Interface for manipulating multimedia playlists
First Claim
1. A method for a personal computer to enable a user to control presentation of groups of digital media content items on remote content presentation devices through use of playlists via a graphical user interface displayed by the personal computer, the method comprising:
- displaying to a user of the personal computer a graphical user interface (“
GUI”
) that includes a playlist area to display user-selectable controls for managing playlists and that includes a view display area to simultaneously display metadata information about multiple digital media content items available for presentation, the multiple digital media content items being part of a plurality of content items available for presentation that include multiple television programs and multiple other items having content of one or more media types other than video information, the displayed metadata information for the television programs including electronic programming guide information;
creating a new playlist that includes multiple digital media content items in a specified order, the creating being based on selections by the user of metadata information displayed in the view display area for those content items, the multiple digital media content items including at least one television program and at least one other content item of a media type other than video information;
saving the new playlist for later use after restart of the GUI; and
after receiving an instruction from the user to use the new playlist to control presentation of content on one or more content presentation devices, the instruction received via selection by the user of at least one of the displayed user-selectable controls of the playlist area, presenting the multiple digital media content items included in the new playlist by, successively selecting in the specified order for the new playlist each of the multiple digital media content items included in the new playlist; and
for each selected content item, identifying at least one content presentation device such that presentation capabilities of the identified at least one content presentation devices are compatible with the media type of the content of the selected content item, and directing presentation of the selected content item on the identified content presentation devices, so that a user can use the displayed graphical user interface to create playlists with content items of multiple media types and to direct presentation of the content items of a playlist to multiple content presentation devices based on presentation capabilities of those content presentation devices.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques are described for managing various types of content and devices, such as via a GUI of a Content Management (“CM”) system executing on a computing device. In some situations, some of the content being managed includes television-related programming content, with the CM system receiving EPG metadata information for the content, and other types of content (e.g., one or more channels of scheduled digital music and/or on-demand digital music, photos and other images, etc.) may similarly be managed in some situations. In some situations, the managing of the content includes manipulating and presenting groups of one or more pieces (or “items”) of content via the GUI, such as by creating and managing playlists of pieces of television-related and other multimedia content. Such playlists may in some situations include a mixture of multiple distinct types of content, and may be used in various ways for content presentation and device control.
346 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method for a personal computer to enable a user to control presentation of groups of digital media content items on remote content presentation devices through use of playlists via a graphical user interface displayed by the personal computer, the method comprising:
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displaying to a user of the personal computer a graphical user interface (“
GUI”
) that includes a playlist area to display user-selectable controls for managing playlists and that includes a view display area to simultaneously display metadata information about multiple digital media content items available for presentation, the multiple digital media content items being part of a plurality of content items available for presentation that include multiple television programs and multiple other items having content of one or more media types other than video information, the displayed metadata information for the television programs including electronic programming guide information;
creating a new playlist that includes multiple digital media content items in a specified order, the creating being based on selections by the user of metadata information displayed in the view display area for those content items, the multiple digital media content items including at least one television program and at least one other content item of a media type other than video information;
saving the new playlist for later use after restart of the GUI; and
after receiving an instruction from the user to use the new playlist to control presentation of content on one or more content presentation devices, the instruction received via selection by the user of at least one of the displayed user-selectable controls of the playlist area, presenting the multiple digital media content items included in the new playlist by, successively selecting in the specified order for the new playlist each of the multiple digital media content items included in the new playlist; and
for each selected content item, identifying at least one content presentation device such that presentation capabilities of the identified at least one content presentation devices are compatible with the media type of the content of the selected content item, and directing presentation of the selected content item on the identified content presentation devices, so that a user can use the displayed graphical user interface to create playlists with content items of multiple media types and to direct presentation of the content items of a playlist to multiple content presentation devices based on presentation capabilities of those content presentation devices. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method for a computing device to enable a user to control presentation of groups of television programs through use of playlists via a graphical user interface displayed by the computing device, the method comprising:
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receiving metadata information for multiple television programs that are each available for presentation at one or more associated presentation times;
displaying to a user of the computing device a graphical user interface having information about a group of at least some of the multiple television programs, the displayed graphical user interface including at least some of the received metadata information for the television programs of the group;
providing capabilities to the user via the displayed graphical user interface to create one or more playlists that each include multiple television programs in an indicated order; and
after receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one of the created playlists, automatically presenting the selected playlist by directing presentation of the multiple television programs of the selected playlist to the user in a designated manner. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing device to enable a user to control presentation of groups of content items through use of playlists via a graphical user interface displayed by the computing device, by performing a method comprising:
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receiving metadata information for multiple pieces of content that are each available for presentation at one or more associated presentation times;
displaying to a user of the computing device a graphical user interface having controls to enable the user to manage one or more created playlists that each include one or more pieces of content; and
after receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one of the created playlists, automatically facilitating presentation of the pieces of content of the selected playlist in a designated manner. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A computing system configured to enable a user to control presentation of groups of content items via a graphical user interface, comprising:
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a display; and
a content management system configured to present on the display a graphical user interface containing controls to enable a user to create groups that each include multiple pieces of content, at least one of the created groups having at least one piece of content that is a television program, and to manage created groups by, after receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one of the at least one created groups, automatically causing the multiple pieces of content of the selected group to be presented on one or more content presentation devices in a designated manner. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification