Publishing, browsing and purchasing of groups of media items

• US 7,860,830 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2005
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Verosub, Ellis M., Mirrashidi, Payam
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US11/115,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,073 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/7, 707/104.1, 707/10, 707/626, 705/51, 846/09
• US Class Current: 707/626
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Improved techniques to create, browse and/or purchase media asset groups are disclosed. Media assets groups can be created by various persons and published to a digital assets manager. Thereafter, the media assets groups can be finalized and made available for on-line purchase. Once the media asset groups are made available for on-line purchase, users can browse and/or purchase the media asset groups at an on-line media store. One example of a media asset group (group of media items) is known as a playlist, which can pertain to a group of audio tracks.

Claims

1. A method for creating a group of media assets to be made available on an on-line media asset store, said method comprising:

(a) interacting, at a client, with the on-line media asset store to create a particular group of media assets, the particular group of media assets having a plurality of media assets, the plurality of media assets of the particular group of media assets being presented in a track listing at the client;

(b) interposing one or more sub-group indicators in the already displayed track listing for the particular group of media assets to designate a plurality of sub-groups within the particular group of media assets, wherein the one or more sub-group indicators are separator tracks that are presented in the track listing for the particular group of media assets to separate the media assets in the particular group of media assets into different ones of the sub-groups;

(c) providing, at the client, descriptive information for the particular group of media assets; and

(d) submitting the particular group of media assets with its descriptive information to the on-line media asset store so as to be made available to others via the on-line media asset store.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the descriptive information includes text describing the sub-groups.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the text describing the sub-groups includes one or more labels for the sub-groups.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the media assets within each of the sub-groups are arranged in an order.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media assets within each of the sub-groups are arranged in an order.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media assets are audio tracks, and wherein the particular group of media assets is a playlist of at least the audio tracks.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media assets within at least two of the sub-groups are mutually exclusive from each other.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the media assets within another of the sub-groups are all the media assets from each of the other sub-groups.

9. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein prior to said submitting (d), said method further comprises:

sending the particular group of media assets to a digital asset manager for validation;

receiving a validated version of the particular group of media assets from the digital asset manager; and

displaying the validated version of the particular group of media assets,

wherein said submitting (d) submits the validated version of the particular group of media assets.

10. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein prior to said submitting (d), said method further comprises:

sending the particular group of media assets to a digital asset manager for validation;

receiving a validated version of the particular group of media assets from the digital asset manager;

displaying the validated version of the particular group of media assets; and

determining whether the validated version of the particular group of media assets is accepted,

wherein said submitting (d) at least informs the digital asset manager of acceptance of the validated version of the particular group of media assets.

36. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method comprises:

subsequently displaying the particular group of media assets available and retrieved from the on-line media asset store such that each of the sub-groups of the particular group of media assets can be selectively displayed wherein a displayed track listing includes only those of the media assets that are associated with the selected sub-group.

37. A method as recited in claim 36, wherein when the particular group of media assets available and retrieved from the on-line media asset store is displayed, the one or more sub-group indicators previously interposed are not displayed.

11. A graphical user interface for assisting a user to locate media assets of interest from an on-line media store, said graphical user interface comprising:

a window displayed on a display device associated with a computing device, said window concurrently including at least a first sub-window and a second sub-window,

wherein said first sub-window displays information pertaining to a group of media assets,

wherein said second sub-window displays a list of at least a portion of the media assets in the group of media assets,

wherein said first sub-window includes a buy all button for the group of media assets, and the selection of the buy all button for the group of media assets initiates purchase of all the media assets within the list,

wherein said window further comprises a plurality of user-selectable display elements, each of the user-selectable display elements is associated with a different one of a plurality of sub-groups for the group of media assets,

wherein the group of media assets includes a plurality of sub-groups,

wherein on selection of a first of the user-selectable display elements, the list displayed in said second sub-window includes those of the media assets that are part of a first of the sub-groups of the group of media assets, and

wherein on selection of a second of the user-selectable display elements, the list displayed in said second sub-window includes those of the media assets that are part of a second of the sub-groups of the group of media assets.

12. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein the selection of the buy all button for the group of media assets causes one-click purchase of all the media assets within the list.

13. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein the group of media assets is a playlist, and wherein the information displayed in said first sub-window includes descriptive information about the playlist.

14. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the descriptive information displayed in said first sub-window includes a graphical image associated with the playlist.

15. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the descriptive information displayed in said first sub-window includes an artist indication for an artist associated with the playlist and a hyperlink to additional information pertaining to the artist.

16. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the descriptive information displayed in said first sub-window includes a theme indication for a theme associated with the playlist.

17. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the descriptive information displayed in said first sub-window includes a genre indication for a genre associated with the playlist.

18. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the descriptive information displayed in said first sub-window includes a release date for the playlist and a number of media assets in the playlist.

19. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the media assets in the playlist are audio tracks for songs.

20. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein the list includes a buy button for each of the media assets in the group of media assets, the buy button allowing for one-click purchase of the associated media asset.

21. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein said first sub-window uses hyperlinks to access related media assets, and wherein said second sub-window uses a table or a row and column format to display the list of the media assets in the group of media assets.

22. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein the first information is descriptive information pertaining to media items.

23. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 18, wherein the list further includes a specific item hyperlink presented for each of the media assets being listed in the group of media assets.

24. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein said window further includes a source window that is concurrently displayed with said first sub-window and said second sub-window.

25. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein the media assets that are part of the second of the sub-groups of the group of media assets are completely different than the media assets that are part of the first of the sub-groups of the group of media assets.

26. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein on selection of a third of the user-selectable display elements, the list displayed in said second sub-window includes all the media assets that are part of the group of media assets.

27. A graphical user interface for assisting a user to locate media assets of interest from an on-line media store, said graphical user interface comprising:

a window displayed on a display device associated with a computing device, said window concurrently including at least a first sub-window and a second sub-window,

wherein said first sub-window displays information pertaining to a group of media assets,

wherein said second sub-window displays a list of at least a portion of the media assets in the group of media assets,

wherein the group of media items includes a plurality of sub-groupings, and

wherein, on selection of a different one of the sub-groupings, displaying in the second sub-window, the media assets in the group of media assets that are associated with the selected sub-groupings without display other of the media assets in the group of media assets that are associated with other of the sub-groupings.

28. A graphical user interface for assisting a user in making a media asset group having a plurality of media assets available on an on-line media store, said graphical user interface comprising:

a window displayed on a display device associated with a computing device, said window concurrently including at least a first sub-window and a second sub-window,

wherein said first sub-window displays a plurality of user interface components that enable the user to enter information pertaining to the media asset group,

wherein said second sub-window displays a list of at least a portion of the media assets in the media asset group, and

wherein the list of at least a portion of the media assets in the group of media assets includes a least one separator track to distinguish tracks between different sub-groups, the at least one separator track being user-positionable within the list.

29. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28, wherein the media asset group includes a plurality of sub-groups.

30. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 29, wherein the user interface components for said first sub-window are provided separately for each of the sub-groups.

31. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 30, wherein the user interface components enable the user to enter a name for each of the sub-groups, and a textual description for each of the sub-groups.

32. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28,

wherein the media asset group includes a plurality of sub-groups and a complete group,

wherein the user interface components for said first sub-window are provided separately for each of the sub-groups as well as for the complete group, and

wherein the user interface components enable the user to enter a name for each of the sub-groups and the complete group, and a textual description for each of the sub-groups and the complete group.

33. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code tangibly stored therein for creating a multi-group playlist of media assets to be made available on an on-line media asset store, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for interacting with the on-line media asset store to create and display a multi-group playlist, the multi-group playlist specifying a plurality of media assets;

computer program code for interposing one or more sub-group indicators in the multi-group playlist being displayed to designate a plurality of sub-groups within the multi-group playlist, wherein the one or more sub-group indicators are presented between tracks provided in the multi-group playlist to separate the media assets in the multi-group playlist into different ones of the sub-groups;

computer program code for receiving descriptive information for the multi-group playlist; and

computer program code for submitting the multi-group playlist with its descriptive information to the on-line media asset store so as to be made available to others via the on-line media asset store.

34. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 33, wherein said computer readable medium comprises:

computer program code for displaying the multi-group playlist available and retrieved from the on-line media asset store such that each of the groups of the multi-group playlist can be selectively displayed wherein a displayed track listing includes only those of the media assets that are associated with the selected group.

35. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 34, wherein when the multi-group playlist available and retrieved from the on-line media asset store is displayed, the one or more sub-group indicators previously interposed in the multi-group playlist are not displayed.