Systems and methods to select media content

• US 8,666,950 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US13/495,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20120254755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 707/694, 707/999.107
• US Class Current: 707/694
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods to select media content are provided. A particular method includes selecting one of a plurality of media mixes based on a location of a user. The method also includes dynamically selecting a plurality of media content items based on media settings of the selected media mix. The media settings specify proportions of a first set and a second set of media content items. The first set is selected based on a first property including at least one of a tempo, a beat, a rhythm, a type of instrument, a duration, an artist, a title, a genre, an album, a release date, and a type of media. The second set is selected based on a second property including a storage location. The method further includes generating an output including a media content item of the plurality of media content items.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving user input rating samples of music, wherein the samples of music are representative of an intrinsic property that includes a particular tempo, a particular beat, a particular rhythm, a particular type of instrument, a particular duration, a particular artist, a particular title, a particular album, a particular release date, or any combination thereof;

generating a media mix based on the user input, wherein the media mix indicates that, during playlist generation, a first percentage of media items of a playlist are to be selected from a particular storage location, a first remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to be selected from one or more other storage locations, a second percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to the intrinsic property, and a second remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to one or more other intrinsic properties, and wherein the first percentage and the second percentage are independent of each other;

selecting the media mix based on a location of a user for presentation by a media player;

dynamically selecting a plurality of media content items for presentation by the media player based on the media mix; and

generating an output including the plurality of media content items.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a media content item of the plurality of media content items, wherein:

when the media content item is available at a first memory, the media content item is accessed from the first memory; and

when the media content item is not available at the first memory, sending a request to access the media content item from a remote memory.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, when the media content item is available at a second memory:

requesting a local device associated with the second memory to send the media content item to a remote network element; and

requesting the remote network element to send the media content item from the remote network element to the media player.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating a user interface display identifying the media content item, wherein the user interface display includes a visual indicator identifying the media content item as associated with a particular category of media content.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating a user interface display, wherein the user interface display presents information related to the media mix using a plurality of adjustable display objects associated with properties of the playlist, wherein the user interface display includes a list identifying the plurality of media content items, wherein each of the plurality of media content items is presented in a color corresponding to a color of one of the plurality of adjustable display objects associated with one of the properties of the playlist, and wherein the media content item is selected from the playlist.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage location is associated with a particular folder at a memory device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage location is associated with a universal resource identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining media storage locations that are accessible by the media player before dynamically selecting the plurality of media content items, wherein the plurality of media content items is dynamically selected further based on a plurality of accessible media storage locations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected media mix is selected further based on a time of day.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving second user input configuring the media mix, wherein the second user input associates the first percentage, the first remaining percentage, the second percentage, and the second remaining percentage with a particular date.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second user input further specifies a particular media content item to be presented on the particular date.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data specifying the first percentage and the second percentage via an adjustable bar displayed on a user interface.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically generating a particular media mix by analyzing a second plurality of media content items.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second plurality of media content items is specified by a favorites list, wherein the second plurality of media content items includes a third set of media content items that share a first property and a fourth set of media content items that share a second property, and wherein analyzing the second plurality of media content items includes determining proportions of the third set of media content items and of the fourth set of media content items.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a second media mix, wherein the second media mix indicates that, during playlist generation, a third percentage of media content items of the playlist are to be selected from the particular storage location, a third remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to be selected from the one or more other storage locations, a fourth percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to the intrinsic property and a fourth remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to the one or more other intrinsic properties, wherein the first percentage is different than the third percentage and the second percentage is different than the fourth percentage.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a media selection module executable by the processor to perform operations including;

receiving user input rating samples of music, wherein the samples of music are representative of an intrinsic property that includes a particular tempo, a particular beat, a particular rhythm, a particular type of instrument, a particular duration, a particular artist, a particular title, a particular album, a particular release date, or any combination thereof;

generating a media mix based on the user input, wherein the media mix indicates that, during playlist generation, a first percentage of media content items of a playlist are to be selected from a particular storage location, a first remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to be selected from one or more other storage locations, a second percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to the intrinsic property, and a second remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to one or more other intrinsic properties, and wherein the first percentage and the second percentage are independent of each other;

selecting the media mix based on a location of a user; and

dynamically selecting a plurality of media content items for presentation based on the media mix; and

a media player, the media player executable by the processor to generate an output stream including the plurality of media content items.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the media mix identifies a previously selected media content item, and wherein the media selection module dynamically selects a particular media content item based on the previously selected media content item.

18. A computer-readable storage memory, comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

receiving user input rating samples of music, wherein the samples of music are representative of an intrinsic property that includes a particular tempo, a particular beat, a particular rhythm, a particular type of instrument, a particular duration, a particular artist, a particular title, a particular album, a particular release date, or any combination thereof;

generating a media mix based on the user input, wherein the media mix indicates that, during playlist generation, a first percentage of media content items of a playlist are to be selected from a particular storage location, a first remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to be selected from one or more other storage locations, a second percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to the intrinsic property, and a second remaining percentage of media content items of the playlist are to correspond to one or more other intrinsic properties, and wherein the first percentage and the second percentage are independent of each other;

selecting the media mix on a location of a user for presentation by a media player;

dynamically selecting a plurality of media content items for presentation based on the media mix; and

generating the playlist including the plurality of media content items.

19. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein generating the media mix further includes analyzing a second plurality of media content items.

20. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein the operations further include receiving second user input configuring the media mix, wherein the second user input associates the first percentage, the first remaining percentage, the second percentage, and the second remaining percentage with a particular date.