Personalized content distribution system

• US 20090177303A1
• Filed: 03/04/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Personal Audio, LLC
• Original Assignee: James D Logan and Kerry M Logan Family Trust
• Inventors: Call, Charles G., Goessling, Daniel F., Logan, James D.
• Application Number:
  US12/380,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An audio program and message distribution system in which a host system organizes and transmits program segments to client subscriber locations. The host organizes the program segments by subject matter and creates scheduled programming in accordance with preferences associated with each subscriber. Program segments are associated with descriptive subject matter segments, and the subject matter segments may be used to generate both text and audio cataloging presentations to enable the user to more easily identify and select desirable programming. A playback unit at the subscriber location reproduces the program segments received from the host and includes mechanisms for interactively navigating among the program segments. A usage log is compiled to record the subscriber'"'"'s use of the provided program materials, to return data to the host for billing, to adaptively modify the subscriber'"'"'s preferences based on actual usage, and to send subscriber-generated comments and requests to the host for processing. Voice input and control mechanisms included in the player allow the user to perform hands-free navigation of the program materials and to dictate comments and messages which are returned to the host for retransmission to other subscribers. The program segments sent to each subscriber may include advertising materials which the user can selectively play to obtain credits against the subscriber fee. Parallel audio and text transcript files for at least selected programming enable subject matter searching and synchronization of the audio and text files. Speech synthesis may be used to convert transcript files into audio format. Image files may also be transmitted from the server for synchronized playback with the audio programming.

Claims

1. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files via a communications network to an audio player located at each of a plurality of client locations, each of said audio players comprising a client processor, a client data store and a client display unit, said host server system comprising, in combination:

one or more data storage units for storing;

a plurality of digital audio recording files and attribute data describing each of said digital audio recording files, said attribute data including displayable text data describing the title or content of each of said digital audio recording files and displayable text data describing one or more subject matter categories to which each of said digital audio recording files belongs; and

one or more downloadable utility programs that are executable by said client processor in the audio players at a given client location for performing client functions requested by a person operating said audio player at said given client location, said client functions including;

downloading and displaying one or more catalog listings from said host server system identifying digital audio recording files available from said host server system;

selecting desired digital audio recording files specified by said person from said displayed catalog listings,

downloading said desired digital audio recording files via said communications network from said host server system;

storing said desired digital audio recording files in said client data store at said given client location; and

selecting and reproducing one or more of said digital audio recording files in said client data store at said given client location in audible form perceptible to said person; and

one or more communication interfaces for responding to requests received via said communications network from said client locations by performing server functions including;

transferring said one or more downloadable utility programs to said given client location for storage in the client data store at said given client location for subsequent execution by the client processor at said given client location to perform said client functions;

compiling said catalog listings from said attribute data and transferring said catalog listings to said given client location for display on the client display unit at said given client location; and

transferring said desired digital audio recording files to said given client location for reproduction by the audio player at said given client location.

2. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said one or more data storage units further stores subscriber data describing a subscriber account established for said audio player at said given client location, said subscriber data including:

a stored password for authenticating the identity of said person operating said client player at said given client location; and

credit card information identifying a credit card account from which payments to said subscriber account may be obtained.

3. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 2 wherein at least one of said communications interfaces is a web server for delivering HTML pages to said given client location, including HTML form pages for accepting said subscriber data from said person operating said audio player at said given client location.

4. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said attribute data further includes usage data indicating the extent to which individual ones of said digital audio recording files have been selected for use by audio players at said plurality of client locations and wherein one or more of said catalog listings identify digital audio recording files which are selected for inclusion in said one or more catalog listings based at least in part on said usage data whereby said one or more catalog listings contain more popular ones of said digital audio recording files

5. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein subscriber usage data indicating the extent to which individual ones of said digital audio recording files have been reproduced by said audio player at said given client location is received from said given client location by said host server system via said communications network and wherein the content of at least some of said catalog listings transferred to said given client location is personalized in accordance with preferences of the person operating said audio player at said given client location, said preferences being inferred at least in part from that person'"'"'s playing selections as specified by said subscriber usage data.

6. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said client function of selecting and reproducing one or more of said digital audio recording files in said client data store in audible form perceptible to said person is performed by continuously reproducing a collection of said digital audio recording files in an ordered sequence specified a sequencing file in the absence of a program selection command from said listener, and discontinuing the reproduction of the currently playing digital audio recording file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of a different listener-selected one of said digital audio recording files in said collection in response to a program selection command from said listener.

7. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 6 wherein subscriber usage data indicating the extent to which individual ones of said digital audio recording files have been reproduced by said given audio player are received from said given audio player by said host server system via said communications network and wherein the digital audio recording files in said collection specified by said sequencing file are selected based on preferences submitted by said listener or inferred from said subscriber usage data.

8. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said client functions further include downloading selected displayable data describing the title or content of each of said desired digital audio recording files, storing said selected displayable data in said client data store at said given client location, and displaying the title or content of that digital audio recording file in said client data store that is currently being reproduced by said audio player at said given client location.

9. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 8 wherein said client functions further include displaying the elapsed time remaining to be played in the digital audio program recording currently being reproduced by a client player.

10. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said attribute data further comprises an indication of the scheduled playback time duration of each of said audio recording files and wherein said catalog listings include said scheduled playback time duration for each identified digital audio program file available from said host server system.

11. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said one or more data storage units further store image data files and wherein said client functions include downloading selected ones of said image data files via said communications network from said host server system, storing said selected ones of said image data files in said client data store at said given client location, and displaying said selected ones of said image data files on said client display unit concurrently with the reproduction of associated ones of said digital audio recording files.

12. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 11 wherein said server functions include compiling a session sequencing file that specifies an ordered sequence of a set of said digital audio recording files and wherein said client functions further include reproducing said set of digital audio programming files and displaying said image data files in the order specified by said session sequencing file.

13. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 12 wherein said client functions include responding to a program navigation commands accepted from said person operating said client player for altering the sequence in which said digital audio recording files are reproduced.

14. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 12 wherein said client functions further include modifying said session sequencing file to alter the sequence in which said set of digital audio recording files are reproduced.

15. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 12 wherein said client functions further include modifying said session sequencing file by adding the specification of one or more new digital audio recording files to said set of digital audio recording files.

16. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 12 wherein said client functions further include modifying said session sequencing file by deleting the specification of one or more digital audio recording files from said set of digital audio recording files.

17. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said catalog listings compiled from said attribute data include listings identifying available digital audio recording files organized into subject matter categories specified by said attribute data.

18. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said server functions include responding to a request specifying a particular subject matter category received from a specific client location by transferring a catalog listing identifying available digital audio recording files belonging to said particular subject matter category to said specific client location.

19. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said communications network is or includes the Internet.

20. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said communications network is or includes a cellular packet data network.

21. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said client functions further include transmitting a search request to said host server system and wherein said server functions include:

responding to said search request by searching said displayable text data stored in said one or more data storage unites to locate and identify selected digital audio recording files that satisfy said search request and thereafter transferring a catalog listing of said selected digital audio recording files to the requesting audio player.

22. A host server system for disseminating digital audio recording files as set forth in claim 1 wherein said client functions further include:

downloading selected displayable data describing the title or content of each of said desired digital audio recording files,

storing said selected displayable data in said client data store at said given client location,

accepting a search request from said person operating said audio player at said given client location,

searching said displayable data stored in said client data store at said given client location to identify selected digital audio recording files that satisfy said search request, and

displaying a listing containing the title or content each of said selected digital audio recording files.

23. A personalized electronic information delivery system for disseminating selected audio program files to a plurality of audio program players via the Internet, said delivery system comprising:

one or more file servers for storing a library of available named audio program files,

a data communications interface for exchanging data with said audio program players, and

a processor for;

responding to one or more program requests received from a each given one of audio program players by transferring requested named audio program files specified in said one or more program requests to said given one of said audio program players to enable said given one of said audio program players to reproduce said requested named audio program files,

receiving usage data from reporting ones of said audio program players indicating the extent to which specified named audio program files have been reproduced by each of said reporting ones of said audio program players,

combining said usage data as received from said reporting ones of said audio program players in create aggregated usage data, and

transferring personalized program recommendations to individual ones of said audio program players, said personalized program recommendations identifying more frequently reproduced ones of named audio program files as indicated by said aggregated usage data.

24. The personalized electronic information delivery system as set forth in claim 23 wherein said each of said named audio program files belongs to one or more named subject matter categories and wherein said personalized program recommendations identify more frequently reproduced ones of said named audio program files belonging to one or more named categories specified by said individual ones of said audio program players.

25. A personalized electronic information delivery system as set forth in claim 23 wherein said processor excludes from at least some of the personalized program recommendations sent to a given audio program player the identification of audio program files previously reproduced by said given audio player as indicated by the usage data received from said given audio player.

26. The personalized electronic information delivery system set forth in claim 23 wherein said processor repeatedly receives said usage data from said reporting ones of said audio program players to update said aggregated usage data.

27. The personalized electronic information delivery system set forth in claim 23 wherein one or more of said personalized program recommendations transferred to a given audio program player identify more frequently reproduced ones of said named audio program files as indicated by said aggregated usage data and further indicated by said usage data received from said given audio program player which is indicative of the interests of the operator of said given audio program player.

28. The personalized electronic information delivery system set forth in claim 23 wherein one or more of said personalized program recommendations transferred to individual ones of said audio program players comprises a session scheduling file that identifies an ordered sequence in which a collection of said more frequently reproduced ones of said named audio program files may be reproduced.

29. The personalized electronic information delivery system set forth in claim 23 wherein one or more of said personalized program recommendations transferred to a particular one of said audio program players comprises a program scheduling file that specifies an ordered sequence of selected ones of said audio program files wherein said particular one of said audio program players receives and utilizes said program scheduling file to reproduce said selected ones of said audio program files in said ordered sequence.