Powerfully simple digital media player and methods for use therewith

• US 8,315,950 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Conley, Kevin M., Schreiber, Daniel, Shmuel, Avraham, Kedem, Noam
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin, Evens J
• Application Number:
  US11/967,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• 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: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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

A powerfully simple digital media player and methods for use therewith are disclosed. In one embodiment, a digital media player with a simplified user interface is disclosed that, like an FM radio, allows a user to easily select a category of digital media for playback. In another embodiment, to make the experience more FM-radio-like for a user, instead of charging the user for the digital audio files, digital media files can be distributed for free (or at a reduced charge) by playing advertisements before, during, or after the playback of a digital audio file. In yet another embodiment, an exemplary network infrastructure is provided. In another embodiment, a generic streaming content file interface is presented. Other embodiments are disclosed, and any of these embodiments can be used alone or in combination with one another.

Claims

1. A portable digital media player comprising:

a connector configured to be removably connected with a memory device, wherein the memory device comprises a memory pre-loaded with digital media files grouped into a plurality of categories, wherein all digital media files stored in the memory that are playable by the portable digital media player are grouped in one of the plurality of categories, and wherein the digital media files are provided to the digital media player via the memory device without requiring a connection to a network;

a plurality of user-pressable user input elements;

an audio output element; and

circuitry in communication with the connector, the plurality of user-pressable user input elements, and the audio output element, wherein the circuitry is operative to;

receive a user selection of one of the plurality of user-pressable user input elements;

select a category from the plurality of categories in response to receiving the user selection; and

play a digital media file from the selected category.

2. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein the memory is free of a general digital media file library outside of the plurality of categories.

3. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user-pressable user input elements comprises a next category user input element and a previous category user input element.

4. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user-pressable user input elements are dedicated to the plurality of categories.

5. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises a solid-state memory in a memory card that is removably connectable with the portable digital media player.

6. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein no further user action is needed to play the digital media file after user selection of the one of the plurality of user-pressable user input elements.

7. The portable digital media player of claim 1 further comprising an additional user-pressable user input element, wherein the portable digital media player enters a standby mode in response to user selection of the additional user-pressable user input element, and wherein the portable digital media player exits the standby mode in response to user selection of one of the plurality of user-pressable user input elements.

8. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein a digital media file is grouped into one of the plurality of categories before the digital media file is provided to the portable digital media player.

9. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein a playlist specifies a play order of digital media files in each of the plurality of categories.

10. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein information associating the digital media file with the one of the plurality of categories is stored in a file separate from the digital media file.

11. The portable digital media player of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of categories is associated with a respective subdirectory, and wherein a digital media file is grouped into a category by storing the digital media file in a subdirectory associated with that category.

12. A portable digital media player comprising:

a connector configured to be removably connected with a memory device, wherein the memory device comprises a memory pre-loaded with digital media files grouped into a plurality of categories, wherein the plurality of digital media files are provided to the digital media player via the memory device without requiring a connection to a network;

a plurality of user-pressable user input elements configured to correspond to the plurality of categories;

an audio output element; and

circuitry in communication with the connector, the plurality of user-pressable user input elements, and the audio output element, wherein the circuitry is operative to;

receive a user selection of one of the plurality of user-pressable user input elements; and

play a digital media file from a category corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of user-pressable user input elements.

13. The portable digital media player of claim 12, wherein the memory is free of a general digital media file library outside of the plurality of categories.

14. The portable digital media player of claim 12, wherein the memory comprises a solid-state memory in a memory card that is removably connectable with the portable digital media player.

15. The portable digital media player of claim 12, wherein no further user action is needed to play the digital media file after user selection of the one of the plurality of user-pressable user input elements.

16. The portable digital media player of claim 12 further comprising an additional user-pressable user input element, wherein the portable digital media player enters a standby mode in response to user selection of the additional user-pressable user input element, and wherein the portable digital media player exits the standby mode in response to user selection of one of the plurality of user-pressable user input elements.

17. The portable digital media player of claim 12, wherein a digital media file is grouped into one of the plurality of categories before the digital media file is provided to the portable digital media player.

18. The portable digital media player of claim 12, wherein a playlist specifies a play order of digital media files in each of the plurality of categories.

19. The portable digital media player of claim 12, wherein information associating the digital media file with the one of the plurality of categories is stored in a file separate from the digital media file.

20. The portable digital media player of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of categories is associated with a respective subdirectory, and wherein a digital media file is grouped into a category by storing the digital media file in a subdirectory associated with that category.