Mobile communication terminal and method

• US 20070239687A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Seymour, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,937,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A method for handling media files having attributes is disclosed. A user-configurable play criteria specification is provided, and the method involves automatically selecting and performing a current media file having at least one attribute in compliance with the play criteria specification. Moreover, the method involves receiving a user input indicative of a desired play criterion, the desired play criterion being related to at least one attribute of the current media file, and updating the play criteria specification to include the desired play criterion.

Claims

1. A method for handling media files having attributes, wherein a user-configurable play criteria specification is provided, the method involving automatically selecting and performing a current media file having at least one attribute in compliance with the play criteria specification, the method further comprising the:

receiving a user input indicative of a desired play criterion, said desired play criterion being related to at least one attribute of said current media file; and

updating said play criteria specification to include said desired play criterion.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein receiving a user input and updating said play criteria specification are executed during performance of said current media file.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising automatically selecting and performing another media file having at least one attribute in compliance with the updated play criteria specification.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein automatically selecting and performing another media file is performed when or after performance of said current media file has been completed.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said media files include audio files with music and wherein said desired play criterion is related to at least one attribute belonging to the group consisting of:

album, artist, composer, genre, title, temporal origin, and storage location.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said media files include digital images and wherein said desired play criterion is related to at least one attribute belonging to the group consisting of:

author/creator, genre, theme/subject, temporal origin, and storage location.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said media files include digital video or audio/video sequences and wherein said desired play criterion is related to at least one attribute belonging to the group consisting of:

author, producer, director, actor(s), genre, title, episode, season, temporal origin, and storage location.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising media files which are available for automatic selection including at least one media file of a first media type, and said current media file being of a second media type, wherein said desired play criterion is related to said second media type as an attribute of said current media file.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein updating said play criteria specification involves adding said desired play criterion to any existing criterion in said play criteria specification.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein updating said play criteria specification involves deleting any existing criterion in said play criteria specification before including said desired play criterion.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein receiving a user input involves:

determining a plurality of attributes of said current media file;

generating a plurality of user-selectable play criterion options from the determined attributes;

displaying the generated play criterion options;

detecting selection by a user of at least one of the play criterion options; and

generating the desired play criterion from the or each selected play criterion option.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the play criteria specification is an automatic file selection and playback filter for use by a media player in a random or shuffle mode.

18. A computer program product comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, performs the method according to claim 1.

13. A media player apparatus having a controller and a user interface with an output device and an input device, the controller being adapted to provide media player functionality for automatically selecting and performing a current media file having at least one attribute in compliance with a play criteria specification, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

receive a user input from said input device indicative of a desired play criterion, said desired play criterion being related to at least one attribute of said current media file; and

update said play criteria specification to include said desired play criterion.

14. A media player apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the controller is further adapted to automatically select and perform another media file having at least one attribute in compliance with the updated play criteria specification.

15. A media player apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the controller is further adapted to receive said user input from said input device by

determining a plurality of attributes of said current media file;

generating a plurality of user-selectable play criterion options from the determined attributes;

displaying the generated play criterion options on said output device;

detecting selection by a user of at least one of the play criterion options; and

generating the desired play criterion from the or each selected play criterion option.

16. A media player apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the controller is adapted to provide the play criteria specification as an automatic file selection and playback filter for use by a media player in a random or shuffle mode.

17. A media player apparatus as defined in claim 13, embodied in or as an apparatus selected from the group consisting of a portable media player apparatus for digital media files, a mobile communication terminal, a palmtop computer, a personal computer, a compact disk player, a digital versatile disk player, a minidisk player, a game console, a digital camera, a home stereo or a car stereo.