Auto-Station Tuning

• US 20140344692A1
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bull, William E., Rottler, Benjamin A.
• Application Number:
  US14/454,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20140344692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

In various embodiments, a media player or portable media device can enable a user to navigate and discover content or other media assets. The media player may analyze broadcasts and other content streams to determine currently playing and forthcoming content. The media player may switch from one source of content to another to find content that matches user preferences or criteria. The media player may generate playlists based on the matching content, and switch between sources of the matching content automatically. In some embodiments, the media player may receive user input to browse content using a navigation stream. Content associated with stations within the navigation stream may be output. As if the user were tuning a radio dial, the media player may determine what content to played back for each station. The media player may procure content and generate playlists to represent each station focus on by the user.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for browsing and playback of content using a media player, the method comprising:

receiving a navigation stream having a plurality of stations;

receiving input for navigating from a first station in the plurality of stations to a second station in the plurality of stations;

determining content associated with the second station based on the input; and

outputting the content associated with the second station.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein determining content associated with the second station based on the input comprises identifying, based on the navigation stream, a sample taken from one or more media assets to represent the second station.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein determining content associated with the second station based on the input comprises:

determining information associated with the second station based on the navigation stream; and

determining the content based on information associated with the second station.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein receiving the input comprises receiving the input from a user interacting with the media player through a set of circular motions to switch between stations in the plurality of stations associated with the navigation stream.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

identifying the content associated with the second station as the focus of the user; and

in response to identifying the content associated with the second station as the focus of the user, determining additional content to represent the second station.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising synchronizing output of the content associated with the second station at the media player with output of the additional content.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein synchronizing output of the content associated with the second station at the media player with output of the additional content comprises synchronizing playback of a sample representing the second station within playback of content from which the sample was taken.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein determining additional content to represent the second station comprises:

determining information associated with the second station; and

determining the additional content based on the information.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the information comprises one or more of content type, content attributes, title information, artist information, album information genre information, category information, encoding information, or rating information.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising generating a playlist based on the additional content.

36. The method of claim 26, further comprising generating the navigation stream at the media player based on content stored on the media player.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

generating samples taken from the content stored on the media player; and

wherein generating the navigation stream comprise generating the navigation stream based on the samples taken from the content, each station in the plurality of stations represented by one or more of the samples.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

determining information associated with the content stored on the media player; and

wherein generating the navigation stream comprise generating the navigation stream based on the information.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a navigation stream having a plurality of stations;

receiving input for navigating from a first station in the plurality of stations to a second station in the plurality of stations;

determining content associated with the second station based on the input; and

outputting the content associated with the second station.

40. The medium of claim 39, wherein determining content associated with the second station based on the input comprises identifying, based on the navigation stream, a sample taken from one or more media assets to represent the second station.

41. The medium of claim 39, wherein determining content associated with the second station based on the input comprises:

determining information associated with the second station based on the navigation stream; and

determining the content based on information associated with the second station.

42. The medium of claim 39, wherein receiving the input comprises receiving the input from a user interacting with the media player through a set of circular motions to switch between stations in the plurality of stations associated with the navigation stream.

43. The medium of claim 39, the operations further comprising:

identifying the content associated with the second station as the focus of the user; and

in response to identifying the content associated with the second station as the focus of the user, determining additional content to represent the second station.

44. The medium of claim 43, further comprising synchronizing output of the content associated with the second station at the media player with output of the additional content.

45. The medium of claim 44, wherein synchronizing output of the content associated with the second station at the media player with output of the additional content comprises synchronizing playback of a sample representing the second station within playback of content from which the sample was taken.

46. The medium of claim 43, wherein determining additional content to represent the second station comprises:

determining information associated with the second station; and

determining the additional content based on the information.

47. The medium of claim 46, wherein the information comprises one or more of content type, content attributes, title information, artist information, album information genre information, category information, encoding information, or rating information.

48. The medium of claim 46, the operations further comprising generating a playlist based on the additional content.

49. The medium of claim 39, the operations further comprising generating the navigation stream at the media player based on content stored on the media player.

50. The medium of claim 49, the operations further comprising:

generating samples taken from the content stored on the media player; and

wherein generating the navigation stream comprise generating the navigation stream based on the samples taken from the content, each station in the plurality of stations represented by one or more of the samples.

51. The medium of claim 49, the operations further comprising:

determining information associated with the content stored on the media player; and

wherein generating the navigation stream comprise generating the navigation stream based on the information.

52. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a navigation stream having a plurality of stations;

receiving input for navigating from a first station in the plurality of stations to a second station in the plurality of stations;

determining content associated with the second station based on the input; and

outputting the content associated with the second station.

53. The medium of claim 52, wherein determining content associated with the second station based on the input comprises identifying, based on the navigation stream, a sample taken from one or more media assets to represent the second station.

54. The medium of claim 52, wherein determining content associated with the second station based on the input comprises:

determining information associated with the second station based on the navigation stream; and

determining the content based on information associated with the second station.

55. The medium of claim 52, wherein receiving the input comprises receiving the input from a user interacting with the media player through a set of circular motions to switch between stations in the plurality of stations associated with the navigation stream.

56. The medium of claim 52, the operations further comprising:

identifying the content associated with the second station as the focus of the user; and

in response to identifying the content associated with the second station as the focus of the user, determining additional content to represent the second station.

57. The medium of claim 56, further comprising synchronizing output of the content associated with the second station at the media player with output of the additional content.

58. The medium of claim 57, wherein synchronizing output of the content associated with the second station at the media player with output of the additional content comprises synchronizing playback of a sample representing the second station within playback of content from which the sample was taken.

59. The medium of claim 56, wherein determining additional content to represent the second station comprises:

determining information associated with the second station; and

determining the additional content based on the information.

60. The medium of claim 59, wherein the information comprises one or more of content type, content attributes, title information, artist information, album information genre information, category information, encoding information, or rating information.

61. The medium of claim 59, the operations further comprising generating a playlist based on the additional content.

62. The medium of claim 52, the operations further comprising generating the navigation stream at the media player based on content stored on the media player.

63. The medium of claim 62, the operations further comprising:

generating samples taken from the content stored on the media player; and

wherein generating the navigation stream comprise generating the navigation stream based on the samples taken from the content, each station in the plurality of stations represented by one or more of the samples.

64. The medium of claim 62, the operations further comprising:

determining information associated with the content stored on the media player; and

wherein generating the navigation stream comprise generating the navigation stream based on the information.