Dynamic selection of media for playback

• US 8,005,856 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Spitzer-Williams, Noah, Mackenzie, Mark, Oshiro, Marc, Moreland, Steve, D'Aurelio, Ryan, Waters, Jennifer
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Shahid A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, III, ALBERT M
• Application Number:
  US12/146,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 707/913, 707/769
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia

Abstract

A list of media, such as image media, is dynamically generated and provided to a user. The dynamically generated media playlist may be associated with a user'"'"'s “favorite pictures,” “favorite music” or some other type of media. Each of the “favorite media” features may be associated with playlist criteria, which is used to dynamically construct a query for media files to include on the playlist. The criteria may specify several requirements for including media in the dynamically created playlist, for example user rating, recently added media, and other criteria. The query is sent to a database, which returns a playlist of media. The returned playlist is provided to a media center, which retrieves and provides the listed media to a user.

Claims

1. A method for providing image media files, comprising:

automatically establishing default values for a set of criteria for generating a dynamic playlist within a media application, the automatically establishing is performed when the media application is installed, the automatically establishing including;

setting a first criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files having a user-created rating that satisfies a first threshold;

setting a second criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files not rated by a user;

setting a third criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files added to a database during a specified period of time, the first criteria, second criteria and third criteria associated with a dynamically created list of images;

providing an interface that allows a user to edit the default values for the set of criteria for the dynamic playlist;

editing the default values for the set of criteria in response to receiving any edits via the interface, wherein the editing the default values for the set of criteria includes setting the first criteria, setting the second criteria, and setting the third criteria in response to the any edits;

receiving input to associate a favorite playlist for the media application with the dynamic playlist;

receiving a user request to generate content for the favorite playlist;

generating content for the favorite playlist based on the dynamic playlist, wherein the generating content based on the dynamic playlist includes;

i) constructing a query based on the set of criteria currently in the dynamic playlist only if an initial time period has transpired since the media application was installed;

ii) running the query against the database to obtain a content list if the query is formed;

iii) providing content from the content list if the initial time period has transpired; and

iv) providing content from the database that does not factor in the dynamic playlist if the initial time period has not transpired.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified period of time is configured to end at the time the input is received to provide the favorite playlist based on the dynamically created list of images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving a user request to generate content for the favorite playlist includes:

receiving input by an interface provided by an operating system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of constructing a query is performed by code within the operating system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is located over a network.

6. A system of providing a list of media files, comprising:

a processing unit; and

computer storage media coupled to the processing unit, the computer storage media having instructions stored therein which, when executed on the processing unit, cause the processing unit to implement a media center application and a media player module, the media center application having a playback engine and a query generator;

the media center application able to set and store a default value for a first criteria for user rating, a default value for a second criteria for non-rated media files, and a default value for a third criteria for a time period threshold during which media files are added to a media database, the first, second, and third criteria for generating a dynamic playlist within the media center application, the media center application sets and stores the default values when the media center application is installed, the media center application provides an interface that allows a user to modify the default values for the first, second, and third criteria, the media center application edits the default values in response to receiving any edits via the interface, wherein the editing the default values for the set of criteria includes setting the first criteria, setting the second criteria, and setting the third criteria in response to the any edits, the media center application provides an interface to associate a favorite playlist for the media application with the dynamic playlist, the media center application receives a user request to generate content for the favorite playlist, the media center application generates content for the favorite playlist based on the dynamic playlist, wherein the generating content based on the dynamic playlist includes;

i) constructing a query based on the set of criteria currently in the dynamic playlist only if an initial time period has transpired since the media application was installed;

ii) running the query against the media database to obtain a content list if the query is formed;

iii) providing content from the content list if the initial time period has transpired; and

iv) providing content from the media database that does not factor in the dynamic playlist if the initial time period has not transpired.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the media database is located over a network.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the playback engine may provide a subset of the media files listed in the query results before each media file is retrieved.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the media database includes audio media data,

the media center application able to set and store a fourth criteria for auto rating and fifth a criteria for most recently added media files,

the query generator able to generate a query based at least one of the fourth criteria and fifth criteria and at least two of the first criteria, second criteria and third criteria.

10. Computer storage media having processor readable code embodied on said computer storage media, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

automatically establishing default values for a set of criteria for generating a dynamic playlist within a media application, the automatically establishing is performed when the media application is installed;

providing an interface that allows a user to modify the default values for the set of criteria;

editing the default values for the set of criteria in response to receiving any edits via the interface, wherein the editing the default values for the set of criteria in response to receiving any edits via the interface includes setting a first criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files having a user-created rating that satisfies a first threshold, setting a second criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files not rated by a user, and setting a third criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files added to a database during a specified period of time, the first criteria, second criteria and third criteria associated with a dynamically created list of images;

associating a favorite playlist for the media application with the dynamic playlist;

receiving a user request to generate content for the favorite playlist;

generating content for the favorite playlist based on the dynamic playlist, wherein the generating content based on the dynamic playlist includes;

i) constructing a query based on the set of criteria currently in the dynamic playlist only if an initial time period has transpired since the media application was installed;

ii) running the query against a data corpus to obtain a content list if the query is formed;

iii) providing content from the content list if the initial time period has transpired; and

iv) providing content from the data corpus that does not factor in the dynamic playlist if the initial time period has not transpired.

11. The computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the associating a favorite playlist for the media application with the dynamic playlist includes:

receiving input through a user interface to set the favorite playlist to the dynamic playlist.

12. The computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the editing the default values for the set of criteria in response to receiving any edits via the interface further includes:

storing a fourth criteria for identifying a set of one or more audio files having a user-created rating that satisfies a first threshold, the set of one or more audio files listed in a data store;

storing a fifth criteria for identifying one or more audio files having an auto rating which satisfies a second threshold;

storing a sixth criteria for identifying a first number of the most recent audio files added to the data store;

storing a seventh criteria for identifying each audio file added to the data store within a first time period.