Portable audio player

• US 20090198357A1
• Filed: 03/04/2009
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Personal Audio, LLC
• Original Assignee: James D Logan and Kerry M Logan Family Trust
• Inventors: Logan, James D., Call, Charles G., Goessling, Daniel F.
• Application Number:
  US12/380,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198357A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An audio program and message distribution system in which a host system organizes and transmits program segments to client subscriber locations. The host organizes the program segments by subject matter and creates scheduled programming in accordance with preferences associated with each subscriber. Program segments are associated with descriptive subject matter segments, and the subject matter segments may be used to generate both text and audio cataloging presentations to enable the user to more easily identify and select desirable programming. A playback unit at the subscriber location reproduces the program segments received from the host and includes mechanisms for interactively navigating among the program segments. A usage log is compiled to record the subscriber'"'"'s use of the provided program materials, to return data to the host for billing, to adaptively modify the subscriber'"'"'s preferences based on actual usage, and to send subscriber-generated comments and requests to the host for processing. Voice input and control mechanisms included in the player allow the user to perform hands-free navigation of the program materials and to dictate comments and messages which are returned to the host for retransmission to other subscribers. The program segments sent to each subscriber may include advertising materials which the user can selectively play to obtain credits against the subscriber fee. Parallel audio and text transcript files for at least selected programming enable subject matter searching and synchronization of the audio and text files. Speech synthesis may be used to convert transcript files into audio format. Image files may also be transmitted from the server for synchronized playback with the audio programming.

Claims

1. A portable audio player comprising, in combination,

a digital mass storage unit for storing data files transported from a local server computer, said local server computer being coupled via the Internet to a remotely located host computer that stores a library of available data files that may be selectively transferred on request to said local server computer via the Internet and thereafter transferred to said digital mass storage unit in said portable audio player,

said data files including a plurality of separate digital compressed audio program files and a separate sequencing file from one or more server computers, said sequencing file containing data specifying an ordered sequence of a collection of said separate digital compressed audio program files,

an audio output unit including at least one speaker or headset for reproducing selected ones of said digital compressed audio program files in audible form perceptible to a listener in response to a request from said listener,

one or more manual controls for accepting commands from said listener, and

a processor for continuously delivering a succession of said digital compressed audio program files in said collection to said audio output unit in said ordered sequence specified by said sequencing file in the absence of a program selection command from said listener, and for discontinuing the reproduction of the currently playing digital compressed audio program file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of a listener-selected one of said digital compressed audio program files in said collection in response to a program selection command from said listener.

2. A portable audio player as set forth in claim 1 wherein said data files include attribute data including displayable text describing each of said separate digital compressed audio program files, said portable audio player further comprising a display screen for displaying a scrollable listing of displayable text describing each of said digital compressed audio program files in said collection in said ordered sequence specified by said sequencing file, and wherein said listener-selected digital compressed audio program file is chosen by said listener by employing one or more of said manual controls to select one of said digital compressed audio program files described in said scrollable listing for immediate reproduction by said audio output unit.

3. A portable audio player as set forth in claim 2 wherein said display screen provides a visible indication of said currently playing digital compressed audio program file in said collection of digital compressed audio program files specified by said sequencing file and described on said scrollable listing.

4. A portable audio player as set forth in claim 3 wherein said processor responds to a skip forward program selection command accepted from said one or more manual controls by discontinuing the reproduction of said currently playing digital compressed audio program file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of that digital compressed audio program file which follows said currently digital compressed audio program file in said ordered sequence specified by said sequencing file.

5. A portable audio player as set forth in claim 4 wherein said processor responds to a skip backward program selection command accepted from said one or more manual controls at a time when said currently playing digital compressed audio program file has played for at least a predetermined amount of time by discontinuing the reproduction of said currently playing digital compressed audio program file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of said currently playing digital compressed audio program file.

6. A portable audio player as set forth in claim 5 wherein said processor responds to a skip backward program selection command accepted from said one or more manual controls at a time when said currently playing digital compressed audio program file has not yet played for said predetermined amount of time for discontinuing the reproduction of the currently playing digital compressed audio program file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of that digital compressed audio program file which precedes said currently playing digital compressed audio program file in said ordered sequence specified by said sequencing file.

7. A portable audio player as set forth in claim 6 wherein said attribute data comprises program description records stored separately from said audio program files each of which:

(a) describes a given one of said digital compressed audio program files stored in said digital mass storage unit,

(b) contains or is designated by the unique program identifier designating said given one of said digital compressed audio program files,

(c) contains text displayable on said display screen describing said given one of said digital compressed audio program files,

(d) contains text displayable on said display screen describing one or more subject matter categories to which said given one of said digital compressed audio program files belongs,

(e) contains a value indicating the duration required to reproduce said digital compressed, audio program file in audible form perceptible to a listener, and

(f) specifies the storage location of said given one of said digital compressed audio program files.

8. A portable audio player as set forth in claim 6 wherein data files further include image files and wherein said processor displays selected ones of said image files concurrently with the reproduction of said digital compressed audio program files.

9. The audio program player as set forth in claim 1 wherein each audio program file in said collection specified by said sequencing file is selected in accordance with preference data indicating the interests of said listener to thereby define the content of a playback session that is personalized to match the preferences of said listener.

17. A portable audio program player for storing and reproducing a collection of digital compressed audio recording files using simple playback controls as set forth in claim 1 wherein said manual playback controls for accepting playback selection commands includes a touchpad control.

18. A portable audio program player for storing and reproducing a collection of digital compressed audio recording files using simple playback controls as set forth in claim 1 wherein said manual playback controls for accepting playback selection commands includes a pushbutton.

