Playable music library building in a streaming media environment

• US 8,924,390 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2008
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Beats Music, LLC (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Hyman, David, Jacoby, Raphael L., Marinescu, Andrei M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chau, Dung K
• Application Number:
  US12/106,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,446 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/637 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialization, adaptation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus of a playable music library building in a streaming media environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of a server device includes, creatin a streamable playlist associated with a user, determining that the streamable playlist is associated with an artist, and determining that a central database includes new tracks of the artist, automatically adding the new tracks to the streamable playlist without charging a consideration to the user. The method may include communicating an alert message to the user when the new tracks may be added to the streamable playlist. The method may create a category playlist associated with the user based on a category of a media content. The method may include determining that the central database may include additional tracks in the category. The method may request that the user to add the additional tracks in the category playlist.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating, through a server device, a streamable playlist upon user selection of a subscribe indicator presented on a website in association with at least one of an artist, an album, a genre, or a category, the streamable playlist being created using a media content stored in a content database of a central server, and the streamable playlist being associated with a user of a client device coupled to the server device through a network;

determining, through the server device, that an artist is part of the streamable playlist;

automatically adding, through the server device, at least one of;

(i) information of a new track of the artist or (ii) the new track, to the streamable playlist associated with the user of the client device upon availability of the new track in the content database, without requiring the user to specifically subscribe to the automatic adding of information or a new track and without a requirement of setting at least one condition and at least one filter criteria with regard to the streamable playlist, the content database having a plurality of media content associated with different artists including the artist that is part of the streamable playlist stored therein; and

streaming the media content included in the streamable playlist directly from the central server without a requirement of the user to access the media content through the client device associated therewith.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting, through the server device, the user when the new track is added to the streamable playlist.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the streamable playlist as a category playlist associated with the user based on a category of the media content, the subscribe indicator being presented on the website in association with the category;

after creating the category playlist, determining that the content database includes an additional track in the category used to create the playlist; and

adding the additional track to the category playlist based on an appropriate response from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling, through the server device, removal of the new track based an appropriate request from the user.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising enabling playing of the streamable playlist as a ringtone on a mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscribe indicator is presented on the website in association with the artist.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the website is at least one of a fan page of the artist, a blog page associated with the artist, or an artist website.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the content database includes a related track of another artist related to the artist through a parameter; and

automatically adding the related track to the streamable playlist.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the content database includes a track that fits a personality profile of the user when the user is in a social community environment; and

automatically recommending that the track fitting the personality profile of the user be added to the streamable playlist.

10. A server device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute instructions associated with;

creating a streamable playlist upon user selection of a subscribe indicator presented on a website in association with at least one of an artist, an album, a genre, or a category, the streamable playlist being created using a media content stored in a content database of a central server, and the streamable playlist being associated with a user of a client device coupled to the server device through a network,

determining that an artist is part of the streamable playlist,

automatically adding at least one of;

(i) information of a new track of the artist or (ii) the new track, to the streamable playlist associated with the user of the client device upon availability of the new track in the content database, without requiring the user to specifically subscribe to the automatic adding of information or a new track and without a requirement of setting at least one condition and at least one filter criteria with regard to the streamable playlist, the content database having a plurality of media content associated with different artists including the artist that is part of the streamable playlist stored therein, and

streaming the media content included in the streamable playlist directly from the central server without a requirement of the user to access the media content through the client device associated therewith.

11. The server device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions associated with enabling removal of the new track based an appropriate request from the user.

12. The server device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions associated with:

determining that the content database includes a related track of another artist related to the artist through a parameter, and

automatically adding the related track to the streamable playlist.

13. The server device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions associated with:

determining that the content database includes a track that fits a personality profile of the user when the user is in a social community environment, and

automatically recommending that the track fitting the personality profile of the user be added to the streamable playlist.

14. A system comprising:

a central server having a plurality of media content associated with different artists stored in a content database associated therewith;

a network;

a client device; and

a server device configured to communicate with the client device through the network and to;

create a streamable playlist upon user selection of a subscribe indicator presented on a website in association with at least one of an artist, an album, a genre, or a category, the streamable playlist being created using a media content of the plurality of media content, and the streamable playlist being associated with a user of the client device,

determine that an artist of the different artists is part of the streamable playlist, and

automatically add at least one of;

(i) information of a new track of the artist or (ii) the new track, to the streamable playlist associated with the user of the client device upon availability of the new track in the content database, without requiring the user to specifically subscribe to the automatic adding of information or a new track and without a requirement of setting at least one condition and at least one filter criteria with regard to the streamable playlist, and

stream the media content included in the streamable playlist directly from the central server without a requirement of the user to access the media content through the client device associated therewith.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server device is further configured to enable removal of the new track based an appropriate request from the user.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the server device is further configured to:

determine that the content database includes a related track of another artist related to the artist through a parameter, and

automatically add the related track to the streamable playlist.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the server device is further configured to:

determine that the content database includes a track that fits a personality profile of the user when the user is in a social community environment, and

automatically recommend that the track fitting the personality profile of the user be added to the streamable playlist.