method for creating and managing custom media channels
CN100546379C (en) * 2006-04-24 2009-09-30 中国科学院自动化研究所 Personalized customization method and device thereof based on the sports video of mobile device
US8358273B2 (en) 2006-05-23 2013-01-22 Apple Inc. Portable media device with power-managed display
US20070273714A1 (en) * 2006-05-23 2007-11-29 Apple Computer, Inc. Portable media device with power-managed display
US9747248B2 (en) 2006-06-20 2017-08-29 Apple Inc. Wireless communication system
US20080004732A1 (en) * 2006-06-30 2008-01-03 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Audio reproducing apparatus
US9544526B2 (en) 2006-07-31 2017-01-10 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing custom media content flipping
US9063697B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2015-06-23 Apple Inc. Highly portable media devices
US7729791B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2010-06-01 Apple Inc. Portable media playback device including user interface event passthrough to non-media-playback processing
US8090130B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2012-01-03 Apple Inc. Highly portable media devices
US8473082B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2013-06-25 Apple Inc. Portable media playback device including user interface event passthrough to non-media-playback processing
US20080125890A1 (en) * 2006-09-11 2008-05-29 Jesse Boettcher Portable media playback device including user interface event passthrough to non-media-playback processing
US8341524B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2012-12-25 Apple Inc. Portable electronic device with local search capabilities
US20080091731A1 (en) * 2006-10-14 2008-04-17 Asustek Computer Inc. Multi-media file automatic updating method and software program thereof
US10657168B2 (en) 2006-10-24 2020-05-19 Slacker, Inc. Methods and systems for personalized rendering of digital media content
US8712563B2 (en) 2006-10-24 2014-04-29 Slacker, Inc. Method and apparatus for interactive distribution of digital content
US20080215170A1 (en) * 2006-10-24 2008-09-04 Celite Milbrandt Method and apparatus for interactive distribution of digital content
US20080162570A1 (en) * 2006-10-24 2008-07-03 Kindig Bradley D Methods and systems for personalized rendering of digital media content
US8443007B1 (en) 2006-10-24 2013-05-14 Slacker, Inc. Systems and devices for personalized rendering of digital media content
US20160335258A1 (en) 2006-10-24 2016-11-17 Slacker, Inc. Methods and systems for personalized rendering of digital media content
US8522291B2 (en) * 2006-12-29 2013-08-27 Avermedia Technologies, Inc. Video playback device for channel browsing
US20080163303A1 (en) * 2006-12-29 2008-07-03 Goosean Media Inc. Video playback device for channel browsing
US20080177773A1 (en) * 2007-01-22 2008-07-24 International Business Machines Corporation Customized media selection using degrees of separation techniques
US8126190B2 (en) 2007-01-31 2012-02-28 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Targeted obstrufication of an image
US20080181533A1 (en) * 2007-01-31 2008-07-31 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Targeted obstrufication of an image
US20080180459A1 (en) * 2007-01-31 2008-07-31 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Anonymization pursuant to a broadcasted policy
US8203609B2 (en) 2007-01-31 2012-06-19 The Invention Science Fund I, Llc Anonymization pursuant to a broadcasted policy
US8044795B2 (en) 2007-02-28 2011-10-25 Apple Inc. Event recorder for portable media device
US20080204218A1 (en) * 2007-02-28 2008-08-28 Apple Inc. Event recorder for portable media device
US10313754B2 (en) 2007-03-08 2019-06-04 Slacker, Inc System and method for personalizing playback content through interaction with a playback device
US20080222546A1 (en) * 2007-03-08 2008-09-11 Mudd Dennis M System and method for personalizing playback content through interaction with a playback device
US20080263098A1 (en) * 2007-03-14 2008-10-23 Slacker, Inc. Systems and Methods for Portable Personalized Radio
US8502056B2 (en) 2007-04-18 2013-08-06 Pushbuttonmusic.Com, Llc Method and apparatus for generating and updating a pre-categorized song database from which consumers may select and then download desired playlists
US20080257134A1 (en) * 2007-04-18 2008-10-23 3B Music, Llc Method And Apparatus For Generating And Updating A Pre-Categorized Song Database From Which Consumers May Select And Then Download Desired Playlists
US7985911B2 (en) 2007-04-18 2011-07-26 Oppenheimer Harold B Method and apparatus for generating and updating a pre-categorized song database from which consumers may select and then download desired playlists
US9215512B2 (en) 2007-04-27 2015-12-15 Invention Science Fund I, Llc Implementation of media content alteration
US20080313308A1 (en) * 2007-06-15 2008-12-18 Bodin William K Recasting a web page as a multimedia playlist
US20080309670A1 (en) * 2007-06-18 2008-12-18 Bodin William K Recasting A Legacy Web Page As A Motion Picture With Audio
