User interface indicating past, present and future songs played in a streaming music channel

• US 20070039031A1
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cansler, James, Sullivan, Marc, Williams, Alyssa, Kortum, Philip, Anderson, Brett
• Granted Patent: US 7,551,973 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

A user interface for a receiver of a streaming music service simultaneously displays a current-song display, a past-song display and a future-song display. The current-song display indicates a current song being broadcast to a plurality of subscribers in a channel of the streaming music service. The past-song display indicates at least one past song which was broadcast in the channel of the streaming music service prior to broadcast of the current song. Each song in the past-song display is selectable by a user of the receiver to initiate playback of a recording thereof by the receiver. The future-song display indicates at least one future song which is scheduled to be broadcast in the channel of the streaming music service after broadcast of the current song.

Claims

1. A user interface for a receiver of a streaming music service, the user interface comprising:

a current-song display indicating a current song being broadcast to a plurality of subscribers in a first channel of the streaming music service;

a past-song display indicating at least one past song which was broadcast in the first channel of the streaming music service prior to broadcast of the current song, each song in the past-song display being selectable by a user of the receiver to initiate playback of a recording thereof by the receiver; and

a future-song display indicating at least one future song which is scheduled to be broadcast in the first channel of the streaming music service immediately after broadcast of the current song;

wherein the current-song display, the past-song display and the future-song display are simultaneously displayed.

2. The user interface of claim 1 wherein each future song in the future-song display cannot be selected by the user of the receiver to initiate playback thereof.

3. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the at least one past song includes each song broadcast by the first channel of the streaming music service after the user has changed the receiver from a second channel of the streaming music service to the first channel.

4. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the current-song display is in a fixed display location regardless of a number of songs in the past-song display of the at least one past song.

5. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the current-song display is in a fixed display location regardless of a number of songs in the future-song display of the at least one future song.

6. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the at least one past song, the current song and the at least one future song are displayed in a song list.

7. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the current-song display is disposed between the past-song display and the future-song display.

8. The user interface of claim 7 wherein the current-song display is disposed below the past-song display and above the future-song display.

9. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the current song is received and played by the receiver.

10. A system comprising:

a set-top box receiver to receive a streaming music service and to automatically record received songs; and

a television display responsive to the set-top box receiver to display a user interface for the streaming music service, the user interface simultaneously displaying a current-song display, a past-song display and a future-song display, the current-song display indicating a current song being broadcast to a plurality of subscribers in a first channel of the streaming music service, the past-song display indicating at least one past song which was broadcast in the first channel of the streaming music service immediately prior to broadcast of the current song, each song in the past-song display being user selectable to initiate playback of a recording thereof by the set-top box receiver, the future-song display indicating at least one future song which is scheduled to be broadcast in the first channel of the streaming music service after broadcast of the current song.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a remote control to communicate with the set-top box receiver, wherein each song in the past-song display is user-selectable by the remote control to initiate playback thereof.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein each future song in the future-song display cannot be user selected using the remote control to initiate playback thereof.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one past song includes each song broadcast by the first channel of the streaming music service after the set-top box receiver has been changed from a second channel of the streaming music service to the first channel using the remote control.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the current-song display is in a fixed display location regardless of a number of songs in the past-song display of the at least one past song.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the current-song display is in a fixed display location regardless of a number of songs in the future-song display of the at least one future song.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one past song, the current song and the at least one future song are displayed in a song list.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the current-song display is disposed between the past-song display and the future-song display.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the current-song display is disposed below the past-song display and above the future-song display.

19. The system of claim 10 wherein the set-top box receiver receives metadata for the at least one future song in a first medium and receives content of the current song in a second medium, wherein the first medium differs from the second medium.

20. The system of claim 10 further comprising an audio output device responsive to the set-top box to play the current song.