Audio player using audible prompts for playback selection
First Claim
1. An audio recording player comprising:
- a digital memory for storing a plurality of audio recordings and a plurality of spoken program announcements each of which describes or identifies the content of a corresponding one of said audio recordings,a playback controller for reproducing a sequence of said spoken program announcements in audible form perceptible to a listener and, in response to a program selection command accepted from said listener during the reproduction of a given one of said spoken program announcements, for initiating the reproduction of the particular one of said audio recordings whose content is described by said given one of said spoken program announcements.
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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.
325 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An audio recording player comprising:
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a digital memory for storing a plurality of audio recordings and a plurality of spoken program announcements each of which describes or identifies the content of a corresponding one of said audio recordings, a playback controller for reproducing a sequence of said spoken program announcements in audible form perceptible to a listener and, in response to a program selection command accepted from said listener during the reproduction of a given one of said spoken program announcements, for initiating the reproduction of the particular one of said audio recordings whose content is described by said given one of said spoken program announcements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16)
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12. A portable audio program player for storing and reproducing a collection of audio recording files using simple manual 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:
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a mass storage unit, a communications port for receiving digital data from an external source and for storing said digital data in said mass storage unit, said digital data received via said communications port including a plurality of separate audio recording files, a plurality of spoken announcement recordings each of which describes the content of one of said audio recording files, and at least one playback session scheduling file that specifies an ordered sequence of a collection of said separate audio recording files, an audio output unit for reproducing selected ones of said audio recording files and selected ones of said spoken announcement recordings in audible form perceptible to a listener, playback controls for accepting playback selection commands from said listener, and a processor coupled to said mass storage unit, to said audio output unit and to said playback controls for; reproducing a sequence of said spoken announcement recordings, accepting a playback selection command from said listener when a given one of said spoken program announcement recordings is being reproduced, and initiating the reproduction the particular audio recording file whose content is described by said given one of said spoken announcement recordings and thereafter continuing the sequential reproduction of said 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. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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17. A portable audio player comprising, in combination,
a digital memory for storing a plurality of audio program files and a plurality of audio program announcement recordings each of which describes or identifies the content of one of said audio program files, an audio output unit including at least one speaker or headset for reproducing selected ones of said audio program files and selected ones of said audio program announcement recordings in audible form perceptible to a listener, one or more manual controls for accepting commands from said listener, and a processor coupled to said digital memory and to said audio output unit for reproducing a sequence of said audio program announcement recordings in response to one or more announcement selection commands accepted from said listener, and for initiating the reproduction of a given one of said audio program files in response to a program selection command accepted from said listener during or immediately after the reproduction of that audio program announcement recording which describes or identifies the content of said given one of said audio program files.
Specification