SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PLAYLIST GENERATION BASED ON SIMILARITY DATA

• US 20100076958A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: DuBois, Dana J., Wagner, Richard Frederick, Gates, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• 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: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

System, method and computer program that encompasses one or more client devices cooperating with a program host'"'"'s on-line data processing center for making purchase recommendations of media items to a program participant. Accordingly, there is a transmission from a program host to a program participant of identification of at least one recommended-for-purchase media item selected based on the recommended-for-purchase media item being rated as similar to a designated media item presently contained in an inventory of a media library of the program participant. The rating of the recommended-for-purchase media item as being similar to the designated media item presently contained in the inventory of the media library of the program participant is representative of a frequency at which the recommended-for-purchase media item co-occurs with the designated media item in media libraries of others.

Claims

1. A method for making purchase recommendations of media items to a program participant, said method comprising:

transmitting, from a program host to a program participant, identification of at least one recommended-for-purchase media item selected based on the recommended-for-purchase media item being rated as similar to a designated media item presently contained in an inventory of a media library of the program participant.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rating of the recommended-for-purchase media item as being similar to the designated media item presently contained in the inventory of the media library of the program participant is representative of a frequency at which the recommended-for-purchase media item co-occurs with the designated media item in media libraries of others.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

assuring that the recommended-for-purchase media item is not presently contained in the inventory of the media library of the program participant.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting, from the program host to the program participant, identification of each of a plurality of recommended-for-purchase media items, each being selected based on the respective recommended-for-purchase media item being rated as similar to a designated media item presently contained in an inventory of a media library of the program participant.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

ordering the identifications of each of the plurality of recommended-for-purchase media items for presentation to the program participant based on an indicated degree of similarity between each respective recommended-for-purchase media item and the designated media item.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media items are music tracks and the rating of a recommended-for-purchase music track as being similar to a designated music track presently contained in a music library of the program participant is based on being member tracks of the same album.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting, from the program host to the program participant, identification of each of a plurality of recommended-for-purchase music tracks, each being selected based on the respective recommended-for-purchase music track being a member track of the same album as the designated music track.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

assuring that none of the recommended-for-purchase music tracks are presently contained in the music library of the program participant.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

ordering the identifications of each of the plurality of recommended-for-purchase music tracks for presentation to the program participant based on an indicated degree of similarity between each respective recommended-for-purchase music track and the designated music track.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media items are music tracks and the rating of a recommended-for-purchase music track as being similar to a designated music track presently contained in a music library of the program participant is based on artist commonality.

11. A device for making purchase recommendations of media items to a program participant, said device comprising:

a data storage device configured to contain purchase information data;

a processor in signal communication with the data storage device, the processor configured to execute at least a similarity data generation program that receives purchase information data from the storage media device and determines an incidence of co-occurrence between purchasers of pairs of individual media items, the incidence of co-occurring pairs being used to determine recommended-for-purchase data; and

a communication interface configured to transmit recommended-for-purchase data determined by the processor and which represents at least one recommended-for-purchase media item based on similarity to a designated media item presently contained in an inventory of a media library of the program participant.

12. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the data representing purchase information includes data from on-line sales of media items from an on-line store.

13. The device as recited in claim 12, wherein the data representing purchase information includes data from a plurality of program participants'"'"' respective inventories regardless of the individual media item'"'"'s source.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the recommended-for-purchase media item is not presently contained in the inventory of the media library of the program participant.

15. The device as recited in claim 14, wherein the communication interface is configured to transmit a plurality of recommended-for-purchase media items, each being selected based on similarity to a designated media item presently contained in an inventory of a media library of the program participant.

16. The device as recited in claim 15, wherein the recommended-for-purchase media items are ordered based on an indicated degree of similarity between each respective recommended-for-purchase media item and the designated media item.

17. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the media items are music tracks and the rating of a recommended-for-purchase music track as being similar to a designated music track presently contained in a music library of the program participant is based on being member tracks of the same album.

18. The device as recited in claim 17, wherein the data representing the recommended-for-purchase music track further comprises information such as that the recommended-for-purchase music track is a member track of the same album as the designated music track.

19. The device as recited in claim 18, wherein the recommended-for-purchase music track is not presently contained in the inventory of the media library of the program participant.

20. The device as recited in claim 17, wherein the recommended-for-purchase music tracks are ordered based on an indicated degree of similarity between each respective recommended-for-purchase music track and the designated music track.

21. A computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code for making purchase recommendations of media items to a program participant, the computer program code causing a purchase recommendations generation device to:

determine an incidence of co-occurrence between purchasers of pairs of individual media items, the incidence of co-occurring pairs being used to determine recommended-for-purchase data; and

transmit recommended-for-purchase data determined by the processor and which represents at least one recommended-for-purchase media item based on similarity to a designated media item presently contained in an inventory of a media library of the program participant.

22. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 21, wherein the rating of the recommended-for-purchase media item as being similar to the designated media item presently contained in the inventory of the media library of the program participant is representative of a frequency at which the recommended-for-purchase media item co-occurs with the designated media item in media libraries of others.

23. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 22, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the device to assure that the recommended-for-purchase media item is not presently contained in the inventory of the media library of the program participant.

24. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 22, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the device to transmit, from the program host to the program participant, identification of each of a plurality of recommended-for-purchase media items, each being selected based on the respective recommended-for-purchase media item being rated as similar to a designated media item presently contained in an inventory of a media library of the program participant.

25. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 24, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the device to order the identifications of each of the plurality of recommended-for-purchase media items for presentation to the program participant based on an indicated degree of similarity between each respective recommended-for-purchase media item and the designated media item.

26. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 21, wherein the media items are music tracks and the rating of a recommended-for-purchase music track as being similar to a designated music track presently contained in a music library of the program participant is based on being member tracks of the same album.

27. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 26, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the device to transmit, from the program host to the program participant, identification of each of a plurality of recommended-for-purchase music tracks, each being selected based on the respective recommended-for-purchase music track being a member track of the same album as the designated music track.

28. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 27, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the device to assure that none of the recommended-for-purchase music tracks are presently contained in the music library of the program participant.

29. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 26, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the device to order the identifications of each of the plurality of recommended-for-purchase music tracks for presentation to the program participant based on an indicated degree of similarity between each respective recommended-for-purchase music track and the designated music track.

30. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 21, wherein the media items are music tracks and the rating of a recommended-for-purchase music track as being similar to a designated music track presently contained in a music library of the program participant is based on artist commonality.