ADVANCED PLAYLIST CREATION

• US 20090063975A1
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bull, William, Rottler, Ben
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• 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 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

Media players and associated methods are described that may allow a user to initiate playback of content or other media assets based on information associated with content. A media player may receive information associated with content from a user selection of a song, movie, photo, or the like. Based on the information, the media player may procure other additional content to be added to a playlist. The media player may automatically add to a playlist or modify a playlist with content that matches a user'"'"'s preferences for artists, albums, genres, or the like. The user may interact with the media player to determine what content is added and how a playlist should be mixed. The user may specify how much of any content procured by the media player should be present in the playlist without the need to specify each individual item that constitutes a playlist.

Claims

1. A method for generating playlists using an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving information associated with content;

determining other content based on the information; and

generating a playlist based on the determined content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information associated with the content comprises one or more of title information, size information, date information, genre information, album information, and artist information.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a weighting value associated with the determined content; and

wherein generating the playlist based on the determined content comprises generating the playlist in response to the weighting value associated with the determined content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the playlist based on the determined content comprises mixing the determined content into a pre-existing playlist.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating an indication to the user that the determined content has been added to the playlist.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining other content based on the information comprises generating a query based on the information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the playlist comprises a nested playlist.

8. A method implemented using a handheld electronic device for generating playlists, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a song stored on a storage medium of the handheld electronic device;

playing the song using the handheld electronic device;

determining metadata associated with the song;

determining a set of songs stored on the storage medium based on the metadata for the song; and

organizing the set of songs as a playlist, wherein the song that is currently playing using the handheld device is the first song in the playlist.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein determining the set of songs stored on the storage medium based on the metadata for the song comprises determining one or more songs stored on the storage medium based on at least one of title information, size information, date information, genre information, album information, or artist information associated with the song.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving input that changes the organization of a sub-set of songs in the set of song in the playlist; and

modifying the playlist in response to the input.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein modifying the playlist comprises modifying the number of songs that match an attribute associated with the song that are organized in the playlist from the set of song.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein modifying the playlist comprises modifying the distribution of songs that match a first attribute associated with the song relative to the distribution of songs that match a second attribute associated with the song.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein organizing the set of songs as a playlist comprises mixing the set of songs into a pre-existing playlist.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein organizing the set of songs as a playlist comprises creating a nested playlist.

15. An apparatus for playback of content, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to store a set of instructions which when executed by the processor causes the processor to;

receiving information associated with content;

determine other content based on the information; and

generate a playlist based on the determined content.

16. An portable media device comprising:

an user interface; and

a processor configure to;

receive selection of first content via the input device;

initiate playback of the first content;

determine one or more attributes associated with the first content;

procure second content from one or more sources based on the one or more attributes associated with the first content; and

generate a playlist using the second content.

17. The portable media device of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to determine the one or more attributes associated with the first content based on metadata comprising title information, size information, date information, genre information, album information, or artist information associated with the first content.

18. The portable media device of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to receive input that modifies an allocation of the second content to the playlist and to modify the playlist in response to the input.

19. The portable media device of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to modify the playlist in response to input updating the distribution of third content that matches a first attribute associated with first content in the playlist relative to the distribution of fourth content that matches a second attribute associated with the first content, the second content including the third and fourth content.

20. A computer readable medium configured to storing a set of code modules which when executed by an electronic device generate a playlist, the computer readable medium comprising:

code for receiving information associated with content;

code for determining other content based on the information; and

code for generating a playlist based on the determined content.

21. A system for generating playlists, the system comprising:

means for receiving selection of first content;

means for initiating playback of the first content;

means for determining one or more attributes associated with the first content;

means for procuring second content from one or more sources based on the one or more attributes associated with the first content; and

means for generating a playlist using the second content.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the information associated with the content comprises one or more of title information, size information, date information, genre information, album information, and artist information.

23. The system of claim 21 further comprising:

means for receiving a weighting value associated with the determined content; and

means for generating the playlist in response to the weighting value associated with the determined content.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the means for generating the playlist based on the determined content comprises means for mixing the determined content into a pre-existing playlist.

25. The system of claim 21 further comprising:

means for generating an indication to the user that the determined content has been added to the playlist.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the means for determining other content based on the information comprises means for generating a query based on the information.