Media Playlist Construction for Virtual Environments

• US 20090172146A1
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Garbow, Zachary Adam, Chen, Jim Chun-Ta, Bates, Cary Lee, Young, Gregory Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/636 by using biological or physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/637 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialization, adaptation or distribution
• 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: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for generating song playlists for use in an immersive virtual environment. Generally, playlists may be generated based on stored music preference data. The music preference data may be generated by storing user interactions with specific songs. The user interactions may be associated with characteristics of the user'"'"'s situational context within the virtual world. The music preference data may be indexed by song name, and/or by musical properties. Subsequently, the music preference data may be used to generate a playlist adapted to the user'"'"'s current situation within the virtual world.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

monitoring a user interacting with the virtual environment through an avatar;

in response to detecting a triggering event, determining one or more characteristics of a situational context of the avatar within the virtual environment;

based on the determined one or more characteristics, generating a playlist; and

providing the user with one or more songs included in the playlist.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

(i) a position of an avatar of the user within the virtual environment, (ii) one or more actions performed by the user within the virtual environment, (iii) a profile of the user, and (iv) one or more companions of the user within the virtual environment.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise one or more indications of the current mood of the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the one or more indications of the current mood of the user comprise one or more words included in the user'"'"'s communications.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the playlist comprises:

identifying one or more songs matching the one or more characteristics; and

adding the identified one or more songs to the playlist.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein identifying one or more songs matching the one or more characteristics is performed using a stored set of associations between songs and characteristics of situational contexts.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

(i) one or more topics included in a communication of the user, (i) one or more changes in the activities of the user, and (iii) participation in an event having a predefined list of songs.

8. A computer-readable storage medium including a program, which when executed on a processor performs an operation, the operation comprising:

monitoring a user interacting with the virtual environment through an avatar;

in response to detecting a triggering event, determining one or more characteristics of a situational context of the avatar within the virtual environment;

based on the determined one or more characteristics, generating a playlist; and

providing the user with one or more songs included in the playlist.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

(i) a position of an avatar of the user within the virtual environment, (ii) one or more actions performed by the user within the virtual environment, (iii) a profile of the user, and (iv) one or more companions of the user within the virtual environment.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise one or more indications of the current mood of the user.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more indications of the current mood of the user comprise one or more words included in the user'"'"'s communications.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein generating the playlist comprises:

identifying one or more songs matching the one or more characteristics; and

adding the identified one or more songs to the playlist.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein identifying one or more songs matching the one or more characteristics is performed using a stored set of associations between songs and characteristics of situational contexts.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

(i) one or more topics included in a communication of the user, (i) one or more changes in the activities of the user, and (iii) participation in an event having a predefined list of songs.

15. A system, comprising:

a database;

a processor; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the processor is configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising;

monitoring a user interacting with the virtual environment through an avatar;

in response to detecting a triggering event, determining one or more characteristics of a situational context of the avatar within the virtual environment;

based on the determined one or more characteristics, generating a playlist; and

providing the user with one or more songs included in the playlist.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

(i) a position of an avatar of the user within the virtual environment, (ii) one or more actions performed by the user within the virtual environment, (iii) a profile of the user, and (iv) one or more companions of the user within the virtual environment.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise one or more indications of the current mood of the user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more indications of the current mood of the user comprise one or more words included in the user'"'"'s communications.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein generating the playlist comprises:

identifying one or more songs matching the one or more characteristics; and

adding the identified one or more songs to the playlist.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein identifying one or more songs matching the one or more characteristics is performed using a stored set of associations between songs and characteristics of situational contexts.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

(i) one or more topics included in a communication of the user, (i) one or more changes in the activities of the user, and (iii) participation in an event having a predefined list of songs.