Portable device attached to a media player for rating audio/video contents

• US 7,031,931 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Meyers, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOSWELL, BETH V
• Application Number:
  US09/538,677
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 711/115, 711/100, 725/109
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable rating apparatus for rating one of audio and video content. The apparatus includes a user-manipulable control dedicated for generating a signal indicating a rating of a media content. The rating corresponds to one of a plurality of categories of preferences. A processor, operatively connected to the user-manipulable control, receives the signal from the user-manipulable control and associates the rating with the media content. A memory device, operatively connected to the processor, stores the rating associated with the media content.

Claims

1. A portable media player and rating apparatus, comprising:

a user-manipulable control dedicated for generating a signal indicating a user-supplied rating of a currently played media content in response to a user-supplied rating, the user-supplied rating corresponding to one of a plurality of predefined categories of preferences; and

the portable media player being a handheld device and having a memory device and a processor arranged in the portable media player, said memory device arranged for storing media contents and a ratings list comprising a list of user supplied ratings associated with the stored media contents, and

said processor being operatively connected to said user-manipulable control and to said memory device for selectively retrieving the stored media contents from said memory device and playing the stored media contents at the portable media player, for receiving the signal from said user-manipulable control, and for associating the user-supplied rating indicated by the signal with the currently played media content, wherein said processor is further operable for ranking the media content in response to the user-supplied ratings in the ratings list and selectively retrieving and playing media content in said memory based on the user-supplied ratings in the ratings list, and said user-manipulable control includes input controls for indicating a positive rating and a negative rating, said processor being operative to move the currently playing content toward the top of the ratings list by a first predetermined amount of slots if the positive rating is indicated and move the currently playing content toward the bottom of the ratings list by a second predetermined amount of slots if the negative rating is indicated, and wherein said processor is further operable for continuously updating a user-supplied rating of the media content based on signals input by the user during subsequent playing of the media content.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said processor receives the signal from said user-manipulable control as said processor plays the media content stored in said memory device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the user-manipulable control includes a switch having a plurality of depressible buttons, each of said plurality of depressible buttons corresponding to one of said plurality of predefined categories of preferences.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said user-manipulable control includes a multi-position switch movable among different positions, each of said positions corresponding to one of said plurality of predefined categories of preferences.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the multi-position switch includes a pivotable lever.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the user-manipulable control is incorporated in a headphone cord for headphones which plugs into the portable media player.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said user-manipulable control further includes input controls for indicating a most positive rating, a neutral rating, and a most negative rating, said processor being operative to move the currently playing content to the top of the ratings list if the most positive rating is indicated, move the currently playing content up by one slot in the ratings list if the positive rating is indicated, move the currently playing content down by one slot in the ratings list if the negative rating is indicated, and move the currently playing content to the bottom of the ratings list if the most negative rating is indicated.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said processor is connectable to a server for transmitting the ratings list to a server, whereby the ratings list of user-supplied ratings is comparable with ratings lists of other users.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said processor is operable for receiving recommendations of items from the server based on ratings of the items by other users with similar preferences.