System and method for acquiring and adding data on the playing of elements or multimedia files

• US 8,312,024 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Martin Cervera, Francisco Jose, Plaza I Cervera, Enric
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Application Number:
  US12/951,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 707/746, 707/752, 707/748, 715/723
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method for acquiring and aggregating information relating to the reproduction of multimedia files or elements in a database, said data including information relating to the number of multimedia file or element reproductions. The inventive system comprises a plurality of digital devices which can access and reproduce multimedia files and an acquisition and storage device which communicates with each of the digital devices in order to receive data from each of the identification/characterization programs, such that said identification/characterization program can count the reproductions at least in a direct and/or weighted manner.

Claims

1. A system for acquiring and adding data on the playing of elements or multimedia files comprising:

a digital device operatively coupled with a database with information referring to a plurality of users in the form of user profiles, the device having installed an identification-characterization program configured to identify and count the number of complete or partial plays of each one of said files, wherein the multimedia files are grouped in a series of groups;

said identification-characterization program further configured for counting said plays in at least one of a direct manner or a weighted manner taking into account a weight assigned to the digital device or a user associated with the digital device, said weight having been assigned such that the weight is directly proportional to the total number of files available in the digital device or available to the associated user, wherein said identification-characterization program is configured for counting the number of plays of each one of the files, taking into account the group or groups to which they belong, wherein the identification-characterization program is further configured for adding said data from said identification-characterization programs to said database, associating the data with the corresponding profiles of the users using the digital devices in which the respective identification-characterization programs are arranged, which enables carrying out classifications or a rankings; and

sending the count to an acquiring and storing device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said digital device comprises a memory for recording the multimedia files to be played.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said digital devices are distributed in different local or geographical areas.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said groups have been established according to at least one context related to the multimedia files, of those formed by at least:

time interval, musical or cinematographic genre or the multimedia file, geographical location, data of the user owning the device, author of the file, or a combination thereof, said context being identified by means of said identification-characterization program.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said identification-characterization program is configured for assigning a value to said weight directly proportional to said total number of files if said total number of files is less than a predetermined threshold value known by the program.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said identification-characterization program is configured for assigning a value to said weight equal to that of said predetermined threshold if said total number of files is more than said predetermined threshold value known by the program.

7. The system according to claim 4 wherein said identification-characterization program is configured for assigning a value to said weight equal to that of said predetermined threshold if said total number of files is more than said predetermined threshold value known by the program.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring and storing system is configured for carrying out said addition such that it enables carrying out said classifications or rankings taking into account at least one of said groups or said assigned weights.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said multimedia files are at least one of the group formed by:

musical pieces, videos and elements that can be used by multimedia games.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the weight is capped at a predetermined threshold value when the total number of files available exceeds a predetermined threshold total number of files.

11. A method for acquiring and adding data on the playing of elements or multimedia files comprising:

storing information referring to a plurality of users in the form of user profiles;

grouping multi-media files in a series of groups;

accessing and playing said multimedia files by a digital device,

counting the number of plays of each one of said multimedia files in the digital device and further carrying out a plurality of counts for a corresponding plurality of groups of multimedia files taking into account the group or groups to which they belong in at least one of a direct manner or a weighted manner based on a value of weight or importance assigned to the digital device or to a user associated with the digital device that is directly proportional to the number of multimedia files available in the digital device or available to the associated user, wherein said identification-characterization program is configured for counting the number of plays of each one of the files, taking into account the group or groups to which they belong, wherein the identification-characterization program is further configured for adding said data from said identification-characterization programs to said database, associating the data with the corresponding profiles of the users using the digital devices in which the respective identification-characterization programs are arranged, which enables carrying out classifications or a rankings,

operating the results of said counts with said assigned weight,

sending at least the results of said counts to at least one remote acquiring and storing device in communication with the digital device, and

adding said results sent to said acquiring or storing device and associating them to a user profile referring to the user using said digital device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said method comprises carrying out said weight count, alone or in combination with said groups, said weight assigned to the digital device or to the associated user.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said method comprises carrying out several classifications or rankings with said results sent to said acquiring or storing device, taking into account at least one of said groups or said assigned weights.