Customizing perishable content of a media channel

• US 8,671,214 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clear Channel Management Services LP (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lockhart, Kevin R., Wooden, Richard D., Zigler, Jeffrey D., Lockhart, Jacqueline J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dailey, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh, Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US13/532,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/229, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• 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: G06F 16/687 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A user can specify particular news, weather, traffic, or other perishable content received on a particular Internet radio station or other media channel. The user can customize the station so that wherever the user is currently located, he can receive perishable content related to a preferred geographic location or other category. In some embodiments, a user can specify that a customized station plays local news from one city at the top of the hour, traffic from another city at 10 minutes past the hour, and music or other content at other times. The user can also customize the station to select the perishable content, or other original content, from the personal libraries of specified users. Thus, a user can customize not only the genre of content or select a particular local station, but can also modify the perishable content provided by the customized station.

Claims

1. A method of providing perishable content via a media channel, the method comprising:

receiving at a content server, from a user of a device coupled to the content server via a communication network, user input associated with a customized media channel, the user input indicating;

a category of perishable content associated with the customized media channel;

a geographic location preference associated with both the category of perishable content and the customized media channel;

preferred non-perishable media content to be included in the customized media channel wherein the category of perishable content comprises a category including original content provided by other users;

a user preference to limit perishable content from the category of perishable content to original content provided by particular users;

a preferred sequence of presenting items belonging to the category of perishable content with respect to the non-perishable media content;

selecting an item of perishable content belonging to the category of perishable content and associated with the geographic location preference, by executing at least one computer instruction; and

transmitting the item of perishable content and preferred non-perishable media content over the customized media channel in the preferred sequence, by executing at least one computer instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the category of perishable content is selected from the group consisting of news, weather, sports and traffic information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the item of perishable content from a personal media library associated with another user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the item of perishable content comprises:

inserting the item of perishable content into the customized media channel; and

streaming the customized media channel to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the item of perishable content comprises transmitting the item on-demand.

6. The method claim 5, further comprising providing access to the item of perishable content immediately.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

attaching additional content to the item of perishable content.

8. A server comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive, via a communication network, user input specifying;

a user'"'"'s category preference indicating a news category to be included in a customized radio station, wherein the news category comprises original news content provided by other users;

a user preference to limit content from the news category to original news content provided by particular users;

a user'"'"'s order preference indicating how news items in the news category are to be ordered in relation to other media content included in the customized radio station;

a processor configured to;

select at least one news item for inclusion in the customized radio station based on the user'"'"'s category preference;

order the at least one news item and the other media content to generate station content to be presented in the customized radio station according to the user'"'"'s order preference; and

the communications interface further configured to transmit the station content to a user.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the communications interface is configured to stream the station content to the user.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the news category comprises a geographical location.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein:

the processor is further configured to select the at least one news item in response to an on-demand request from the user; and

the communications interface is further configured to transmit the at least one news item.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of computer executable instructions, the program of computer executable instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to receive input from a user indicating;

a first category preference indicating a first category of perishable content to be included in a customized media channel, wherein the first category of perishable content comprises a category including original content provided by other users;

a user preference to limit perishable content from the category of perishable content to original content provided by particular users;

a second category preference indicating a second category of perishable content to be included in the customized media channel;

at least one instruction to select a first item of perishable content based on the first category preference;

at least one instruction to select a second item of perishable content based on the second category preference;

at least one instruction to insert the first item of perishable content and the second item of perishable content into the customized media channel in an order specified by timing preferences included in the first category and the second category; and

at least one instruction to transmit the customized media channel to the user.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the category of perishable content is selected from the group consisting of news, weather, and traffic information.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first category preference and the second category preference indicate a geographic location.