INTERNET RADIO AND BROADCAST METHOD PERSONALIZED BY RATINGS FEEDBACK

• US 20150106320A1
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pandora Media LLC (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pandora Media Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: BOULTER, Jeffrey R., BEAUPRE, Todd M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,424,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 : for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 : the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/87 : accessed over computer networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/88 : which are wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 : Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 : involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 : OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 : for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 : for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 : using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

Data streams are generally selected according to user preferences and transmitted to the user in general alignment with expressed preferences of the user. Such data streams may be music, including music videos. Users may indicate their general or specific preferences with regards to song, artists, or albums. Any other aspects or factors that might affect the user'"'"'s preferences can be taken into account. A playlist is created that combines all of these factors. The playlist then serves as the basis for feeding the data streams to the user. Each user is able to express his or her own preferences and receive music corresponding to those preferences on an on-going basis.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a song playlist created for a personalized internet radio station for broadcast via a computer network to a client computing device of a user, the song playlist corresponding to a sequence of songs chosen from a song database based on at least one musical preference of the user and song ratings of the user;

providing access to songs of the song playlist to the client computing device of the user via at least one server computer;

receiving, in the at the least one server computer, song ratings from the client computing device of the user; and

adapting the generation of the song playlist to exclude from further play each song that the user has requested to never be played again.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises a musical genre.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises an album rating.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises an artist rating.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface for the user to request that individual songs never be played again.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one server computer is selected from the group consisting of a central server, a streaming server, and a HTTP server, and a media server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the song ratings include at least a first option to like a song and a second option to dislike a song.

8. The method of claim 7, where the second option to dislike a song is interpreted as a request to never play the song again.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to songs of the song playlist comprises transmitting a data stream to a player of the client computing device of the user to provide access to songs of the song playlist.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitted data stream includes songs of the song playlist.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein access to songs of the song playlist is provided by providing access to a media file library to obtain songs of the song playlist.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, in at least one server computer, at least one musical preference from a user and in response generating an individualized song playlist created for a personalized Internet radio station for broadcast via a computer network to a client device of the user;

receiving song ratings from the user;

receiving requests from the user to never play again at least one song of the song playlist;

adapting the generation of the song playlist to exclude from further play each song that the user has requested to be never by played again; and

adapting the generation of the song playlist based on the received song ratings.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises a musical genre.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises an album rating.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises an artist rating.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the song ratings includes at least a first option to like a song and a second option to dislike a song.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second option to dislike song is interpreted as a request to never play the song again.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a computing device including a computer, a display, and at least one communication interface to connect to a computer network; and

a player application to play songs of a song playlist on the computing device, including;

at least one user interface for a user to input at least one musical preference for an Internet radio service to create a song playlist for a personalized Internet radio station, wherein access to songs of the song playlist is provided to the computing device;

at least one user interface for a user to rate songs of the song playlist, the ratings being provided to the Internet radio service to customize the generation of songs of the song playlist based on the at least one musical preference and the song ratings; and

at least one user interface for the user to select that a song of the song playlist never be played again.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 in combination with a media file library, wherein the computing device accesses songs of the song playlist from the media file library.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one communication interface comprises a wireless communication link.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises a musical genre.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises an album rating.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises an artist rating.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further the player application further comprises a user interface providing at least a first option to like a song and a second option to dislike a song.

25. A method, comprising:

generating a song playlist for a client device of a user based on at least one musical preference of the user;

providing, by at least one server computer, access to songs of the song playlist to a client device of the user;

receiving song ratings from the user and in response adapting the generation of the song playlist based on the received song ratings;

receiving a request from the client device to never play again a song;

adapting the generation of the song playlist to exclude from further play the song that the user has requested to never be played again.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising providing a user interface for the user to rate songs and request that individuals songs never be played again.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises a musical genre preference.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one musical preference comprises a musical artist preference.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one server computer comprises at least one of a media server, a streaming server, a central server, and a HTTP server.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the client device comprises at least one of a player and a computing device.