Combining song and music video playback using playlists

• US 8,819,043 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Durante, Samantha Susan, Ferch, Kraldon T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrishamkar, Kaveh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilcox, James J
• Application Number:
  US12/942,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

A single playlist can be generated that includes both songs and music videos. Additionally, a song on a playlist can be identified and a check made as to whether a music video corresponding to the identified song is available. If a music video corresponding to the identified song is not available, then the identified song is played back. However, if a music video corresponding to the identified song is available, then the music video is played back instead of the identified song.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining user content in a library on a user'"'"'s computing system;

maintaining a playlist on the user'"'"'s computing system, the playlist describing the user content;

associating metadata with the user content;

in response to a user selection of a playlist, identifying a song on the playlist using metadata associated with the song;

checking, using the user'"'"'s computing system, whether a music video that is associated with metadata including the identified song is included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system;

if the music video associated with metadata that includes the identified song is not included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system, playing back the identified song on the user'"'"'s computing system, responsive to identifying the song on the playlist; and

if the music video associated with metadata that includes the identified song is included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system, playing back on the user'"'"'s computing system the music video that includes the identified song, instead of the identified song, responsive to identifying the song on the playlist, and modifying the playlist by replacing an identifier of the identified song in the playlist with an identifier of the music video.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein playing back the music video comprises playing back the music video and keeping the playlist unaltered.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the checking comprises:

obtaining a song identifier for the song;

checking, for each of multiple music videos, whether metadata associated with the music video includes the song identifier; and

determining that one of the multiple music videos corresponds to the identified song if metadata associated with the one of the multiple music videos includes the song identifier.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the song identifier comprises an album identifier identifying an album on which the song is included and a track identifier identifying which track of the album the song is included as.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the checking comprises checking whether the music video has been associated with the identified song by the user.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising performing the identifying and checking when the playlist is generated.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising performing the identifying and checking while playing back the playlist.

8. One or more computer hardware storage devices having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

maintaining user content in a library on a user'"'"'s computing system;

maintaining a playlist on the user'"'"'s computing system, the playlist describing the user content;

associating metadata with the user content;

in response to a user selection of a playlist, identifying a song on the playlist using metadata associated with the song;

checking, using the user'"'"'s computing system, whether a music video that is associated with metadata including the identified song is included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system;

if the music video associated with metadata that includes the identified song is not included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system, playing back the identified song on the user'"'"'s computing system, responsive to identifying the song on the playlist; and

if the music video associated with metadata that includes the identified song is included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system, playing back on the user'"'"'s computing system the music video that includes the identified song, instead of the identified song, responsive to identifying the song on the playlist, and modifying the playlist by replacing an identifier of the identified song in the playlist with an identifier of the music video.

9. The one or more computer hardware storage devices as recited in claim 8, wherein playing back the music video comprises playing back the music video and keeping the playlist unaltered.

10. The one or more computer hardware storage devices as recited in claim 8, wherein the checking comprises:

obtaining a song identifier for the song;

checking, for each of multiple music videos, whether metadata associated with the music video includes the song identifier; and

determining that one of the multiple music videos corresponds to the identified song if metadata associated with the one of the multiple music videos includes the song identifier.

11. The one or more computer hardware storage devices as recited in claim 10, wherein the song identifier comprises an album identifier identifying an album on which the song is included and a track identifier identifying which track of the album the song is included as.

12. The one or more computer hardware storage devices as recited in claim 8, wherein the checking comprises checking whether the music video has been associated with the identified song by the user.

13. The one or more computer hardware storage devices as recited in claim 8, further comprising performing the identifying and checking when the playlist is generated.

14. The one or more computer hardware storage devices as recited in claim 8, further comprising performing the identifying and checking while playing back the playlist.

15. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer hardware storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

maintaining user content in a library on a user'"'"'s computing system;

maintaining a playlist on the user'"'"'s computing system, the playlist describing the user content;

associating metadata with the user content;

in response to a user selection of a playlist, identifying a song on the playlist using metadata associated with the song;

checking, using the user'"'"'s computing system, whether a music video that is associated with metadata including the identified song is included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system;

if the music video associated with metadata that includes the identified song is not included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system, playing back the identified song on the user'"'"'s computing system, responsive to identifying the song on the playlist; and

if the music video associated with metadata that includes the identified song is included in a video library on the user'"'"'s computing system, playing back on the user'"'"'s computing system the music video that includes the identified song, instead of the identified song, responsive to identifying the song on the playlist, and modifying the playlist by replacing an identifier of the identified song in the playlist with an identifier of the music video.

16. The computing device as recited in claim 15, wherein playing back the music video comprises playing back the music video and keeping the playlist unaltered.

17. The computing device as recited in claim 15, wherein the checking comprises:

obtaining a song identifier for the song;

checking, for each of multiple music videos, whether metadata associated with the music video includes the song identifier; and

determining that one of the multiple music videos corresponds to the identified song if metadata associated with the one of the multiple music videos includes the song identifier.

18. The computing device as recited in claim 17, wherein the song identifier comprises an album identifier identifying an album on which the song is included and a track identifier identifying which track of the album the song is included as.

19. The computing device as recited in claim 15, wherein the checking comprises checking whether the music video has been associated with the identified song by the user.

20. The computing device as recited in claim 15, further comprising performing the identifying and checking when the playlist is generated.