Cataloging audio content

• US 20030212786A1
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Kim C., Jystad, Glenn E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and signal-bearing medium that monitors users'"'"' audio choices within a network and presents a sorted list of the most recent or most frequent choices in a user interface, from which the user may select. The sorted list may include attributes of the audio, such as the title, the genre, the artist, the source, and the number of times the audio has been played. The list may be kept on a per-user basis, so that all users have their own list. Further, the users may access their list anywhere in the network, and the list may be independent of the location in the network where the audio was played.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving first attribute data, wherein the first attribute data is associated with first audio played by a user at a first playback device; and

incorporating the first attribute data with second attribute data to create third attribute data, wherein the second audio attribute data is associated with second audio played by the user at a second playback device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the third attribute data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting the third attribute data based on a field in the third attribute data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the sorting further comprises:

sorting the third attribute data based on a genre.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the sorting further comprises:

sorting the third attribute data based on an artist.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the sorting further comprises:

sorting the third attribute data based on a number of times played.

7. An audio network interface card, comprising:

a database; and

an agent to detect attributes of audio played at a playback device, store the attributes in the database, and send the attributes to another agent when requested, wherein the playback device is connected to the audio network interface card.

8. The audio network interface card of claim 7 wherein the attributes comprise a genre of the audio.

9. The audio network interface card of claim 7, wherein the attributes comprise number of times the audio was played.

10. The audio network interface card of claim 7, wherein the attributes comprise an artist of the audio.

11. The audio network interface card of claim 7, wherein the agent is further to store in the database an identification of a user who requested the audio.

12. A signal-bearing medium comprising machine-readable instructions, wherein the instructions when read and executed by a machine comprise:

capturing attribute data regarding audio played by a plurality of playback devices in a network; and

determining a subset of the attribute data that is associated with a user.

13. The signal-bearing medium of claim 12, wherein the audio comprises a plurality of songs.

14. The signal-bearing medium of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying the subset of the attribute data.

15. The signal-bearing medium of claim 12, further comprising:

sorting the subset of the attribute data.

16. A system comprising:

a first playback device to play audio;

an audio network interface card connected to the playback device, wherein the audio network interface card comprises a first database;

an electronic device comprising;

a second database, and

a second agent, wherein the second agent is to receive at least one attribute regarding the audio from the first database and incorporate the attributes into the second database.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the audio network interface card further comprises a first agent to collect the at least one attribute and store the at least one attribute in the first database.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic device further comprises a digital audio file that is a source of the audio.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic device is to receive the audio from a network and transmit the audio to the audio network interface card.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the agent is further to categorize the audio into channels representing subsets of the audio.