Method, apparatus and program product for media identification and tracking associated user preferences

• US 20080147715A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Emission LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fein, Gene S., Harris, Christopher, Jones, E. Oliver, Salotto, Anthony, Woodward, Mark L., Sherman, Steve S., Jones, Bennie
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Collecting user preference information related to a playing media recording is accomplished by gathering descriptive information related to the playing media recording from a media player program presenting the playing media recording and determining if tags are embedded in the media recording and gathering descriptive information related to the playing media recording from the tags embedded in the playing media recording, if the tags exist. Further, determining if a table of contents exists on the media recording and gathering a table of contents for a collection containing the playing media recording by identifying the collection using a concatenation of track lengths identifier generation technique, the table of contents exists. Then assembling the descriptive information into a media recording information packet and sending the media recording information packet to a server computer, resulting in a collection of user preference information related to the playing media recording.

Claims

1-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A method of determining a recipient of a message, comprising:

receiving media recording information including a user identifier from a media player program; and

processing the user identifier to identify a user of the media player program, wherein the user is a the recipient of the message.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising sending the message to the recipient.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising adding the identity of the recipient to a list of recipients.

39. A method of collecting user preference information related to a playing media recording, comprising:

receiving media recording information including a user identifier and descriptive information related to the playing media recording based on a media player program of a user allowing for the playing media recording, a source of the descriptive information being table of contents information embedded in the playing media recording; and

storing the user identifier and the descriptive information as the user preference information.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising gathering the table of contents information by identifying a collection of tracks associated with the playing media recording using an identifier determined by concatenating lengths of tracks.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising creating a list of users having similar user preference information.

42. The method of claim 39, further comprising creating a list of preferred media recordings from the user preference information.

43. A method of collecting user preference information related to a playing media recording, comprising:

receiving media recording information including a user identifier and descriptive information related to the playing media recording, the descriptive information being a tag embedded in the playing media recording; and

storing at least the user identifier and the descriptive information as part of the user preference information to form a collection of user preference information.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising creating a list of users having similar user preference information.

45. The method of claim 43, further comprising creating a list of preferred media recordings from the user preference information.

46. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling at least one processor by a method comprising:

receiving media recording information including a user identifier from a media player program; and

processing the user identifier to identify a user of the media player program, wherein the user is a the recipient of the message.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, wherein the method further comprises sending the message to the recipient.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, wherein the method further comprises adding the identity of the recipient to a list of recipients.

49. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling at least one processor by a method comprising:

receiving media recording information including a user identifier and descriptive information related to the playing media recording based on a media player program of a user allowing for the playing media recording, a source of the descriptive information being table of contents information embedded in the playing media recording; and

storing the user identifier and the descriptive information as the user preference information.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the method further comprises gathering the table of contents information by identifying a collection of tracks associated with the playing media recording using an identifier determined by concatenating lengths of tracks.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the method further comprises creating a list of users having similar user preference information.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the method further comprises creating a list of preferred media recordings from the user preference information.

53. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling at least one processor by a method comprising:

receiving media recording information including a user identifier and descriptive information related to the playing media recording, the descriptive information being a tag embedded in the playing media recording; and

storing at least the user identifier and the descriptive information as part of the user preference information to form a collection of user preference information.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 53, wherein the method further comprises creating a list of users having similar user preference information.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 53, wherein the method further comprises creating a list of preferred media recordings from the user preference information.

56. A network-based system, comprising:

a network interface that is coupleable to the network; and

a server coupled to the network interface;

wherein the server is configured to;

receive media recording information including a user identifier from a media player program; and

process the user identifier to identify a user of the media player program, wherein the user is a the recipient of the message.

57. The system of claim 56, further comprising a data storage device coupled to the server, wherein the data storage device stores an audio recording description database.

58. The system of claim 56, further comprising a data storage device coupled to the server, wherein the data storage device stores a user preference database.

59. A network-based system, comprising:

a network interface that is coupleable to the network; and

a server coupled to the network interface;

wherein the server is configured to;

receive media recording information including a user identifier and descriptive information related to the playing media recording based on a media player program of a user allowing for the playing media recording, a source of the descriptive information being table of contents information embedded in the playing media recording; and

store the user identifier and the descriptive information as the user preference information.

60. The system of claim 59, further comprising a data storage device coupled to the server, wherein the data storage device stores the user preference information.

61. The system of claim 59, wherein a source of the descriptive information is table of contents information embedded in the playing media recording.

62. The system of claim 59, wherein the server is configured to gather the table of contents information by identifying a collection of tracks associated with the playing media recording using an identifier determined by concatenating lengths of tracks.

63. The system of claim 59, wherein the server is configured to create a list of users having similar user preference information.

64. The system of claim 59, wherein the server is configured to create a list of preferred media recordings from the user preference information.

65. The system of claim 59, wherein the server is configured to collect an audio listening history from the user preference information.

66. A network-based system, comprising:

a network interface that is coupleable to the network; and

a server coupled to the network interface;

wherein the server is configured to;

receive media recording information including a user identifier and descriptive information related to the playing media recording, the descriptive information being a tag embedded in the playing media recording; and

store at least the user identifier and the descriptive information as part of the user preference information to form a collection of user preference information.

67. The system of claim 66, wherein the server is configured to create a list of users with similar user preference information.

68. The system of claim 66, wherein the server is configured to create a list of preferred media recordings from the user preference information.

69. The system of claim 66, further comprising a data storage device coupled to the server, wherein the data storage device stores the user preference information.

70. The system of claim 66, wherein the server is configured to collect an audio listening history from the media recording information.