SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING INTERNET RADIO SERVICE

• US 20090177967A1
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph Harold Moore, Stephen Rhett Davis
• Original Assignee: Joseph Harold Moore, Stephen Rhett Davis
• Inventors: MOORE, JOSEPH HAROLD, Davis, Stephen Rhett
• Granted Patent: US 8,549,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• 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 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A stand-alone desktop application (i.e., client) that resides on an end user'"'"'s local computer and receives customized music playlists and content via the Internet from a network of distributed servers. The end user may install the application in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, downloading it from the Internet or installing it from a CD that has been pre-loaded with the client. Songs downloaded through the application may be cached locally. The application forms a playlist based on user-entered preferences, an analysis of music already existing on the computer, and previous user interactions with the application. Similar or related songs, albums, bands, or artists can be displayed graphically in a “song cloud” around a graphical representation of the song being played.

Claims

1. A system for playing music on a computer, comprising:

an application residing on the computer, where the application plays music files that are downloaded from one or more servers and stored on a storage device in communication with said computer;

further wherein the application provides graphical information about the song being played in response to a request for information from a user;

further wherein the application provides a plurality of graphical representations of songs, albums, artists, bands or genres that are similar to or related to the song being played, where the plurality of graphical representations are arranged in a cloud or circle around a graphical representation of the song being played, and the distance of each graphical representation from the graphical representation of the song being played is based on the degree of similarity or relatedness.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application provides an option for a user to play songs that were already stored on the computer and not downloaded from one or more servers through the application.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a playlist of songs.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the playlist of songs is randomly determined.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the playlist of songs is determined based upon the user'"'"'s preferences entered in the application.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the playlist of songs is determined based upon the user'"'"'s collection of music already stored on the computer.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the playlist of songs is determined based on the user'"'"'s prior interactions with the application, and previous songs selected by the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a song is not downloaded if that song already is stored on the computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a user can purchase a song being played, or an album containing a song being played.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein a user can skip ahead to play another song in the playlist that has not already been played.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein a user can replay a song in the playlist that was recently played.