MEDIA CONTENT MANAGEMENT AND PRESENTATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130086474A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Oliver, Michael R., Roberts, Brian F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,124,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2001/0085 Multilayer, e.g. LTCC, HTCC, green sheets inside PCB filters H05K
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/007 for the manufacture of electromechanical resonators or networks
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/0115 comprising only inductors and capacitors H03H7/075, H03H7/09, H03H7/12, H03H7/13 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/0138 Electrical filters or coupling circuits

Abstract

Exemplary media content management and presentation systems and methods are described herein. An exemplary method includes a media content presentation system linking together multiple media content instances, playing back or managing a playlist that includes the linked media content instances, and processing the linked media content instances as a block of linked media content instances within the playing back or managing of the playlist. Another exemplary method includes a media content presentation system playing back a media content instance for experiencing by a user, presenting a playback user interface in conjunction with the playing back of the media content instance, and providing, within the playback user interface, one or more media management tools configured for use by the user to manage the media content instance during the playing back of the media content instance. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

linking together, by a media content presentation system, multiple media content instances;

randomizing, by the media content presentation system, a playback of a playlist that includes the linked media content instances; and

processing, by the media content presentation system, the linked media content instances as an indivisible block of linked media content instances within the randomizing of the playback of the playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the media content presentation system by way of a user interface, a user input command to link together the multiple media content instances;

wherein the linking together is performed by the media content presentation system in response to the user input command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the media content presentation system, a satisfaction of a linking trigger condition;

wherein the linking together is performed automatically by the media content presentation system in response to the satisfaction of the linking trigger condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the satisfaction of the linking trigger condition comprises an optimization of the multiple media content instances for gapless playback.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the media content presentation system by way of a user interface, a user input command to initiate a randomized playback of the playlist; and

playing back, by the media content presentation system, the playlist in response to the user input command, wherein the randomizing of the playback of the playlist and the processing of the linked media content instances as an indivisible block of linked media content instances within the randomizing of the playback of the playlist are performed during the playing back of the playlist.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the media content presentation system, a user interface; and

displaying, by the media content presentation system in the user interface, a visual indication that the multiple media content instances are linked together.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

delinking, by the media content presentation system subsequent to the processing of the linked media content instances as an indivisible block of linked media content instances, the linked media content instances;

randomizing, by the media content presentation system, another playback of the playlist; and

processing, by the media content presentation system, the delinked media content instances as discrete media content instances within the randomizing of the another playback of the playlist.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the media content presentation system by way of a user interface, a user input command to delink the linked multiple media content instances;

wherein the delinking is performed by the media content presentation system in response to the user input command.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the media content presentation system by way of a user interface, a user input command to add a media content instance included in the linked multiple media content instances to another playlist;

adding, by the media content presentation system, the media content instance to the another playlist; and

facilitating, by the media content presentation system based on a link of the media content instance to one or more other media content instances included in the linked multiple media content instances, an addition of the one or more other media content instances included in the linked multiple media content instances to the another playlist.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during the playback of the playlist:

presenting, by the media content presentation system, a playback user interface that includes a selectable option to add a media content instance included in the playlist to another playlist;

detecting, by the media content presentation system, a user selection of the option; and

adding, by the media content presentation system in response to the user selection of the option, the media content instance to the another playlist.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during the playback of the playlist:

presenting, by the media content presentation system, a playback user interface that includes a selectable option to delete a media content instance from the playlist;

detecting, by the media content presentation system, a user selection of the option; and

deleting, by the media content presentation system in response to the user selection of the option, the media content instance from the playlist.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during the playback of the playlist:

presenting, by the media content presentation system, a playback user interface that includes a selectable option to temporarily disable a media content instance included in the playlist;

detecting, by the media content presentation system, a user selection of the option; and

temporarily disabling, by the media content presentation system in response to the user selection of the option, the media content instance such that the media content instance will be prevented from being played back during the playback of the playlist.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting, by the media content presentation system, a termination of the playback of the playlist; and

re-enabling, by the media content presentation system in response to the detecting of the termination of the playback of the playlist, the media content instance such that the media content instance will be allowed to be played back in a subsequent playback of the playlist.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during a playback of a media content instance within the playback of the playlist:

presenting, by the media content presentation system, a playback user interface that includes a selectable option to select the media content instance for additional processing;

detecting, by the media content presentation system, a user selection of the option; and

providing, by the media content presentation system, a plurality of additional selectable options for the additional processing of the media content instance, the additional selectable options comprising at least one of;

an option to add the media content instance to another playlist,

an option to access information about the media content instance, and

an option to generate and automatically populate a new playlist based on the media content instance.

15. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

16. A method comprising:

linking together, by a media content management system, multiple media content instances included in a digital media content library;

performing, by the media content management system, a management operation to manage a playlist associated with the digital media content library; and

processing, by the media content management system, the linked media content instances as a block of linked media content instances within the management operation.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

delinking, by the media content management system subsequent to the processing of the linked media content instances as a block of linked media content instances, the linked media content instances;

performing, by the media content management system, an additional management operation to manage the playlist associated with the digital media content library; and

processing, by the media content management system, the delinked media content instances as discrete media content instances within the additional management operation.

18. The method of claim 16, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

19. A method comprising:

playing back, by a media content presentation system, a media content instance for experiencing by a user;

presenting, by the media content presentation system, a playback user interface in conjunction with the playing back of the media content instance; and

providing, by the media content presentation system within the playback user interface, one or more media management tools configured for use by the user to manage the media content instance during the playing back of the media content instance.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more media management tools comprise at least one of:

a media management tool for use by the user to add the media content instance to a playlist; and

a media management tool for use by the user to remove the media content instance from a playlist.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more media management tools comprise a media management tool for use by the user to temporarily disable the media content instance from being played back within a current playback of a playlist.

22. The method of claim 19, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

23. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a media content management facility that directs the at least one processor to link together multiple media content instances; and

a media content playback facility that directs the at least one processor to

randomize a playback of a playlist that includes the linked media content instances, and

process the linked media content instances as an indivisible block of linked media content instances within the randomizing of the playback of the playlist.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the processor;

wherein the media content management facility and the media content playback facility are implemented by a media player software application tangibly embodied on the non-transitory computer-readable medium.