Systems for per persona processing media content-associated metadata

• US 20050172786A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alkove, James M., Debique, Kirt A., Plastina, Daniel, Colville, Scott, Mazhar, Khurshed
• Granted Patent: US 7,262,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used touch-screen interfaces G10H2220/096
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/251 Mobile telephone transmission, i.e. transmitting, accessing or controlling music data wirelessly via a wireless or mobile telephone receiver, analog or digital, e.g. DECT GSM, UMTS smartphone, PDA or palmtop used for musical purposes G10H2230/015; mobile ringtone G10H2230/021
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Various systems and methods described above permit a user'"'"'s content experience (e.g. music playing experience) to be monitored and for metadata describing this experience to be collected. This metadata can be dynamically updated as a user experiences media content and then used to impart to the user a personalized experience that is tailored to that specific user. A user'"'"'s metadata can, in some instances, provided across a wide variety of computing devices on which the user may experience the media content, thus standardizing the user'"'"'s personalized media experience. In addition, intelligent or “smart” playlists can be provided which, in some instances, can be dynamically and automatically updated to reflect current user experiences, thus providing a highly personalized and enjoyable content experience.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

means for monitoring a user'"'"'s media-playing experience by monitoring one or more parameters associated with the user'"'"'s experience, the parameters comprising at least a last played time associated with when a particular piece of content was played by the user;

means for producing metadata associated with the monitored parameter(s);

means for associating produced metadata with media content experienced by the user; and

means for using the metadata to automatically personalize one or more playlists to reflect the user'"'"'s media-playing experience, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more of the following parameters;

an update time associated with when one or more other parameters are updated;

a user rating for allowing a user to rate content;

an effective rating that provides a rating for content that the user has not actually rated, and a timestamp parameter associated with when the effective rating was provided;

a service rating for providing a third party rating on content;

a playcount total comprising the total number of times a particular piece of content has been played; and

one or more custom parameters that can be programmed by the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring the user'"'"'s music-playing experience.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring the user'"'"'s music-playing experience; and

the means for producing produces metadata for each song that a user plays.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for monitoring comprises a media-playing application configured to play media that the user can experience.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for monitoring is embodied on a first device on which the user can experience the media content and further comprising means for updating metadata on at least a second device that can be used by the user to experience the media content, wherein said means for updating provides metadata from the first device to at least the second device.

6. A system comprising:

means for defining a plurality of time periods for the purpose of monitoring a user'"'"'s media playing experience, wherein the time periods comprise individual days;

means for monitoring a user'"'"'s media-playing experience by monitoring one or more parameters associated with the user'"'"'s media-playing experience during the defined time periods;

means for producing metadata associated with the monitored parameter(s); and

means for associating produced metadata with media content experienced by the user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the parameters comprise one or more of:

a last played time associated with when a particular piece of content was played by the user;

an update time associated with when one or more other parameters are updated;

a user rating for allowing a user to rate content;

an effective rating that provides a rating for content that the user has not actually rated;

a service rating for providing a third party rating on content;

a playcount total comprising the total number of times a particular piece of content has been played; and

one or more custom parameters that can be programmed by the user.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring the user'"'"'s music-playing experience.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring the user'"'"'s music-playing experience for each song that a user plays.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for monitoring is embodied on a first device on which the user can experience the media content and further comprising means for updating metadata on at least a second device that can be used by the user to experience the media content, said means for updating providing metadata from the first device to at least the second device.

11. A system comprising:

means for monitoring multiple users'"'"' media-playing experiences using a first device on which one or more users can experience the media;

means for identifying each of the users with an identifier, each user'"'"'s identifier being recognizable by its associated user, but not being mathematically reversible to ascertain the associated user'"'"'s actual identity;

means for producing metadata associated with the users'"'"' media-playing experiences;

means for associating produced metadata with media content experienced by the users;

means for maintaining, for individual users, at least the metadata in a database on the first device;

means for updating metadata on at least a second device that can be used by one or more user to experience the media, said means for updating providing metadata from the first device to at least the second device; and

means for using the metadata to automatically personalize one or more playlists on the first and second devices for at least one of the users to reflect a user'"'"'s media-playing experience.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring the users'"'"' music-playing experiences.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring the users'"'"' music-playing experiences; and

the means for producing comprises means for producing metadata for each song that a user plays.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for monitoring comprises a media-playing application configured to play media that one or more users can experience.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for monitoring is embodied on a computing device on which one or more users can experience the media.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for monitoring monitors media that is locally stored on a computing device and locally played on the computing device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for updating is configured to use, at least in part, a third party.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for updating comprises means for providing both the metadata and its associated media content to at least the second device.