Media management and tracking

• US 20070162395A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catch Media, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Catch Media, Inc.
• Inventors: Ben-Yaacov, Yaacov, Lieberman, Abraham, Ben-Yaacov, Boaz
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices

Abstract

A system is described for enabling a user to listen to songs on a network-enabled device, including an embedded receiver for receiving at least one song list, and for receiving music streamed over a wireless network, list navigation software, for navigating the at least one song list and selecting a desired song therefrom, using a keypad communicatively coupled with the network-enabled device, an embedded transmitter for transmitting a song selection to a tracking server, and an embedded audio player, for playing the music streamed to the network-enabled device over the wireless network, a tracking server, including a data store including at least one song list, a receiver for receiving a song selection from said network-enabled device, the song selection comprising an ID for a selected song, and a transmitter for transmitting the at least one song list to the network-enabled device, and for transmitting the received song selection to a media server, and a media server, including a data store including audio files for the songs listed in the song list, an audio streamer, a receiver for receiving an instruction from said tracking server to transmit the selected song to the network-enabled device, and a transmitter for streaming the selected song to the network-enabled device. A method and a computer-readable storage medium are also described.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a user to listen to songs on a network-enabled device, comprising:

a network-enabled device, comprising;

an embedded receiver for receiving at least one song list, and for receiving music streamed over a wireless network;

list navigation software, for navigating the at least one song list and selecting a desired song therefrom, using a keypad communicatively coupled with the network-enabled device;

an embedded transmitter for transmitting a song selection to a tracking server; and

an embedded audio player, for playing the music streamed to the network-enabled device over the wireless network;

a tracking server, comprising;

a data store comprising at least one song list;

a receiver for receiving a song selection from said network-enabled device, the song selection comprising an ID for a selected song; and

a transmitter for transmitting the at least one song list to said network-enabled device, and for transmitting the received song selection to a media server; and

a media server, comprising;

a data store comprising audio files for the songs listed in the song list;

an audio streamer;

a receiver for receiving an instruction from said tracking server to transmit the selected song to said network-enabled device; and

a transmitter for streaming the selected song to said network-enabled device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said tracking server receives the at least one song list from a user'"'"'s media management device.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a scanner for scanning the user'"'"'s media management device to identify the at least one song list.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the user'"'"'s media management device is a PC computer.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said tracking server further comprises an account validator, for determining whether or not a user account is currently valid.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said tracking server further comprises a song validator, for determining whether or not a user'"'"'s digital rights management license for the selected song has expired.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said network-enabled device is a cellular telephone.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said network-enabled device is a public network access device.

9. A method for a network-enabled device to play songs, comprising:

transmitting a play request from a network-enabled device to a tracking server;

receiving at least one song list from the tracking server;

providing a user interface that enables a user to navigate the at least one song list and to select a desired song, using a keypad communicatively coupled with the network-enabled device;

transmitting an ID of the selected song to the tracking server;

receiving streamed audio data for the selected song from a media server; and

playing the streamed audio data on an audio player embedded in the network-enabled device.

10. A method for a tracking server to cause music to be streamed to a network-enabled device, comprising:

receiving a play request from a network-enabled device;

sending at least one song list to the network-enabled device, in response to the received play request;

receiving a selection request from the network-enabled device with an ID for a selected song; and

sending an instruction to a media server to stream the selected song to the network-enabled device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising validating a user account prior to said sending a song list.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising validating a user'"'"'s digital rights management license for the selected song, prior to said sending an instruction.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving the at least one song list from a user'"'"'s media management device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the user'"'"'s media management device is a PC computer.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the network-enabled device is a cellular telephone.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the network-enabled device is a public network access device.

17. A system for enabling a user to listen to songs on a network-enabled device, comprising:

a network-enabled device, comprising;

an embedded receiver for receiving music streamed over a wireless network;

list navigation software, for navigating at least one song list and selecting a desired song therefrom, using a keypad communicatively coupled with the network-enabled device;

an embedded transmitter for transmitting the song selection to a tracking server; and

an embedded audio player, for playing the music streamed to the network-enabled device over the wireless network;

a tracking server, comprising;

a receiver for receiving a song selection from said network-enabled device, the song selection comprising an ID for a selected song; and

a transmitter for transmitting the received song selection to a media server; and

a media server, comprising;

a data store comprising audio files for the songs listed in the song list;

an audio streamer;

a receiver for receiving an instruction from said tracking server to transmit the selected song to said network-enabled device; and

a transmitter for streaming the selected song to said network-enabled device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said tracking server further comprises an account validator, for determining whether or not a user account is currently valid.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said tracking server further comprises a song validator, for determining whether or not a user'"'"'s digital rights management license for the selected song has expired.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein said network-enabled device is a cellular telephone.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein said network-enabled device is a public network access device.

