System for browsing a collection of information units

• US 20020018074A1
• Filed: 08/17/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Buil, Vincentius Paulus, Eggen, Josephus Hubertus
• Application Number:
  US09/932,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20020018074A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/719
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/305 for record players
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for browsing a collection of information units, such as audio or video files, comprising presentation means for presenting an information unit from said collection, and attribute means for associating a respective information unit with an attribute value for at least a first attribute. The system according to the invention randomly selects information units which meet certain criteria for said first attribute.

Claims

1. A system for browsing a collection of information units, comprising presentation means for presenting at least one of said information units, and attribute means for associating a respective one of said information units with an attribute value, wherein the system comprises random selection means for randomly selecting a unit for presentation whose attribute value meets a criterion.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, said system comprising user-operable hold means for holding an attribute value of a currently selected unit as a criterion for subsequent selections.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, said attribute value being defined with respect to a first attribute, said attribute means being adapted to determine a set of valid attribute values for a further attribute in dependence on said criterion.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, said first attribute representing a genre of said information units and said further attribute representing a sub-genre of said information units.

5. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, said information units comprising audio and/or video information.

6. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, the system further comprising user-operable skip means for controlling the random selection means to abort the presentation of the currently selected unit and to skip to a randomly selected alternative unit whose attribute value meets said criterion.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, said skip means being capable of removing at least one criterion in dependence on a mode of operation of said skip means.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, said removing of said criterion being determined by an iterated and/or prolonged operation of said skip means.

9. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, the attribute means being adapted to determine a distance between a pair of attribute values, the random selection means being capable of selecting a unit from units whose attribute values have a relatively large distance to attribute values of an earlier selected unit.

10. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, the system comprising display means for displaying a simulation of a slot machine, an operation of said simulated slot machine representing said random selection, and each cylinder of said slot machine representing a set of valid attribute values for an attribute.

13. A computer program product for causing a programmable device, when executed on said device, to constitute a system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

11. A method of browsing a collection of information units, comprising a step of presenting an information unit from said collection and a step of associating a respective information unit with an attribute value for at least a first attribute, wherein the method comprises a step of randomly selecting a unit for presentation from information units whose attribute values meet a criterion for said first attribute

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a step of user operably holding an attribute value of a currently selected unit as a criterion for subsequent selections.