Techniques and graphical user interfaces for categorical shuffle

• US 20070053268A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Dowdy, Thomas, Crandall, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 369/53.310
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

Improved techniques and graphical user interfaces that enable users to shuffle a group of media items in accordance with categories associated with the media items are disclosed. According to one aspect, techniques can operate to categorically shuffle media items having categories associated therewith. According to another aspect, a user interface control can be graphically presented to a user to assist the user in selecting a shuffle setting. The shuffle setting provided by the user affects the nature of the shuffle. For example, the shuffle setting can impact the likelihood that two adjacent media items in the group of media items will be from the same one or more categories following the shuffle.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for shuffling media items in a group of media items, said method comprising:

obtaining a user shuffle setting provided by a user;

determining a shuffle parameter based on the user shuffle setting;

categorizing the media items within the group of media items; and

categorically shuffling the categorized media items within the group of media items based on the shuffle parameter.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media items are songs, and wherein said categorizing associates one or more categories to each of the media items within the group of media items.

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

performing a classical shuffle operation on the media items within the group of media items to provide a classically shuffled group of the media items; and

thereafter performing a categorical shuffle operation on the classically shuffled group of the media items with either categorical repulsion or categorical attraction.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 3, wherein the categorical shuffle operation is performed with either categorical repulsion or categorical attraction depending on the shuffle parameter.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein if the shuffle parameter is less than a predetermined value, then categorical repulsion is applied during the categorical shuffle operation.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5, wherein if the shuffle parameter is greater than the predetermined value, then categorical attraction is applied during the categorical shuffle operation.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the predetermined value is 0.5

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the media items are songs, and wherein said categorizing associates one or more categories to each of the media items within the group of media items.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein certain of the media items can be associated with a common work, and wherein the certain media items are maintained in sequence notwithstanding said shuffling.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user shuffle setting is provided by a user interface control.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user interface control is one of a slider control, a selector control and a button control.

12. A graphical user interface, comprising:

a user setting dialog screen including at least a user shuffle setting control for enabling a user to set a user shuffle setting, the user shuffle setting affecting the likelihood that media items from a common origin will be adjacent one another in a group of the media items following a shuffle operation.

13. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 12, wherein the media items are songs, each song being associated with an artist and an album, and

wherein the user shuffle setting affects the likelihood that songs from the same artist or from the same album will be adjacent one another in the group of media items following the shuffle operation.

14. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the shuffle operation shuffles the songs.

15. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the shuffle operation shuffles the albums but maintains the songs of the album in order.

16. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the shuffle operation shuffles the songs but maintains the songs of a common work in order.

17. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the user shuffle setting control is one of a slider control, a selector control and a button control.

18. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 12, wherein the user shuffle setting control is one of a slider control, a selector control and a button control.

19. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for shuffling media items in a group of media items, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for acquiring at least one shuffle parameter;

computer program code for categorizing the media items within the group of media items; and

computer program code for categorically shuffling the categorized media items within the group of media items based on the at least one shuffle parameter.

20. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19, wherein the media items are songs,

wherein said computer code for categorizing associates one or more categories to each of the media items within the group of media items, and

wherein said computer code for shuffling includes at least:

computer code for performing a classical shuffle operation on the media items within the group of media items to provide a classically shuffled group of the media items; and

computer code for performing a categorical shuffle operation on the classically shuffled group of the media items with either categorical repulsion or categorical attraction.

21. A method of shuffling categories of items, comprising:

receiving a first set of items associated with categories; and

shuffling the first set of items to provide a second set of items, wherein at least some items in the second set of items which are associated with the same category are clustered in accordance with a tunable attraction/repulsion parameter.

22. A method of claim 21, wherein said shuffling further comprises:

generating a histogram of category populations based on the first set of items; and

clustering at least some items in the second set of items based in part on the histogram.