Method and apparatus for selecting an audio track based upon audio excerpts

• US 7,953,504 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Amar, Renaud
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elbin; Jesse A
• Application Number:
  US10/845,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20050254366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 707/736, 715/727, 715/716
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data

Abstract

Methods, devices, systems and data structures are provided for selecting an audio track on a digital audio player. A user of a digital media player is able to select a desired audio track by listening to excerpts of various tracks until the desired track is identified. One exemplary technique for selecting a desired audio track accessible by a media player, for example, begins by sequentially providing a number of audio excerpts to the user, with each audio excerpt corresponding to a recognizable portion of an audio track. When the user hears an excerpt of a desired track, an indication is provided and the media player plays the desired audio track. The excerpt may be of any duration and may incorporate any portion of the audio track that is likely to be recognizable by the user.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a desired one of a plurality of audio tracks accessible by a media player, the method comprising the steps of:

sequentially providing a plurality of audio excerpts, wherein each of the plurality of audio excerpts corresponds to a recognizable portion of one of the plurality of audio tracks;

loading a subset of the plurality of audio excerpts in a memory; and

modifying the subset of the plurality of audio excerpts loaded in the memory while providing at least a portion of the plurality of audio excerpts;

receiving an indication of a selected one of the plurality of audio excerpts associated with the desired audio track; and

playing the desired one of the plurality of audio tracks on the media player.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing step comprises sequencing at least a portion of the plurality of audio excerpts into an order.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the order is arranged according to a title of the audio track.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the order is arranged according to an artist name for the audio track.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the order is arranged according to a playback frequency of the audio track.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the order is arranged according to a function of most-recently played audio tracks.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the order corresponds to a human-defined playlist.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing step further comprises advancing through the order in response to a user input.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the advancing step comprises advancing in a forward direction through the order.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the advancing step comprises advancing in a backward direction through the order.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of automatically advancing to a subsequent audio excerpt in the order if no user input is received.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing step further comprises automatically advancing to a subsequent audio excerpt in the order if no user input is received.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing step comprises cross-fading one of the plurality of audio excerpts into another of the plurality of audio excerpts.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing step comprises providing a transitional sound between the audio excerpts.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the transitional sound is configured to simulate the sound of tuning a radio.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the playing step comprises playing the desired audio track from a beginning of the desired audio track.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the playing step comprises playing the desired audio track from the recognizable portion corresponding to the selected audio excerpt.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of audio excerpts corresponds to a repeated portion of the desired audio track.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein a repetition of the repeated portion in the desired audio track is temporally constrained.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one of the plurality of audio excerpts corresponds to a chorus section of the desired audio track.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of audio excerpts corresponds to a portion of the desired audio track having the broadest instantaneous frequency spectrum.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of audio excerpts corresponds to a portion of the desired audio track having the highest relative volume.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of audio excerpts is distinct from the initial portion of the desired audio track.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of audio excerpts is obtained from a remote server.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the desired audio track is obtained from a remote server.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing step comprises the step of decoding a header associated with one of the plurality of audio tracks to determine the audio excerpt of the audio track.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the decoding step comprises determining a start point in the audio track for the audio excerpt.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the decoding step comprises determining a duration for the audio excerpt.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the decoding step comprises determining an end point for the audio excerpt.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of audio tracks corresponds to at least two of the plurality of audio excerpts.

31. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are configured to execute the method of claim 1.

32. A device for playing a desired one of a plurality of audio tracks for a user, the device comprising:

a storage medium configured to store the plurality of audio tracks;

a memory configured to store a plurality of excerpts, wherein each of the plurality of excerpts corresponds to one of the plurality of audio tracks;

an input device configured to receive a user input and to provide a corresponding indication of the user input; and

a processor configured to sequentially play the plurality of excerpts stored in the memory, to receive and decode the indication of the user input from the input device to thereby identify a selected excerpt from the plurality of excerpts that is associated with the desired one of the plurality of audio tracks, and to play the desired one of the plurality of audio tracks associated with the selected excerpt from the storage medium;

the processor further configured to load a subset of the plurality of audio excerpts in the memory and modify the subset of the plurality of audio excerpts loaded in the memory while providing at least a portion of the plurality of audio excerpts.

33. The device of claim 32 wherein each of the plurality of excerpts corresponds to a recognizable portion of the corresponding audio track.

34. The device of claim 32 wherein at least one of the plurality of excerpts is distinct from the first portion of the corresponding audio track.

35. The device of claim 32 wherein the input device is a touch-sensitive device.

36. The device of claim 32 wherein the input device comprises a capacitive proximity sensor.

37. The device of claim 32 wherein the input device comprises a button.

38. The device of claim 32 further comprising an interface to a host computer.

39. The device of claim 38 wherein the processor is further configured to communicate with the host computer via the interface to transfer the plurality of audio tracks from the host computer to the storage medium.

40. The device of claim 38 wherein the processor is further configured to communicate with the host computer via the interface to transfer the plurality of audio excerpts from the host computer to the storage medium.

41. A device for playing a desired one of a plurality of audio tracks for a user, the device comprising:

means for storing the plurality of audio tracks;

means for storing a plurality of excerpts, wherein each of the excerpts comprises a recognizable portion of one of the plurality of audio tracks that is associated with the excerpt;

means for sequentially playing the plurality of excerpts for the user;

means for receiving an indication from the user of a selected excerpt associated with the desired audio track;

means for playing the desired audio track associated with the selected excerpt for the user; and

means for modifying a subset of the plurality of audio excerpts while providing at least a portion of the plurality of audio excerpts.