Personalized audio system and method

• US 9,348,907 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Music Choice
• Original Assignee: Music Choice
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Jeremy C., Yurman, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US13/913,064
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/231, 705/50, 455/3.06, 370/349, 715/738, 715/765, 715/716
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/61 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/637 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialization, adaptation or distribution
• 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 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• 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: G10H 2240/105 User profile, i.e. data about the user, e.g. for user settings or user preferences
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 : using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 : Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 : Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A personalized audio system and method that overcomes many of the broadcast-type disadvantages associated with conventional radio stations.

Claims

1. A method for providing a customized media service to a user having a consumer device, the method being performed by the consumer device and comprising:

the consumer device displaying on a display of the consumer device a user interface that enables the user to select a preferred artist and to submit to a server system information identifying the preferred artist in response to an action performed by the user, wherein the server system is configured such that, in response to receiving the information identifying the preferred artist, the server system transmits to the consumer device a list of recording identifiers selected based at least in part on the information identifying the preferred artist;

the consumer device receiving from the server system the list of recording identifiers;

the consumer device automatically selecting a first recording that is identified by a first recording identifier included in said list;

the consumer device, after selecting the first recording, automatically transmitting to a server a first request including an identifier identifying the first recording;

after transmitting the first request, the consumer device receives from the server audio data corresponding to the first recording;

the consumer device playing the audio data in response to receiving the audio data;

after selecting the first recording, the consumer device automatically selects a second recording that is identified by a second recording identifier included in said list; and

the consumer device, after selecting the second recording, automatically transmits to a server a second request including an identifier identifying the second recording.

2. A consumer apparatus comprising a memory, a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, and a speaker, the consumer apparatus being configured to:

display a user interface that enables the user to specify an artist;

transmit to a server system information identifying the specified artist in response to an action performed by the user;

use a list of recording identifiers created by and transmitted from the server system to the consumer apparatus to automatically select a first recording, wherein the list of recording identifiers created by the server system was created based at least in part on the system information identifying the specified artist;

after selecting the first recording, automatically i) transmit to a server a first request including an identifier identifying the selected first recording and ii) use the list of recording identifiers to select a second recording; and

after selecting the second recording, automatically transmit to a server a second request including an identifier identifying the selected second recording.

3. A method for providing a customized media service to a user having a consumer device, the method being performed by a server system and comprising:

the server system receiving from the consumer device information identifying an artist selected by the user;

the server system, in response to receiving said information identifying the artist selected by the user, i) creating, based at least in part on the information identifying the artist selected by the user, a list of recording identifiers and ii) transmitting to the consumer device the created list of recording identifiers;

the server system, after transmitting to the consumer device the list of recording identifiers, receiving from the consumer device a first request identifying a first recording identified by one of said recording identifies included in the list of recording identifiers;

in response to the first request, the server system transmitting to the consumer device audio data corresponding to the identified first recording;

after transmitting said audio data corresponding to the identified first recording, the server system receiving from the consumer device a second request identifying a second recording identified by one of said recording identifies included in the list of recording identifiers; and

in response to the second request, the server system transmitting to the consumer device audio data corresponding to the identified second recording.

4. A server system comprising at least one server apparatus, the server system being operative to:

receive from a consumer device information identifying an artist selected by a user;

in response to receiving said information identifying the artist selected by the user, i) create, based at least in part on the information identifying the artist selected by the user, a list of recording identifiers and ii) transmit to the consumer device the created list of recording identifiers;

receive from the consumer device, after transmitting to the consumer device the list of recording identifiers, a first request identifying a first recording identified by one of said recording identifies included in the list of recording identifiers;

in response to the first request, transmit to the consumer device audio data corresponding to the identified first recording;

receive from the consumer device a second request after transmitting said audio data corresponding to the identified first recording, the second request identifying a second recording identified by one of said recording identifies included in the list of recording identifiers; and

in response to the second request, transmit to the consumer device audio data corresponding to the identified second recording.