Play list generation device, audio information provision device, audio information provision system, method, program and recording medium

• US 6,605,770 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tagawa, Junichi, Misaki, Masayuki, Yamane, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon T.
• Application Number:
  US10/102,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20020134220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00--02, 846/09--13, 846/15--18, 846/49--56
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• 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

Abstract

A play list generation device for generating a play list of a set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by are production device is provided. The play list generation device includes a condition input section for receiving a condition regarding a target; a transfer information stream acquisition section for acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target based on the condition; and a play list generation section for selecting, from a first plurality of audio information streams stored in a database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the set of audio information streams.

Claims

1. A play list generation device for generating a play list of a first set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by a reproduction device, the play list generation device comprising:

a first database storing a first plurality of audio information streams;

a condition input section for receiving a condition of a target to which the first set of audio information streams reproduced by the reproduction device are to be provided;

a transfer information stream acquisition section for acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target by reproduction of a second set of audio information streams in a prescribed order based on the condition; and

a play list generation section for selecting, from the first plurality of audio information streams stored in the first database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the first set of audio information streams.

2. A play list generation device according to claim 1, wherein:

the condition input section includes an audio information stream number input section for receiving a number of audio information streams to be included in the play list, and

the play list generation section selects a number of audio information streams equal to the received number of audio information streams, based on a plurality of impressions representing at least a part of the transfer of impressions.

3. A play list generation device according to claim 1, wherein:

the condition input section includes a time input section for receiving a reproduction time period of the play list, and

the play list generation section selects the second plurality of audio information streams so that a total reproduction time period of the play list is equal to or less than the received reproduction period, based on a plurality of impressions representing at least a part of the transfer of impressions.

4. A play list generation device according to claim 1, wherein:

the condition input section includes an image input section for receiving an image of the play list, and

the transfer information stream acquisition section stores a plurality of transfer information streams, and selects a transfer information stream corresponding to the image.

5. A play list generation device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first database stores a plurality of related information streams respectively corresponding to the first plurality of audio information streams stored in the first database,

the plurality of related information streams each have a coordinate value representing a position of the corresponding audio information stream in a prescribed coordinate system defining impressions of audio information streams,

the transfer information stream represents a plurality of coordinate values in the prescribed coordinate system, and

the play list generation section selects an audio information stream to be added to the play list, from at least one audio information stream corresponding to at least one related information stream having a coordinate value within a prescribed range from a reference coordinate value which is obtained based on the plurality of coordinate values, based on a distance between the coordinate value included in the at least one related information stream and the reference coordinate value.

6. A play list generation device according to claim 5, wherein:

the condition input section includes a selection method input section for receiving a selection method of an audio information stream, and

the play list generation section includes an evaluation expression generation section for generating an evaluation expression based on the selection system, and selects an audio information stream to be added to the play list from the at least one audio information stream, further based on the generated evaluation expression.

7. A play list generation device according to claim 5, wherein:

the condition input section includes a satisfaction degree input section for receiving satisfaction degree information which represents a satisfaction degree of the target presented by the selected audio information stream,

the play list generation device further includes a second database which stores time information representing a time when an audio information stream is provided to the target and the satisfaction degree information, and

the play list generation section selects an audio information stream to be added to the play list from the at least one audio information stream, further based on at least one of the time information and the satisfaction degree information.

8. A play list generation device according to claim 7, wherein the satisfaction degree information further represents the condition of the target and the time when the satisfaction degree is input.

9. A play list generation device according to claim 1, further comprising an impression determination section for externally receiving an audio information stream and determining an impression of the received audio information stream based on a musical feature of the received audio information stream,

wherein the first database stores the received audio information stream as well as a reproduction time period of the received audio information stream and the determined impression.

10. An audio information provision apparatus, comprising:

a play list generation device according to claim 1;

a reproduction device for reproducing audio information streams selected by the play list generation device.

11. A play list generation method for generating a play list of a first set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by a reproduction device, the play list generation method comprising the steps of:

receiving a condition of a target to which the first set of audio information streams reproduced by the reproduction device are to be provided;

acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target by reproduction of a second set of audio information streams in a prescribed order based on the condition; and

selecting, from a first plurality of audio information streams stored in a first database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the first set of audio information streams.

