ACTIVE PLAYLIST HAVING DYNAMIC MEDIA ITEM GROUPS

• US 20090240732A1
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Amidon, Christopher M., Black, Gary W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for creation and management of an active playlist having dynamic media item groups. In general, a number of media items to be used for the active playlist are first identified and classified into one or more media item groups based on a primary criterion and, optionally, one or more secondary criteria to provide an underlying pool of media items for the active playlist. The active playlist is then populated with media items from the underlying pool of media items. More specifically, the active playlist is divided into media item groups corresponding to those in the underlying pool of media items. Each media item group in the active playlist is populated with a predefined number of the media items in the corresponding media item group in the underlying pool of media items. Thereafter, the media items in the media item groups of the active playlist are dynamically updated based on user interactions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of media items for an active playlist;

classifying the plurality of media items into a plurality of media item groups based on a primary criterion to form an underlying pool of media items for the active playlist; and

generating the active playlist from the underlying pool of media items such that the active playlist comprises up to a predetermined number of media items from the plurality of media items in the underlying pool of media items for each of the plurality of media item groups.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the primary criterion comprises a criterion selected from a group consisting of:

a score assigned to each of the plurality of media items based on user preferences, a rating assigned to each of the plurality of media items, a time at which each of the plurality of media items was last played by an associated user, a date on which each of the plurality of media items was lasted played, and a date and time on which each of the plurality of media items was last played.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein classifying the plurality of media items comprises classifying the plurality of media items into the plurality of media item groups based on the primary criterion and one or more secondary criteria to form the underlying pool of media items for the active playlist.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the underlying pool of media items is provided such that at least one media item from the plurality of media items is classified in each of the plurality of media item groups, and generating the active playlist further comprises generating the active playlist such that the active playlist is divided into a plurality of media item groups corresponding to the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein generating the active playlist further comprises, for each media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the active playlist, populating the media item group with up to the predetermined number of the at least one media item in a corresponding media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising enabling the associated user to skip playback from a first media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the active playlist to a second media item group of the plurality of media item groups subsequent to the first media item group in the active playlist.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein enabling the user to skip playback from the first media item group to the second media item group in the active playlist comprises enabling the user to skip playback from the first media item group to the second media item group in the active playlist by skipping through up to the predetermined number of media items in the active playlist for the first media item group rather than all media items from the plurality of media items in the underlying pool of media items classified in the first media item group.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring user interactions with the active playlist; and

dynamically updating the active playlist based on the user interactions.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein dynamically updating the active playlist comprises pulling additional media items from a media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items into the active playlist as an associated user consumes media items in the active playlist from the media item group.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein pulling the additional media items into the media item group of the active playlist comprises pulling an additional media item from the media item group in the underlying pool of media items into the active playlist in response to consumption of one of a group consisting of:

a media item in the active playlist from the media item group or a predetermined amount of a media item in the active playlist from the media item group.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein dynamically updating the active playlist further comprises removing consumed media items from the active playlist.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

making a determination, based on the user interactions, as to whether the associated user is expected to consume all media items in a media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items; and

identifying and obtaining one or more new media items for the media item group in the underlying pool of media items if the determination is made that the associated user is expected to consume all media items in the media item group in the underlying pool of media items.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein identifying and obtaining the one or more new media items comprises obtaining the one or more new media items from at least one of a group consisting of:

a local source and a remote source.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing playback of the active playlist under control of an associated user.

15. A system comprising:

a) an interface providing playback of an active playlist to an associated user; and

b) a control system, associated with the interface, and adapted to;

i) identify a plurality of media items for the active playlist;

ii) classify the plurality of media items into a plurality of media item groups based on a primary criterion to form an underlying pool of media items for the active playlist; and

iii) generate the active playlist from the underlying pool of media items such that the active playlist comprises up to a predetermined number of media items from the plurality of media items in the underlying pool of media items for each of the plurality of media item groups.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the primary criterion comprises a criterion selected from a group consisting of:

a score assigned to each of the plurality of media items based on user preferences, a rating assigned to each of the plurality of media items, a time at which each of the plurality of media items was last played by the associated user, a date on which each of the plurality of media items was lasted played, and a date and time on which each of the plurality of media items was last played.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein, in order to classify the plurality of media items, the control system is further adapted to classify the plurality of media items into the plurality of media item groups based on the primary criterion and one or more secondary criteria to form the underlying pool of media items for the active playlist.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the underlying pool of media items is provided such that at least one media item from the plurality of media items is classified in each of the plurality of media item groups, and the active playlist is generated such that the active playlist is divided into a plurality of media item groups corresponding to the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein in order to generate the active playlist, the control system is further adapted to, for each media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the active playlist, populate the media item group with up to the predetermined number of the at least one media item in a corresponding media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the control system is further adapted to enable the associated user to skip playback from a first media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the active playlist to a second media item group of the plurality of media item groups subsequent to the first media item group in the active playlist.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein in order to enable the associated user to skip playback from the first media item group to the second media item group in the active playlist, the control system is adapted to enable the associated user to skip playback from the first media item group to the second media item group in the active playlist by skipping through up to the predetermined number of media items in the active playlist for the first media item group rather than all media items from the plurality of media items in the underlying pool of media items classified in the first media item group.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the control system is further adapted to:

monitor user interactions with the active playlist; and

dynamically update the active playlist based on the user interactions.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein in order to dynamically update the active playlist, the control system is further adapted to pull additional media items from a media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items into the active playlist as the associated user consumes media items in the active playlist from the media item group.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the control system is further adapted to:

make a determination, based on the user interactions, as to whether the associated user is expected to consume all media items in a media item group of the plurality of media item groups in the underlying pool of media items; and

identify and obtain one or more new media items for the media item group in the underlying pool of media items if the determination is made that the associated user is expected to consume all media items in the media item group in the underlying pool of media items.

25. The system of claim 15 wherein the control system is further adapted to provide playback of the active playlist under control of the associated user.