NAVIGATING MEDIA CONTENT BY GROUPS

• US 20110218998A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation), Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: LaChapelle, Kevin Leigh, Yanagawa, Yoshifumi, Takeguchi, Nobuyasu, Mercer, Ian Cameron, Matsumi, Chiyoko, Miyamoto, Harutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content storing computer data in solid state memories G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/954 Relational

Abstract

Grouping media files via playlists on a computer-readable medium. One or more media files are selected according to a grouping criterion to define one or more playlists from the media files. A container group is associated with the playlists and stores values identifying each of the playlists associated with the container group along with references to each of the playlists.

Claims

1. A computerized method executable by a processor of a computing device comprising:

receiving a list of user selected media files having associated grouping criteria, said selected media files being accessible by the computing device;

first selecting one or more additional media files according to a first grouping criteria of the associated grouping criteria to define a first playlist;

second selecting one or more additional media files according to a second grouping criteria of the associated grouping criteria to define a second playlist;

generating a container group associated with the first playlist and the second playlist, said generated container group comprising a first value identifying the first playlist and a second value identifying the second playlist, wherein the first playlist references the user selected media files and the first selected additional media files defined therein, and wherein the second playlist references the user selected media files and the second selected additional media files defined therein; and

providing the first playlist, the second playlist, the first selected media files associated with the first playlist, the second selected media files associated with the second playlist, and container group to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, said container group further comprising a reference from the first playlist to the second playlist to enable navigation between the first playlist and the second playlist.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of user selected media files comprises one or more of the following:

audio files, video files, and image files.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the provided first playlist, second playlist, first selected media files associated with the first playlist, second selected media files associated with the second playlist, and container group on a storage medium accessible by the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, said container group further comprising:

a data field for storing a description of the container group;

a data field for storing the first value identifying the first playlist; and

a data field for storing the second value identifying the second playlist.

6. The method of claim 5, said container group further comprising:

a starting offset field storing a value representing a physical byte starting offset for the first playlist; and

an ending offset field storing a value representing a physical byte ending offset for the first playlist.

7. The method of claim 1, said container group including:

a starting point field storing a value representing a starting point of playback of the first playlist; and

an ending point field storing a value representing an ending point of playback of the first playlist.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable storage media has stored thereon instructions for performing the steps of receiving, first selecting, second selecting, generating, and providing.

9. A system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer processor-executable instructions, said instructions executable by the computer processor for;

receiving a list of user selected media files having associated grouping criteria, said selected media files being accessible by the computing device;

first selecting one or more additional media files according to a first grouping criteria of the associated grouping criteria to define a first playlist;

second selecting one or more additional media files according to a second grouping criteria of the associated grouping criteria to define a second playlist;

generating a container group associated with the first playlist and the second playlist, said generated container group comprising a first value identifying the first playlist and a second value identifying the second playlist, wherein the first playlist references the user selected media files and the first selected additional media files defined therein, and wherein the second playlist references the user selected media files and the second selected additional media files defined therein; and

providing the first playlist, second playlist, first selected media files associated with the first playlist, second selected media files associated with the second playlist, and container group to a user.

10. The system of claim 9, said container group further comprising a reference from the first playlist to the second playlist to enable navigation between the first playlist and the second playlist by the user.

11. The system of claim 10, said instructions executable by the computer processor further comprising instructions for displaying a navigation element to the user based on the reference from the first playlist to the second playlist and instructions for navigating between the first playlist and the second playlist responsive to the user selecting the navigation element.

12. The system of claim 9, said computer processor-executable instructions including instructions executable by the computer processor for storing the provided first playlist, second playlist, first selected media files associated with the first playlist, second selected media files associated with the second playlist, and the container group.

13. The system of claim 9, said container group further comprising:

a data field for storing a description of the container group;

a data field for storing the first value identifying the first playlist; and

a data field for storing the second value identifying the second playlist.

14. The system of claim 13, said container group further comprising:

a starting offset field storing a value representing a physical byte starting offset for the first playlist; and

an ending offset field storing a value representing a physical byte ending offset for the first playlist.

15. The system of claim 9, said container group including:

a starting point field storing a value representing a starting point of playback of the first playlist; and

an ending point field storing a value representing an ending point of playback of the first playlist.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer executable components executed by a computing device, said computer-readable storage media comprising:

a playlist module for;

receiving a list of user selected media files having associated grouping criteria, said selected media files being accessible by the computing device;

first selecting one or more additional media files according to a first grouping criteria of the associated grouping criteria to define a first playlist; and

second selecting one or more additional media files according to a second grouping criteria of the associated grouping criteria to define a second playlist;

a population module for generating a container group associated with the first playlist and the second playlist, said generated container group comprising a first value identifying the first playlist and a second value identifying the second playlist, wherein the first playlist references the user selected media files and the first selected additional media files defined therein, and wherein the second playlist references the user selected media files and the second selected additional media files defined therein; and

an interface module for providing the first playlist, second playlist, first selected media files associated with the first playlist, second selected media files associated with the second playlist, and container group to a user.

17. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, said container group further comprising a reference from the first playlist to the second playlist to enable navigation between the first playlist and the second playlist by the user.

18. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, further comprising a writer module for storing the provided first playlist, second playlist, first selected media files associated with the first playlist, second selected media files associated with the second playlist, and container group on a storage medium accessible by the computing device.

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, said container group further comprising:

a data field for storing a description of the container group;

a data field for storing the first value identifying the first playlist;

a data field for storing the second value identifying the second playlist;

a starting offset field storing a value representing a physical byte starting offset for the first playlist; and

an ending offset field storing a value representing a physical byte ending offset for the first playlist.

20. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, said container group including:

a starting point field storing a value representing a starting point of playback of the first playlist; and

an ending point field storing a value representing an ending point of playback of the first playlist.