Personalized time-shifted programming

• US 7,895,288 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rajasekharan, Ajit, Story, Guy A., Mott, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US09/892,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20010037375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,529 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/218, 709/219, 709/207, 709/228, 709/229, 725/87, 725/102
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A method and apparatus for personalized time-shifted programming. Digital content is retrieved, for example, from a digital library. Once retrieved, the content is stored locally, for example, on a personal computer. The locally stored content is transferred, in whole or in part, to a playback device that allows a user to listen to the content of the playback device. In one embodiment, the user may designate portions of a playback time provided by the playback device to various selections. For example, with a playback device that provides two hours of content, a user may wish to listen to one half hour of news, one half hour of a series and one hour of an book. Thus, the user may partition one quarter of playback time to each of news and the series and one half of the playback time to the book. In one embodiment, the present invention provides different automatic update techniques for the playback device that may be selected by the user based on how the content is to be used. For example, the news portion may be one half hour of the most recent news available from a particular source. The series may be the most recent episode in the series, whether or not the user has listened to other stored episodes. The book portion may provide one hour of the book from the most recent stopping place each time the playback device is coupled to the library retrieval device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing personalized time-shifted media programming comprising:

under the control of one or more computing devices,

retrieving multiple titles of digital media content from one or more libraries; and

storing the multiple titles of media content for subsequent playback;

storing a subset of the multiple titles of digital media content in a memory of a playback device, wherein the subset contains a plurality of the multiple titles of digital media content;

partitioning a playback period allocated for the playback device into playback times for each of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset; and

automatically replacing a consumed portion of the digital media content for at least one title of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset, wherein the consumed portion of digital media content is replaced with an unconsumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title, the unconsumed portion being of a same length as the consumed portion.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the unconsumed portion of digital media content comprises a most recent portion of the digital media content for said at least one title.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the most recent portion is selected by the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the most recent portion of digital content for said at least one title is a next title from a series of titles of digital media content.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the most recent portion is selected automatically.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein storing a subset of the multiple titles of digital media content further comprises:

determining the length of the consumed portion of the digital media content for said at least one title, if any; and

storing as the unconsumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title, a subsequent portion of the digital media content for said at least one title that is of the determined length.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the digital media content for said at least one title is at least one of dynamically changing digital media content and static digital media content.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the digital media content for said at least one title is digital audio content.

9. An apparatus for providing personalized time-shifted programming comprising:

memory means for storing a subset of the multiple titles of digital media content, wherein the subset contains a plurality of the multiple titles of digital media content retrieved from one or more libraries; and

processing means for partitioning a playback period allocated for the digital media content into playback intervals for each of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset, and automatically replacing a consumed portion of the digital media content for at least one title of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset, wherein the consumed portion of digital media content is replaced with an unconsumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title, the unconsumed portion corresponding in amount to the consumed portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory means for storing a subset of the multiple titles of digital media content stores a most recent portion of the digital media content for said at least one title.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the most recent portion is selectable by the user.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the most recent portion is automatically selectable.

13. The apparatus of claim 9:

wherein the processing means determines an amount of the consumed portion of the digital media content for said at least one title, if any; and

wherein the memory means stores a subsequent unconsumed portion of the digital media content for said at least one title corresponding to the amount of the consumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the digital media content for said at least one title is at least one of dynamically changing digital media content and static digital media content.

15. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors cause an electronic device to:

retrieve multiple titles of digital media content from one or more libraries;

store a subset of the multiple titles of digital media content in a memory for subsequent playback, wherein the subset contains a plurality of the multiple titles of digital media content;

partition a playback period allocated for the digital media content into playback times for each of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset; and

automatically replace a consumed portion of the digital media content for at least one title of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset, wherein the consumed portion of digital media content is replaced with an unconsumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title, the unconsumed portion being approximately a same amount as the consumed portion.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the unconsumed portion of digital media content comprises a most recent portion of digital media content for at least one title of digital media content of the subset in the memory for subsequent playback.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the sequence of instructions to store a subset of the multiple titles of digital media content further cause the electronic device to:

determine an amount of the consumed portion of the digital media content for said at least one title, if any; and

store as the unconsumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title, a subsequent portion of the digital media content for said at least one title corresponding to the amount of the consumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title.

18. An apparatus for providing personalized time-shifted programming comprising:

a memory that stores a plurality of contents retrieved from an external source;

a computing device in communication with the memory, wherein the computing device is operative to partition a playback period allocated for the digital media content into playback times for each of the plurality of contents, and automatically replace a consumed portion of the content for at least one of the plurality of contents, wherein the consumed portion of content is replaced with an unconsumed portion of content for said at least one of the plurality of contents, the unconsumed portion being approximately a same length as the consumed portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the external source is a content library accessed via a library access device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the library access device is at least one of a personal computer, an Internet terminal and a dedicated audio library access device.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the the external source is a storage device.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the storage device is at least one of a magnetic disk, an optical disc and a flash memory.

23. The apparatus claim 21, wherein the storage device stores multiple contents retrieved from a content library.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the memory comprises flash memory.

25. A computer-implemented method of providing personalized time-shifted media programming comprising:

under the control of one or more computing devices,

retrieving digital media content from a library, said library residing on a distributable mass storage medium;

storing a subset of the digital media content in a memory of a playback device, wherein the subset contains a plurality of titles of digital media content

partitioning a playback period allocated for the playback device into playback times for each of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset; and

automatically replacing a consumed portion of the digital media content for at least one title of the plurality of titles of digital media content in the subset, wherein the consumed portion of digital media content is replaced with an unconsumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title, the unconsumed portion corresponding in amount to the consumed portion.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, further comprising storing the digital media content for subsequent playback.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein storing a subset of the multiple titles of digital media content further comprises:

determining an amount of the consumed portion of the digital media content for said at least one title, if any; and

storing as the unconsumed portion of digital media content for said at least one title, a subsequent portion of the digital media content for said at least one title that corresponds to the determined amount of the consumed portion.