10. A portable audio program player that enables a listener to listen to a recommended sequence of audio recording files during a playback session and further enables said listener to locate and select a desired one of said audio recording files in said sequence for immediate playback in an easy and intuitive way using simple selection controls, said portable audio program player comprising, in combination:

a digital mass storage unit,

an input data port for connecting said digital mass storage unit to an external server via a communication link for receiving and storing;

(a) a plurality of separate digital compressed audio recording files,

(b) attribute data including a text description of each of said digital compressed audio recording files, and

(c) at least one session scheduling file specifying an ordered sequence of a subset of said separate digital compressed audio recording files stored by said digital mass storage unit,

a headset-out port for delivering an audio output signal to an external headset,

an audio output unit for reproducing selected ones of said digital compressed audio recording files and delivering said audio output signal to said headset-out port,

a processor coupled to said digital mass storage unit and said audio output unit for causing said subset of said digital compressed audio recording files to be reproduced in the ordered sequence specified by said session scheduling file in the absence of a control command from said listener,

one or more selection controls operated by said listener for altering the sequence in which said subset of digital compressed audio recording files is reproduced by skipping the remainder of the digital compressed audio recording file currently being reproduced and resuming playback at the beginning of the prior digital compressed audio recording file in said ordered sequence, the beginning of the digital compressed audio recording file currently being played, or the beginning of the next digital compressed audio recording file in said ordered sequence, as requested by said listener,

a screen for visibly displaying a scrollable listing of said text descriptions describing each of said digital compressed audio recording files in said subset, and

one of said selection controls accepting a selection by said listener of a desired one of said digital compressed audio recording files described on said scrollable listing and resuming playback at the beginning of said desired one of said digital compressed audio recording files in response to said selection.

11. The portable audio program player set forth in claim 10 wherein the display produced on said screen identifies the currently playing one of said subset of said digital compressed audio recording files.

12. The portable audio program player set forth in claim 11 wherein the display produced on said screen further indicates the time remaining to be played in the currently playing digital compressed audio recording file to enable the user to more easily determine when to skip the remainder of said currently playing digital compressed audio program file.

13. The portable audio program player set forth in claim 10 wherein said external server is a local server computer that is connected via the Internet to a remotely located host computer that stores a library of available digital compressed audio recording files and attribute data that may be selectively transferred on request to said local server computer via the Internet and thereafter transferred to said digital mass storage unit in said portable audio player.

14. The portable audio program player set forth in claim 10 wherein said external server is a remotely located server computer that stores a library of available digital compressed audio recording files and attribute data that may be selectively transferred on request to said portable audio player and wherein said communications link is implemented at least in part by a cellular digital packet data communications service.

15. The audio program player as set forth in claim 10 wherein each digital compressed audio recording file in said subset of digital compressed audio recording files specified by said session scheduling file is selected by said external server in accordance with preference data indicating the interests of said listener to thereby define the content of a playback session that is personalized to match the preferences of said listener.

16. A portable audio program player for storing and reproducing a collection of audio recording files using simple playback controls that allow a listener to dynamically and interactively select a desired recording file for playback from said collection in an easy and intuitive way without the need to refer to a visual display screen, said portable audio program player comprising:

a communications port for receiving digital data files from an external source, said digital data files received via said communications port including a plurality of separate digital compressed audio recording files and at least one playback session scheduling file that specifies an ordered sequence of a collection of said separate digital compressed audio recording files,

a mass storage unit for storing said digital data files,

an audio output unit for reproducing selected ones of said digital compressed audio recording files in audible form perceptible to a listener,

one or more manual playback controls for accepting playback selection commands from said listener, and

a processor coupled to said mass storage unit, said audio output unit and said playback controls for;

initiating and then continuing the sequential reproduction of said collection of separate digital compressed audio recording files in the ordered sequence specified by said playback session scheduling file in the absence of a further playback selection command from said listener,

responding to a skip forward playback selection command by discontinuing the reproduction of said currently playing digital compressed audio recording file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of that digital compressed audio recording file which follows said currently playing digital compressed audio recording file in said ordered sequence specified by said playback session scheduling file,

responding to a skip backward playback selection command accepted from said listener at a time when said currently playing digital compressed audio recording file has played for at least a predetermined amount of time by discontinuing the reproduction of said currently playing digital compressed audio recording file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of said currently digital compressed playing audio recording file,

responding to a skip backward playback selection command accepted from said listener at a time when said currently playing digital compressed audio recording file has not yet played for said predetermined amount of time for discontinuing the reproduction of the currently digital compressed playing audio recording file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of the digital compressed audio recording file which precedes said currently playing digital compressed audio recording file in said ordered sequence specified by said playback session scheduling file.

19. A portable audio program player for storing and reproducing a collection of digital compressed audio recording files using simple manual playback controls as set forth in claim 16 wherein said external source is a local server computer server computer which is in turn coupled via the Internet to a remotely located host computer that stores a library of available digital compressed audio program files that may be selectively transferred on request to said local server computer via the Internet and thereafter transferred to said mass storage unit in said portable audio player before said portable audio program player is decoupled from said local server computer.

20. A portable audio program player for storing and reproducing a collection of audio recording files using simple manual playback controls as set forth in claim 16 wherein said external source is a remotely located host computer that stores a library of available audio program files, and wherein selected ones of said available audio recording files may be downloaded from said remotely located host computer via said cellular packet data service to said portable audio program player in response to requests from said listener.

21. The audio program player as set forth in claim 16 wherein each digital compressed audio recording file in said collection of digital compressed audio recording files specified by said playback session scheduling file is selected in accordance with preference data indicating the interests of said listener to thereby define the content of a playback session that is personalized to match the preferences of said listener.