Method and Apparatus For creating user-defined media program excerpts

• US 20140075310A1
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eric Li
• Original Assignee: Eric Li
• Inventors: LI, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US13/610,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20140075310A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• 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 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

The present disclosure involves a method of managing media playback. The method includes: playing a media program via an electronic device; receiving, during the playing of the media program, a first input that defines a beginning of a user-defined excerpt of the media program; receiving, during the playing of the media program, and after the beginning of the user-defined excerpt of the media program has been defined, a second input that defines an end of the user-defined excerpt of the media program; associating the user-defined excerpt of the media program with an account of a user; and thereafter displaying an availability of the user-defined excerpt of the media program.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an electronic user interface component configured to play a media program;

a memory storage component configured to store computer programming code; and

a computer processor component configured to execute the computer programming code to perform the following;

receiving, during a playing of the media program, a first input that defines a beginning of a user-defined excerpt of the media program;

receiving, during the playing of the media program, and after the beginning of the user-defined excerpt of the media program has been defined, a second input that defines an end of the user-defined excerpt of the media program;

associating the user-defined excerpt of the media program with an account of a user; and

thereafter displaying an availability of the user-defined excerpt of the media program.

2. The electronic of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic device includes a portable electronic device with a touch screen display; and

the first input and the second input each include a gesture-based interaction with the touch screen display from the user.

3. The electronic of claim 1, wherein the displaying the availability of the user-defined excerpt comprises at least one of:

displaying the user-defined excerpt in association with the media program; and

displaying the user-defined excerpt along with a plurality of other user-defined excerpts associated with other media programs.

4. The electronic of claim 1, wherein the computer processor component is configured to execute the computer programming code to further perform:

prompting the user to name the user-defined excerpt after the beginning and the end of the user-defined excerpt have been defined; and

receiving a name for the user-defined excerpt in response to user input;

wherein the displaying the availability of the user-defined excerpt comprises displaying at least one of;

the name of the user-defined excerpt, and a thumbnail image of a scene from the user-defined excerpt.

5. The electronic of claim 1, wherein the computer processor component is configured to execute the computer programming code to further perform:

associating the beginning of the user-defined excerpt with an X point in time of the media program;

associating the end of the user-defined excerpt with a Y point in time of the media program, wherein Y occurs later in time than X; and

playing, in response to user request, the user-defined excerpt by playing the media program starting from the X point in time and ending at the Y point in time.

6. The electronic of claim 1, wherein:

the media program is stored locally on one of;

the electronic device, and a remote server of a service provider; and

the electronic device includes an electronic communications component configured to communicate with the remote server to stream the media program to the electronic device via a telecommunications protocol.

7. A method of managing media playback, comprising:

playing a media program via an electronic device;

receiving, during the playing of the media program, a first input that defines a beginning of a user-defined excerpt of the media program;

receiving, during the playing of the media program, and after the beginning of the user-defined excerpt of the media program has been defined, a second input that defines an end of the user-defined excerpt of the media program;

associating the user-defined excerpt of the media program with an account of a user; and

thereafter displaying an availability of the user-defined excerpt of the media program.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the electronic device includes a portable electronic device with a touch screen display; and

the first input and the second input each include a gesture-based interaction with the touch screen display from the user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the displaying the availability of the user-defined excerpt comprises at least one of:

displaying the user-defined excerpt in association with the media program; and

displaying the user-defined excerpt along with a plurality of other user-defined excerpts associated with other media programs.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

prompting the user to name the user-defined excerpt after the beginning and the end of the user-defined excerpt have been defined; and

receiving a name for the user-defined excerpt in response to user input;

wherein the displaying the availability of the user-defined excerpt comprises displaying at least one of;

the name of the user-defined excerpt, and a thumbnail image of a scene from the user-defined excerpt.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

playing the user-defined excerpt in response to user request.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating the beginning of the user-defined excerpt with an X point in time of the media program; and

associating the end of the user-defined excerpt with a Y point in time of the media program, wherein Y occurs later in time than X;

wherein the playing the user-defined excerpt comprises;

playing the media program starting from the X point in time and ending at the Y point in time.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the playing the media program includes one of:

streaming the media program to the electronic device from an online database via a wireless or wired telecommunications protocol; and

playing the media program from a local computer storage of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

building a database containing a plurality of user-defined excerpts from a plurality of users; and

analyzing the database to determine a set of media viewing preferences for one or more of the users.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

performing at least one of the following actions based on the analyzing;

making media program recommendations to the one or more users; and

assisting in making media program acquisition or removal decisions for a media program library.

16. A system for managing and playing digital media, comprising:

a computer storage configured to electronically store a plurality of media programs each in a digital format; and

a user interface module installed on an electronic device located remotely from the computer storage, wherein the electronic device is configured to communicate with the computer storage via a wireless or wired telecommunications protocol, and wherein the user interface module contains computer programming instructions, that when executed, perform the following tasks;

receiving, during a playing of one of the media programs stored on the computer storage, a first input that defines a beginning of a user-defined excerpt of the media program;

receiving, during the playing of the media program, and after the beginning of the user-defined excerpt of the media program has been defined, a second input that defines an end of the user-defined excerpt of the media program;

associating the user-defined excerpt of the media program with an account of a user; and

thereafter displaying an availability of the user-defined excerpt of the media program.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the computer storage includes a plurality of computer servers of a media service provider;

the electronic device includes a portable electronic device with a touch screen display; and

the first input and the second input each include a gesture-based interaction with the touch screen display from the user.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the displaying the availability of the user-defined excerpt comprises at least one of:

displaying the user-defined excerpt in association with the media program; and

displaying the user-defined excerpt along with a plurality of other user-defined excerpts associated with other media programs.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer programming instructions are executed to further perform:

associating the beginning of the user-defined excerpt with an X point in time of the media program; and

associating the end of the user-defined excerpt with a Y point in time of the media program, wherein Y occurs later in time than X;

playing, in response to user request, the user-defined excerpt by playing the media program starting from the X point in time and ending at the Y point in time.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the system includes an analysis module that contains computer hardware encoded with software instructions that when executed, perform:

building a database containing a plurality of user-defined excerpts from a plurality of users;

analyzing the database to determine a set of media viewing preferences for one or more of the users;

making media program recommendations to the one or more users based on the analyzing; and

assisting in making media program acquisition or removal decisions for a media program library.