System and method for seamless selection of multiple digital content

• US 20040034711A1
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Music Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Music Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hughes, David A.
• Application Number:
  US10/219,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20040034711A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637

Abstract

A system and method including an agent for selecting at least two songs among simultaneously streaming songs based on user information and storing one of the songs for later playback if the two songs overlap.

Claims

1. A method of selecting content comprising:

playing first data representative of first content having a beginning and an end, the first data streaming via a first channel during a first time period;

automatically selecting second data representative of second content having a beginning and an end, the second content streaming via a second channel during a second time period such that the beginning of the second time period occurs before the end of the first time period;

at least between the beginning of the second time period and the end of the first time period, storing the second data; and

at the end of the first time period, playing the second data starting at the beginning of the second content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content includes audio information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the audio information includes songs.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second content is selected based on a user'"'"'s preference for particular types of content.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the type is the genre of the song.

6. The method of claim 4 further including the step of determining the user'"'"'s preference based on demographic information relating to the user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the demographic information includes the user'"'"'s age.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the demographic information includes the user'"'"'s geographic region.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the demographic information includes the user'"'"'s gender.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is accessed via a connection over a network.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the network is the Internet.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting includes obtaining information about the second content over a network.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the information is obtained by accessing text over the network.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the text is available for transmission when the content associated with the text is available for access.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the text includes the title of the content.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second data are streamed from servers associated with different URL domains.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the network is the Internet.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first content is streamed on a different Internet channel than the second content.

19. A method of playing songs transmitted over a network including:

playing a first song streamed over the network between a first start time and first stop time;

automatically selecting, based upon information related to a user, a second song capable of being accessed over the network, the second song being streamed between a second start time and second stop time such that the second start time occurs between the first start and stop times;

between the second start time and the first stop time, storing the second song while the first song plays; and

after the stop time of the first song, playing the stored second song from its beginning.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of selecting a second song includes searching the network songs for songs which are currently playing or are about to be played.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the information relating to the user includes the user'"'"'s music preferences.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the user'"'"'s music preferences are determined based on demographic information relating to the user.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the demographic information includes the user'"'"'s geographic area.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the stop time of the first song represents the point of time when the user terminated the playing of the song.

25. A system of playing music comprising:

a music player;

a buffer; and

a processor capable of executing instructions,

the instructions including;

buffering the streaming data associated with a second song while a first song is streaming and playing, the second song being automatically selected and accessed based on a user'"'"'s preferences; and

automatically playing the second song after the first song stops playing.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the music player includes software instructions stored on a general purpose computer.

27. The system of 24 including speakers for playing the songs.

28. A method of transitioning between songs of a digital music system comprising:

playing a first song streaming on a first channel;

identifying a second song streaming, or to be streamed, on a second channel to be played after the first song;

determining whether the start time of the second song will precede the termination of the first song and, if so, storing the streaming second song in a buffer; and

after the first song terminates, playing the second song from the buffer.

29. The method of claim 28 further including

identifying a third song streaming, or to be streamed, on a channel other than the second channel;

determining whether the start time of the third song will precede the termination of the second song and, if so, storing the streaming third song in a buffer; and

after the second song terminates, playing the third song from the buffer.

30. A computer-readable medium including instructions for:

playing a first song streamed over the network between a first start time and first stop time;

automatically selecting, based upon information related to a user, a second song capable of being accessed over the network, the second song being streamed between a second start time and second stop time such that the second start time occurs after the first start time and before the first stop time;

between the second start time and the first stop time, storing the second song while the first song plays; and

after the stop time of the first song, playing the stored second song from its beginning.