DYNAMIC SELECTION OF MEDIA FOR PLAYBACK

• US 20090327222A1
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Spitzer-Williams, Noah, Mackenzie, Mark, Oshiro, Marc, Moreland, Steve, D'Aurelio, Ryan, Waters, Jennifer
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia

Abstract

A list of media, such as image media, is dynamically generated and provided to a user. The dynamically generated media playlist may be associated with a user'"'"'s “favorite pictures,” “favorite music” or some other type of media. Each of the “favorite media” features may be associated with playlist criteria, which is used to dynamically construct a query for media files to include on the playlist. The criteria may specify several requirements for including media in the dynamically created playlist, for example user rating, recently added media, and other criteria. The query is sent to a database, which returns a playlist of media. The returned playlist is provided to a media center, which retrieves and provides the listed media to a user.

Claims

1. A method for providing image media files, comprising:

setting a first criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files having a user-created rating that satisfies a first threshold;

setting a second criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files not rated by a user;

setting a third criteria for identifying a set of one or more image files added to a database during a specified period of time, the first criteria, second criteria and third criteria associated with a dynamically created list of images;

receiving input requesting to provide a dynamically created set of images;

constructing a query in response to the input, the query based on the first criteria, second criteria and third criteria; and

providing the set of images listed in a set of query results associated with the constructed query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first criteria specifies a minimum user-created rating for images to include in the dynamically created list of images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second criteria specifies whether images not yet rated by a user are included in the dynamically created list of images

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third criteria specifies a period of time during which images added to the database are included in the dynamically created list of images.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the period of time is configured to end at the time the input is received to provide the dynamically created list of images,

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving input includes:

receiving input by an interface provided by an operating system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of constructing a query is performed by code within the operating system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the query to be applied against a database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data store is located over a network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving input is received in response to playback of one or more music files.

11. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

storing a first criteria for identifying a set of one or more audio files having a user-created rating that satisfies a first threshold, the set of one or more audio files listed in a data store;

storing a second criteria for identifying one or more audio files having an auto rating which satisfies a second threshold;

storing a third criteria for identifying a first number of the most recent audio files added to a data store;

storing a fourth criteria for identifying each audio file added to the data store within a first time period; and

generating a list of the identified audio files based on the stored criteria.

12. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 11, wherein the method further includes:

receiving selection of an interface element in an operating system menu associated with providing audio; and

performing said step of generating in response to said received selection.

13. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 11, wherein a user created rating for as least one audio file is stored in the at least one audio file.

14. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 11, wherein the user created rating is stored in the data store.

15. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 11, wherein said step of generating a list of the identified audio files includes:

creating a query based on the stored parameters;

transmitting the query to be made against the data store.

16. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 11, wherein said step of generating a list includes:

determining that a user rating exists for an audio file; and

disregarding an auto rating for the audio file for which the user rating exists.

17. A system of providing a list of media files, comprising:

a media center application having a playback engine and a query generator;

a media player module; and

a media database,

the media center application able to set and store a first criteria for user rating, a second criteria for non-rated media files, and a third criteria for a time period threshold during which media files are added to the media database,

the query generator able to generate a query based on at least two of the first criteria, second criteria and third criteria, the query to be submitted to the media database,

the media database containing media data and able to process a query for media files,

the playback engine able to retrieve each listed media file in a set of query results generated by the media database and received by the media center application, the playback engine able to provide each retrieved media file to a user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the media database is located over a network.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the playback engine may provide a subset of the media files listed in the query results before each media file is retrieved.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

the media database including audio media data,

the media center application able to set and store a fourth criteria for auto rating and fifth a criteria for most recently added media files,

the query generator able to generate a query based at least one of the fourth criteria and fifth criteria and at least two of the first criteria, second criteria and third criteria.