INTERNET RADIO AND BROADCAST METHOD PERSONALIZED BY GENRE

• US 20150106321A1
• 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 9,436,962 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 of providing a personalized Internet radio station, comprising:

receiving, in at least one server computer, musical preference information for a user;

determining at least one musical genre from the musical preference information;

generating an individual song playlist for the user based on the at least one musical genre; and

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

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

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one musical genre is inferred from the user musical preference information.

4. The method claim 1, further wherein determining the at least one musical genre from the musical preference information comprises inferring the at least one musical genre from a selection of user song ratings.

5. The method claim 1, further wherein determining the at least one musical genre from the musical preference information comprises inferring the at least one musical genre from a selection of user artist ratings.

6. The method of claim 1, further wherein determining the at least one musical genre from the musical preference information comprises inferring the at least one musical genre from a selection of Internet radio stations that the user subscribes to.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an individual song playlist for the user based on a mood.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one musical genre further comprises analyzing song ratings of the user and inferring a musical genre preference from the song ratings.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one server computer comprises at least one of a streaming server, a central server, a media server, and a HTTP server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a selection of at least one musical genre via a user interface;

generating an individual song playlist for the user based on the selected at least one musical genre; and

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

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface for the user to enter the at least one musical genre as the musical preference information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user interface is configured for a user to enter the at least one genre and at least one other musical preference and wherein generating the individual song playlist is based on the combination of the selected at least one musical genre and at least one other musical preference.

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

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

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one other musical preference comprises a song preference.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one other musical preference comprises a selection of Internet radio stations, wherein attributes of the selected Internet radio stations influence generation of the song playlist.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one other musical preference comprises a mood preference.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the user interface includes a song rating interface for the user to rate songs and the generating of the individual song playlist is adjusted based on song ratings of the user.

19. A method of providing an Internet radio service, including:

generating, via at least one server computer, a song playlist based on at least one musical genre preference of a user and song ratings of a user; and

providing, via the at least one sever computer, access to songs of the song playlist to a computing device of the user.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising transmitting songs of to the song playlist to the computing device of the user.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing access to a media file library to access songs for the song playlist.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising inferring the at least one musical genre preference from at least one other musical preference of the user.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing a user interface for the user to enter the at least one musical genre preference.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising associating a mood ID with a user profile and generating a song playlist based on the corresponding mood ID.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one server computer comprises at least one of a streaming server, a media server, a central server, and a HTTP server.

26. 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 genre preference and song ratings 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.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a user interface for the user to enter at least one musical preference, wherein a genre preference is inferred from the at least one musical preference.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the user interface includes a song ratings interface, wherein the genre preference is inferred from song ratings of the user.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the computing device accesses the Internet radio service via a wireless communication link.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the computing device accesses media files for individual songs of the song playlist from a media file library.