Method and system for updating playlists

• US 20060168340A1
• Filed: 07/16/2002
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• 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 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]

Abstract

Improved techniques for automatic (or dynamic) updating (or maintaining) of playlists for a media system that stores and plays media content for a user of the media system. The automatic update to playlists can occur when additional media content is added to or removed from the media system. The automatic update to playlists can also occur when previously stored media content is otherwise altered.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically updating a playlist on a media play system, said method comprising:

determining whether media content available to the media play system has been altered; and

automatically regenerating the playlist when said determining determines that the media content available to the media play system has been altered.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

determining whether the playlist is affected by the alteration of the media content available to the media play system.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, wherein said regenerating is performed only when said determining determines that the media content available to the media play system has been altered and when said determining determines that the playlist is affected by the alteration to the media content available to the media play system.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the playlist has at least one playlist condition associated therewith, and

wherein said regenerating operates to regenerate the playlist using the at least one playlist condition.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

subsequently displaying the playlist after said regenerating.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

re-drawing the playlist after said regenerating when the playlist is already being displayed.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the playlist has playlist conditions associated therewith, the playlist conditions including at least one filter criteria, and

wherein said regenerating operates to regenerate the playlist using the at least one filter criteria.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the playlist has playlist conditions associated therewith, the playlist conditions including at least one filter criteria and at least one limit criteria, and

wherein said regenerating operates to regenerate the playlist using the at least one filter criteria and the at least one limit criteria.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media content comprises media items and media information.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, wherein the media items pertain to one or more of audio, video or images.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media play system comprises a personal computer.

25. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said regenerating is performed as a background process after a series of distinct alterations have been made to the media content available to the media play system.

26. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 25, wherein the background process is performed when the media play system is in an idle state.

27. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining whether the media content available to the media play system has been altered comprises:

determining whether a media item within the media play system has been modified;

determining whether a media item has been added to the media play system; and

determining whether a media item has been deleted from the media play system.

28. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein the limit criteria is a numerical limit imposed on the length of the playlist.

12. A computer-implemented method for updating a playlist on a media player, said method comprising:

receiving playlist rules to be used to create the playlist;

producing a playlist from a plurality of available media items and the playlist rules;

subsequently determining whether the playlist should be re-produced due to changes with respect to the available media items; and

rebuilding the playlist from the plurality of available media items and the playlist rules when said determining determines that the playlist should be rebuilt re-produced.

13. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein the playlist rules include at least one filter criteria, and

wherein said producing and said re-producing operate to produce the playlist using the at least one filter criteria.

14. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein the playlist rules include at least one filter criteria and at least one limit criteria, and

wherein said producing and said rebuilding operate to produce the playlist using the at least one filter criteria and the at least one limit criteria.

15. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one limit criteria includes or has a sort criteria associated therewith.

16. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein the media items pertain to one or more of audio, video or images.

17. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein the media player comprises a personal computer.

29. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the limit criteria is a numerical limit imposed on the length of the playlist.

18. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for automatically updating a list of media items maintained by a media system, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for determining whether at least one media item available to the media system has been altered; and

computer program code for regenerating the list of media items when said computer program code for determining determines that at least one media item available to the media system has been altered.

19. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for determining whether the list of media items is affected by the alteration to the at least one media item available to the media system.

20. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein said computer program code for regenerating operates to regenerate the list of media items only when said computer program code for determining determines that the list of media items is affected by the alteration to the at least one media item available to the media system.

21. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the list of media items has at least one list condition associated therewith, and

wherein said computer program code for regenerating operates to regenerate the list of media items using the at least one list condition.

22. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 19,

wherein the list of media items has at least one list condition associated therewith, the at least one condition referencing at least one field, and

wherein said computer program code for determining whether the list of media items is affected by the alteration to the at least one media item available to the media system evaluates whether one or more fields of the at least one media item available to the media system that has been altered with the at least one field referenced by the at least one condition associated with the list of media items.

23. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the list of media items has at least one list condition associated therewith, and

wherein said computer program code for regenerating operates to regenerate the list of media items using the at least one list condition.

24. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for subsequently displaying the list of media items after being regenerated.