Multimedia content delivery system and method

• US 6,248,946 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2000
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Norman Dwek
• Original Assignee: Ijockey, Inc.
• Inventors: Dwek, Norman Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US09/516,768
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 846/09--14, 846/34--38, 844/77.R, 844/78, 84D/IG.6, 434/307.A
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/637 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialization, adaptation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/091 Info, i.e. juxtaposition of unrelated auxiliary information or commercial messages with or between music files metadata G10H2240/075
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/06 Cathode-ray tube

Abstract

A system and method for delivering multimedia content to computers over a computer network, such as the Internet, includes a novel media player which may be downloaded onto a user'"'"'s personal computer. The media player includes a user interface which allows a listener to search an online database of media selections and build a custom playlist of exactly the music selections desired by the listener. The multimedia content delivery system delivers advertisements which remain visible on a user'"'"'s computer display screen at all times when the application is open, for example, while music selections are being delivered to the user. The advertisements are displayed in a window which always remains on a topmost level of windows on the user'"'"'s computer display screen, even if the user is executing one or more other programs with the computer.

Claims

1. A multimedia content delivery system for delivering multimedia content across a computer network to a user computer having a display screen, audio processing components, and an operating system supporting graphical user interfaces, the system comprising:

on online music library, comprising,

a song file server for storing song files, and

an online database of the song files; and

a music player resident on the user computer for accessing the online database via the computer network and selecting therefrom selected song files to be delivered across the computer network to the user computer,

wherein said music player includes a user interface displaying an advertisement on a topmost level of windows on the display screen at all times even when other computer programs are being executed by the user computer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the online music library further comprises a translation/streaming server receiving the selected song files from the song file server and communicating the selected song files across the computer network to the user computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer network is the Internet, and wherein the music player further comprises:

an Internet interface for establishing an Internet connection between the user computer and the translation/streaming server;

a streaming music interface receiving the selected song files via the Internet; and

an audio interface for providing the selected song files to the audio processing components of the user computer to be played by the audio processing components of the user computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises:

an interactive window comprising a plurality of user interface panes; and

a plurality of handles each associated with a corresponding one of the user interface panes for opening and minimizing the corresponding user interface panes.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a close box for closing all of the user interface panes.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the interactive window comprises:

a search pane for a user to search the online database;

a library pane for providing a hierarchical view of the song files in the database;

a playlist pane for providing a list of song file playlists to the user; and

a channels pane providing a list of preprogrammed channels available through the online music library.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user interface further comprises a horizontal scroll bar which is displayed to a user when a width of open user interface panes exceeds a width of the display screen and which is not displayed to a user when the width of open user interface panes is less than the width of the display screen.

8. A method of delivering music to a user via a personal computer having a display screen and audio processing components, the method comprising:

displaying an advertisement on a topmost level of windows on the display screen at all times even when other computer programs are being executed by the personal computer;

providing an online music database of music selections;

displaying contents of the online music database to the listener via the display screen;

receiving from the user a list of selected music selections in the online music database; and

delivering the selected music selections to the personal computer.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising playing the selected music selections through the audio processing components.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising delivering to the personal computer lyrics for the selected music selections.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing a playlist comprising the list of selected music selections.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving from the user a scheduled playtime for the selected music selections, and wherein the selected music selections are delivered to the personal computer at the scheduled playtime.

13. A music player for a computer having a display screen, audio processing components, and an operating system supporting graphical user interfaces, the music player comprising:

an Internet interface for establishing an Internet connection between the computer and an online music library;

a streaming music interface for receiving a song file from the online music library via the Internet;

an audio interface for providing the song file to the audio processing components of the computer to be played by the audio processing components of the computer; and

a user interface for user interaction with the music player, said user interface comprising,

an advertisement component for displaying an advertisement on the display screen, and

a display program for automatically setting said advertisement component to displayed in a topmost level of windows on the display screen at all times even when other computer programs are being executed by the computer.

14. The music player of claim 13, wherein the advertisement component comprises a floating window.

15. The music player of claim 13, wherein the advertisement component comprises a player toolbar.

16. The music player of claim 15, wherein the player toolbar comprises:

a player control pane including player controls for the song file being played by the music player; and

an advertisement pane for displaying the advertisement.

17. The music player of claim 13, wherein the song file received by the streaming music interface is a compressed song file, and wherein the music player further comprises a decompressor for decompressing the compressed song file.

18. The music player of claim 13, wherein the user interface further comprises:

an interactive window comprising a plurality of user interface panes; and

a plurality of handles each associated with a corresponding one of the user interface panes for opening and minimizing the corresponding user interface panes.

19. The music player of claim 18, wherein the interactive window comprises:

a search pane for a user to search an online database of song files in the online music library;

a library pane for providing a hierarchical view of the song files in the online database;

a playlist pane for providing a list of playlists to the user; and

a channels pane providing a list of pre-programmed channels available from the online music library.

20. The music player of claim 13, wherein the user interface further comprises a scrolling window for displaying lyrics corresponding to a song file being played by the music player.