METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTERACTIVE DISTRIBUTION OF DIGITAL CONTENT

• US 20080215170A1
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slacker, Inc. (LiveOne, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Slacker, Inc. (LiveOne, Inc.)
• Inventors: Milbrandt, Celite, Kindig, Bradley D., Asghar, Safdar
• Granted Patent: US 8,712,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• 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 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system, method, and machine-readable medium are disclosed for the controlled, non-real-time conveyance of digital content for playback. Digital content and associated metadata are marked, rated, categorized, and then converted into encoded digital data. The resulting encoded digital data is transmitted as a plurality of data streams through a communications facility such as a satellite, wireless, or physical network. The data streams are received by a content receiver where they are decoded into metadata and digital content for controlled conveyance and playback. A digital content management module comprising a content selection algorithm compares metadata associated with candidate digital content to a predetermined content selection profile. If the metadata matches predetermined selection parameters of the selection profile, the candidate digital content and its associated metadata are stored in a machine-readable medium for controlled conveyance and playback.

Claims

1. A content receiver, comprising:

a digital data stream receiver operable to receive a plurality of encoded digital data streams conveyed over a network;

a digital data stream decoder configured to extract digital content and metadata from the plurality of encoded digital data streams;

a storage medium in which are stored digital content selection profiles and profiled digital content files;

a digital content management module operable to generate said profiled digital content files, each of said profiled digital content files being comprised of a portion of said digital content associated with at least one of said digital content selection profiles; and

a digital content playback module operable to generate audio signals using said profiled digital content files.

2. The content receiver of claim 1, wherein said content management module is operable to receive user input and to responsively initiate generation of said digital content selection profiles.

3. The content receiver of claim 2, wherein the generation of said digital content selection profiles is automatically initiated upon receipt of said user input.

4. The content receiver of claim 3, wherein said content management module is operable to use said user input to generate user operation patterns.

5. The content receiver of claim 4, wherein said user operation patterns are used to generate selection parameters for managing said profiled digital content files.

6. The content receiver of claim 5, wherein said selection parameters are used to control the sequence for generating audio signals from said profiled digital content files.

7. The content receiver of claim 6, wherein said selection parameters comprise a content rating value.

8. The content receiver of claim 1 wherein the digital content management module is operable to generate the digital content selection profiles, each of the digital content selection profiles comprising metadata selection parameters.

9. The content receiver of claim 8 wherein the digital content management module is further operable to perform comparison operations involving the metadata and the metadata selection parameters of a predetermined one of the digital content selection profiles.

10. The content receiver of claim 9 wherein the digital content management module is further configured to discard portions of said digital content associated with portions of the metadata not corresponding to the metadata selection parameters.

11. The content receiver of claim 10 wherein the digital content management module is further configured to select for storage other portions of said digital content associated with other portions of the metadata corresponding to the metadata selection parameters.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving and decoding a plurality of encoded digital data streams comprising digital content and metadata, thereby extracting said digital content and metadata;

generating a plurality of digital content selection profiles comprising metadata selection parameters;

generating a plurality of profiled digital content files comprising digital content associated with said metadata selection parameters;

storing said plurality of profiled digital content files; and

generating audio signals using said profiled digital content files.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving user input and using said user input to initiate the generation of said digital content selection profiles.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the generation of said digital content selection profiles is automatically initiated upon receipt of said user input.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising using said user input to generate user operation patterns.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

using said user operation patterns to generate selection parameters for managing said profiled digital content files.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

using said selection parameters to control the sequence for generating audio signals from said profiled digital content files.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said selection parameters comprise a content rating value.

19. A content receiver device for receiving and processing digital information for controlled, non-real-time conveyance, comprising:

a decoder operable to receive a plurality of encoded digital data streams comprising digital content and metadata and to decode said plurality of encoded digital data streams, thereby extracting said digital content and metadata therefrom;

a digital content management module operable to generate a plurality of digital content selection profiles comprising metadata selection parameters and to generate a plurality of profiled digital content files comprising digital content associated with said metadata selection parameters;

a storage medium operable to store said profiled digital content files; and

a digital content playback module operable to generate audio signals using said profiled digital content files.

20. The content receiver device of claim 19, wherein said content management module is operable to receive user input to initiate the generation of said digital content selection profiles.

21. The content receiver device of claim 20, wherein the generation of said digital content selection profiles is automatically initiated upon receipt of said user input.

22. The content receiver device of claim 21, wherein said content management module is operable to use said user input to generate user operation patterns.

23. The content receiver device of claim 22, wherein said user operation patterns are used to generate selection parameters for managing said profiled digital content files.

24. The content receiver device of claim 23, wherein said selection parameters are used to control the sequence for generating audio signals from said profiled digital content files.

25. The content receiver device of claim 24, wherein said selection parameters comprise a content rating value.

26. A method for conveying digital information, comprising:

associating a plurality of metadata tags with digital content;

loading the digital content and associated metadata tags onto a server;

converting, within the server, the digital content and associated metadata tags into encoded digital data; and

providing the encoded digital data to a distribution network for transmission as a plurality of encoded digital data streams to a plurality of content receivers wherein each of said content receivers is configured to execute a digital content selection algorithm involving comparison of ones of the metadata tags with a predetermined selection profile, and storing, in a processor readable memory, results of said comparison.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the transmission includes transmission of the encoded digital data streams over a terrestrial based wireless network and a satellite-based network.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein said associating includes marking, rating and categorizing said digital content, and adding information associated with said marking, rating and categorizing to said metadata tags.

29. A system for conveying digital information, comprising:

a content generation module configured to associate a plurality of metadata tags with digital content;

a server configured to store the digital content and associated metadata tags;

a content conversion module configured to convert, within the server, the digital content and associated metadata tags into encoded digital data; and

a transmission module configured to provide the encoded digital data to a distribution network for transmission as a plurality of encoded digital data streams to a plurality of content receivers, wherein each of said content receivers is configured to execute a digital content selection algorithm involving comparison of ones of the metadata tags with a predetermined selection profile, and storing, in a processor readable memory, results of said comparison.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the transmission module is configured to provide the encoded digital data streams over a terrestrial based wireless network and a satellite-based network.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein said associating a plurality of metadata tags with digital content includes marking, rating and categorizing said digital content, and adding information associated with said marking, rating and categorizing to said metadata tags.

32. A system for conveying digital information, comprising:

a content generation module configured to associate a plurality of metadata tags with digital content;

a server configured to store the digital content and associated metadata tags;

a content conversion module configured to convert, within the server, the digital content and associated metadata tags into encoded digital data;

a transmission module; and

a plurality of content receivers, wherein said transmission module is configured to provide the encoded digital data to a distribution network for transmission of said digital content and associated metadata to said plurality of content receivers, and wherein said plurality of content receivers are configured to execute a digital content selection algorithm involving comparison of ones of the metadata tags with a predetermined selection profile, and storing, in a processor readable memory, results of said comparison.