Systems and devices for personalized rendering of digital media content

• US 8,849,820 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Slacker, Inc. (LiveOne, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Slacker, Inc. (LiveOne, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kindig, Bradley D., Milbrandt, Celite
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US13/768,456
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 707/600, 707/659, 707/660, 707800-805, 707732-734, 725/93, 715/765, 709/201, 709/203, 709/213, 709/217
• US Class Current: 707/732
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/436 using biological or physiological data of a human being, e.g. blood pressure, facial expression, gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/85 which are mobile communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing devices capable of the reception and playback of one or more crafted media channels transmitted over an intermittent connection. An exemplary method of personalized rendering of media content includes receiving media files and file metadata defining attributes of the media files over a data link at a receiver. The method further includes executing, using a processor of the receiver, instructions stored in a memory of the receiver. The instructions cause the processor to store certain ones of the media files characterized by file metadata consistent with one or more channel profiles in the memory, remove certain of the ones of the media files stored within the memory, and sequence the ones of the media files stored within the memory for rendering based upon one or more of the channel profiles.

Claims

1. A method of personalized rendering of media content, the method comprising:

receiving, over a data link and at a receiver, media files and file metadata defining attributes of the media files;

executing, using a processor of the receiver, instructions stored in a memory of the receiver, wherein the instructions cause the processor to;

store, in the memory, certain ones of the media files characterized by file metadata consistent with one or more channel profiles,

remove certain of the ones of the media files stored within the memory, and

sequence the ones of the media files stored within the memory for rendering based upon one or more of the channel profiles.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the removal of the media files is triggered by a storage utilization profile of the device reaching pre-configured thresholds.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the removal of the media files is responsive to an inverse of an anticipated playback order of substantially all of the media files stored on the device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the removal of the media files is responsive to an anticipated percent of total device playback allocated to a channel or category associated with the media files.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising periodically adapting a predetermined anticipated rendering sequence of a channel or category based on observations of actual content rendered.

6. A computer readable medium including instructions for execution by a processor in a digital media rendering device, the instructions comprising instructions for causing the processor to:

receive, from a receiver of the device, media files and file metadata defining attributes of the media files;

store, in a memory coupled to the processor, certain ones of the media files characterized by file metadata consistent with one or more channel profiles,

remove certain of the ones of the media files stored within the memory, and

sequence the ones of the media files stored within the memory for rendering based upon one or more of the channel profiles.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the instructions to remove the media files are triggered in response to a storage utilization profile of the device reaching pre-configured thresholds.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the instructions to remove the media files are responsive to an inverse of an anticipated playback order of substantially all of the media files stored on the device.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the instructions to remove the media files are responsive to an anticipated percent of total device playback allocated to a channel or category associated with the media files.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to periodically adapt a predetermined anticipated rendering sequence of a channel or category based on observations of actual content rendered.

11. A method comprising:

sending, via a transceiver and over a data link, one or more channel profiles to a remote computer having access to the data link;

receiving, over the data link, media files and file metadata based upon the channel profiles;

executing instructions stored in a memory with a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the instructions cause the processor to;

store, within the memory, ones of the media files consistent with certain ones of the channel profiles,

delete certain of the ones of the media files stored within the memory, and

sequence certain of the ones of the media files stored within the memory for playback based upon a selected one of the channel profiles.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to delete are triggered by a storage utilization profile of the device reaching a pre-configured threshold.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to adapt a predetermined anticipated rendering sequence of a channel or category based on observations of actual content rendered.

14. A computer readable medium including instructions for execution by a processor in a digital media rendering device, the instructions comprising instructions for causing the processor to:

send, via a transceiver and over a data link, one or more channel profiles to a remote computer having access to the data link;

receive, over the data link, media files and file metadata based upon the channel profiles;

store, within a memory, ones of the media files consistent with certain ones of the channel profiles,

delete certain of the ones of the media files stored within the memory, and

sequence certain of the ones of the media files stored within the memory for playback based upon a selected one of the channel profiles.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to delete are triggered by a storage utilization profile of the device reaching a pre-configured threshold.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to adapt a predetermined anticipated rendering sequence of a channel or category based on observations of actual content rendered.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, over a data link and at a receiver of a digital media rendering device, media files and file metadata, wherein the file metadata defines attributes of the media files;

storing, in a memory of the device, ones of the media files characterized by file metadata consistent with one or more channel profiles maintained within the memory of the device; and

sequencing the ones of the media files for playback based upon one or more of the channel profiles.

18. A digital media rendering device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, over a data link, media files and file metadata, wherein the file metadata defines attributes of the media files; and

a processor coupled to the receiver, the processor configured to;

store, in a memory of the device, ones of the media files characterized by file metadata consistent with one or more channel profiles maintained within the memory of the device; and

sequence the ones of the media files for playback based upon one or more of the channel profiles.