Geographic based media content delivery interface

• US 8,719,231 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Jotanovic, Mark Aleksandar, Schmidt, Eric Randell, Pierfelice, Jeffrey Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): AL HASHEMI, SANA A
• Application Number:
  US13/074,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20120254223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 707/607, 707/609, 707/687, 707/790, 707/813, 707/899
• US Class Current: 707/687
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/687 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location

Abstract

A media content delivery interface for delivering media content based on a geographic location of a user. The media content delivery interface may include a mapping device configured to receive a positioning signal and determine a geographic location of a media playing device based on the positioning signal, a processor configured to receive the geographic location from the mapping device and generate a search signal for searching a media database for a media file having a geographic property related to the geographic location, and a distribution device coupled to the processor, configured to selectively distribute the searched media file from the media database to the media player device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for delivering media content, comprising the steps of:

determining a geographic location of a media playing device;

providing, using a media database, a plurality of media files, each media file having at least one searchable geographic field that indicates a geographic property associated with the each media file;

searching the media database to generate a search report listing at least one media file of the plurality of media files having a geographic property in the searchable geographic field related to the determined geographic location;

displaying, using a display, at least one media file related to the determined geographic location;

receiving a retrieval request including a selection of a media file from the displayed at least one media file; and

distributing the selected media file to the media playing device.

2. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the geographic property of the at least one media file listed in the search report includes a performing artist origin.

3. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the geographic property of the at least one media file listed in the search report includes a composer origin.

4. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the geographic property of the at least one media file listed in the search report includes a geographic genre.

5. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the geographic property of the at least one media file listed in the search report includes a geographic theme.

6. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determining step includes:

tracking a physical location of the media playing device,

fitting the physical location of the media playing device into a plurality of predefined geographic zones, and

identifying at least one fitted geographic zone of the plurality of predefined geographic zones.

7. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the searching step includes:

accessing a plurality of records, each associated with one of the plurality of media files,

matching the determined geographic location against information stored in a searchable geographic field of each of the plurality of records, and

upon identifying a matched record from the plurality of records, locating at least one media file, from the plurality of media files, associated with the matched record.

8. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selectively distributing step includes:

receiving a user selection from the retrieval request, and

distributing the selected media file from the media database to the media playing device based on the user selection.

9. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the media playing device includes an electronic music playing device selected from a group consisting of a portable computer, an electronic tablet, a portable gaming console, a cellular phone, a smart phone, an MP3 player, a satellite radio, an Internet radio, and combinations thereof.

10. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the media playing device includes an electronic video playing device selected from a group consisting of a portable computer, an electronic tablet, a smart phone, a portable DivX player, a portable AVI player, a portable WMI player, a portable MPEG player, a portable gaming console, a portable video player, and combination thereof.

11. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for managing a media database and for delivering media content, comprising the steps of:

receiving a media file;

embedding a file identity code in the media file;

creating a record in the media database for the received media file;

creating a searchable geographic field in the record for storing a geographic property of the received media file;

associating the record to the received media file;

determining a geographic location of a media playing device;

searching the media database to generate a search report listing at least one media file of the plurality of media files having a geographic property in the searchable geographic field related to the determined geographic location;

displaying, using a display, at least one media file related to the determined geographic location;

receiving a retrieval request including a selection of a media file from the displayed at least one media file; and

distributing the selected media file to the media playing device.

12. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the searchable geographic field includes a performing artist origin field.

13. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the searchable geographic field includes a composer origin field.

14. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the searchable geographic field includes a geographic genre field.

15. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the searchable geographic field includes a geographic theme field.

16. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the distributed media file is a music file.

17. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the distributed media file is a video file.

18. A media content delivery interface, comprising:

a mapping device configured to receive a positioning signal and determine a geographic location of a media playing device based on the positioning signal;

a processor configured to;

receive the geographic location from the mapping device,

generate a search signal for searching a media database having a plurality of media files, each media file having at least one searchable geographic field that indicates a geographic property associated with the each media file, and

generate a search report listing media files, each media file in the search report having a geographic property in the searchable geographic field related to the geographic location;

a display for displaying a list of media files related to the geographic location; and

a distribution device coupled to the processor, configured to generate a retrieval request including a selection of a media file from the displayed list of media files and distribute the selected media file from the media database to the media player device.

19. The media content delivery interface of claim 18, wherein the distributed media file include at least one of a music file, a video file, a text file, or a picture file.

20. The media content delivery interface of claim 18, wherein the geographic property of the each media file listed in the search report is selected from a group consisting of a performing artist geographic origin, a composer geographic origin, a geographic theme, a geographic genre, and combinations thereof.

21. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for delivering media content, comprising the steps of:

determining a geographic location of a media playing device;

providing, using a media database, a plurality of media files, each media file having at least one searchable geographic field that indicates a geographic property associated with the each media file;

receiving a search criterion indicating a user-defined geographic property;

searching the media database to generate a search report listing at least one media file of the plurality of media files having a searchable geographic field related to the determined geographic location and the user-defined geographic property;

displaying, using a display, at least one media file related to the determined geographic location and the user-defined geographic property;

receiving a retrieval request including a selection of a media file from the displayed at least one media file; and

distributing the selected media file to the media playing device.

22. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for delivering media content, comprising the steps of:

determining a geographic location of a media playing device;

providing, using a media database, a plurality of media files, each media file having at least one searchable geographic field that indicates a geographic property associated with the each media file;

searching the media database to generate a search report listing at least one media file of the plurality of media files having a searchable geographic field related to the determined geographic location;

displaying, using a display, at least one media file related to the determined geographic location;

receiving a retrieval request including a selection of a media file from the displayed at least one media file;

distributing the selected media file to the media playing device;

determining an updated geographic location of the media playing device; and

updating the search report to generate an updated search report listing including at least one new media file of the plurality of media files having a searchable geographic field related to the updated geographic location.