System and method for providing media content selections

• US 9,008,634 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOLiD, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Napo Enerprises, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Farrelly, Eugene, Svendsen, Hugh
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nealon, William
• Application Number:
  US11/539,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,112 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/414.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method using events to traverse a content selection path for the purpose of providing media content selections are provided. In general, events are defined based on one or more stimulus such as, but not limited to, a chronological-based stimulus, a location-based stimulus, a user-based stimulus, a third-party stimulus, or a weather-based stimulus. Each of the events is used to trigger one or more associated content selection paths. A content selection path generally defines a set of media content and a manner of stepping through the defined set of media content. In operation, when an event is detected, the associated content selection path is triggered to step to the next step in the content selection path, thereby identifying the media content selections. Then, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the media content selections are obtained from a remote subscription-based service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting an occurrence of an event associated with a content selection path, wherein the content selection path defines a set of media content and includes a plurality of steps, and wherein each of the steps identifies ones of the set of media content; and

traversing the content selection path in response to the occurrence of the event to a next step of the plurality of steps in the content selection path to identify media content selections from the set of media content.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining the media content selections from a subscription-based service.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining the media content selections from an associated user device during a synchronization process.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising defining the content selection path such that the set of media content is limited to media content in a user media collection hosted by the associated user device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising defining the content selection path such that the set of media content defined by the content selection path is limited to locally stored media content and the media content selections are selections from the locally stored media content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the event is defined based on at least one stimulus, and detecting the occurrence of the event comprises detecting the at least one stimulus.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising defining the event based on the at least one stimulus, the at least one stimulus selected from a group consisting of:

a chronological-based stimulus, a location-based stimulus, a user-based stimulus, a network-based stimulus, a third-party stimulus, and a weather-based stimulus.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of content selection paths including the content selection path are associated with the event, and the method further comprises:

for each one of the plurality of content selection paths, traversing the one of the plurality of content selection paths in response to the occurrence of the event to a next step of a plurality of steps in the one of the plurality of content selection paths to identify initial media content selections; and

combining the initial media content selections from each of the plurality of content selection paths to provide final media content selections.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein combining the initial media content selections from each of the plurality of content selection paths comprises filtering the initial media content selections from each of the plurality of content selection paths based on at least one criterion.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein combining the initial media content selections from each of the plurality of content selection paths comprises filtering the initial media selections from each of the plurality of content selection paths to remove duplicate selections.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path comprises at least one of a plurality of media content popularity charts over a defined period of time, and

wherein traversing the content selection path comprises traversing the content selection path to the next step in the content selection path such that the at least one of the plurality of media content popularity charts corresponding to the next step identifies the media content selections.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path identifies at least one of a plurality of music albums, and

wherein traversing the content selection path comprises traversing the content selection path to the next step in the content selection path such that the at least one of the plurality of music albums identified by the next step corresponds to the media content selections.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path comprises at least one of a plurality of defined lists of media content, and

wherein traversing the content selection path comprises traversing the content selection path to the next step in the content selection path such that the at least one of the plurality of defined lists of media content identifies the media content selections.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising defining the event and the content selection path such that the event triggers the content selection path.

15. A system comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the system to a content source; and

a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted-to;

detect an occurrence of an event associated with a content selection path, wherein the content selection path identifies a set of media content and comprises a plurality of steps, wherein each of the steps identifies ones of the set of media content;

traverse the content selection path in response to the occurrence of the event to a next step of the plurality of steps in the content selection path to identify media content selections from the set of media content; and

obtain the media content selections from the content source.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the content source is a subscription-based service.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the control system is further adapted to provide the media content selections to a portable media player during a synchronization process.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the event is defined based on at least one stimulus, and the control system is further adapted to detect the occurrence of the event based on detection of the at least one stimulus.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one stimulus is selected from a group consisting of:

a chronological-based stimulus, a location-based stimulus, a user-based stimulus, a network-based stimulus, a third-party stimulus, and a weather-based stimulus.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the event is associated with a plurality of content selection paths including the content selection path, and the control system is further adapted to:

for each one of the plurality of content selection paths, traverse the one of the plurality of content selection paths in response to the occurrence of the event to the next step of a plurality of steps in the one of the plurality of content selection paths to identify initial media content selections;

combine the initial media content selections from each of the plurality of content selection paths to provide final media content selections; and

obtain the final media content selections from the content source.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path comprises at least one of a plurality of media content popularity charts over a defined period of time.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path identifies at least one of a plurality of music albums.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path comprises at least one of a plurality of defined lists of media content.

24. A portable media player comprising:

a communication interface of the portable media player configured to communicatively couple the portable media player to an associated user system during a synchronization process; and

a control system of the portable media player in communication with the communication interface and adapted to;

detect an occurrence of an event associated with a content selection path, wherein the content selection path defines a set of media content, and wherein the content selection path includes a plurality of steps, and wherein each of the steps identifies ones of a set of media content;

traverse the content selection path in response to the occurrence of the event to a next step of the plurality of steps in the content selection path to identify media content selections from the set of media content;

provide information that identifies the media content selections to the associated user system during a first synchronization process; and

receive the media content selections from the associated user system during the first synchronization process or a subsequent synchronization process.

25. The portable media player of claim 24 wherein the associated user device obtains the media content selections from a subscription-based service.

26. The portable media player of claim 24 wherein the associated user system obtains the media content selections from a user media collection hosted by the associated user system.

27. The portable media player of claim 24 wherein the event is defined based on at least one stimulus, and the control system is further adapted to detect the occurrence of the event based on detection of the at least one stimulus.

28. The portable media player of claim 27 wherein the at least one stimulus is selected from a group consisting of:

a chronological-based stimulus, a location-based stimulus, a user-based stimulus, a network-based stimulus, a third-party stimulus, and a weather-based stimulus.

29. The portable media player of claim 24 wherein the event is associated with a plurality of content selection paths including the content selection path, and the control system is further adapted to:

for each one of the plurality of content selection paths, traverse the one of the plurality of content selection paths in response to the occurrence of the event to a next step of a plurality of steps in the one of the plurality of content selection paths to identify initial media content selections;

combine the initial media content selections from each of the plurality of content selection paths to provide final media content selections;

provide information identifying the final media content selections to the associated user system during a first synchronization process; and

receive the final media content selections from the associated user system during the first synchronization process or a subsequent synchronization process.

30. The portable media player of claim 24 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path comprises at least one of a plurality of media content popularity charts over a defined period of time.

31. The portable media player of claim 24 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path identifies at least one of a plurality of music albums.

32. The portable media player of claim 24 wherein each of the plurality of steps in the content selection path comprises at least one of a plurality of defined lists of media content.

33. A method comprising:

detecting an event at a media player based on at least one stimulus;

sending, by the media player, a notification of the event to a user device coupled to the media player;

sending, by the user device, the notification of the event to a subscription-based service, wherein the subscription-based service selects media content to provide to the media player based on the notification of the event; and

receiving, by the user device, the selected media content from the subscription-based service in response to the notification of the event.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one stimulus includes at least one of a network-based stimulus, a third-party stimulus, and a weather-based stimulus.