12. A play list generation method according to claim 11, wherein:

the step of receiving the condition includes the step of receiving a number of audio information streams to be included in the play list, and

the step of generating the play list includes the step of selecting a number of audio information streams equal to the received number of audio information streams, based on a plurality of impressions representing at least a part of the transfer of impressions.

13. A play list generation method according to claim 11, wherein:

the step of receiving the condition includes the step of receiving a reproduction time period of the play list, and

the step of generating the play list includes the step of selecting the second plurality of audio information streams so that a total reproduction time period of the play list is equal to or less than the received reproduction period, based on a plurality of impressions representing at least a part of the transfer of impressions.

14. A play list generation method according to claim 11, wherein:

the step of receiving the condition includes the step of receiving an image of the play list, and

the step of acquiring the transfer information stream includes the step of selecting a transfer information stream corresponding to the image.

15. A play list generation method according to claim 11, wherein:

the first database stores a plurality of related information streams respectively corresponding to the first plurality of audio information streams stored in the first database,

the plurality of related information streams each have a coordinate value representing a position of the corresponding audio information stream in a prescribed coordinate system defining impressions of audio information streams,

the transfer information stream represents a plurality of coordinate values in the prescribed coordinate system, and

the step of generating the play list includes the step of selecting an audio information stream to be added to the play list, from at least one audio information stream corresponding to at least one related information stream having a coordinate value within a prescribed range from a reference coordinate value which is obtained based on the plurality of coordinate values, based on a distance between the coordinate value included in the at least one related information stream and the reference coordinate value.

16. A play list generation method according to claim 15, wherein:

the step of receiving the condition includes the step of receiving a selection method of an audio information stream,

the step of generating the play list includes the step of generating an evaluation expression based on the selection system, and

the step of selecting an audio information stream to be added to the play list selects the audio information stream further based on the generated evaluation expression.

17. A play list generation method according to claim 15, wherein:

the step of receiving the condition includes the step of receiving satisfaction degree information which represents a satisfaction degree of the target presented by the selected audio information stream,

the play list generation method further includes the step of storing time information representing a time when an audio information stream is provided to the target and the satisfaction degree information, and

the step of selecting an audio information stream to be added to the play list selects the audio information stream further based on at least one of the time information and the satisfaction degree information.

18. A play list generation method according to claim 17, wherein the satisfaction degree information further represents the condition of the target and the time when the satisfaction degree is input.

19. A play list generation method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

externally receiving an audio information stream and determining an impression of the received audio information stream based on a musical feature of the received audio information stream, and

storing the received audio information stream as well as a reproduction time period of the received audio information stream and the determined impression.

20. A play list generation method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of reproducing the first set of audio information streams.

21. A program for causing a computer to execute generation processing of a play list of a first set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by a reproduction device, wherein the generation processing includes the steps of:

receiving a condition of a target to which the first set of audio information streams reproduced by the reproduction device are to be provided;

acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target by reproduction of a second set of audio information streams in a prescribed order based on the condition; and

selecting, from a first plurality of audio information streams stored in a database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the first set of audio information streams.

22. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute generation processing of a play list of a first set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by a reproduction device, wherein the generation processing includes the steps of:

receiving a condition of a target to which the first set of audio information streams reproduced by the reproduction device are to be provided;

acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target by reproduction of a second set of audio information streams in a prescribed order based on the condition; and

selecting, from a first plurality of audio information streams stored in a database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the first set of audio information streams.

23. An audio information provision system, comprising:

a server for generating a play list of a first set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by a reproduction device; and

a terminal connected to the server via a network,

wherein;

the terminal includes a condition input section for receiving a condition of a target to which the first set of audio information streams reproduced by the reproduction device are to be provided,

the server includes;

a database storing a plurality of audio information streams,

a transfer information stream acquisition section for acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target by reproduction of a second set of audio information streams in a prescribed order based on the condition,

a play list generation section for generating a play list for selecting, from the first plurality of audio information streams stored in the database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the first set of audio information streams, and

an output section for outputting the generated play list, and

the terminal includes;

a storage section for storing the play list received from the server, and

the reproduction device for reproducing the first set of audio information streams.