Simultaneously playing sound-segments to find and act-upon a composition

• US 9,153,217 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synergy Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: James W. Wieder
• Inventors: Wieder, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): FLETCHER, MARLON T
• Application Number:
  US13/800,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20140230630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0033 Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/46 Volume control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/061 for extraction of musical phrases, isolation of musically relevant segments, e.g. musical thumbnail generation, or for temporal structure analysis of a musical piece, e.g. determination of the movement sequence of a musical work
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/151 Thumbnail, i.e. retrieving, playing or managing a short and musically relevant song preview from a library, e.g. the chorus

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system that enables a user to find and act-upon a sound-containing composition, in a group of compositions. One or more sound-segments, which are intended to prompt a user'"'"'s memory, may be associated with each composition in a group of compositions. A recognition sound-segment may include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to users than the beginning part of its associated composition. A recognition-segment may contain one or more highly recognizable portion(s) of a composition. When the user is trying to locate or select a particular composition, the recognition-segments are navigated and played-back to the user, based upon a user-device context/mode. When a user recognizes the desired composition from its recognition-segment, the user may initiate a control action to playback; arrange; and/or act-upon, the composition that is associated with the currently playing recognition-segment.

Claims

1. Apparatus for finding and acting-upon compositions that contain a sound component, the apparatus comprising:

one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or or processer(s) that;

obtain or provide, an ordering of a plurality of sound-segments;

wherein each sound-segment is associated with a composition wherein at least a portion of said sound-segments are recognition sound-segments;

wherein each of said recognition sound-segments include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to user(s) than a beginning part of its associated composition;

obtain or provide, a current-location in said ordering that refers to one of said sound-segments in said ordering;

change the current-location in said ordering in response to user navigation action(s);

in response to each change to the current-location, play the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering, in a combination with one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering;

in response to a command-action by the user, perform one or more of;

play, add, move, remove, cut, copy, paste, arrange, organize, and/or order, the compostition that is associated with the sound-segment at the current-location.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering is set louder, than said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering, decreases more for recognition sound-segments are further from the current-location.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering, are located on one side of said current-location.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering, are located on both sides of said current-location.

6. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) also:

change the current-location in said ordering, to a new current-location in said ordering, in response to a completion of a playback of a said sound-segment in said ordering.

7. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the user can navigate through said ordering using navigation actions, without the user needing to view said ordering on an active visual display.

8. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the ordering was automatically generated, for the user based on a user-request.

9. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the ordering was automatically generated for the user based on a user-request, and the sound-segments are ordered by their probability of satisfying said user-request;

wherein said user the request was for a composition title and/or artist.

10. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) also;

generate the ordering for the user, based on an operating mode or context of a user-device.

11. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said ordering corresponds to a playback order of a sequence or stream of compositions;

wherein the playback order was customized for the user.

12. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said ordering corresponds to a playback order of a playlist.

13. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the sound-segments are related to their associated compositions by pointers, links, hyperlinks, universal resource locators and/or universal object identifiers.

14. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the sound-segments are related to their associated compositions by a standardized file-naming convention, tables, databases and/or linked-lists.

15. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the sound-segments was configured at least partially based upon a test of a recognition time of people who have previously experienced its associated composition.

16. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the sound-segments has been previously tested against a user or users, in-order to verify that the sound-segment is substantially immediately recognized by the user or users who have previously experienced its associated composition.

17. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said sound-segments was chosen from a plurality of alternative sound-segments that were created for a given composition;

based on how quickly users were able to recognize each one of the alternative sound-segments for the given composition.

18. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said sound-segments was previously determined to be recognized the soonest among a plurality of alternative sound-segments, that had been created for its associated composition and tested for recognition times of people who have previously experienced its associated composition.

19. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) also:

provide to an active display;

a visual representation of the ordering, and an indicator of the current-location in the visual representation of the ordering.

20. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said sound-segments includes a mix or addition of a plurality of different sound-segments;

wherein at least one of the mixed or added segments, includes a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to the user than a beginning part of its associated composition.

21. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein some of said sound-segments include an audio description of characteristics of its associated composition;

wherein said characteristics include an artist name or composition title.

22. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location, is lower than playback volume of said recognition sound-segment at the current-location.

23. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location, are scaled to a lower volume relative to the recognition sound-segment at the current-location.

24. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location, are scaled to a lower volume than playback volume of said recognition sound-segment at the current-location;

wherein playback volume is decreased more for recognition sound-segments in said combination, that are further from the current-location.

25. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said sound-segments in said ordering include a sub-portion of the composition that is associated with each said sound-segment.

26. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said sound-segments in said ordering, include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to users than a beginning part of its associated composition.

27. An apparatus-implemented method for finding and acting-upon a composition that contains a sound component, the method comprising:

obtaining or providing, by electronic-circuitry and/or processer(s), an ordering of a plurality of sound-segments;

wherein each sound segment is associated with a compostion wherein at least a portion of said sound-segments are recognition sound-segments;

wherein each of said recognition sound-segments include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to user(s) than a beginning part of its associated composition;

obtain or provide, by electronic-circuitry and/or processer(s), a current-location in said ordering that refers to one of said sound-segments in said ordering;

changing, by electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s), the current-location in said ordering in response to user navigation action(s);

playing, by electronic-circuitry and/or processer(s), in response to each change to the current-location, the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering, in combination with one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering;

in response to a command-action by the user, perform one or more of;

playing, adding, moving, removing, cutting, copying, pasting, arranging, organizing, and/or ordering, the composition that is associated with the sound-segment at the current-location.

28. One or more computer-readable memories or media, not including carrier-waves, having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more processing devices, implement a method of:

obtaining or providing, an ordering of a plurality of sound-segments;

wherein each sound segment is associated with a composition;

wherein at least a portion of said sound-segments are recognition sound-segments;

wherein each of said recognition sound-segments include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to user(s) than a beginning part of its associated composition;

obtain or provide, current location in said ordering that refers to one of said sound-segments in said ordering;

changing the current-location in said ordering in response to user navigation action(s);

playing, in response to each change to the current-location, the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering, in a combination with one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering;

in response to a command-action by the user, perform one or more of;

playing, adding, moving, removing, cutting, copying, pasting, arranging, organizing, and/or ordering, the composition that is associated with the sound-segment at the current location.