System and method for selecting internet media channels

• US 6,865,600 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Moon Glow, Series 82 of Allied Security Trust I (Allied Security Trust)
• Original Assignee: Napster Incorporated (MelodyVR Group Plc)
• Inventors: Labio, Wilburt J., Doan, Son N., Le, Phong H., Barram, Diane E., Brydon, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/573,686
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/223, 709/224, 709/219, 709/203, 709/226, 709/231, 725/45, 725/46
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method provide for selecting Internet media channels. Generally speaking, the selection involves choosing target channels based on user preferences. In one example embodiment, the system and method receive a user preference relating to a data item available from at least one of a plurality of media providers, augment the user preference with at least one additional preference that is related to the user preference, and select one or more media providers from the plurality of media providers, wherein the selection is based on the frequency with which the selected media provider provides the user preference or the augmenting additional preference.

Claims

1. A method of selecting digital media providers based on a user preference, the method comprising:

a. receiving a user preference relating to a data item played by at least one of a plurality of digital media providers, wherein the user preference is received through a computer system;

b. augmenting said user preference with one or more additional preferences, thereby producing an augmented preference, wherein the one or more additional preferences is related to the user preference; and

c. selecting one or more digital media providers from the plurality of digital media providers, wherein the selection is based on a frequency with which the selected internet media provider plays the augmented preference.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising assigning a first weight to the user preference.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising assigning a second weight to the one or more additional preferences.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the user preference is selected from a group consisting of a song name, an artist name, a genre, an era and a tempo.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the one or more additional preferences is selected from a group consisting of a song name, an artist name, a genre, an era and a tempo which is associated with the user preference.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the user preference is one or more objective properties.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the one or more additional preferences is an objective property.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the one or more additional preferences is stored in an objective database.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising maintaining a channel database for storing a plurality of programming characteristics played by the plurality of digital media providers.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising updating the channel base when new data pertaining to each of the plurality of digital media providers is available.

11. A system for selecting an internet target channel comprising:

a. means for receiving one or more user preferences;

b. means for augmenting the one or more user preferences with one or more additional preferences, wherein the one or more additional preferences are related to at least one of the one or more user preferences; and

c. means for selecting one or more internet target channels from a plurality of internet target channels accessible via a network, wherein the one or more internet target channels are selected based on a frequency with which the one or more selected internet target channels play the one or more user preferences or the one or more additional preferences.

12. The system according to claim 11 further comprising means for outputting the one or more selected target channels.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the frequency in which the one or more selected internet target channels play the one or more user preferences or the one or more additional preferences is determined from a channel database that stores one or more playlists collected from the one or more selected internet target channels.

14. The system according to claim 11 further comprising means for collecting a playlist from the plurality of internet media providers, wherein the playlist includes the programming characteristics.

15. The system according to claim 14 further comprising means for calculating a channel score for each internet media provider, wherein the channel score is calculated by accumulating the frequency for each of the preferences in the augmented additional preference that appear in each playlist.

16. The system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more user preferences includes one or more first properties, further wherein the one or more first properties are weighted by a predetermined value.

17. The system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more additional preferences include one or more second properties, further wherein the one or more second properties are weighted by a predetermined value.

18. The system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more user preferences is selected from a group consisting of a song name, an artist name, a genre, an era and a tempo.

19. The system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more additional preferences is selected from a group consisting of a song name, an artist name, a genre, an era and a tempo which is associated with the one or more user preferences.

20. The system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more user preferences is an objective property.

21. The system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more additional preferences is an objective property.

22. The system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more additional preferences is stored in an objective database.

23. The system according to claim 11 further comprising a channel database for storing programming characteristics data for each of the plurality of internet media channels.

24. The system according to claim 23 wherein the channel database contains a playlist collected from each of the plurality of internet media channels.

25. The system according to claim 23 further comprising means for updating the channel base when new data pertaining to each of the plurality of internet media channels is available.

26. A system for selecting an internet media provider based on a data item provided by a user, the system comprising:

a. a plurality of internet media providers for providing media to the user, wherein the plurality of internet media providers are accessed over a network; and

b. a channel pointer configured to access the network, the channel pointer for receiving a first data item, wherein the channel pointer incorporates one or more second data items having a user defined relationship with the first data item to form a set of augmented user preferences, further wherein the channel pointer selects one or more internet media providers from the plurality of internet media providers which play any of the data items and second data items in the set based on a user-defined frequency.

27. The system according to claim 26 further comprising means for outputting the one or more selected internet media providers.

28. The system according to claim 26 wherein the first data item includes one or more first properties, further wherein the one or more first properties are weighted by a predetermined value.

29. The system according to claim 26 wherein the one or more second data items include one or more second properties, further wherein the one or more second properties are weighted by a predetermined value.

30. The system according to claim 26 wherein the first data item is selected from a group consisting of a song name, an artist name, a genre, an era and a tempo.

31. The system according to claim 26 wherein the one or more second data items incorporated is selected from a group consisting of a song name, an artist name, a genre, an era and a tempo associated with the first data item.

32. The system according to claim 26 wherein the first data item is one or more objective properties.

33. The system according to claim 26 wherein the one or more second data items are stored in an objective database.

34. The system according to claim 26 further comprising a channel database for storing programming characteristics data for each selected internet media provider.

35. The system according to claim 34 wherein the channel database contains a playlist collected from each of the selected internet media providers.

36. The system according to claim 35 wherein the channel pointer determines a channel score for each internet media provider in the channel database, wherein the channel score is calculated based on the number of times that the first data item and the one or more second data items appear for each respective internet media provider in the channel database.

37. The system according to claim 34 further comprising means for updating the channel base when new data pertaining to the each of the plurality of internet media channels is available.