Media device and user interface for selecting media

• US 20070088727A1
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kindig, Bradley De
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying

Abstract

A media device and user interface for selecting media. In one embodiment, the media is selected based upon a desired relationship measure between at least two media files. In another embodiment, the media is selected based upon a skip command control functions.

Claims

1. A media device comprising:

data that indicates a relationship measure among a plurality of media files;

a user interface comprising a user input element;

a first element operative to receive user input indicative of a desired relationship measure and a desire to identify a second media file of said plurality;

a second element operative to identify a first media file of said plurality; and

a third element operative to identify a second media file in accordance with said desired relationship measure and said identity of said first media file.

2. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is created autonomously by said media device.

3. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is received from a remote database.

4. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is received from a remote media device.

5. The media device of claim 1 further comprising a fourth element operative to play said second media file.

6. The media device of claim 1 further comprising a communication element for communicating with a remote database.

7. The media device of claim 6 wherein said communication is for synchronizing said data among said media device and said remote database.

8. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is based upon a statistical measure of co-occurrence of a particular set of media files of said plurality of media files.

9. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is established by analyzing the playback history of users of said plurality of media files.

10. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is established by analyzing the playlists constructed by users of said plurality of media files.

11. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is based upon explicit user preferences.

12. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is based observed user behavior.

13. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is established by human judgments.

14. The media device of claim 13 wherein said human judgments comprise of a categorization of said media files.

15. The media device of claim 1 wherein said media files are represented by geometric vectors and said data is based on geometric comparisons of said vectors.

16. The media device of claim 15 wherein said geometric comparison is a dot product operation.

17. The media device of claim 15 wherein said geometric comparison is a calculation of distance between said vectors.

18. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is stored as a graph with said media files associated to vertexes of said graph and edges of said graph represent relationships between said media files.

19. The media device of claim 18 wherein said edges contain weights corresponding to the strength of said relationships.

20. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is established by analyzing waveforms of said plurality of media files.

21. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is established by analyzing a statistical measure of a co-occurrence of said plurality of media files in published documents.

22. The media device of claim 1 wherein said data is established by a similarity of attributes associated with said plurality of media files.

23. The media device of claim 22 wherein said attributes comprise a mood.

24. The media device of claim 22 wherein said attributes comprise a tempo.

25. The media device of claim 22 wherein said attributes comprise a situation preferences.

26. The media device of claim 1 wherein said media device is a portable media player.

27. The media device of claim 1 wherein said media device is a personal computer-based media player.

28. The media device of claim 1 wherein said media device is a cellular telephone.

29. The media device of claim 1 wherein said media device is a streaming appliance.

30. The media device of claim 1 wherein said relationship measure correlates to a medium degree of similarity.

31. The media device of claim 1 wherein said relationship measure correlates to a high degree of similarity.

32. The media device of claim 1 wherein said relationship measure correlates to a low degree of similarity.

33. The media device of claim 1 wherein said user input comprises at least one selection of at least one component of said input element.

34. The media device of claim 31 wherein said component is a key.

35. The media device of claim 31 wherein said component is a button.

36. The media device of claim 31 wherein said component is a dial.

37. The media device of claim 1 wherein said input element is configured to receive a voice command.

38. The media device of claim 1 wherein either one or both of said first media file and said second media file is an audio file.

39. The media device of claim 1 wherein either one or both of said first media file and said second media file is a video file.

41. The user interface of claim 38 wherein the indicia is a skip icon.

42. The user interface of claim 38 wherein said indicia comprises a key.

43. The user interface of claim 38 wherein said indicia comprises a button.

44. The user interface of claim 38 wherein said indicia comprises a dial.

40. A user interface for a media device comprising:

a user interactable indicia representing a file identification action from a plurality of media files, the identification being related to said indicia such that interaction with said indicia signals a program that causes a selection of a next media file to be experienced by a user, said program making said selection based upon a desired relationship measure between a first media file and other files of said plurality.

45. A media player having a skip command control function comprising:

a user interface element for receiving a skip command function, wherein said skip command instructs said player to cease playing a currently playing media file and play an alternate media file to be selected from a plurality of media files;

storage for retaining data that represents a relationship measure among said plurality of media files wherein said skip command is based upon said relationship measure; and

software responsive to said user interface element that selects said alternate media file in accordance with said relationship measure, said currently playing media file, and said skip command.

46. A portable media player for the interactive playback of media files comprising:

storage for media files and relationships between said media files; and

software to receive events that trigger a skip of one or more magnitudes and to select the next media file for playback based on the magnitude of the skip, wherein the magnitude of the skip and associations between the current recording and selectable recordings affects the likelihood of selection of one of said media files as said next media file.

47. The player of claim 46 further comprising:

a database system containing information used to identify media files and relationships between media files; and

a communications unit in the portable device capable of connecting to one or more computing devices wherein relationships between media files can be transferred to said portable media player from said one or more of said computing devices.

48. The player of claim 47 wherein said player permits said connected computing device to manage the media files stored on the device.

49. The player of claim 47 further comprising a software module for facilitating connection to a remote database system so that said media player may be connected to said remote database system so that relationship data may be transferred from said remote database system to said computing device.