Hierarchical categorization of media assets and user interface for media player

• US 8,150,804 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yang Pan
• Original Assignee: Yang Pan
• Inventors: Pan, Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TRUONG V
• Application Number:
  US12/175,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 707/621, 707/640, 707/723
• US Class Current: 707/621
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• 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

Abstract

An improved hierarchical user interface for a handheld media player is disclosed, which classifies media assets that an on-line merchandiser intends to sell to the user as hidden files. The files are invisible to a user without a user'"'"'s intended and persistent interaction with a user input device of the player. The media assets that an on-line merchandiser intends to sell to the user are stored in the unused storage capacity of the player and are organized in a single structure as those media assets owned by the user. A method includes a means that a user actuates a user input device until the hidden files are displayed. Furthermore, a method is disclosed to utilize a file storage system of a portable media player more effectively and efficiently. The unused storage capacity is then used by the on-line merchandiser to store media assets, which have not been purchased by the user at the moment when they are received by the media player. The capacity occupied by the media assets from the merchandiser is adjusted dynamically based upon the required capacity by the user at a specific time. The media assets stored are managed based on their assigned priorities.

Claims

1. A hierarchical user interface of a media player for accessing media assets in a hierarchically ordered manner controlled by a processor of the media player, said interface comprising a data structure that classifies said media assets into two following groups:

a. a first group of media assets that a user owns a right to consume, wherein said hierarchical user interface displays a first list of user selectable items on a first display screen after a plurality of user'"'"'s input actions on a input device of the media player, wherein said items represent a subgroup of said first group of media assets, wherein said items are displayed in a sequentially ordered manner; and

b. a second group of media assets that the user does not own a right to consume, wherein said hierarchical user interface displays a second list of user selectable items on a second display screen after a user'"'"'s persist actuation of an input device in exceeding of a predetermined period of time while an optical mark controlled by an input device is being pointed to the last displayed item of said first list, wherein said second list of user selectable items represent a subgroup of said second group of media assets,

wherein said interface further comprises a means of receiving the user'"'"'s selection of one of said second list of displayed items through the input device and paying for owning the right to consume the selected media asset,

wherein said interface further comprises a means of exiting the second display screen and returning to said first display screen after receiving a user'"'"'s input action, and

wherein actuation time is measured by the processor of the media player and said predetermined period of time is preset in between 1 to 10 seconds.

2. The hierarchical user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein said persistent user actuation of the input device further comprises:

a. applying a force to a rotational user input device for a period of time in between 1 and 10 seconds;

b. pressing an input button by the user for a period of time in between 1 and 10 seconds; and

c. touching a touch sensitive screen or a touchpad for a period time in between 1 and 10 seconds.

3. The hierarchical user interface as recited in claim 2, wherein said persistent user actuation of the input device is accompanied by displaying a message on the display screen, wherein said message may include a form of a text, an image, a video and a multimedia, wherein said message further includes messages of price and payment methods.

4. The hierarchical user interface as recited in claim 2, wherein said persistent user actuation of the input device is accompanied by an audio signal or an audio message, wherein said signal or said message further includes messages of price and payment methods.

5. The hierarchical user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein said second group of media assets further include the media assets delivered to the media player by an on-line merchandiser.

6. The hierarchical user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said media assets is associated with a media metadata, wherein said metadata further includes a format with a plurality of fields including ones for differentiating the assets that the user owns the right to consume from the ones that the user does not own the right to consume.

7. The hierarchical user interface recited in claim 6, wherein said format further includes a field indicating priority of the associated media asset, wherein media assets that the user owns the right to consume are ranked with a priority indicator “

1” and

media assets that the user does not own the right to consume are ranked with a priority indicator starting from “

2”

in a sequential manner.

8. The hierarchical user interface as recited in claim 7, wherein said priority represents the priority with regard to use storage space of the media player when the storage space is insufficient for storing said second group of media assets.