System and method for determining a location-based preferred media file

• US 9,374,670 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hymel, James Allen, Bouchard, Jean Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): KELLEY, STEVEN SHAUN
• Application Number:
  US12/860,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20120046050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,132 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method for determining a location-based preferred media file includes a position module and a processor communicatively coupled to the position module. The processor configured to execute instructions to determine a current position of the mobile device based at least partially on data from the position module, to request data for a preferred media file associated with the determined current position of the mobile device, and to receive data representative of the preferred media file. The preferred media file can be a video file or an audio file that is selected based upon frequency that the media file has been played within a predetermined distance from the determined current position of the mobile device. The frequency can be based upon the total number of plays of the media file, the number of unique plays of the media file, or from trend data received from an external resource.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device that determines location-based preferred media files, the communications device comprising:

a display having a display screen;

a camera viewfinder;

a position module; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the display, camera viewfinder, and position module, the processor configured to execute instructions to;

selectively determine a current position of the communications device based at least partially on position data obtained from the position module and on using a camera viewfinder of the communication device for automatically identifying a landmark within a vicinity of the communications device, wherein the landmark can be one of a monument, a building sign, a building exterior, a street sign, or other identifying landmark associated with a particular venue;

establish data communication with two or more other communication devices located within a predetermined distance from the determined current position of the communications device;

request playback data from each of the two or more other communications devices, the playback data identifying a number of times each of the two or more other communication devices played each of a collection of media files at the determined current position or within the predetermined distance from the determined current position;

responsive to selectively determining the current position of the communication device, automatically determine a preferred media file based on a total number of times that is indicated by the playback data of unique play counts of the preferred media file representative of a total number of unique playback devices that have played the preferred media file obtained from the two or more other communication devices at the current position or within a predetermined distance from the current position of the communication device to provide a location-based preferred media file; and

in response to the selectively determining the current position of the communication device and the determining the preferred media file, automatically display on the display screen data representative of the preferred media file for playback on the communications device.

2. The communications device as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions to:

selectively determine the current position of the communications device in response to actuation of a user selectable option on a user interface of the communications device which launches an application for determining the location-based preferred media file and further associate the current position of the communications device with a particular venue.

3. The communications device as recited in claim 2, wherein the association of the current position of the communications device with the particular venue further comprises searching a remote server comprising a database of media files using coordinates of the determined current position.

4. The communications device as recited in claim 2, wherein the particular venue is one of a bar, club, park, scenic location, monument, or attraction.

5. The communications device as recited in claim 2, wherein the particular venue is one of a street, district, or neighborhood.

6. The communications device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the preferred media file is at least one of an audio file or video file.

7. The communications device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to determine a frequency that a media file has been played on another communications device based on a total number of plays or unique plays on the other communications device.

8. The communications device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to determine a frequency that a media file has been played on another communications device based on data obtained from a resource external to the communications device.

9. The communications device as recited in claim 8, wherein the external resource is one of an internet site, blog, a remote server comprising a database of media files, text based posts, or trending data.

10. The communications device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to:

display a request dialog box on a display screen of the communications device, wherein the request dialog box includes graphical items to request the preferred media file according to genre, five top played files, ten top played files, or a top media file.

11. A method of determining location-based preferred media files using a mobile communications device that communicates with other communication devices, the method comprising:

selectively determining, via a processor communicatively coupled to a display having a display screen, a camera viewfinder, and a position module, of the communications device, a current position of the communications device based at least partially on position data obtained from the position module and on using the camera viewfinder of the communication device for automatically identifying a landmark within a vicinity of the communications device, wherein the landmark can be one of a monument, a building sign, a building exterior, a street sign, or other identifying landmark associated with a particular venue;

establishing data communication with two or more other communication devices located within a predetermined distance from the determined current position of the communications device;

requesting playback data from each of the two or more other communications devices, the playback data identifying a number of times each of the two or more other communication devices played each of a collection of media files at the determined current position or within the predetermined distance from the determined current position;

responsive to selectively determining the current position of the communication device, automatically determining a preferred media file based on a total number of times that is indicated by the playback data of unique play counts of the preferred media file representative of a total number of unique playback devices that have played the preferred media file obtained from the two or more other communication devices at the current position or within a predetermined distance from the current position of the communication device to provide a location-based preferred media file; and

responsive to the selectively determining the current position of the communication device and the determining the preferred media file, automatically displaying on the display screen data representative of the preferred media file at the communications device.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the preferred media file is at least one of an audio file and a video file.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising receiving a request for a particular genre of audio file and determining a most popular media file based on the genre and a total number of times an individual media file is played on another communications device within the predetermined distance from the current position of the communications device.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising determining a most popular media file based upon a total number of other devices which have played the most popular media file within the predetermined distance from the current position of the communications device.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the most popular media file is an audio file and the determination is based upon a portion of the title of the audio file.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the most popular audio file is available for download from a remote database of audio files.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising determining a most popular media file based upon a total number of times an individual media file is played by other communication devices within the predetermined distance from the current position of the communications device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processing device, cause a mobile communications device to perform a method comprising:

selectively determining a current position of the communications device based at least partially on position data obtained from a position module of the communication device and on using a camera viewfinder of the communication device for automatically identifying a landmark within a vicinity of the communications device, wherein the landmark can be one of a monument, a building sign, a building exterior, a street sign, or other identifying landmark associated with a particular venue;

establishing data communication with two or more other communication devices located within a predetermined distance from the determined current position of the communications device;

requesting playback data from each of the two or more other communication devices, the playback data identifying a number of times each of the two or more other communication devices played each of a collection of media files at the determined current position or within the predetermined distance from the determined current position;

responsive to selectively determining the current position of the communication device, automatically determining a preferred media file based on a total number of times that is indicated by the playback data of unique play counts of the preferred media file representative of a total number of unique playback devices that have played the preferred media file obtained from the two or more other communication devices at the current position or within a predetermined distance from the current position of the communication device to provide a location-based preferred media file; and

responsive to the selectively determining the current position of the communication device and the determining the preferred media file, automatically displaying on a display screen of a display of the communications device data representative of the preferred media file at the communications device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the instructions stored therein which cause the processor to obtain data representative of at least one of an audio file and a video file.