US8054310B2 (en) 2007-06-18 2011-11-08 International Business Machines Corporation Recasting a legacy web page as a motion picture with audio
US20090003800A1 (en) * 2007-06-26 2009-01-01 Bodin William K Recasting Search Engine Results As A Motion Picture With Audio
US20090006965A1 (en) * 2007-06-26 2009-01-01 Bodin William K Assisting A User In Editing A Motion Picture With Audio Recast Of A Legacy Web Page
US7945847B2 (en) 2007-06-26 2011-05-17 International Business Machines Corporation Recasting search engine results as a motion picture with audio
US8407737B1 (en) 2007-07-11 2013-03-26 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a scan transport bar
US20100106852A1 (en) * 2007-10-24 2010-04-29 Kindig Bradley D Systems and methods for providing user personalized media content on a portable device
US8315950B2 (en) 2007-12-31 2012-11-20 Sandisk Technologies Inc. Powerfully simple digital media player and methods for use therewith
US20090234529A1 (en) * 2008-03-15 2009-09-17 Volkswagen Of America, Inc. Method for Processing Data Based on an Evaluation of Real-Time Measurements of Movements of a User in a Vehicle and Based on Statistical Data on User Interactions With Input Devices in the Vehicle
US20090313432A1 (en) * 2008-06-13 2009-12-17 Spence Richard C Memory device storing a plurality of digital media files and playlists
US20090313303A1 (en) * 2008-06-13 2009-12-17 Spence Richard C Method for playing digital media files with a digital media player using a plurality of playlists
US8713026B2 (en) 2008-06-13 2014-04-29 Sandisk Technologies Inc. Method for playing digital media files with a digital media player using a plurality of playlists
US20100031146A1 (en) * 2008-08-01 2010-02-04 International Business Machines Corporation Parallel Visual Radio Station Selection
US8196046B2 (en) 2008-08-01 2012-06-05 International Business Machines Corporation Parallel visual radio station selection
US8886342B2 (en) 2008-10-28 2014-11-11 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System for providing audio recordings
US10237627B2 (en) 2008-10-28 2019-03-19 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System for providing audio recordings
US20100106508A1 (en) * 2008-10-28 2010-04-29 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System for providing audio recordings
US9462341B2 (en) 2008-11-07 2016-10-04 Digimarc Corporation Second screen methods and arrangements
US8516533B2 (en) 2008-11-07 2013-08-20 Digimarc Corporation Second screen methods and arrangements
US9113105B2 (en) * 2008-12-04 2015-08-18 Echostar Technologies L.L.C. Randomly selecting current programming
US20100146545A1 (en) * 2008-12-04 2010-06-10 Eldon Technology Limited Randomly selecting current programming
US20100162120A1 (en) * 2008-12-18 2010-06-24 Derek Niizawa Digital Media Player User Interface
US9237368B2 (en) 2009-02-12 2016-01-12 Digimarc Corporation Media processing methods and arrangements
US8528036B2 (en) 2009-02-12 2013-09-03 Digimarc Corporation Media processing methods and arrangements
US9420328B2 (en) 2009-02-12 2016-08-16 Digimarc Corporation Media processing methods and arrangements
WO2011059577A3 (en) * 2009-10-29 2011-06-30 Microsoft Corporation Location integration in software defined radio
US20110105094A1 (en) * 2009-10-29 2011-05-05 Microsoft Corporation Location integration in software defined radio
US20110129201A1 (en) * 2009-11-30 2011-06-02 International Business Machines Corporation Customized playback of broadcast media
US20110167344A1 (en) * 2010-01-04 2011-07-07 Yang Pan Media delivery system based on media assets stored in different devices connectable through a communication means
US11303370B2 (en) * 2011-02-14 2022-04-12 Sirius Xm Radio Inc. Method and apparatus for enhanced playback of content while switching among channels of broadcast or streamed content while being received (“Tune Start”)
US10275463B2 (en) 2013-03-15 2019-04-30 Slacker, Inc. System and method for scoring and ranking digital content based on activity of network users
US20150066510A1 (en) * 2013-09-05 2015-03-05 International Business Machines Corporation Variable-depth audio presentation of textual information
US10296639B2 (en) 2013-09-05 2019-05-21 International Business Machines Corporation Personalized audio presentation of textual information
US9431004B2 (en) * 2013-09-05 2016-08-30 International Business Machines Corporation Variable-depth audio presentation of textual information
US20150156201A1 (en) * 2013-11-29 2015-06-04 Yahoo! Inc. Method for sharing a media collection in a network environment
US10757159B2 (en) 2014-07-25 2020-08-25 Gracenote Digital Ventures, Llc Retrieval and playout of media content
US11184419B2 (en) 2014-07-25 2021-11-23 Gracenote Digital Ventures, Llc Retrieval and playout of media content
WO2016014108A1 (en) * 2014-07-25 2016-01-28 Tribune Digital Ventures, Llc Retrieval and playout of media content
US20190158932A1 (en) * 2017-11-21 2019-05-23 Kt Corporation Providing promotion channel
US11546671B2 (en) * 2017-11-21 2023-01-03 Kt Corporation Providing promotion channel

