Playlist of multiple objects across multiple providers

• US 9,176,960 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2010
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Inventors: Price, Pat William
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIEGEL, DAVID F
• Application Number:
  US12/824,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 369/30.08, 707/770
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A system includes a device such as a television or multimedia player that has access to content residing at various storage sites and multimedia content providers. For example, the device has access to locally stored content, remotely stored content, music content that resides at music service providers such as Rhapsody and video content from multiple providers such as YouTube, NetFlix, Amazon, VuDu, etc. The user is provided with tools to create a playlist of content where the content includes, for example, one or more videos from local storage and remote services such as YouTube, NetFlix, Amazon, VuDu, etc.

Claims

1. A system for organizing content in a playlist, the system comprising:

a computer, having an interface to a network and having a memory storing a playlist, said playlist including plural different entries, each entry representing an item of multimedia, and each item having a title of the multimedia, and each item having a location identifier storing information representing a location of the multimedia, where said location identifier stores a first location for a first multimedia representing a location on a local storage device which is physically attached to the computer, and stores a second location for a second multimedia representing a location on an Internet access location where said Internet access location connects via said network interface and which includes a name of a content provider among multiple different content providers, and

said computer operating to accept an entry to a playlist from a user and store said entry with said location identifier indicating that a location of the content has not been yet found, and needs to be found in the future,

said computer operating to find content, subsequent to storing said location identifier indicating that a location of the content has not been yet found by searching through a list of multiple different content providers by connecting over the Internet, determining a price for obtaining content from each of the multiple different content providers, comparing the price to a maximum cost that has been previously sent by a user, and also comparing the price to a lowest price that has been obtained from other content providers, and setting a new lowest price if the price is lower than the lowest price from other content providers, and selecting a lowest price content provider if the lowest price content provider has a cost less than the maximum cost, and changing the indication of the location of the content has not yet been found to a location of the content after rights have been obtained,

said computer marking the content as unavailable if the content is not found on any of the multiple content providers; and

said computer marking the content as too expensive if the content on all prices for obtaining the content are greater than the maximum cost.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location of content after the rights have been obtained is only a name of a content provider from which the rights have been obtained and not a complete internet address, where the playlist includes multiple different names representing said multiple different content providers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further stores a translation between names of multiple sources, and Internet addresses of said multiple sources.

16. The system as in claim 1, wherein said computer operates by initially setting a first cost associated with first content as a current low cost, searching for said first content on each of said multiple different content providers, and if said first content is found on a source, then comparing a cost for said first content on said source with said current low cost, and setting said cost for said first content to be the current low cost if the cost for said content is less than the current low cost, and after searching all of said multiple different content providers, determining if the current low cost is equal to the first cost, and marking the content as unavailable if the current low cost is equal to the first cost.

4. A method of organizing content available to a device, the device having a display, the method comprising:

capturing identification of a plurality of content and storing identification information indicative of the identification in a playlist;

setting a current content to a first content of the plurality of content in order to play the current content;

if the current content includes an indication of a stored location, then playing the current content from the stored location;

if the current content does not include an indication of the stored location, then searching local storage for the current content and if the current content is found, associating the location of the current content on the local storage with the identification of the current content in the playlist by storing information in the playlist about a found location of the current content;

if the current content is not found in said local storage, searching multiple different services connected to the device through the Internet for the current content and if the current content is found, associating the service with the identification of the current content in the playlist by storing information indicating only a name of the service as part of the playlist, where the playlist includes multiple different names representing said multiple different services,

wherein locations for different multimedia in the playlist include all of a location identifier representing a location on the local storage which is physically attached to the device, the name of the service as an Internet access location where said Internet access location connects via a network interface and which includes multiple different content providers, and stores multiple items of content, and also stores an indication, for at least one item, that a location of the content has not been yet found, and needs to be found in the future,

