Tagging media assets, locations, and advertisements

• US 8,458,184 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dorogusker, Jesse Lee, Schubert, Emily Clark, Hailey, Michael Benjamin, Gedikian, Steve Saro, Lydon, Gregory Thomas, Bolton, Lawrence G.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOSER, BRUCE M
• Application Number:
  US11/961,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/100, 707/999.104, 707/999.1, 707/741, 707/740, 707/102, 707/999.102, 707/999.107, 707/755, 340/12.51, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/3.04, 348/211.2, 348/211.3
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging

Abstract

An accessory communicates with a PMD to store tags associated with broadcasts in a file maintained in a storage medium of the accessory. In one embodiment, the accessory sends a command to the PMD to create or open a tag file that resides on the PMD. Once opened, the tag file is held open by the PMD until the accessory closes it (or disconnects), allowing multiple tags to be written to one file. Each time the user requests a new tag, the accessory generates a tag containing information descriptive of the broadcast material (e.g., song title, artist, radio station identifier, time of tagging, etc.) and writes the tag to the tag file using a write command to the PMD.

Claims

1. A method for tagging locations, the method comprising:

receiving, by a media device, a broadcast indicative of a location;

determining, by the media device, whether the location is to be tagged based on the received broadcast;

extracting, by the media device, identifying information for the location from the broadcast;

obtaining, by the media device, a metadata item for the location from a source other than the broadcast, wherein the metadata item includes at least a longitude and a latitude associated with the location;

generating, by the media device, a tag for the location, the tag comprising the identifying information for the location and the metadata item; and

using the tag to access one or more location-based services.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the location is to be tagged includes receiving an instruction to tag the location.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the tag includes a plurality of metadata items descriptive of the location.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of metadata items descriptive of the location includes one or more items selected from a group consisting of a latitude, a longitude, an altitude, an address, a city, a state, a postal code, and a country.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the tag includes a plurality of metadata items descriptive of a broadcaster of the location.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the plurality of metadata items descriptive of the broadcaster includes one or more items selected from a group consisting of an identifier associated with the broadcaster, an area associated with the broadcaster, a network or group with which the broadcaster is affiliated, and a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the broadcaster.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the broadcast includes:

receiving a plurality of metadata fields associated with the location.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein generating the tag includes:

populating an XML dictionary with a plurality of key-value pairs, each key-value pair corresponding to one of the plurality of metadata fields.

9. The method of claim 1 where the tag includes a representation of the location.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a source of the received broadcast data is a location broadcasting station and the source of the metadata item is a data network.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the location broadcasting station is the Global Positioning System.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the location broadcasting station is a WiFi hotspot.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the location-based services comprise one of:

directions, reviews, guides, menus, advertisements, coupons, media tracks, media channels, and a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with a social network.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying information about the location.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein displaying the information about the location includes displaying the information on a display device of the media device.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein determining whether the location is to be tagged includes:

receiving, while the information about the location is displayed, a signal indicative of a request from a user to generate a tag.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving another broadcast indicative of the location;

determining, based on the other broadcast, whether the location has previously been tagged; and

performing an action based on whether the location has previously been tagged.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein performing an action comprises searching for a media channel based on the location.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein performing an action comprises searching for an advertisement based on the location.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein performing an action comprises searching for non-media content based on the location.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein using the tag to access one or more location based services comprises finding an advertisement based on the location.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein using the tag to access one or more location based services comprises searching for media channels based on the location.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the source other than the broadcast is a database.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the database is external to the media device.

25. An accessory for use with a portable media device (“

PMD”

), the accessory comprising;

a receiver component configured to receive a broadcast indicative of a location;

a tag extraction engine configured to;

extract identifying information for the location from the broadcast;

obtain a metadata item for the location from a source other than the broadcast; and

capture a tag comprising the identifying information for the location and the metadata item; and

an interface configured to communicate the captured tag from the tag extraction engine to a PMD, wherein the PMD is configured to use the tag to access a location-based service.

26. The accessory of claim 25 further comprising:

a user input component configured to receive a user input indicating that the location should be tagged; and

wherein the tag extraction engine is further configured to capture the tag comprising the identifying information for the location, in response to the user input.

27. The accessory of claim 25 wherein the tag extraction engine is further configured to capture, as part of the tag, metadata received with the broadcast indicative of the location.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store a set of instructions which when executed by a set of processors cause the processors to tag locations, the computer readable medium comprising:

code for receiving a broadcast indicative of a location;

code for determining whether the location is to be tagged;

code for extracting identifying information for the location from the broadcast;

code for obtaining, a metadata item for the location from a source other than the broadcast;

code for generating a tag for the location, the tag comprising the identifying information for the location and the metadata item; and

code for instructing a portable media device to store the tag in a storage medium of the portable media device, wherein the tag is used to access a location-based service.

29. A method for tagging a location, the method comprising:

receiving, by a media device, a broadcast indicative of a location;

determining, by the media device, whether the location is to be tagged;

extracting, by the media device, identifying information for the location from the broadcast;

obtaining, by the media device, a metadata item for the location from a source other than the broadcast;

generating, by the media device, a tag for the location, the tag comprising the identifying information for the location and the metadata item;

retrieving, by the media device, stored information indicative of a user preference; and

based on the stored information and the tag, providing, by the media device, a location-based service to a user.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein providing the location-based service includes:

identifying, by the media device, an advertisement based on the stored information and the tag; and

presenting, by the media device, the advertisement to the user.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein providing the location-based service includes:

identifying, by the media device, a media channel based on the stored information and the tag; and

presenting, by the media device, a recommendation for the media channel to the user.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein providing the location-based service includes:

identifying, by the media device, media content based on the stored information and the tag; and

presenting, by the media device, the media content to the user.

33. A media device comprising:

a processor; and

a receiver coupled to the processor, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a broadcast indicative of a location; and

wherein the processor is configured to;

determine whether the location is to be tagged;

extract identifying information for the location from the broadcast;

obtain a metadata item for the location from a source other than the broadcast;

generate a tag for the location, the tag comprising the identifying information for the location and the metadata item;

retrieve stored information indicative of a user preference; and

based on the stored information and the tag, provide a location-based service to a user.

34. The media device of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify an advertisement based on the stored information and the tag; and

present the advertisement to the user.

35. The media device of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify a media channel based on the stored information and the tag; and

present a recommendation for the media channel to the user.

36. The media device of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify media content based on the stored information and the tag; and

present the media content to the user.