Mobile audio player with individualized radio program

• US 9,230,018 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hohl, Fritz, Saito, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIEGEL, DAVID F
• Application Number:
  US12/828,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94
• 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 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/687 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile audio player, comprising memory means adapted to store music data and non-music data, input means adapted to receive a user input with user preferences, radio program generating means adapted to generate, without a connection to an external entity, an individualized radio program from stored music data and non-music data depending on user preferences input via the input means, and audio output means adapted to output audio signals representing a generated radio program.

Claims

1. A mobile audio player, comprising:

a memory; and

circuitry configured to

store music data and non-music data in the memory;

receive a user input, the user input including user preferences of a user;

generate an individualized radio program, including audio content from the music data and the non-music data based on the input user preferences and without a communication channel to an external device;

output audio signals representing the individualized radio program;

generate a commercial with a commercial template that includes pre-rendered text data and audio fragment data, the pre-rendered text data and audio fragment data of the commercial template being selected according to both the user preferences and a location of the mobile audio player; and

output audio signals representing the commercial after detection of a predetermined event.

2. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to generate the audio content representing the individualized radio program during the generation of the individualized radio program.

3. The mobile audio player according to claim 2, wherein said circuitry is further configured to generate the audio data representing the individualized radio program from raw data stored in said memory during the generation of the individualized radio program.

4. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to generate said individualized radio program according to the user preferences and the location of the mobile audio player.

5. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to detect the location of the mobile audio player.

6. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein

said circuitry is further configured to detect a moving speed of the mobile audio player, and

the circuitry generates the commercial according to the detected moving speed of the mobile audio player.

7. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein

said circuitry is further configured to detect a moving method of the mobile audio player, and

the circuitry generates the commercial according to the detected moving method of the mobile audio player.

8. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein

said circuitry is further configured to sense one or more physical states of the user, and

the circuitry generates the commercial according to the one or more physical states of the user.

9. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to receive the user input from an external entity.

10. The mobile audio player according to claim 9, wherein said user input includes traffic information.

11. The mobile audio player according to claim 9, wherein said user input includes weather information.

12. The mobile audio player according to claim 9, wherein said user input includes time and date information.

13. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to generate the commercial according to at least one of a taste, a need, and a situation of the user.

14. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein the commercial template includes tailoring directives used to adapt a generated commercial to the user, the tailoring directives using at least one of information about the user and information about a situation.

15. The mobile audio player according to claim 14, wherein the at least one of the information about the user and information about the situation include at least one of a currently played song, a song list, a setup of the individualized radio program, a current date, a current time, a current location, a current traffic situation, a mood of the user, and a stress level of the user.

16. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein, after the output of the audio signals representing the commercial, the circuitry is further configured to enter the user of the mobile audio player into a sweepstakes competition.

17. The mobile audio player according to claim 16, wherein the circuitry is further configured to output the sweepstakes competition to the user.

18. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to count a number of items of the audio content that are output to the user, and

the predetermined event occurs when the number of the items of the audio content that are output to the user exceeds a predetermined threshold.

19. The mobile audio player according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to detect the location of the mobile audio player, and

the predetermined event occurs when the location of the mobile audio player corresponds with a stored location that matches at least one of the pre-rendered text data and audio fragment data of the commercial template.