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20100186049A1 (en) 2010-07-22
US8661480B2 (en) 2014-02-25
US8281348B2 (en) 2012-10-02
CA2488022A1 (en) 2005-05-19
US20130024546A1 (en) 2013-01-24
US9247301B2 (en) 2016-01-26
US7568213B2 (en) 2009-07-28
US20090031366A1 (en) 2009-01-29
EP1545031A2 (en) 2005-06-22
US20140289780A1 (en) 2014-09-25

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US9247301B2 (en) Method for providing episodic media on a dedicated channel
US10042987B2 (en) Statutory license restricted digital media playback on portable devices
US9348907B1 (en) Personalized audio system and method
JP5250100B2 (en) Programming, distribution and consumption of media content
US7028082B1 (en) Personalized audio system and method
US9591051B2 (en) Systems and methods for providing customized media channels
US8634944B2 (en) Auto-station tuning
US7783722B1 (en) Personalized audio system and method
CN102550039A (en) Methods and systems for associating and providing media content of different types which share attributes
US20060179129A1 (en) Hotcontent update for a target device
WO2008014059A2 (en) Playing content on multiple channels of a media device
KR20070101325A (en) Hot content update for a target device
US8112456B1 (en) Implicit ranking of audio content
JP2008176126A (en) Communication terminal and content list management system
US20110125297A1 (en) Method for setting up a list of audio files
KR20070103758A (en) Automatic content update for a target device

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: SERENADE SYSTEMS, CALIFORNIA

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CARHART, TOM;NAVAR, MURGESH;BILOBROV, SERGIY;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:015248/0814;SIGNING DATES FROM 20040318 TO 20040322

AS Assignment

Owner name: AUDIOFEAST, INC., CALIFORNIA

Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:SERENADE SYSTEMS, INC.;REEL/FRAME:016415/0732

Effective date: 20041103

AS Assignment

Owner name: PODBRIDGE, INC., CALIFORNIA

Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:AUDIOFEAST, INC.;REEL/FRAME:020793/0440

Effective date: 20051012

Owner name: VOLOMEDIA, INC., CALIFORNIA

Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:PODBRIDGE, INC.;REEL/FRAME:020793/0380

Effective date: 20071204

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION