Web application for accessing media streams

• US 20060288111A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cedar Lane Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Copper Data River LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Katinsky, Steve, Burress, Michael, Furtado, Jefferson
• Granted Patent: US 8,549,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms

Abstract

A web page has a player for playing media objects, a sequencer which displays a play list that defines an order in which media objects are played by the player, and a media access area for containing a plurality of graphical icons. Each graphical icon representing a media object, and the graphical icons can be manipulated by a user to modify the play list. For example, the media icons may be dragged to the sequencer to add them to the sequencer.

Claims

1. A method for providing media content to a user based on user preference, comprising:

pre-loading a sequencer in a website with a plurality of media icons representing media content;

saving a record of said media content on a website server as a user loads said sequencer with media icons;

preserving a session state between visits of said user to said website, so that when the user returns to the website, the sequencer will contain the same media content with which the user ended the previous session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively creating and preloading a play list in said sequencer for said user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively creating and preloading a tab in said sequencer for said user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying said user about media content which is no longer available.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing said media content from said sequencer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking for the existence of a cookie that can identify the user to the web server.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising processing a database query for the media content of the sequencer at the end of the user'"'"'s last session.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising loading a sequencer DSO with a plurality of sequencer tab categories and play lists.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising loading media objects into a sequencer DSO based on an individual preference profile.

10. A system for allowing a user to create a personal preference profile that determines content to be preloaded into a sequencer, comprising:

a component configured to provide an outline in a media icon access panel portion of a website, wherein a user may select an interface feature, to indicate that the user is interested in receiving content related to subject matter displayed in the outline;

a component that preloads a sequencer with media icons associated with said subject matter on a subsequent visit by said user to said website, wherein said media icons are displayed using the taxonomy of said outline, thereby providing a topical set of play lists in the categories established by the user.

11. A website for accessing media streams, comprising:

a sequencer for displaying a play list that defines an order in which one or more media objects are to be played, the sequencer displayed in a region of a website window; and

a media access area displayed in a non-overlapping region said website window, wherein the media access area contains a plurality of graphical icons, each graphical icon representing a media object sourcing streaming content, wherein the graphical icons can be manipulated by a user to modify the play list, and wherein the media access area and sequencer are displayed simultaneously in said website window.

12. The website of claim 11, further comprising a checkbox in said sequencer that determines whether an associated object will be played by a player.

13. The website of claim 11, further comprising a size lock button that prevents an image display subwindow from expanding beyond a default size.

14. The website of claim 11, further comprising a site-driven area to display a banner that banner can be synched to a media object being played by the player.

15. The website of claim 11, further comprising a pop-up window that can be provided on a banner mouseover event, said pop-up window giving data about an associated media object.

16. The website of claim 11, wherein said pop-up menu further comprises information for purchasing a media object.

17. The website of claim 11, further comprising a tab-based organizational structure in said sequencer comprising a history tab with a history of a user'"'"'s media object selections, and wherein a user may apply a filter based on prior selections.