CREATION, MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY OF MAP-BASED MEDIA ITEMS

• US 20080040328A1
• Filed: 01/09/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Verosub, Ellis M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Improved techniques to facilitate generation, management and delivery of personalized media items for users are disclosed. Users are able to influence or control content within a personalized media item. According to one aspect, personalized media items can pertain to generation and delivery of map-based media items. These media items are playable by a media playback device. For example, when a map-based media item is played by a media playback device, an audio output and/or a visual output can be provided. The audio output can be provided by digital audio, and the visual output can be provided by at least one digital image that is associated with at least a portion of the digital audio.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for forming a map-based media item, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a request for a map-based media item pertaining to mapping a route from a start location to a destination location;

(b) obtaining map information based on a determined route from the start location to the destination location, the map information including text directions and at least one map image;

(c) causing the text directions to be converted into voice directions; and

(d) forming the map-based media item using at least the voice directions and the at least one map image.

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

(e) providing the map-based media item to a media playback device.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request for the map-based media item is from a client program operating on a client device, and

wherein said method further comprises:

(e) providing the map-based media item to the client device.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 3, wherein the client device is a media playback device.

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

(f) transferring the map-based media item from the client device to a portable media playback device.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5, wherein the portable media playback device is a handheld device.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map information is obtained from a map server.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said obtaining (b) includes at least:

(b1) sending a request for map information to the map server, the map request including at least the start location and the destination location; and

(b2) receiving the map information from the map server.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said causing (c) includes at least:

(c1) sending a request to a text-to-speech (TTS) server, the request to the TTS server providing the text directions and requesting conversion into the voice directions; and

(c2) receiving the voice directions from the TTS server.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map information includes a plurality of map images, the map images being at least partially synchronized with the corresponding portions of the voice directions.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10, wherein the map images are an ordered set of map images.

12. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map-based media item is a podcast pertaining to map information.

13. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map-based media item is an episode of a podcast pertaining to map information.

14. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map-based media item is a podmap.

15. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map-based media item is produced specially for the requester and only accessible by the requester.

16. A computer-implemented method for providing a map-based media item to a portable media playback device, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a request for a map-based media item pertaining to mapping a route from a start location to a destination location;

(b) obtaining map information based on a determined route from the start location to the destination location, the map information including text directions and a plurality of map images;

(c) causing the text directions to be converted into voice directions;

(d) forming a map-based media item from the voice directions and the map images, the map images being at least partially synchronized with the corresponding portions of the voice directions; and

(e) rendering the map-based media item available to be provided to the portable media playback device.

17. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16, wherein the request for the map-based media item is from a client, and

wherein said rendering (e) includes at least:

(e1) causing the map-based media item to be stored to a RSS server; and

(e2) providing, to the client, a network address pertaining to the map-based media item at the RSS server.

18. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 17, wherein said method further comprises:

(f) retrieving the map-based media item from the RSS server using the network address.

19. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 18, wherein said retrieving (f) comprises:

(f1) providing the network address to a RSS reader associated with the client;

(f2) subsequently causing the RSS reader to request some or all of the data at the RSS server for the map-based media item;

(f3) receiving the requested data for the map-based media content from the RSS server;

(f4) storing the requested data at the client; and

(f5) copying the requested data from the client to the portable media playback device.

20. A computer-readable medium including at least computer program code for providing a map-based media item to a media playback device, said computer-readable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving a request for a map-based media item pertaining to mapping a route from a start location to a destination location;

computer program code for obtaining map information based on a determined route from the start location to the destination location, the map information including text directions;

computer program code for causing the text directions to be converted into voice directions; and

computer program code for forming the map-based media item using at least the voice directions.

21. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for providing the map-based media item to a media playback device.

22. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the request for the map-based media item is from a client program operating on a client device, and

wherein said computer-readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for providing the map-based media item to the client device, and

wherein the client device is a media playback device.

23. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 22, wherein said computer-readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for transferring the map-based media item from the client device to a portable media playback device.

24. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the map information is obtained from a map server.

25. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein said computer program code for obtaining includes at least:

computer program code for sending a request for map information to the map server, the map request including at least the start location and the destination location; and

computer program code for receiving the map information from the map server.

26. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein said computer program code for causing includes at least:

computer program code for sending a request to a text-to-speech (TTS) server, the request to the TTS server providing the text directions and requesting conversion into the voice directions; and

computer program code for receiving the voice directions from the TTS server.

27. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the map information includes a plurality of map images, the map images being at least partially synchronized with the corresponding portions of the voice directions.

28. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 27, wherein the map images are an ordered set of map images.

29. A computer-implemented method for providing map-based media data to a client device, said method comprising:

(a) requesting map-based media data from a remote server, the map-based media data pertaining to mapping a route from a start location to a destination location;

(b) receiving an indication that the map-based media data that has been requested has been made available on a subscription server;

(c) requesting the map-based media data from the subscription server;

(d) receiving at least a portion of the map-based media data from the subscription server in response to said requesting (c);

(e) storing the received map-based media data; and

(f) subsequently downloading the received map-based media data to the portable media playback device.

30. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 29, wherein said requesting (c) is performed periodically, conditionally or on-demand.

31. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 29, wherein the map-based media data is a map-based podcast.

32. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 29, wherein said requesting (a) comprises:

(a1) displaying a map-based media request dialog at the client device;

(a2) receiving to and/or from information for the map-based media item being requested by the map-based media request dialog;

(a3) forming a map-based media request; and

(a4) sending the map-based media request to the remote server.

33. A computer system, comprising:

a processor for executing computer program code to form one or more map-based media items; and

a data storage device that stores one or more map-based media items and the computer program code,

wherein the computer program code includes at least;

computer program code for obtaining map information based on a route from a start location to a destination location, the map information including text directions;

computer program code for causing the text directions to be converted into voice directions; and

computer program code for forming the map-based media item using at least the voice directions.