MULTIMEDIA FILE REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20080215568A1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chung, Seung-Nyung, YANG, Gyung-Hye
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• 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 16/636 by using biological or physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• 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 16/687 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location

Abstract

An apparatus and method to check whether a user likes a multimedia file based on the user'"'"'s emotional reaction index of the multimedia file and repeatedly reproducing the multimedia file if the user likes the multimedia file. The multimedia file reproducing apparatus can include an emotional reaction index calculation unit to calculate an emotional reaction index based on a physical reaction signal of a user; a like/dislike checking unit to check whether the user likes or dislikes a corresponding audio file based on the calculated emotional reaction index; a list generation unit to generate a list of audio files that the user likes based on an average of emotional reaction indices for each audio file and the user'"'"'s preference for each audio file; and a reproduction management unit to control the reproduction of the corresponding audio file based on whether the user likes or dislikes the corresponding audio file and to reproduce the audio files in the generated list.

Claims

1. A multimedia file reproducing apparatus comprising:

an emotional reaction index calculation unit to calculate an emotional reaction index based on a physical reaction signal of a user;

a like/dislike checking unit to check whether the user likes or dislikes a corresponding audio file based on the calculated emotional reaction index;

a list generation unit to generate a list of audio files that the user likes based on an average of emotional reaction indices for each audio file and the user'"'"'s preference for each audio file; and

a reproduction management unit to control the reproduction of the corresponding audio file based on whether the user likes or dislikes the corresponding audio file and to reproduce the audio files in the generated list.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emotional reaction index calculation unit calculates the emotional reaction index using a time interval between heartbeat peaks at a time τ

.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the emotional reaction index calculation unit calculates an emotional reaction index at a time t using

$E$

( t ) = 1 N ×

F 

∑

τ

= ( t - N ) 

F + 1 t ×

F 

( RR 

( τ

F ) 2 ) - ( 1 N ×

F 

∑

τ

= ( t - N ) 

F + 1 t ×

F 

RR 

( τ

F ) ) 2 ,

RR(τ

) indicates a time interval (seconds) between heartbeat peaks at a time τ

, and F indicates a re-sampling rate and is an emotional reaction for N seconds.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emotional reaction index calculation unit calculates a reference value using

$E_b=\frac{1}{t_b-t_s}$

∫

t t 

E 

( t ) 



t ,

where t_s indicates a start portion of an audio file, and t_b=t_s+xt.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emotional reaction index calculation unit calculates a value representing the user'"'"'s dislike of an audio file using

$\frac{1}{t-t_b}$

∫

t t 

E 

( t ) 



t <

E b - TH 0 , $\frac{1}{t-t_b}<br><br>{\int <br><br>}_t^t<br><br>E<br><br>\left(t\right)<br><br><br><br>t$

indicates an average of emotional reaction indices for t_bt, and TH₀ is a predetermined first threshold value.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the emotional reaction index calculation unit calculates a value representing the user'"'"'s preference for an audio file using

$\frac{1}{t_e-t_b}$

∫

t t 

E 

( t ) 



t >

E b + TH 1 , $\frac{1}{t_e-t_b}<br><br>{\int <br><br>}_t^t<br><br>E<br><br>\left(t\right)<br><br><br><br>t$

indicates an average of emotional reaction indices for t_bt_e, and TH₁ indicates a predetermined second threshold value.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the list generation unit generates the list of the audio files prioritized in order of highest to lowest preference of the user and adds an audio file, which comprises a predetermined condition based on a current state of the user, to the generated list.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reproduction management unit repeatedly reproduces the corresponding audio file if the user'"'"'s preference for the corresponding audio file is high.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a tag management unit to present tag information, which indicates the user'"'"'s preference for the corresponding audio file based on the calculated emotional reaction index; and

a control unit to search for audio files comprising a predetermined condition at the request of the list generation unit and to provide the found audio files.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a transmission/reception unit to transmit the found audio files to another multimedia file reproducing apparatus or to receive audio files from the another multimedia file reproducing apparatus.

11. A multimedia file reproducing method comprising:

generating a list of audio files that a user likes based on an average of a user'"'"'s pre-stored emotional reaction indices for each audio file and a user'"'"'s pre-stored preference for each audio file;

reproducing the audio files in the generated list;

calculating an emotional reaction index based on a physical reaction signal of the user for each reproduced audio file;

checking whether the user likes or dislikes a corresponding audio file based on the calculated emotional reaction index; and

controlling the reproduction of the corresponding audio file based on whether the user likes or dislikes the corresponding audio file.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an emotional reaction index at a time t is calculated using

$E$

( t ) = 1 N ×

F 

∑

τ

= ( t - N ) 

F + 1 t ×

F 

( RR 

( τ

F ) 2 ) - ( 1 N ×

F 

∑

τ

= ( t - N ) 

F + 1 t ×

F 

RR 

( τ

F ) ) 2 ,

RR(τ

) indicates a time interval (seconds) between heartbeat peaks at a time τ

, and F indicates a re-sampling rate and is an emotional reaction for N seconds.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a reference value is calculated based on the emotional reaction index and using

$E_b=\frac{1}{t_b-t_s}$

∫

t t 

E 

( t ) 



t ,

where t_s indicates a start portion of an audio file, and t_b=t_s+xt.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a value representing the user'"'"'s dislike of the corresponding audio file is calculated using

$\frac{1}{t-t_b}$

∫

t t 

E 

( t ) 



t <

E b - TH 0 , $\frac{1}{t-t_b}<br><br>{\int <br><br>}_t^t<br><br>E<br><br>\left(t\right)<br><br><br><br>t$

indicates an average of emotional reaction indices for t_bt, and TH_O is a predetermined first threshold value.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a value representing the user'"'"'s preference for the corresponding audio file is calculated using

$\frac{1}{t_e-t_b}$

∫

t t 

E 

( t ) 



t >

E b 

TH 1 , $\frac{1}{t_e-t_b}<br><br>{\int <br><br>}_t^t<br><br>E<br><br>\left(t\right)<br><br><br><br>t$

indicates an average of emotional reaction indices for t_bt_e, and TH₁ indicates a predetermined second threshold value.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the list of the audio files are prioritized in order of highest to lowest preference of the user, and an audio file, which comprises a predetermined condition based on a current state of the user, to the generated list.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting an audio file comprising the predetermined condition to another multimedia file reproducing apparatus; and

receiving an audio file from the another multimedia file reproducing apparatus and adding the audio file to the generated list.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the reproduction of the corresponding audio file comprises repeatedly reproducing the corresponding audio file if the user'"'"'s preference for the corresponding audio file is high.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising presenting tag information, which indicates the user'"'"'s preference for the corresponding audio file based on the calculated emotional reaction index.

20. A multimedia file reproducing apparatus comprising:

a control unit to receive an emotional reaction index of a user and to determine the user'"'"'s preference for a corresponding audio file based on the emotional reaction index;

a list generation unit to generate a list of audio files that the user likes based on an average of emotional reaction indices for each audio file and the determined user'"'"'s preference for each audio file; and

a reproduction management unit to control the reproduction of the corresponding audio file based on the user'"'"'s preference of the corresponding audio file and to reproduce the audio files in the generated list.

21. The multimedia file reproducing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control unit receives an emotional reaction index of a user through signals tracking the user'"'"'s heartbeat.

22. The multimedia file reproducing apparatus of claim 21, wherein the signals tracking the user'"'"'s heartbeat are received wirelessly.

23. A multimedia file reproducing method comprising:

receiving an emotional reaction index of a user and determining the user'"'"'s preference for a corresponding audio file based on the emotional reaction index;

generating a list of audio files that the user likes based on an average of emotional reaction indices for each audio file and the determined user'"'"'s preference for each audio file; and

controlling the reproduction of the corresponding audio file based the user'"'"'s preference of the corresponding audio file and reproducing the audio files in the generated list.

24. A recording medium storage unit that has stored thereon programs to perform a multimedia file reproducing method, the method comprising:

generating a list of audio files that a user likes based on an average of a user'"'"'s pre-stored emotional reaction indices for each audio file and a user'"'"'s pre-stored preference for each audio file;

reproducing the audio files in the generated list;

calculating an emotional reaction index based on a physical reaction signal of the user for each reproduced audio file;

checking whether the user likes or dislikes a corresponding audio file based on the calculated emotional reaction index; and

controlling the reproduction of the corresponding audio file based on whether the user likes or dislikes the corresponding audio file.