DIGITAL JUKEBOX DEVICE WITH IMPROVED USER INTERFACES, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20150177926A1
• Filed: 12/24/2014
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TouchTunes Music Corporation (The Octave Music Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TouchTunes Music Corporation (The Octave Music Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: RIVERA, Ed, SILVERSTEIN, Zachary
• Granted Patent: US 10,564,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/023 Arrangements for display, data presentation or advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/00 Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
• 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

An improved jukebox user interface that includes standard and simplified interface screens is provided. A home screen includes control elements arranged along a first axis. At least a first one of these elements displays a search screen, at least a second one displays a curated list of songs and/or artists via a first selection screen, and at least a third one displays a curated list of curated lists of songs via a second selection screen. The home screen also includes user-selectable song objects arrangeable along a second axis generally perpendicular to the first axis; user-selectable song list objects arrangeable along a third axis generally parallel to the second axis; and a status area extending along a peripheral edge thereof. Some/all standard interface screens include the control elements of the home screen in a position that is common across all such screens, but the simplified interface screens lack them.

Claims

1. A digital jukebox device, comprising:

a display; and

processing resources including at least one processor and a memory, the processing resources being configured to control the digital jukebox device to present, in connection with the display, a user interface, the user interface including separate screens that are selectively presentable in response to user manipulations of the user interface, the screens being divided into a set of standard interface screens and a set of simplified interface screens;

wherein the user interface is programmed to enable songs to be selected and played back at a venue on a pay-for-play basis;

wherein a first one of the standard interface screens is a home screen, the home screen including;

a plurality of user-operable control elements arranged along a first axis, at least a first one of these user-operable control elements being selectable to initiate display of a search screen, at least a second one of these user-operable control elements being selectable to initiate display of a curated list of songs and/or artists via a first selection screen, and at least a third one of these user-operable control elements being selectable to initiate display of a curated list of curated lists of songs via a second selection screen;

a plurality of user-selectable song objects arrangeable along a second axis, the second axis being generally perpendicular to the first axis;

a plurality of user-selectable song list objects arrangeable along a third axis, the third axis being generally parallel to the second axis; and

a status area extending along a peripheral edge of the home screen;

wherein the search screen, first selection screen, and second selection screen correspond to different respective standard interface screens.

2. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the status area includes an indication of a song being currently played by the jukebox, as well as an indication of a number of credits available on or via the digital jukebox device.

3. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the status area is included in each screen of the user interface in a first position that is common across all of the screens.

4. The digital jukebox device of claim 3, wherein some or all of the standard interface screens include the user-operable control elements of the home screen in a second position that is common across all such screens.

5. The digital jukebox device of claim 4, wherein the simplified interface screens lack the user-operable control elements of the home screen.

6. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the simplified interface screens lack the user-operable control elements of the home screen.

7. The digital jukebox device of claim 6, wherein at least some of the simplified interface screens are usable in confirming song selection and credit subtraction operations just prior to enqueueing selected song(s) in a queue maintained by the digital jukebox device and from which songs are played.

8. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein:

only a partial subset of the plurality of user-selectable song objects are visible along the second axis at one time; and

only a partial subset of the plurality of user-selectable song list objects are visible along the third axis at one time.

9. The digital jukebox device of claim 8, wherein:

the partial subset of the plurality of user-selectable song objects that is visible is changeable in dependence on a user panning operation performed with respect to the second axis; and

the partial subset of the plurality of user-selectable song list objects that is visible is changeable in dependence on a user panning operation performed with respect to the third axis.

10. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the home screen further includes a listing of song objects representing songs that are popular across an entertainment network, this listing of song objects being provided along a fourth axis that is generally parallel to the second axis.

11. The digital jukebox device of claim 10, further comprising a network connection over which data specifying members of the listing of song objects representing songs that are popular across the entertainment network is electronically retrievable.

12. The digital jukebox device of claim 10, wherein the fourth axis is made visible on the home screen only if at least one of the second and third axes is made invisible.

13. The digital jukebox device of claim 10, wherein the fourth axis is made visible on the home screen only after a user panning operation performed along a direction generally perpendicular to the second axis.

14. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the home screen further includes a generally linear arrangement of icons that respectively represent user-activatable services provided by the digital jukebox device, at least some of the services being not directly music related.

15. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein:

the first selection screen includes the plurality of user-operable control elements and the curated list of songs and/or artists; and

the curated list of songs and/or artists is displayable in the first selection screen in a user-specifiable format, the user-specifiable format being one of a tile format and a list format.

16. The digital jukebox device of claim 15, wherein the curated list of songs and/or artists is displayable in the first selection screen in a user-specifiable order, the user-specifiable order being one of an alphabetical order and a popularity order.

17. The digital jukebox device of claim 15, wherein the second selection screen includes a plurality of user-selectable options that down-select the curated list of curated lists of songs in accordance with a visually cue.

18. The digital jukebox device of claim 17, wherein user-selectable options are provided for down-selecting based on collection of promoted songs, genre, and predefined playlist.

19. The digital jukebox device of claim 17, wherein the second selection screen is programmed to initiate display of a modified version of the first selection screen in response to user selection of one of curated lists of songs displayed therein, the modified version of the first selection screen including only those song and/or artist options associated with the selected curated list.

20. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein:

the second selection screen includes a plurality of user-selectable options that down-select the curated list of curated lists of songs in accordance with a visually cue; and

wherein the second selection screen is programmed to initiate display of a modified version of the first selection screen in response to user selection of one of curated lists of songs displayed therein, the modified version of the first selection screen including only those song and/or artist options associated with the selected curated list.