operating to find content, subsequent to storing said location identifier indicating that a location of the content has not been yet found by searching through a list of multiple different content providers by connecting over the Internet, determining a price for obtaining content from each of the multiple different content providers, comparing the price to a maximum cost that has been previously sent by a user, and obtaining rights to the content only if the price is not higher than the maximum cost, and also comparing the price to a lowest price that has been obtained from other content providers, and setting a new lowest price if the price is lower than the lowest price from other content providers and selecting a lowest price content provider whose cost is not higher than the maximum cost, and changing the indication of the location of the content has not yet been found to a location of the content after rights have been obtained; and

marking the content as unavailable if the content is not found on any of the multiple content providers; and

marking the content as too expensive if the content on all prices for obtaining the content are greater than the maximum cost.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the storage and devices connected locally to the device includes a computer system having a storage device containing the content.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the storage and devices connected locally to the device includes a storage device interfaced to a port of the device.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of playing the plurality of content, including retrieving each of the plurality of content from an associated content location and reproducing the content.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of reproducing the content includes converting from a digital audio format into an analog audio format.

17. The method as in claim 7, further comprising initially setting a first cost associated with first content as a current low cost, searching for said first content on each of multiple content providers, and if said first content is found on a source, then comparing a cost for said first content on said source with said current low cost, and setting said cost for said first content to be the current low cost if the cost for said content is less than the current low cost, and after searching all of said multiple content providers, determining if the current low cost is equal to the first cost, and marking the content as unavailable if the current low cost is equal to the first cost.

9. A device comprising:

a processor;

a display operably interfaced to the processor;

an interface to a network;

software running on the processor that accepts a plurality of content identifiers and creates a playlist that includes plural different entries, each entry representing an item of multimedia, and each item having a title of the multimedia, and an entry for a first item of multimedia that indicates the first item of multimedia is stored in a local storage accessible to the processor, and where the entry stores a location on a local storage device which is physically attached to the processor for a first item of multimedia and a second entry for a second item of multimedia that indicates a service that is accessible over the Internet via the network and stores only a name of an Internet service provider who provides multimedia for a second item of multimedia; and

software running on the processor finds content related to each of the content identifiers, the software finds at least one of the content on a remote device by accessing the Internet service provider using the name to access the multimedia, the remote device is accessible to the device through the network, and to play the items in the playlist including the item accessed over the Internet,

said processor operating to find content which has not yet been found by first setting a cost variable to a maximum amount a user is willing to spend for the content, searching a first provider for said content, and if the content is available on the first provider, determining if the cost is less than a highest cost, and if the cost is less than the highest cost, determining if the cost is less than a previously-found lowest cost which was found, and if the cost is less than the previously-found lowest cost, then setting the cost from the first provider as a new lowest cost, and continuing to search other providers for said content, and accepting a lowest-cost provider, whose cost is less than the maximum amount the user is willing to spend, and obtaining rights from that lowest-cost provider; and

marking the content as unavailable if the content is not found on any multiple content providers; and

marking the content as too expensive if the content on all prices for obtaining the content are greater than the maximum cost.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the service includes a network attached storage device which is accessed via an Internet access location where said Internet access location connects via said network interface, and stores multiple items of content.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the location of content after the rights have been obtained is only a name of a content provider from which the rights have been obtained and not a complete internet address, where the playlist includes multiple different names representing multiple different content providers.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the entry also includes an indication that a location of the content has not been yet found, and needs to be found in the future.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the content identifiers include a title.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the device further includes software running on the processor that accesses at least one of the content and displays video from the at least one of the content on the display.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the device further includes software running on the processor that accesses at least one of the content and converts digital audio from the at least one of the content into audible content.

18. The device as in claim 9, wherein said device operates by initially setting a first cost associated with first content as a current low cost, searching for said first content on each of said multiple content providers, and if said first content is found on a source, then comparing a cost for said first content on said source with said current low cost, and setting said cost for said first content to be the current low cost if the cost for said content is less than the current low cost, and after searching all of said multiple content providers, determining if the current low cost is equal to the first cost, and marking the content as unavailable if the current low cost is equal to the first cost.