Recommending media items

• US 20110113051A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rottler, Benjamin, Wood, Policarpo, Lindahl, Aram, Haughay, Allen P., Goh, Wendy, Ellis, Shawn
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/632 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

This is directed to recommending media items of a user'"'"'s media library. In particular, this is directed to transferring a portion of the user'"'"'s media library to an electronic device so that the user may discover the portion of the media library. The library can recommend particular media items to the user using any suitable approach, including for example based on one or more preference profiles. The user can accept or reject recommended media items as they are played back to further adjust the user'"'"'s preference profile, and to revise the selection of recommended media items stored on the device.

Claims

1. A method for recommending media items to a user, comprising:

identifying a first set of media items selected by a user for storage on an electronic device from a media library associated with the user;

automatically selecting a second set of media items from media items of the media library that are not in the first set, wherein the second set of media items relates to interests of the user; and

transferring the first set and the second set of media items to the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a preference profile associated with the user, wherein the preference profile comprises at least one characteristic of a media item; and

wherein automatically selecting further comprises automatically selecting a second set of media items sharing the at least one characteristic.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a preference profile associated with the user, wherein the preference profile identifies at least one particular media item; and

wherein automatically selecting further comprises automatically selecting a second set of media items related to the particular media item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying further comprises identifying one or more user-selected playlists of media items to store on the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount of electronic device storage associated with recommended media items; and

selecting the second set of media items to fill the amount of storage associated with recommended media items.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that additional items are to be added to the first set of media items without changing the storage required for the first set; and

selecting media items to remove from the first set.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user feedback regarding the second set of media items; and

automatically changing the first set of media items based on the received user feedback.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving further comprises:

receiving at least one of an approval or rejection provided during the playback of a media item of the second set of media items.

9. An electronic device for storing media items for playback by a user, comprising control circuitry and storage, the control circuitry operative to:

allocate a first portion of the storage to user selected media items from a media library;

allocate a second portion of the storage to recommended media items from the media library;

play back media items from the second portion of storage;

receive user indications of approval or disproval of a played back media item; and

provide the received user indications to a host device, such that the host device can provide different recommended media items from the media library.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:

retrieve a preference profile describing the user'"'"'s preferences, wherein the recommended media items match at least a part of the preference profile.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:

revise the preference profile based on the received user indications.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:

prompt the user to select an approval or disproval option associated with a currently played back media item.

13. A method for selecting media items from a media library to recommend to a user, the method comprising:

receiving feedback information based on previously recommended media items played back using an electronic device;

adjusting a preference profile based on the received feedback information;

automatically selecting a new set of media items to recommend to the user, wherein the new set of media items and the previously recommended media items are part of the media library; and

transferring the new set of media items to the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying a user-defined set of media items of the media library to transfer to the electronic device; and

storing the user-defined set of media items and the new set of media items on the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that at least one previously recommended media item is to be added to the user-defined set of media items; and

changing the user-defined set of media items to include the at least one previously recommended media item.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

changing the user-defined set of media items to include a plurality of additional media items similar to the at least one previously recommended media item.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a pre-defined storage amount for the user-defined set of media items; and

removing at least one previously stored media item from the user-defined set of media items to ensure that the changed user-defined set of media items does not exceed the identified pre-defined storage amount.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying at least one approved played back media item from the received feedback information;

retrieving media items from the media library that are similar to the identified at least one approved played back media item; and

including the retrieved media items in the new set of media items.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

retrieving further comprises retrieving media items that are not in a user-defined set of media items of the media library.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the new set of media items and the previously recommended media items do not include any media items in common.

21. A computer readable media for recommending media items to a user, the computer readable media comprising computer program logic recorded thereon for:

identifying a first set of media items selected by a user for storage on an electronic device from a media library associated with the user;

automatically selecting a second set of media items from media items of the media library that are not in the first set, wherein the second set of media items relates to interests of the user; and

transferring the first set and the second set of media items to the electronic device.

22. The computer readable media of claim 21, wherein the computer program logic recorded thereon for adjusting further comprises computer program logic recorded thereon for:

receiving user feedback regarding the second set of media items; and

automatically changing the first set of media items based on the received user feedback.