AUDIO BROACAST SOURCES SWITCHING BY GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

• US 20150124971A1
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Haslam, Andrew David Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,438,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/20 Arrangements for broadcast or distribution of identical information via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/47 specially adapted for stereophonic broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

The automated switching of broadcast sources of an audio content stream based on the geographic location of the physical unit that is receiving the audio content stream. For instance, while rendering a particular audio content stream from a first broadcasting source, a system may have an identity of one or more alternative possible broadcasting sources available for the same audio content stream for that relative geographic location. In response to some decision making, the system may decide to switch broadest sources for that audio content stream. Thus, the user continues to listen to the audio content stream without being subject to possible negative consequences of continuing to listen to the audio content stream as received from the original broadcast station. Data transmitted by the broadcast stations themselves need not be relied upon. Thus, the automated switching is accomplished even outside of regions in which broadcast stations transmit such data.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions thereon that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for automatically switching rendered audio from one broadcasting source to another broadcasting source, the method comprising:

an act of rendering an audio content stream received from a first broadcasting source;

an act of identifying a current geographical location;

an act of identifying one or more alternative broadcasting sources based on the current geographical location;

while still performing the act of rendering the audio content stream received from a first broadcasting source, an act of selecting a second broadcasting source that is to be switched to as a source for the audio content stream, the second broadcast source being amongst the identified one or more alternative broadcasting sources; and

an act of transitioning the act of rendering the audio content stream so that the audio content stream is received from the second broadcasting source.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, the first broadcasting source being a station of a first type selected from a group consisting of an Amplitude Modulation (AM) station, a Frequency Modulation (FM) station, a digital radio station, a satellite radio station, and an Internet radio station.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, the second broadcasting source being a station of a second type selected from a group consisting of an Amplitude Modulation (AM) station, a Frequency Modulation (FM) station, a digital radio station, a satellite radio station, and an Internet radio station.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the first type of the station of the first broadcasting source is of a different type than the second type of the station of the second broadcasting source.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the first type of the station of the first broadcasting source is of a same type that the second type of the station of the second broadcasting source.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of identifying one or more alternative broadcasting sources based on the current geographical location comprises:

an act of accessing a data source that has one or more potential broadcasting sources for each of a plurality of geographical locations.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least one of the potential broadcasting sources for at least one of the plurality of geographical locations was previously identified by a physical unit that renders the audio content stream also measuring signal quality of the at least one of the potential broadcasting sources at a time when the physical unit was at or proximate the geographical location.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 6, wherein at a potential broadcasting sources for at least one of the plurality of geographical locations was previously identified by a physical unit that renders the audio content stream also identifying that the at least one of the potential broadcasting sources was at a previous time rendering a same audio content stream as the previously identified potential broadcasting source.

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 6, wherein the data source also includes a previously-estimated signal strength for the current geographic location for at least the second broadcasting source.

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 6, wherein the data source is at least particular remotely located such that the act of identifying one or more alternative broadcasting sources is performed by remotely communicating with at least a portion of the data source.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of selecting the second broadcasting source is performed using information obtained from a remote source.

12. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of selecting a second broadcasting source that is to be switched to as a source for the audio content stream comprises:

an act of determining at least an estimated signal strength for the second broadcasting source,

wherein the act of selecting is performed at least partially as a function of the estimated signal strength for the second broadcasting source.

13. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of selecting is performed at least partially as a function of a direction of movement of a physical unit that performs the act of rendering the audio content stream.

14. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of selecting is performed at least partially as a function of a cost of using the second broadcasting source.

15. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of transitioning the act of rendering the audio content stream so that the audio content stream is received from the second broadcasting source comprises:

an act for adjusting for a difference in time delivery of the audio content stream between the first broadcasting source and the second broadcasting source.

16. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of transitioning the act of rendering the audio content stream so that the audio content stream is received from the second broadcasting source comprises:

an act for adjusting for a difference in audio characteristics of the audio content stream between the first broadcasting source and the second broadcasting source.

17. The computer program product in accordance with claim 16, wherein the act of adjusting for a difference in audio characteristics of the audio content stream between the first broadcasting source and the second broadcasting source comprises:

an act for adjusting for a difference in volume of the audio content stream between the first broadcasting source and the second broadcasting source.

18. The computer program product in accordance with claim 16, wherein the act of adjusting for a difference in audio characteristics of the audio content stream between the first broadcasting source and the second broadcasting source comprises:

an act for adjusting for a difference in audio frequency balance of the audio content stream between the first broadcasting source and the second broadcasting source.

19. A system comprising:

a signal strength processing system configured to process data received from a plurality of physical units, the received data including a geographical location of the physical unit, an identity of a broadcasting source for an audio content stream being received by the physical unit, and an estimate of signal strength of the audio content stream as received by the physical unit; and

a geography-broadcasting source correlation system configured to, for each of a plurality of geographical locations, correlate a set of one or more potential broadcasting sources with the corresponding geographic location.

20. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions thereon that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for automatically switching rendered audio from one broadcasting source to another broadcasting source, the method comprising

an act of rendering an audio content stream received from a first broadcasting source of a first type selected from a group consisting of an Amplitude Modulation (AM) station, a Frequency Modulation (FM) station, a digital radio station, a satellite radio station, and an Internet radio station;

an act of identifying a current geographical location;

an act of identifying one or more alternative broadcasting sources based on the current geographical location using a data source that has one or more potential broadcasting sources for each of a plurality of geographical locations including the current geographical location;

while still performing the act of rendering the audio content stream received from a first broadcasting source, an act of selecting a second broadcasting source that is to be switched to as a source for the audio content stream, the second broadcast source being amongst the identified one or more alternative broadcasting sources, the second broadcasting source of a second type also selected from the group consisting of an Amplitude Modulation (AM) station, a Frequency Modulation (FM) station, a digital radio station, a satellite radio station, and an Internet radio station; and

an act of transitioning the act of rendering the audio content stream so that the audio content stream is received from the second broadcasting source.