Navigating media content by groups

• US 7,680,814 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation), Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: LaChapelle, Kevin Leigh, Yanagawa, Yoshifumi, Takeguchi, Nobuyasu, Mercer, Ian Cameron, Matsumi, Chiyoko, Miyamoto, Harutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US11/461,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/7, 707/102, 707/101, 707/103.R, 707/104.1, 709/223, 715/704, 846/00, 846/09, 846/68
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content storing computer data in solid state memories G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/954 Relational

Abstract

Grouping media files via playlists on a computer-readable medium. One or more media files are selected according to a grouping criterion to define one or more playlists from the media files. A folder is associated with the playlists and stores values identifying each of the playlists associated with the folder along with references to each of the playlists.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of creating sub-groups of media files within a group, said computer-implemented method comprising:

selecting, via a processor of a computer, one or more media files available to the computer, said media files being selected according to a grouping criterion specified by a user of the computer to define a first playlist;

defining a second playlist from the selected media files according to another grouping criterion, said first play list and said second play list both referencing one or more of the selected media files;

creating a folder associated with the first playlist on a removable computer readable medium temporarily associated with the computer;

storing, in the created folder on the removable computer readable medium temporarily associated with the computer, a plurality of values each identifying a playlist of a plurality of playlists, said plurality of values comprising a first value identifying the first playlist and a second value identifying the second playlist; and

storing a plurality of references in the created folder on the removable computer readable medium temporarily associated with the computer, each reference of the plurality of references corresponding to a playlist of the plurality of playlists, said plurality of references comprising a first reference to the first playlist and a second reference to the second playlist.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising parsing the media files to determine a playlist summary type associated with each of the media files.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the playlist summary type identifies each of the parsed media files as comprising one or more of the following:

audio data, video data, and image data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first reference and the second reference comprise one or more of the following:

a memory location offset and a pointer to a memory location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the grouping criterion comprises one or more of the following:

artist, genre, album, date, number of files in the playlist, and directory name.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first value comprises a name for the first playlist to enable displaying the name to the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selected media files comprise one or more of the following:

audio files, video files, and image files.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implemented method recited in claim 1.

9. A computer-implemented method of creating sub-groups of media files within a group, said computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a list of media files having an associated grouping criterion, wherein said grouping criterion is selected by a user of a computer and wherein said list of media files defines a first playlist;

selecting one or more additional media files according to another grouping criterion to define a second playlist;

creating a folder associated with the first playlist on a computer readable storage medium associated with the computer;

storing, in the created folder on the computer readable storage medium associated with the computer, a plurality of values each identifying a playlist of a plurality of playlists, said plurality of values comprising a first value identifying the first playlist and a second value identifying the second playlist; and

storing a plurality of references in the created folder on the removable computer readable medium temporarily associated with the computer, each reference of the plurality of references corresponding to a playlist of the plurality of playlists, said plurality of references comprising a first reference to the first playlist and a second reference to the second playlist.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the first reference and the second reference comprise one or more of the following:

a memory location offset and a pointer to a memory location.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the grouping criterion comprises one or more of the following:

artist, genre, album, date, number of files in the playlist, and directory name.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the selected media files comprise one or more of the following:

audio files, video files, and image files.