Loading a Mobile Computing Device with Media Files

• US 20120110135A1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sparks, David L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for loading media files to a mobile computing device. A media library that includes media files is stored at a server system. Information indicating a present state of the mobile device is accessed, where the present state is based on the device being at a geographical location at a present time. Information indicating a previous state of the mobile device is accessed, where the previous state is based on the device being at a previous geographical location at a previous time. A selection of preferred media files are accessed based on the present state and the previous state. A selection of a subset of media files are accessed based on the preferred media files. At least a portion of each media file in the subset is transmitted to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, at a server system, a media library that includes a set of media files that are stored by the server system for a user of a computing device;

accessing information that indicates a present state of the computing device, wherein the present state was determined based on the computing device being at a present geographical location;

accessing information that indicates a previous state of the computing device, wherein the previous state was determined based on the computing device being at a previous geographical location;

determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device;

in response to determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device, determining at least one preferred media file that is associated with the previous state of the computing device, wherein the at least one preferred media file was associated with the previous state of the computing device as a result of the user of the computing device requesting, during the previous state of the computing device, that the at least one preferred media file be output by the computing device;

determining one or more additional media files from the set of media files based on one or more characteristics of the at least one preferred media file corresponding to one or more characteristics of the one or more additional media files;

selecting a group of media files to be loaded onto the computing device, the group including the at least one preferred media file and the one or more additional media files; and

transmitting, by the server system and to the computing device, at least a portion of each of the media files in the selected group without receiving input from the user that requests transmission of particular media files in the selected group.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the present state matches the previous state was made based on a determination that the present geographical location is within a predetermined distance of the previous geographical location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the present state matches the previous state was made based on a determination that the present geographical location is bounded within an area that also bounds the previous geographical location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the present state matches the previous state was made based on a matching computation in which a match is more likely to be determined when the present geographical location is a first distance from the previous geographical location than when the present geographical distance is a second distance from the previous geographical location, the first distance being shorter than the second distance.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information that indicates the present state of the computing device was further determined based on a statement that was defined by a user of the computing device at the present geographical location;

wherein the information that indicates the previous state of the computing device was further determined based on a statement that was defined by a user of the computing device at the previous geographical location.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the server system and from the computing device, a request for causing the server system to transmit to the computing device at least some of the media files from the media library, wherein, in response to the request:

(i) the accessing information that indicates the present state of the computing device is performed, and

(ii) the accessing the information that indicates the previous state of the computing device is performed.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the at least one preferred media file identifies musical characteristics of the at least one preferred media file, and the one or more characteristics of the one or more additional media files identifies characteristics of the one or more additional media files.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting the group of the media files includes selecting from the media library additional media files that are starting media files in particular user-generated playlists, wherein a starting media file is a media file that begins a playlist based on a sorting of the playlist.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the particular user-generated playlists are a subset of a collection of user-generated playlists, and where the particular user-generated playlists are selected as the subset based on the particular user-generated playlists including a predetermined quantity of the preferred media files.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting the group of the media files includes selecting from the media library at least two additional media files based on the at least two additional media files being starting media files for different sortings of a particular playlist.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the particular playlist is not displayed by the computing device in at least one of the sortings without a user of the computing device providing user input that causes the particular playlist to be displayed in the at least one sorting.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

16. One or more computer-readable storage devices storing instructions embodied on the one or more computer-readable storage devices that, when executed by one or more processing devices, perform operations comprising:

storing, at a server system, a media library that includes a set of media files that are stored by the server system for a user of a computing device;

accessing information that indicates a present state of the computing device, wherein the present state was determined based on the computing device being at a present geographical location;

accessing information that indicates a previous state of the computing device, wherein the previous state was determined based on the computing device being at a previous geographical location;

determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device;

in response to determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device, determining at least one preferred media file that is associated with the previous state of the computing device, wherein the at least one preferred media file was associated with the previous state of the computing device as a result of the user of the computing device requesting, during the previous state of the computing device, that the at least one preferred media file be output by the computing device;

determining one or more additional media files from the set of media files based on one or more characteristics of the at least one preferred media file corresponding to one or more characteristics of the one or more additional media files;

selecting a group of media files to be loaded onto the computing device, the group including the at least one preferred media file and the one or more additional media files; and

transmitting, by the server system and to the computing device, at least a portion of each of the media files in the selected group without receiving input from the user that requests transmission of particular media files in the selected group.

17. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

determining, by a computing device, a present geographical location of the computing device and transmitting the present geographical location for receipt by a server system; and

receiving, at the computing device and from the server system, at least a portion of each media file in a group of media files that have been selected from a media library that is stored at the server system for a user of the computing device, the at least portions of the media files being received in response to the server system;

accessing information that indicates a present state of the computing device, wherein the present state was determined based on the computing device being at the present geographical location;

accessing information that indicates a previous state of the computing device, wherein the previous state was determined based on the computing device being at a previous geographical location;

determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device;

in response to determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device, determining at least one preferred media file that is associated with the previous state of the computing device, wherein the at least one preferred media file was associated with the previous state of the computing device as a result of the user of the computing device requesting, during the previous state of the computing device, that the at least one preferred media file be output by the computing device;

determining one or more additional media files from the set of media files based on one or more characteristics of the at least one preferred media file corresponding to one or more characteristics of the one or more additional media files;

selecting a group of media files to be loaded onto the computing device, the group including the at least one preferred media file and the one or more additional media files; and

transmitting, by the server system and to the computing device, at least a portion of each of the media files in the selected group without receiving input from the user that requests transmission of particular media files in the selected group.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising generating, by the computing device for display on the computing device, a playlist of the media files that includes only the media files in the selected group.

19. One or more computer-readable storage devices storing instructions embodied on the one or more computer-readable storage devices that, when executed by one or more processing devices, perform operations comprising:

determining, by a computing device, a present geographical location of the computing device and transmitting the present geographical location for receipt by a server system; and

receiving, at the computing device and from the server system, at least a portion of each media file in a group of media files that have been selected from a media library that is stored at the server system for a user of the computing device, the at least portions of the media files being received in response to the server system;

accessing information that indicates a present state of the computing device, wherein the present state was determined based on the computing device being at the present geographical location;

accessing information that indicates a previous state of the computing device, wherein the previous state was determined based on the computing device being at a previous geographical location;

determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device;

in response to determining that the present state of the computing device matches the previous state of the computing device, determining at least one preferred media file that is associated with the previous state of the computing device, wherein the at least one preferred media file was associated with the previous state of the computing device as a result of the user of the computing device requesting, during the previous state of the computing device, that the at least one preferred media file be output by the computing device;

determining one or more additional media files from the set of media files based on one or more characteristics of the at least one preferred media file corresponding to one or more characteristics of the one or more additional media files;

selecting a group of media files to be loaded onto the computing device, the group including the at least one preferred media file and the one or more additional media files; and

transmitting, by the server system and to the computing device, at least a portion of each of the media files in the selected group without receiving input from the user that requests transmission of particular media files in the selected group.