Multi-party playlist control including wireless enablement

• US 20060179078A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McLean, James G.
• Application Number:
  US11/051,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179078A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063

Abstract

A method and system for controlling one or more user playlists in a digital media communications system. A media control unit that stores or has access to digital media content detects the presence of one or more users of the digital media communications system. The media control unit obtains a playlist containing preferred multimedia selections from each user and stores each playlist. A universal playlist is then constructed where the universal playlist incorporates the preferred media selections form each participating user'"'"'s playlist. Media selections are then played or made available to the users of the system from the universal playlist.

Claims

1. A method of creating a universal playlist from one or more user playlists corresponding to one or more users in a digital media communication system, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access digital media content in the digital media communication system;

accessing each user'"'"'s playlist, each user'"'"'s playlist comprising one or more media selections;

constructing a universal playlist incorporating the media selections of each user'"'"'s playlist; and

transmitting media selections from the universal playlist to the one or more users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing a universal playlist includes:

determining if one or more media selections appear on more than one user playlist; and

if one or more media selections appear on more than one user playlist,

transmitting the one or more media selections appearing on more than one user playlist before media selections that appear on only one playlist.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the media selections that appear on only one playlist are randomly transmitted.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the media selections that appear on only one playlist includes transmitting one media selection sequentially from each playlist until all the media selections that appear on only one playlist have been transmitted.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing each user'"'"'s media selection preferences, wherein constructing a universal playlist incorporates the media selections of each user'"'"'s playlist and each user'"'"'s media selection preferences.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the media selection preferences includes one or more of requesting a media selection to be played at a particular time of the day, requesting a media selection not be played, and requesting that a media selection be played only after a specified period of time has elapsed since the playing of the media selection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access the digital media content in a digital media communication system includes automatically sensing the presence of the one or more users.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access the digital media content in a digital media communication system includes the one or more users manually indicating their presence.

9. A system for creating a universal playlist from one or more user playlists corresponding to one or more users in a digital media communication system, the system comprising:

a media control unit in communication with the one or more users in the digital communication system, the media control unit comprising;

a storage unit storing digital media content and the playlists of the one or more users; and

a processing unit in communication with the storage unit, the processing unit operating to perform the functions of detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access digital media content and constructing a universal playlist based upon the media selections of each user'"'"'s playlist.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing unit constructs a universal playlist by further performing functions including:

determining if one or more media selections appear on more than one user playlist; and

if one or more media selections appear on more than one user playlist, transmitted the one or more media selections appearing on more than one user playlist before media selections that appear on only one playlist.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the media selections that appear on only one playlist are randomly transmitted.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein transmitting the media selections that appear on only one playlist includes transmitting one media selection sequentially from each playlist until all the media selections that appear on only one playlist have been transmitted.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing unit further performs functions including accessing each user'"'"'s media selection preferences, wherein constructing a universal playlist incorporates the media selections of each user'"'"'s playlist and each user'"'"'s media selection preferences.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the media selection preferences includes one or more of requesting a media selection to be played at a particular time of the day, requesting a media selection not be played, and requesting that a media selection be played only after a specified period of time has elapsed since the playing of the media selection.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access the digital media content includes automatically sensing the presence of the one or more users.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access the digital media content in a digital media communication system includes the one or more users manually indicating their presence.

17. A machine readable storage device having stored thereon a computer program for creating a universal playlist from one or more user playlists corresponding to one or more users in a digital media communication system, the computer program comprising a set of instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine to perform a method including:

detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access digital media content in the digital media communication system;

accessing each user'"'"'s playlist, each user'"'"'s playlist comprising one or more media selections;

constructing a universal playlist incorporating the media selections of each user'"'"'s playlist; and

transmitting media selections from the universal playlist to the one or more users.

18. The machine readable storage device of claim 17, wherein constructing a universal playlist includes:

determining if one or more media selections appear on more than one user playlist; and

if one or more media selections appear on more than one user playlist,

transmitting the one or more media selections appearing on more than one user playlist before media selections that appear on only one playlist.

19. The machine readable storage device of claim 18, wherein transmitting the media selections that appear on only one playlist includes transmitting one media selection sequentially from each playlist until all the media selections that appear on only one playlist have been transmitted.

20. The machine readable storage device of claim 17, the method performed by the machine further comprising accessing each user'"'"'s media selection preferences, wherein constructing a universal playlist incorporates the media selections of each user'"'"'s playlist and each user'"'"'s media selection preferences.

21. The machine readable storage device of claim 20, wherein the media selection preferences includes one or more of requesting a media selection to be played at a particular time of the day, requesting a media selection not be played and requesting that a media selection be played only after a specified period of time has elapsed since the playing of the media selection.

22. The machine readable storage device of claim 17, wherein detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access the digital media content in a digital media communication system includes automatically sensing the presence of the one or more users.

23. The machine readable storage device of claim 17, wherein detecting the presence of one or more users wishing to access the digital media content in a digital media communication system includes the one or more users manually indicating their presence.