Computer jukebox and jukebox network

• US 5,781,889 A
• Filed: 01/11/1996
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Martin Automatic, Inc.
• Original Assignee: John R. Martin, Michael L. Tillery, Samuel N. Zammuto
• Inventors: Tillery, Michael L., Zammuto, Samuel N., Martin, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weinhardt, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US08/584,253
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 364/410, 364/479.04, 364/479.06, 364/479.02, 364/479.03, 395/201, 395/210, 395/615, 369/32, 235/381
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/305 for record players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

A central management system manages a plurality of computer jukeboxes and communicates compressed digital data with each jukebox via a transmission link. The management system also includes a host computer that maintains a master set of compressed digital data representing a plurality of songs, song associated graphics, and song identity information. Each jukebox includes a storage unit that is capable of storing a subset of the master set and a processing circuit having a decompression circuit. The processing circuit controls the operation and flow of digital data into and out of the jukebox through the transmission link as well as a visual song information display, user song selection keys, a money detector, and an audio reproduction circuit coupled to a speaker system so as to provide audio output to users of the jukebox.

Claims

1. An improved computer jukebox for playing songs selected by users of the computer jukebox from a library of songs that have been digitally compressed and stored in the computer jukebox, where the selectable songs stored in the computer jukebox are capable of being updated upon the receipt of compressed song digital data, which represents at least one song, as well as song identity data, which represents the identity of each such song, the computer jukebox comprising:

a communication interface for receiving the compressed song digital data and the song identity data;

computer memory storing the received compressed song data and the received song identity data for each of the songs stored;

means for displaying, to prospective users of the computer jukebox, information that identifies the songs for which song digital data is stored in the computer memory and that is based on song identity data;

means for permitting a user of the computer jukebox to select at least one song to be played on the computer jukebox from the song identity information displayed on the display means and for generating a signal representing the song selected by the user;

at least one audio speaker;

means for decompressing compressed song digital data;

a digital to analog converter coupled between the decompressing means and the audio speaker to convert song digital data to analog signal coupled to the speaker; and

means for processing and accessing song digital data, in response to a song selection signal, from the computer memory so that the accessed song digital data corresponds to the song selected by the user and for applying the accessed song digital data to the decompressing means and to the digital to analog converter so that the song selected is played on the computer jukebox as a result of the corresponding stored song digital data being decompressed and converted by the decompression means and the digital to analog converters, respectively, with the processing means also being responsive to compressed song digital data and to song identity data, which may be received by the communication interface of the computer jukebox, to control the storage of the received compressed song digital data and the received song identity data in the computer memory so as to update the library of songs stored in the computer jukebox.

2. The computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 wherein the processing means is responsive to the catalog file data to control the information displayed on the display means to represent the updated jukebox song selections;

wherein the processing means stores in the computer memory song usage data generated upon the playing of a song; and

wherein the communication interface includes means for transmitting song usage data under the control of the processing means.

3. The computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 wherein digital data received by communication interface may also includes digital data representing pictorial graphics;

and wherein the graphics digital data is compressed when received by the communication interface of the computer jukebox.

4. The computer jukebox as recited in claim 3 wherein the graphics digital data represent song associated pictorial graphics;

and wherein when no song is playing on the computer jukebox, the processing means operates the display means in a user attract mode so that a song associated graphic images, corresponding to song digital data stored in the computer memory, are displayed on the display means.

5. The computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 wherein the communication interface is a communication interface selected from a group consisting of a modem, a radio frequency receiver or a direct communication interface port;

and wherein the song identity data is also compressed when received by communication interface of the computer jukebox.

6. The computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 further including a money intake detection device, with the money intake detection device generating a money detection signal upon the receipt of money intake of a predetermined amount on behalf of the computer jukebox;

wherein the processing means is responsive to the money detector signal to update a money intake memory location in the computer memory, with the money intake memory location storing data representing the total intake of money for the computer jukebox over a period of time; and

wherein the communication interface including means for transmitting the money intake data under the control of the processing means.

