Adding perishable content to media stream based on user location preference

• US 9,699,232 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Drapeau, Thomas, Calamera, Pablo, Hamre, Lasse, Lockhart, Kevin R., Wooden, Richard D., Zigler, Jeffrey D., Lockhart, Jacqueline J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US14/014,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 709206, 4554563
• 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 16/487 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: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling

Abstract

Media consumers can elect to have local news, weather, traffic, or other perishable content inserted into customized media streams. The perishable content is inserted into the media stream as an add-in block containing items associated with a particular locale that matches a user location source preference. The user can specify a static location source preference, or a follow-me, or roaming preference, in which the user'"'"'s current location is used. The perishable content is selected for inclusion in an add-in block by matching a user'"'"'s location preference to a locale associated with the perishable content.

Claims

1. A method of customizing a consumer-media content stream, the method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface configured to couple a server device to a consumer-media-content automation system, information specifying a user-location source preference for a plurality of different types of custom media streams associated with a user, wherein the plurality of different types of custom media streams associated with the user include consumer-media items having different genres, and wherein the user-location source preference indicates whether perishable content inserted into particular types of custom media streams associated with the user is to be inserted based on either of a static location or a variable location of a user;

receiving, via the network interface, perishable content items associated with different locales;

determining, at the server device, a source location in accordance with the user-location source preference; and

inserting add-in blocks into the particular types of custom media streams associated with the user, at the server device, wherein inserting add-in blocks includes perishable content items selected from either the static location or based on the variable location of the user, in accordance with the user-location source preference.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of custom media streams to the user; and

applying the user-location source preference to determine add-in blocks to be inserted in each of the plurality of custom media streams.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user-location source preference is a global preference applicable to a plurality of user devices and a plurality of custom media streams, and

wherein the method further comprises applying the global preference based, at least in part, on location settings imposed by each of the plurality of user devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the user-location source preference indicates that content should be provided based on the variable location:

receiving location updates from a user device; and

changing the perishable content included in the add-in block inserted into the custom media stream based on the location updates.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the user-location source preference indicates that content should be provided based on the static location:

inserting an add-in block including perishable content associated with the static location, regardless of where the user is currently located.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information specifying a type of the custom media stream in which to include the add-in block.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inserting the add-in block into a custom radio station to be delivered via a cloud-based content distribution system.

8. A computing device implementing a consumer-media-content delivery platform, the computing device comprising:

a network interface configured to couple the computing device to a consumer-media-content automation system and a plurality of user devices via a communications network;

a processor coupled to the network interface;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a program of instructions to be stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising;

at least one instruction configured to receive, from the consumer-media-content automation system, a plurality of perishable content items associated with a plurality of different locales;

at least one instruction to receive a user-location source preferences from a first user device of the plurality of user devices, the user-location source preferences for a plurality of different types of custom media-station streams, wherein the plurality of different types of custom media-station streams include consumer-media items associated with different genres, and wherein the user-location source preferences indicate either of a static location or a variable location of the first user device; and

at least one instruction to insert an add-in block into a media-station stream to be delivered to a second user device of the plurality of user devices, wherein the add-in block includes a perishable content item selected based on the user-location source preferences for the plurality of different types of custom media station streams received from the first user device.

9. The computing device of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one instruction to provide a plurality of custom media-station streams to the second user device; and

at least one instruction to apply the user-location source preferences to determine add-in blocks to be inserted in each of the plurality of custom media-station streams.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein:

the user-location source preferences are global preferences applicable to the plurality of user devices and a plurality of custom media-station streams, and

at least one instruction to apply the global preference based, at least in part, on location settings imposed by each of the plurality of user devices.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the user-location source preferences indicate whether perishable content items of the plurality of perishable content items should be provided based on either the static location or the variable location of the second user device.

12. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one instruction to respond to a determination that the user-location source preferences indicate that the perishable content item should be provided based on the variable location of the second user device by;

receiving a location update from the second user device; and

changing the perishable content item included in the add-in block inserted into the media stream based on the location update.

13. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one instruction to respond to a determination that the user-location source preferences indicate that the perishable content item should be provided based on the static location by inserting the add-in block including the perishable content associated with the static location, regardless of where the second user device is currently located.

14. The computing device of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one instruction to provide, to the second user device, an indicator specifying the locale of the plurality of different locales with which the perishable content items included in the add-in block is associated.

15. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the media delivery platform comprises a cloud-based content distribution system, and wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to insert the add-in block into a user-customized radio station; and

at least one instruction to deliver the user-customized radio station to the second device via the cloud-based content distribution system.

16. A method comprising:

transmitting, via a communications network, an interactive interface from a computing device implementing a media delivery service to a user device coupled to the computing device, the interactive interface presenting a user with an option to receive different local news, weather, and traffic items in different customized media station types, wherein different customized media station types include consumer-media items associated with different genres;

receiving, via the communications network, a user selection from the user device indicating a content preference indicating at least one genre of consumer-media items, and a location source preference indicating which of the different local news, weather, and traffic items is to be inserted into a particular customized media station;

receiving the different local news, weather, and traffic items from media automation systems associated with particular locales; and

inserting, into a custom media station to be streamed to the user device, at the media automation system, an add-in block including selected local news, weather, and traffic items matching the content preference and the location source preference.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the location source preference is a global preference applicable to a plurality of user devices and a plurality of custom media streams;

and wherein the method further comprises;

applying the global preference based, at least in part, on location settings imposed by each of the plurality of user devices.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the location source preference indicates whether the user device prefers to receive perishable content based on a static location or on a roaming location basis.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

in response to determining that the location source preference indicates that content should be provided on a roaming location basis;

receiving location updates from the user device;

changing the local news, weather, and traffic items based on the location updates; and

in response to determining that the location source preference indicates that content should be provided based on a static location, providing a same local news, weather, and traffic items, regardless of where the user is currently located.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the content preference further comprising a preference indicating whether customized talk radio stations, customized music radio stations, or both customized talk radio stations and customized music radio stations should be included with the add-in block.