SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO SELECT MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20100131527A1
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wohlert, Randolph
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists

Abstract

Systems and methods to select media content are provided. A particular method includes dynamically selecting media content items for presentation by a media player based on media selection settings. The method also includes generating an output including a current media content item of the dynamically selected media content items. The method also includes accessing a selected media content item from a memory when the selected media content item becomes the current media content item. When the selected media content item is available at a first local memory, the selected media content item is accessed from the first local memory. When the selected media content item is not available at the local memory, a request is sent to a remote network device to send the selected media content item from a remote memory.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

dynamically selecting media content items for presentation by a media player based on media selection settings;

generating an output including a current media content item of the dynamically selected media content items; and

when a selected media content item becomes the current media content item, accessing the selected media content item from a memory, wherein;

when the selected media content item is available at a first local memory, the selected media content item is accessed from the first local memory; and

when the selected media content item is not available at the local memory, sending a request to a remote network device to send the selected media content item from a remote memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one media content items is selected based on a user defined category, wherein the user defined category identifies media content items based on a storage location of the media content items.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user defined category specifies the storage location as the first local memory.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user defined category specifies the storage location as a particular folder at a memory device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the user defined category specifies the storage location as the remote memory.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the user defined category specifies the storage location as associated with a universal resource identifier (URI).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one media content item is selected based on a user defined category, wherein the at least one media content item is associated with the user defined category based on a property that is not intrinsic to the at least one media content item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one media content item is selected based on a user defined category, wherein particular media content associated with the user defined category includes a plurality of otherwise unrelated user selected content items.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the selected media content item is available at a second local memory, the method comprises:

requesting a device associated with the second local memory to send the selected media content item to a remote network element; and

requesting the remote network element to send the selected media content item from the remote network element to the media player.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the media selection settings specify proportions of each of a plurality of different categories of media content to be presented.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining media storage locations that are accessible by the media player before dynamically selecting the media content items, wherein the media content items are dynamically selected based on the accessible media storage locations.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the media selection settings include a plurality of predetermined media mixes, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined media mixes specifies proportions of each of a plurality of categories of media content to be presented when the predetermined media mix is used, and selecting one of the plurality of predetermined media mixes before dynamically selecting the media content items.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selected one of the plurality of predetermined media mixes is selected based on a time.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the selected one of the plurality of predetermined media mixes is selected based on a location of a user.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving user input configuring a particular predetermined media mix of the plurality of predetermined media mixes, wherein the user input specifies proportions of particular categories of media content to be presented on a particular date.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user input further specifies at least one particular media content item to be presented on the particular date.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a user interface display, wherein the user interface display presents the media selection settings using a plurality of adjustable display objects, each adjustable display object associated with one category of media content, and wherein the user interface display includes a list identifying media content items, wherein each of the media content items is presented in a color corresponding to a color of one of the plurality of adjustable display objects associated with the category of media content from which the media content item was selected.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a user interface display identifying a particular selected media content item, wherein the user interface display includes a visual indicator identifying that the particular selected media content item is associated with a particular category of media content.

19. A system, comprising:

a media selection module to dynamically select media content items for presentation based on media selection settings;

a memory device interface to access the media content items selected by the media selection module, wherein;

when a particular selected media content item is available at a first local memory, the memory device interface accesses the particular selected media content item from the first local memory; and

when the particular selected media content item is not available at the first local memory, the memory device interface sends a request to a remote network device to send the particular selected media content item from a remote memory; and

a media player coupled to the memory device interface to generate an output stream including the dynamically selected media content items accessed via the memory device interface.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the media selection settings identify one or more previously selected media content items and wherein the media selection module dynamically selects the media content items based on the one or more previously selected media content items.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

operational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to dynamically select media content items for presentation based on media playlist selection settings;

operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to access the selected media content items, wherein;

when a particular selected media content item is available at a local memory, the particular selected media content item is accessed from the local memory; and

when the particular selected media content item is not available at the local memory, a request is sent to a remote network device to send the particular selected media content item from a remote memory; and

operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to generate an output stream including the dynamically selected media content items.