7. An improved computer jukebox network comprising:

a plurality of computer jukeboxes where each of the computer jukeboxes is capable of playing songs selected by users of the computer jukebox from a library of songs that have been digitally compressed and stored in the computer jukebox and where the selectable songs on the computer jukebox are capable of being updated upon the receipt of compressed song digital data, which represents at least one song, as well as song identity data, which represents the identity of each such song; and

a management station for updating the library of songs in each of the plurality of computer jukeboxes,

with each computer jukebox including;

a communication interface for receiving compressed song digital data and song identity data;

computer memory storing the received compressed song digital data and the received song identity data for each of the songs stored;

means for displaying, to prospective users of the computer jukebox, information that identifies the songs for which song digital data is stored in the computer memory and that is based on song identity data;

means for permitting a user of the computer jukebox to select at least one song to be played on the computer jukebox from the song identity information displayed on the display means and for generating a signal representing the song selected by the user;

at least one audio speaker;

means for decompressing compressed song digital data;

a digital to analog converter coupled between the decompressing means and the audio speaker to convert song digital data to analog signal coupled to the speakers;

means for processing and for accessing song digital data, in response to a song selection signal, from the computer memory so that the accessed song digital data corresponds to the song selected by the user and for applying the accessed song digital data to the decompressing means and to the digital to analog converter so that the song selected is played on the computer jukebox as a result of the corresponding stored song digital data being decompressed and converted by the decompression means and the digital to analog converter, respectively, with the processing means also being responsive to compressed song digital data and to song identity digital data, which may be received by the communication interface of the computer jukebox, to control the storage of the received compressed song digital data and the received song identity data in the computer memory so as to update the library of songs stored in the computer jukebox; and

with the management station including;

a communication interface for receiving and transmitting compressed song digital data, song identity data and other compressed digital data; and

means for processing and controlling;

the storage of song digital data, representing a set of songs, and song identity data, representing the identity of the set of songs, in a storage unit;

the compression of song digital data; and

the transmission of a subset of compressed song digital data and song identity data for the subset to a computer jukebox to update the library of songs in the computer jukebox;

the management station being operative for selectively transmitting the song digital data and song identity data to different ones of the plurality of computer jukeboxes.

8. The jukebox network as recited in claim 7 wherein the management station is remote from the plurality of computer jukeboxes;

and wherein the communication interface of each computer jukebox provides a two way communication link between the management station and the computer jukebox.

9. The jukebox network as recited in claim 7 wherein said management station is portable;

and wherein the communication interface of the management station and a computer jukebox includes a direct communication link interface port.

10. The jukebox network recited in claim 7 wherein the processing means of each computer jukebox is responsive to the catalog file data of the computer jukebox to control the information displayed on the display means of the computer jukebox to represent the updated library of songs stored in the computer jukebox.

11. The jukebox network recited in claim 7 wherein each of the processing means of each of the computer jukeboxes stores song usage data in the computer memory of the computer jukebox generated upon the playing of a song;

wherein the communication interface of the computer jukebox includes means for transmitting the song usage data, under the control of the processing means of the computer jukebox, to the management station; and

wherein compressed digital data received by a computer jukebox communication interface from the management station may also include compressed digital data representing song associated to pictorial graphics.

12. The jukebox network as recited in claim 11 wherein the processing means of the management station processes the song usage data communicated to the management station by a computer jukebox to determine which songs should be replaced on the computer jukebox;

and wherein the song identity data is also received by the communication interface of each jukebox computer as compressed digital data.

13. The jukebox network recited in claim 7 wherein each computer jukebox further including a money intake detection device, with the money intake detection device generating a money detection signal upon the receipt of money intake of a predetermined amount on behalf of the computer jukebox;

wherein the processing means of the computer jukebox is responsive to the money detector signal to update a money intake memory location in the computer memory of the computer jukebox, with the money intake memory location storing data representing the total intake of money for the computer jukebox over a period of time; and

wherein the communication interface of the computer jukebox includes means for transmitting the money intake data to the management station.