22. A method for a network-enabled device to play songs, comprising:

providing a user interface that enables a user to navigate at least one song list and to select a desired song, using a keypad communicatively coupled with a network-enabled device;

transmitting an ID of the selected song to a tracking server;

receiving streamed audio data for the selected song from a media server; and

playing the streamed audio data on an audio player embedded in the network-enabled device.

23. A method for a tracking server to cause music to be streamed to a network-enabled device, comprising:

receiving a selection request from a network-enabled device with an ID for a selected song; and

sending an instruction to a media server to stream the selected song to the network-enabled device.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising validating a user'"'"'s digital rights management license for the selected song, prior to said sending an instruction.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the network-enabled device is a cellular telephone.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the network-enabled device is a public network access device.

27. A system for deploying advertisements on portable music players, comprising:

a portable music player, comprising;

a database of audio advertisements and playback rules therefor, wherein playback rules are used to govern when to play advertisements;

an ad updater for periodically receiving advertisements and playback rules; and

an ad scheduler for scheduling playback of advertisements in accordance with their playback rules;

a host device that is periodically communicatively coupled with said portable music player, comprising;

a database of audio advertisements and playback rules therefor;

an ad provisioner for transferring ads and playback rules to said portable music player, when said portable music player is communicatively coupled with the host device;

an ad updater for receiving advertisements and playback rules from time to time; and

an advertising server that is communicatively coupled with said host device, comprising;

a database of information about advertisers and their advertising campaigns, and for storing audio advertisements, distribution rules therefor and playback rules therefor;

an ad provisioner for transferring ads and playback rules to said host device; and

a web interface for receiving advertisements and playback rules for an advertising campaign, from an advertiser'"'"'s computer.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said advertising server further comprises a tracking interface for providing to the advertiser'"'"'s computer tracking information about deployment of advertisements in said portable music player.

29. A portable music player, comprising:

a database of audio advertisements and playback rules therefor, wherein the playback rules are used to govern when to play the advertisements, and wherein each one of the playback rules comprises a condition and an advertisement, or a condition and a plurality of advertisements;

an ad updater for receiving advertisements and playback rules related to an advertising campaign;

an ad scheduler for periodically evaluating the playback rule conditions, and for scheduling playback of the advertisements in accordance with the playback rules; and

a tracking engine for maintaining a history of advertisements played, and for periodically uploading the history to a server computer and clearing the history thereafter.

30. The portable music player of claim 29 wherein at least one playback rule associates an advertisement with a song stored in said portable music player.

31. The portable music player of claim 29 wherein at least one playback rule is an expiration event for an advertisement.

32. The portable music player of claim 29 wherein at least one playback rule assigns frequencies of playback to a plurality of advertisement.

33. The portable music player of claim 29 wherein playback rules comprise priorities, the priorities being used to discriminate which of a plurality of playback rules to use when the conditions of the plurality of playback rules are simultaneously satisfied.

34. A method for deploying advertisements within portable music players, comprising:

uploading a plurality of audio advertisements and a plurality of playback rules to a server computer, the plurality of advertisements and the plurality of playback rules being designated for deployment in a plurality of portable music players, wherein playback rules are used to govern when to play advertisements;

transmitting the plurality of advertisements and the plurality of playback rules to a host device into which at least one of the plurality of portable music players is periodically docked;

transmitting at least one advertisement and at least one playback rule from the host device to each of at least one portable music players, when such portable music player is docked in the host device;

periodically evaluating at least one playback rule, in each of the plurality of portable music players; and

playing at least one advertisement according to said periodically evaluating, in each of the plurality of portable music players.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein at least one playback rule associates an advertisement with a song stored in a portable music player.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein at least one playback rule defines an expiration event for an advertisement.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein at least one playback rule assigns frequencies of playback to plurality of advertisements.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein playback rules include priorities, and wherein said periodically evaluating uses the priorities to discriminate which of a plurality of playback rules to use when the plurality of playback rules are simultaneously obeyed.