System and method for generating a mood gradient

• US 9,268,812 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, William, Slaney, Malcolm
• Primary Examiner(s): DWIVEDI, MAHESH H
• Application Number:
  US14/069,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/748
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• 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 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• 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 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

Systems and methods for generating and playing a sequence of media objects based on a mood gradient are also disclosed. A mood gradient is a sequence of items, in which each item is media object having known characteristics or a representative set of characteristics of a media object, that is created or used by a user for a specific purpose. Given a mood gradient, one or more new media objects are selected for each item in the mood gradient based on the characteristics associated with that item. In this way, a sequence of new media objects is created but the sequence exhibits a similar variation in media object characteristics. The mood gradient may be presented to a user or created via a display illustrating a three-dimensional space in which each dimension corresponds to a different characteristic. The mood gradient may be represented as a path through the three-dimensional space and icons representing media objects are located within the three-dimensional space based on their characteristics.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor, a request to create a mood gradient;

receiving, by the at least one processor, information identifying a plurality of songs selected for the mood gradient;

generating, by the at least one processor, the mood gradient using the plurality of selected songs, the mood gradient comprising a plurality of target value sets, each target value set of the plurality corresponding to a song of the plurality of selected songs, each target value set of the plurality including a plurality of values, each value of the each target value set representing a different objective musical characteristic of a set of objective musical characteristics of the song generated using audio data of the song;

storing, by the at least one processor, the mood gradient comprising the target value sets comprising a target value set for each song of the plurality of selected songs, the stored mood gradient for use in selecting one or more songs for a playlist, each song in the playlist being selectable using a target value set from the target value sets of the stored mood gradient.

2. The method of claim 1, the receiving information identifying a selection of songs further comprising:

providing a graphical user interface to display a plurality of songs as icons in a three-dimensional space; and

receiving input indicating user selection of a first icon in the graphical user interface representing a first song for inclusion in the plurality of selected songs in to be used in generating the mood gradient;

receiving input indicating the user selection of a second icon in the graphical user interface representing a second song for inclusion in the plurality of selected songs to be used in generating the mood gradient; and

causing a path through the three-dimensional space between the first icon and the second icon to be displayed in the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, the generating the mood gradient further comprising:

searching, by the at least one processor, a datastore of value sets for different songs for a target value set for each song of the plurality of selected songs; and

retrieving, by the at least one processor, the target value set associated with the each song of the plurality of selected songs.

4. The method of claim 1, the storing further comprising:

storing the mood gradient with information identifying a user associated with the request.

5. The method of claim 1, the storing further comprising:

storing the mood gradient in a remote location.

6. A system comprising:

at least one computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the stored program logic comprising;

first receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving a request to create a mood gradient;

second receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving information identifying a plurality of songs selected for the mood gradient;

generating logic executed by the processor for generating the mood gradient using the plurality of selected songs, the mood gradient comprising a plurality of target value sets, each target value set of the plurality corresponding to a song of the plurality of selected songs each target value set of the plurality including a plurality of values, each value of the each target value set representing a different objective musical characteristic of a set of objective musical characteristics of the song generated using audio data of the song;

storing logic executed by the processor for storing the mood gradient comprising the target value sets comprising a target value set for each song of the plurality of selected songs, the stored mood gradient for use in selecting one or more songs for a playlist, each song in the playlist being selectable using a target value set from the target value sets of the stored mood gradient.

7. The system of claim 6, the first receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving information identifying a selection of songs further comprising:

providing logic executed by the processor for providing a graphical user interface to display a plurality of songs as icons in a three-dimensional space; and

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving input indicating user selection of a first icon in the graphical user interface representing a first song for inclusion in the plurality of selected songs to be used in generating the mood gradient;

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving input indicating the user selection of a second icon in the graphical user interface representing a second song for inclusion in the plurality of selected songs to be used in generating the mood gradient; and

causing logic executed by the processor for causing a path through the three-dimensional space between the first icon and the second icon to be displayed in the graphical user interface.

8. The system of claim 6, the generating logic executed by the processor for generating the mood gradient further comprising:

searching logic executed by the processor for searching a datastore of value sets for different songs for a target value set for each song of the plurality of selected songs; and

retrieving logic executed by the processor for retrieving the target value set associated with the each song of the plurality of selected songs.

9. The system of claim 6, the storing logic executed by the processor further comprising:

storing logic executed by the processor for storing the mood gradient with information identifying a user associated with the request.

10. The system of claim 6, the storing logic executed by the processor further comprising:

storing logic executed by the processor for storing the mood gradient in a remote location.

11. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer readable instructions that when executed cause at least one processor to:

receive a request to create a mood gradient;

receive information identifying a plurality of songs selected for the mood gradient;

generate the mood gradient using the plurality of selected songs, the mood gradient comprising a plurality of target value sets, each target value set of the plurality corresponding to a song of the plurality of selected songs each target value set of the plurality including a plurality of values, each value of the each target value set representing a different objective musical characteristic of a set of objective musical characteristics of the song generated using audio data of the song;

store the mood gradient comprising the target value sets comprising a target value set for each song of the plurality of selected songs, the stored mood gradient for use in selecting one or more songs for a playlist, each song in the playlist being selectable using a target value set from the target value sets of the stored mood gradient.

12. The medium of claim 11, the instructions to receive information identifying a selection of songs further comprising instructions to:

providing a graphical user interface to display a plurality of songs as icons in a three-dimensional space; and

receive input indicating user selection of a first icon in the graphical user interface representing a first song for inclusion in the plurality of selected songs to be used in generating the mood gradient;

receive input indicating the user selection of a second icon in the graphical user interface representing a second song for inclusion in the plurality of selected songs to be used in generating the mood gradient; and

causing a path through the three-dimensional space between the first icon and the second icon to be displayed in the graphical user interface.

13. The medium of claim 11, the instructions to generate the mood gradient further comprising instructions to:

search a datastore of value sets for different songs for a target value set for each song of the plurality of selected songs; and

retrieve the target value set associated with the each song of the plurality of selected songs.

14. The medium of claim 11, the instructions to store further comprising instructions to:

store the mood gradient with information identifying a user associated with the request.

15. The medium of claim 11, the instructions to store further comprising instructions to:

store the mood gradient in a remote location.