Methods and systems for processing playlists

• US 7,343,384 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alkove, James M., Debique, Kirt A., Plastina, Daniel, DeBacker, Gabriel S., Colville, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US11/145,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/102, 707/10, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Various systems and methods described above permit a user'"'"'s content experience (e.g. music playing experience) to be monitored and for metadata describing this experience to be collected. This metadata can be dynamically updated as a user experiences media content and then used to impart to the user a personalized experience that is tailored to that specific user. A user'"'"'s metadata can, in some instances, provided across a wide variety of computing devices on which the user may experience the media content, thus standardizing the user'"'"'s personalized media experience. In addition, intelligent or “smart” playlists can be provided which, in some instances, can be dynamically and automatically updated to reflect current user experiences, thus providing a highly personalized and enjoyable content experience.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a local automatically adaptive playlist embodied on a computer readable-medium, the adaptive playlist selectable by a end user to cause playback of associated local end user music content files, wherein the playlist is defined by an XML file format that includes a dynamic portion with one or more references to instantiatable code that executes on a computing device and operates on data included in one or more tag fragments to produce a result set that is developed into at least a portion of the playlist.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the playlist is adaptive responsive to a user'"'"'s listening habits.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the playlist is adaptive responsive to multiple user'"'"'s listening habits.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the playlist is periodically and automatically regenerated.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the playlist is adaptive without requiring any activity on the part of a user to maintain the playlist.

6. A system comprising:

a personal computing device;

computer-readable media on the personal computing device;

a content database on the computer-readable media, wherein the content database includes a user'"'"'s content and metadata associated with the content; and

an automatically adaptive playlist embodied on the computer-readable media, wherein the play list is selectable to cause play back of associated content on the user'"'"'s computing device, wherein the metadata includes ratings information associated with the content, wherein the ratings information comprises both rating information provided by the user to rate their content, and rating information automatically provided by the system to rate the user'"'"'s content, and wherein the playlist can automatically adapt based, at least in part, on the ratings information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the playlist is adaptive responsive to a user'"'"'s listening habits.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the playlist is adaptive responsive to multiple user'"'"'s listening habits.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the playlist is periodically and automatically regenerated.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the playlist describes music content.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the playlist is adaptive without requiring any activity on the part of a user to maintain the playlist.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the playlist is extensible.