Systems and methods to select media content

• US 8,156,435 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wohlert, Randolph
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien
• Assistant Examiner(s): ITURRALDE, ENRIQUE W
• Application Number:
  US12/323,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715719-722, 715727-731, 715/771, 715/772, 715853-855, 715/810, 715/833, 345/440
• US Class Current: 715/716
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• 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: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Systems and methods to select media content are provided. A particular method includes generating a media playlist based on user preference data and generating a user interface display. The user preference data indicates proportions of each of a plurality of categories of media content to be present in the media playlist. The user interface display presents the user preference data using adjustable bars. Each bar is associated with one of the categories of media content, and a dimension of each bar is associated with the proportion of the respective category of media content included in the media playlist. The method includes receiving user input adjusting the dimension of a first bar associated with a first category of the plurality of categories of media content. The method includes adjusting the proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist based on the user input.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a media playlist based on user preference data, wherein the user preference data indicates proportions of each of a plurality of categories of media content to be present in the media playlist;

generating a user interface display, wherein the user interface display presents the user preference data using a plurality of adjustable bars, each adjustable bar associated with one of the plurality of categories of media content, wherein a dimension of each of the plurality of adjustable bars is associated with a proportion of a respective category of media content included in the media playlist;

receiving first user input adjusting a dimension of a first adjustable bar of the plurality of adjustable bars, wherein the first adjustable bar is associated with a first category of media content of the plurality of categories of media content;

adjusting a proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist based on the first user input;

in response to determining that a proportion of a second category of media content included in the media playlist is below a threshold, removing the second category of media content from the media playlist; and

adjusting the proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist and a proportion of at least a third category of media content included in the media playlist to generate a modified media playlist after removing the second category of media content from the media playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of categories of media content includes at least one user defined category.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein particular media content is associated with the at least one user defined category based on a property that is not intrinsic to the particular media content.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein particular media content is associated with the at least one user defined category based on a storage location of the particular media content.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein particular media content associated with the at least one user defined category includes a plurality of otherwise unrelated user selected content items.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein particular media content associated with the at least one user defined category includes media content items associated with a universal resource identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist includes adjusting a percentage of the first category of media content included in the media playlist and adjusting a percentage of at least the second category of media content included in the media playlist.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface display includes a category list including data identifying a fourth category of media content, wherein the fourth category of media content is not included in the media playlist, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving second user input selecting and dragging the data identifying the fourth category of media content to a portion of the user interface display including the plurality of adjustable bars; and

in response to the second user input, adding the fourth category of media content to the media playlist.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an output generated based on the modified media playlist includes a first media content item selected based on the modified media playlist and wherein the user interface display includes a visual indicator identifying that the first media content item is associated with a particular category of media content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one bar of the plurality of adjustable bars has a name identifying a representative media content item, wherein the representative media content item is from a category of media content associated with the at least one bar.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving third user input that identifies a time period when the modified media playlist is to be output.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the time period includes a particular day.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating an output based on the modified media playlist during the identified time period.

20. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

prompting a user for a fourth user input associated with a proportion of the fourth category of media content to be included in the media playlist; and

adjusting the proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist in response to the fourth user input.

11. A system comprising:

a processor;

a media selection module executable by the processor to generate a media playlist based on user preference data, wherein the user preference data indicates proportions of each of a plurality of categories of media content to be included in the media playlist;

a graphical user interface module to present a user interface display including a representation of the user preference data using a plurality of adjustable bars including a first adjustable bar and a second adjustable bar, wherein the first adjustable bar is associated with a first category of media content of the plurality of categories of media content, wherein a dimension of the first adjustable bar is associated with a proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist, wherein the second adjustable bar is associated with a second category of media content of the plurality of categories of media content, and wherein a dimension of the second adjustable bar is associated with a proportion of the second category of media content included in the media playlist;

an input interface to receive a first input to adjust the dimension of the first adjustable bar; and

a user settings module to;

adjust the user preference data based on the first input;

in response to determining that a proportion of the second category of media content to be included in a modified media playlist is below a threshold, remove the second category of media content from the media playlist; and

adjust the proportion of the first category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist and a proportion of at least a third category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist to generate the modified media playlist after removing the second category of media content from the media playlist.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the media selection module generates the media playlist dynamically by selecting one or more subsequent media content items to be presented based on the user preference data while a current media content item is presented.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the media player is operable to:

determine whether a media content item included in the media playlist is available at a local memory;

access the media content item at the local memory in response to a determination that the media content item is available at the local memory; and

access the media content item via a remote network element in response to a determination that the media content item is not available at the local memory.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the media selection module and the user settings module are located at a media player device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the media selection module and the user settings module are located at a remote network element accessible to a media player device via a network.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

generate a media playlist based on user preference data, wherein the user preference data indicates proportions of each of a plurality of categories of media content to be included in the media playlist;

generate a user interface display, wherein the user interface display presents the user preference data using a plurality of adjustable bars including a first adjustable bar and a second adjustable bar, wherein the first adjustable bar is associated with a first category of media content of the plurality of categories of media content, wherein a dimension of the first adjustable bar is associated with a proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist, wherein the second adjustable bar is associated with a second category of media content of the plurality of categories of media content, and wherein a dimension of the second adjustable bar is associated with a proportion of the second category of media content included in the media playlist;

adjust the proportion of the first category of media content to be included in a modified media playlist based on received first user input to adjust the dimension of the first adjustable bar;

in response to determining that thea proportion of the second category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist is below a threshold, remove the second category of media content from the media playlist; and

adjust the proportion of the first category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist and a proportion of at least a third category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist to generate the modified media playlist after removing the second category of media content from the media playlist.

21. A method comprising:

generating a media playlist based on user preference data, wherein the user preference data indicates proportions of each of a plurality of categories of media content to be included in the media playlist;

generating a user interface display, wherein the user interface display presents the user preference data using a plurality of adjustable bars including a first adjustable bar and a second adjustable bar, wherein the first adjustable bar is associated with a first category of media content of the plurality of categories of media content, wherein a dimension of the first adjustable bar is associated with a proportion of the first category of media content included in the media playlist, wherein the second adjustable bar is associated with a second category of media content of the plurality of categories of media content, and wherein a dimension of the second adjustable bar is associated with a proportion of the second category of media content included in the media playlist;

receiving first user input adjusting the dimension of the first adjustable bar;

adjusting the proportion of the first category of media content to be included in a modified media playlist based on the first user input;

in response to determining that a proportion of the second category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist is below a threshold, removing the second category of media content from the media playlist; and

adjusting the proportion of the first category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist and a proportion of at least a third category of media content to be included in the modified media playlist to generate the modified media playlist after removing the second category of media content from the media playlist.