Media content voting, ranking, and playing system

• US 8,438,171 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gogan, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US13/486,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 707/748, 707/770, 707/783, 707/913, 707/999.001, 705/12, 705/319, 369/30.08, 709/201, 709/230, 713/163
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for receiving a plurality of metadata associated with a plurality of media items. Each metadata includes a ranking score and a resource locator of the media item. Queuing media item identifiers based on the plurality of metadata and ordering the queue based on the ranking scores. Retrieving a portion of a highest-ranking unplayed media item and providing the portion to a content playback device. Receiving vote indications for an unplayed media item. The ranking score of the unplayed media is updated item based on the received vote indications. The unplayed media items are reordered in the queue based upon the updated ranking score of the unplayed media item. Retrieving a portion of a highest-ranking unplayed media item in the reordered queue and providing the portion to a content playback device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processing circuit, a plurality of metadata, wherein the plurality of metadata comprise information associated with a plurality of songs requested to be added to a queue of songs, wherein each metadata in the plurality of metadata is associated with a song and comprises a ranking score, one or more resource locators of a song file containing the song, and a title of the song;

placing in the queue, using a processing circuit, song identifiers for the plurality of songs based on the plurality of metadata, wherein the queue is ordered based in part on the ranking scores of the plurality of metadata;

determining, by the processing circuit, that a song file is unavailable from a first device associated with a first resource locator in the metadata for the first song, wherein the first resource locator corresponds to an identifier of the first device on a local area network;

retrieving at least a portion of the first song file from a second device via the Internet based in part on a second resource locator in the metadata for the first song, wherein the first song corresponds to a highest-ranking unplayed song identifier in the queue, wherein an unplayed song identifier corresponds to a song that has not previously been retrieved during an iteration of the queue;

providing the portion of the song file to one or more content playback devices;

receiving one or more vote indications for an unplayed song from one or more user devices;

updating the ranking score of the unplayed song based in part on the received one or more vote indications;

reordering unplayed songs in the queue based upon the updated ranking score of the unplayed song;

retrieving at least a portion of a second song file for a second song based in part on a resource locator in the metadata associated with the second song, wherein the second song corresponds to a highest ranking unplayed song identifier in the reordered queue; and

providing the portion of the second song file to the one or more content playback devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the processing circuit, a request from an electronic device to preview an unplayed song in the queue; and

providing the requested preview of the unplayed song to the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising reordering the queue based on a determination that the queue contains no unplayed song identifiers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein retrieving a song comprises determining if a ranking score associated with the song is above a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising removing a song identifier in the queue once the ranking score for the associated song is below a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the metadata for the previewed song further comprises a resource locator to a sample of the song that differs from the resource locator for the song, and wherein the requested preview of the song comprises the sample of the song.

7. A system comprising:

one or more processing circuits configured to;

receive a plurality of metadata, wherein the plurality of metadata comprise information associated with a plurality of songs, wherein each metadata in the plurality of metadata is associated with a song, wherein each metadata comprises a ranking score, one or more resource locators of a song file containing the song, and a title of the song;

place in a queue song identifiers for the plurality of songs based on the plurality of metadata, wherein the queue is ordered based in part on the ranking scores of the plurality of metadata;

determine that a song file is unavailable from a first device associated with a first resource locator in the metadata for the first song, wherein the first resource locator corresponds to an identifier of the first device on a local area network;

retrieve at least a portion of the song file from a second device via the Internet based in part on a second resource locator in the metadata for the first song, wherein the first song corresponds to a highest-ranking unplayed song identifier in the queue, wherein an unplayed song identifier corresponds to a song that has not previously been retrieved during an iteration of the queue;

provide the portion of the first song file to one or more content playback devices;

receive one or more vote indications for an song item from one or more user devices;

update the ranking score of the unplayed song based in part on the received one or more vote indications;

reorder unplayed songs in the queue based upon the updated ranking score of the unplayed song;

retrieve at least a portion of a second song file for a second song based in part on a resource locator in the metadata associated with the second song, wherein the second song corresponds to a highest ranking unplayed song identifier in the reordered queue; and

provide the portion of the second song file to the one or more content playback devices.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further configured to:

receive a request from an electronic device to preview an unplayed song in the queue; and

provide the requested preview of the unplayed song to the electronic device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further configured to reorder the queue based on a determination that the queue contains no unplayed song identifiers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to determine if a ranking score associated with a song is above a predetermined threshold before retrieving the song file associated with the song.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further configured to remove a song identifier in the queue once the ranking score associated with a song is below a predetermined threshold.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the metadata for the previewed song further comprises a resource locator to a sample of the song that differs from the resource locator for the song, and wherein the requested preview of the song comprises the sample of the song.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, the instructions being executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of metadata, wherein the plurality of metadata comprise information associated with a plurality of songs requested to be added to a queue of songs, wherein each metadata in the plurality of metadata is associated with a song and comprises a ranking score, one or more resource locators of a song file containing the song, and a title of the song;

placing in a queue song identifiers for the plurality of songs based on the plurality of metadata, wherein the queue is ordered based in part on the ranking scores of the plurality of metadata;

determining that a song file is unavailable from a first device associated with a first resource locator in the metadata for the first song, wherein the first resource locator corresponds to an identifier of the first device on a local area network;

retrieving at least a portion of the song file from a second device via the Internet based in part on a second resource locator in the metadata for the first song, wherein the first song corresponds to a highest-ranking unplayed song identifier in the queue, wherein an unplayed song identifier corresponds to a song that has not previously been retrieved during an iteration of the queue;

providing the at least a portion of the first song file to one or more content playback devices;

receiving one or more vote indications for an unplayed song from one or more user devices;

updating the ranking score of the unplayed song based in part on the received one or more vote indications;

reordering unplayed media items in the queue based upon the updated ranking score of the unplayed song;

retrieving

at least a portion of a second song file for a second song based in part on a resource locator in the metadata associated with the second song, wherein the second song corresponds to a highest ranking unplayed song identifier in the reordered queue; and

the at least a portion of the second song file to the one or more content playback devices.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request from an electronic device to preview an unplayed song in the queue; and

providing the requested preview of the unplayed song to the electronic device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the metadata for the previewed song further comprises a resource locator to a sample of the song that differs from the resource locator for the song, and wherein the requested preview of the song comprises the sample of the song.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining if a ranking score associated with a song identifier is above a predetermined threshold before retrieving the song file associated with the song identifier.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise removing a song identifier in the queue once the ranking score associated with the song identifier is below a predetermined threshold.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the further comprise sending information associated with the queue to one or more computing devices.