Content replacement in downstream stream player

• US 10,616,298 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jellison, Jr., David C., Littlejohn, Jeffrey Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Thomas H
• Application Number:
  US14/816,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio

Abstract

When a downstream stream player is streaming content being played on a main radio station, the streaming content can be altered to substitute a different song than the one being played on the main radio station, even if there is a significant difference between the length of the song being played on the main radio station and the substituted song being played on the downstream stream player. After the substituted song has been played, the downstream stream player can resume streaming content from the main radio station. Substitution of the song on the downstream stream player can be performed by using a variable buffer delay, which essentially allows the downstream stream player to substitute different length songs by increasing or decreasing a delay between the play-out of the main station and the play-out of the downstream station.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a main radio station configured to play a sequence of media items;

a downstream stream player configured to receive and play-out at least a portion of the sequence of media items played on the main radio station;

the main radio station further configured to;

detect a first replacement trigger associated with a first song being played out by the main radio station;

in response to detecting the first replacement trigger;

determine whether on-air talent is in control of content playing out on the main radio station;

in response to determining that on-air talent is in control of content playing out on the main radio station, suppressing replacement of the first song;

detect a second replacement trigger associated with a second song being played out by the main radio station;

in response to detecting the second replacement trigger;

determine that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station and that the second song is not adjacent to a voice track; and

in response to determining that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station and that the second song is not adjacent to a voice track, transmit a replacement event notification to a replacement engine, the replacement event notification including metadata used to inform replacement song selection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the downstream stream player is further configured to:

at least partially in response to determining that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station, generate a replacement notification to the downstream stream player, the replacement notification prompting selection of a replacement song from a list of potential replacement songs and indicating to the downstream stream player that the first song is to be replaced.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the downstream stream player is further configured to:

play out buffer-delayed audio from the main radio station prior to playing-out the replacement song in place of the first song;

play out the replacement song; and

restart play-out of the buffer-delayed audio from the main radio station after a target buffer delay is reached.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the downstream stream player is further configured to:

receive a song selection result from the main radio station;

determine whether the song selection result identifies a song available for play-out by the downstream stream player; and

in response to a determination that an identified song is available, use the identified song as the replacement song for the first song.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the downstream stream player is further configured to:

select a filler song to use as the replacement song for the first song in response to a determination that the song selection result does not identify a song available to the downstream stream player.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the downstream stream player is further configured to:

send a request for the replacement song if the first song is to be replaced.

7. The system of claim 6, the main radio station further configured to:

transmit to the downstream stream player the replacement song, wherein the replacement song having a length that satisfies a minimum length requirement and has a shortest length of any song in the list of potential replacement songs.

8. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a replacement engine; and

wherein the main radio station sends a replacement event notification to a replacement engine.

9. A method comprising:

detecting, by a main radio station, a first replacement trigger associated with a first song being played out by the main radio station;

in response to detecting the first replacement trigger, determining, by the main radio station, whether on-air talent is in control of content playing out on the main radio station;

in response to determining that on-air talent is in control of content playing out on the main radio station, suppressing replacement of the first song;

detecting, by the main radio station, a second replacement trigger associated with a second song being played out by the main radio station;

in response to detecting the second replacement trigger, determining that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station and that the second song is not adjacent to a voice track; and

in response to determining that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station and that the second song is not adjacent to an interstitial audio item, transmitting a replacement event notification from the main radio station to a replacement engine, the replacement event notification including metadata used to inform replacement song selection.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

at least partially in response to determining that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station, generating a replacement notification to a downstream player, the replacement notification prompting selection of a replacement song from a list of potential replacement songs and indicating to the downstream stream player that the first song is to be replaced.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

at the downstream player, playing out buffer-delayed audio from the main radio station prior to playing-out the replacement song in place of the first song;

playing out the replacement song; and

restarting play-out of the buffer-delayed audio from the main radio station after a target buffer delay is reached.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether a potential replacement song is available for play-out; and

in response to a determination that the potential replacement song is not available, selecting a filler song to use as the replacement song.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining a list of potential replacement songs, each potential replacement song in a different category than the first song to be replaced;

iterating through the list of potential replacement songs to identify at least one song satisfying a minimum length requirement; and

choosing a shortest song that satisfies the minimum length requirement.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the interstitial audio item comprises at least one of a station identifier;

a live audio item;

or a voice track.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer readable medium including a program of computer executable instructions, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to detect a first replacement trigger at a main radio station associated with a first song played on the main radio station;

at least one instruction to determine, in response to detecting the first replacement trigger, whether on-air talent is in control of content playing out on the main radio station;

at least one instruction to suppress replacement of the first song in response to determining that on-air talent is in control of content playing out on the main radio station;

at least one instruction to detect, by the main radio station, a second replacement trigger associated with a second song being played out by the main radio station;

at least one instruction to determine, in response to detecting the second replacement trigger, that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station and that the second song is not adjacent to a voice track; and

at least one instruction to transmit, in response to determining that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station and that the second song is not adjacent to an interstitial audio item, a replacement event notification from the main radio station to a replacement engine, the replacement event notification including metadata used to inform replacement song selection.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to generate at the main radio station, at least partially in response to determining that on-air talent is not in control of content playing out on the main radio station, a replacement notification to a downstream stream player, the replacement notification prompting selection of a replacement song from a list of potential replacement songs and indicating to the downstream stream player that the first song is to be replaced.