System, method and computer program product for collaborative background music among portable communication devices

• US 7,603,414 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Outland Research LLC
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/610,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-205, 709/208, 709/224, 709/223, 709/219, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/352 In-call/conference information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for enabling a plurality of users engaged in real-time voice communications over a wireless communications link to collaboratively select one or more musical media files and to jointly listen to the collaboratively selected musical media in approximate synchronicity as a mutually perceivable background musical stream. The background musical stream is audibly output to each of the plurality of users in audio combination with the exchanged real-time voice communications such that the exchanged voice communications is intelligible to each user along with the background musical stream. Each user is situated proximal to a portable communication device that enables the real-time voice communications, the collaborative selection of musical media, and the audio combination of voice communications and musical media.

Claims

1. A system for collaboratively selecting a background musical composition for concurrent play with voice communications comprising:

a plurality of portable communications devices, each portable communication device comprising;

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a transceiver coupled to the processor configured to at least exchange real-time voice communications with at least another portable communication device;

the real-time voice communications comprising user vocalizations captured by a microphone coupled to each portable communication device;

an audio processing subsystem coupled to the processor configured to audibly output at least a portion of the exchanged real-time voice communications in audible combination with a mutually perceivable background musical stream; and

,

a collaborative music program operatively loadable into the memory including instructions executable by the processor to enable the collaborative selection of a musical media file for generation of the mutually perceivable background musical stream.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaborative selection of a musical media file is performed by a sequential selection of a musical media file by a plurality of users assigned to an electronically moderated turn-taking progression.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaborative selection of a musical media file is performed by a suggestion and an acceptance arrangement in which a user electronically suggests a musical media file through an interaction with a portable communication device associated with the user and a different user electronically accepts or rejects the suggested musical media file through an interaction with another portable communication device associated with the different user.

4. The system according to claim 2 wherein the sequential selection of a musical media file occurs during a voice communications exchange session.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaborative selection of a musical media file is performed by an electronically moderated vote of a plurality of users engaged in the exchange of the real-time voice communications.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaborative selection of a musical media file is performed by sequential selection of a first musical media file from a first playlist of a first user of a first portable communication device followed by a selection of a second musical media file from a second playlist of a second user of a second portable communication device.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the collaborative selection of a musical media file is further performed during a voice communications exchange session.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaboratively selected musical media file when played is mutually perceivable in approximate synchronicity among a plurality of users associated with the plurality of portable communication devices.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaborative music program further includes instructions to control an amplitude of the mutually perceivable background musical stream such that the exchanged real-time voice communications are intelligible to a plurality users situated in cognizable proximity to each of the plurality of portable communications devices.

10. The system according to claim 3 wherein the collaborative music program further includes instructions executable by the processor to generate a user cognizable alert when a collaborative input is required to be entered into a portable communication device associated with the user.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the collaborative input is entered by a user interaction with a user interface coupled to the portable communication device.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaboratively selected musical media file is locally available to each of the plurality of portable communications devices.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaboratively selected musical media file is locally available to at least one of the plurality of portable communications devices and remotely available to at least another of the plurality of portable communications devices.

14. The system according to claim 1 wherein the collaboratively selected musical media file is remotely available to at least a portion of the plurality of portable communications devices.

15. A method for collaboratively selecting a background musical composition for concurrent play with voice communications comprising:

providing a plurality of portable communications devices, each of the portable communication devices having a processor, a memory, a transceiver and an audio processing subsystem operatively coupled to the processor;

configuring each transceiver to at least exchange real-time voice communications with at least another of the plurality of portable communication devices, the real-time voice communications comprising user vocalizations captured by a microphone coupled to each portable communication device;

configuring the audio processing subsystem of each portable communication device to audibly output at least a portion of the exchanged voice communications in audio combination with a mutually perceivable background musical stream; and

,

providing a collaborative music program operatively loadable into the memory of at least one of the plurality of portable communication devices, the program including instructions executable by the processor to perform collaborative selection of a musical media file for generation of the mutually perceivable background musical stream.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the collaborative music program further includes instructions for performing the collaborative selection by enabling the sequential selection of one or more musical media files by each of a plurality of users of associated with each of the plurality of portable communication devices, each of the plurality of users being assigned to an electronically moderated turn-taking progression.

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the collaborative music program further includes instructions for performing the collaborative selection by a user electronically suggesting a musical media file through an interaction a portable communication device associated with the user and a different user electronically accepting or rejecting the suggested musical media file through an interaction with a portable communication device associated with the different user.

18. The method according to claim 15 wherein the collaborative music program further includes instructions for performing the collaborative selection by selecting a first musical media file from a first playlist associated with a first portable communication device followed by selecting a second musical media file from a second playlist associated with a second portable communication device.

19. A computer program product embodied in a tangible form comprising instructions executable by a processor associated with a portable communications device to programmatically perform a collaborative selection of a musical media file for generation of a mutually perceivable background musical stream in dependence on an electronic representation of at least one user'"'"'s selection and audibly output the perceivable background musical stream in audio combination with an exchanged real-time voice communications, the real-time voice communications comprising user vocalizations captured by a microphone coupled to each portable communication device.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the tangible form is one of;

a logical media, a magnetic media and an optical media.

21. The computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the collaborative selection is performed by a sequential selection of a musical media file by a plurality of users assigned to an electronically moderated turn-taking progression.

22. The computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the collaborative selection is performed by a suggestion and acceptance arrangement in which a user electronically suggests a musical media file through an interaction with his or her portable communication device and one or more other users electronically accept or reject the suggested musical media file through an interaction with each of their portable communication devices.

23. The computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the collaborative selection of a musical media file is performed by an electronically moderated vote of a plurality of the users engaged in the real-time voice communication.

24. The computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the collaborative selection of a musical media file is performed by sequential selection of a first musical media file from a first playlist of a first user of a first portable communication device followed by the selection of a second musical media file from a second playlist of a second user of a second portable communication device.