Method and apparatus for customized selection of audio channels

• US 6,553,077 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: XM Satellite Radio Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Malinsky, Jeffrey, Marko, Paul, Rindsberg, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHU, PHUONG M
• Application Number:
  US09/918,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20030026344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 375/260, 375/316, 375/138, 375/343, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/3.02, 455/3.03, 455/3.04, 455/45, 725/48, 725/49, 725/56, 725/61, 725/37, 725/39
• US Class Current: 375/260
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/20 Radio receiver with possibility to choose a station with a certain program style
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 for digital sound signals

Abstract

A method (700) of customizing the selection of channels among a plurality of channels includes the steps of receiving (702) a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels and decoding (704) a selected channel among the plurality of channels. The method further comprises the steps of selectively tagging (706) a desired type of content on the selected channel, analyzing (708) a broadcast information channel and/or an Electronic Program Guide for an indication of content of the desired type among the plurality of channels, and alerting (710) a user of a desired channel containing the indication.

Claims

1. A method of customizing the selection of channels among a plurality channels, comprising the steps of:

receiving a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels, wherein the digitally encoded bit stream contains descriptors representative of the content on at least a portion of the plurality of channels;

decoding a selected channel among the plurality of channels;

selectively tagging a desired type of content associated with descriptors on the selected channel;

analyzing a broadcast information channel or an Electronic Program Guide for an indication of content of the desired type among the plurality of channels; and

alerting a user of a desired channel containing the indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of tagging further comprises the step of storing descriptors representative of the content on the selected channel in a memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises the step of comparing descriptors of content for at least a portion of the plurality of channels in the broadcast information channel with the descriptor stored in memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of alerting further comprises the step of displaying a channel number corresponding to the desired channel containing the indication in real time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of alerting further comprises the step of audibly alerting a user as a prompt to enter an input to selectively obtain the desired channel in real time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of desired content comprises descriptors selected from the group comprising song title, artist, composer, lyricist, label, album name, genre, sub-genre, length, lyric keywords or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitally encoded bit stream is a satellite digital audio radio signal containing the plurality of channels received on a single tuner.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selectively tagging comprises the step of storing a descriptor selected among a group of descriptors comprising a desired artist or a song in a channel reference table and/or an Electronic Program Guide in a memory or other media within a satellite digital audio radio receiver unit and the step of analyzing further comprises comparing the descriptor with descriptors in a broadcast information channel for an indication of content of the desired type among the plurality of channels, wherein the broadcast information channel is updated frequently to provide the user with up-to-date information about the plurality of channels.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of selecting the desired channel by a single user input.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of alerting comprises the step of automatically selecting the desired channel without any user input.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the single user input is a single button press.

12. A method of customized intelligent selection of audio channels among a plurality of channels broadcast over the air, comprising the steps of:

receiving a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of channels contains content and associated index information;

selectively decoding at least a portion of the plurality of channels;

selectively storing descriptors in a memory corresponding to the portion of the plurality channels containing desired content;

comparing the selectively stored descriptors with the associated index information;

alerting a user of potential desired content if at least a portion of the selectively stored descriptors matches the associated index information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the associated channel information is updated frequently in a satellite digital audio radio signal broadcast.

14. A device for receiving and possibly storing for later playback, digital audio radio signals and intelligently selecting channels containing user desired content, comprises:

a receiver for receiving a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air having a plurality of channels, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of channels contains content and associated channel information;

a decoder for selectively decoding at least a portion of the plurality of channels and the associated channel information;

a user input for enabling a user to selectively store descriptors associated with user desired content on at least one of the plurality of channels into a memory; and

a processor programmed to compare the selectively stored descriptors with the associated channel information and further programmed to alert a user of user desired content if at least a portion of the selectively stored descriptors matches the associated channel information.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the content in the plurality of communication resources is selected from the group comprising music, talk shows, news shows, weather information, traffic information, transportation scheduling information, stock information, or sports information and the descriptors is selected from the group comprising of song title, artist, composer, lyricist, label, album name, genre, sub-genre, length, lyric keywords or any combination thereof.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the associated index information is broadcast on a separate broadcast information channel that is transmitted and updated frequently to provide the user with up-to-date information about the plurality of channels.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the associated index information is broadcast on an Electronic Program Guide that is transmitted and updated frequently to provide the user with up-to-date information about the plurality of channels.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the associated index is stored in a second memory containing a channel reference table and/or information from an Electronic Program Guide having descriptors with at least artist names or song titles and wherein the processor is programmed to compare the second memory with the memory containing descriptors associated with user desired content.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the device further comprises a radio frequency to audio converter module coupled to an audio output device to access the desired content among the plurality of channels in real time.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the user input comprises a single button for selecting the channel containing the desired content.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the desired channel is automatically selected without any user input.