Customized search or acquisition of digital media assets

• US 9,104,670 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wadycki, Andrew, Douglas, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• APPLICATION: US 20120023095A1
• Time in patent office: 1847 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/913
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• 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 17/30017 Multimedia data retrieval; Retrieval of more than one type of audiovisual media retrieval of image data G06F17/30244; retrieval of video data G06F17/30781; retrieval of audio data G06F17/3074; editing or indexing of data stored based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/3053 using ranking

Abstract

Improved techniques for using usage data are disclosed. The usage data can pertain to a user of an electronic device. The usage data can be monitored and recorded on the electronic device. The improved techniques are particularly useful when the electronic device is a mobile electronic device. In one embodiment, the usage data can be used to enhance searching of digital assets, such as digital media assets, resident at a local or remote repository. In another embodiment, the usage data can be used to determine content to be resident locally on the electronic device. In still another embodiment, the usage data can be used to present (e.g., display) information on the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for processing a search request, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from an electronic device, the search request including one or more search criteria;

searching a database in accordance with the one or more search criteria to obtain search results, the database including digital asset information pertaining to a plurality of digital media assets and the search results corresponding to different digital media assets;

monitoring usage of the electronic device to determine usage data, wherein monitoring the usage includes determining a level of completion of a digital media asset consumed by the electronic device;

determining, based on the level of completion of the digital media asset consumed by the electronic device, that a particular type of digital media asset is of more interest to a user of the electronic device compared to another type of digital media asset when the level of completion of the digital media asset consumed by the electronic device has exceeded a trigger point of the digital media asset, wherein the trigger point indicates a position in the digital media asset;

ranking the search results based at least in part on the usage data and the particular type of digital media asset determined to be of more interest to the user compared to the other type of digital media asset, wherein ranking the search results includes increasing a ranking for digital media assets belonging to the determined particular type of digital media assets compared to digital media assets of the other type within the search results; and

presenting the ranked search results via the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search results includes resultant digital asset information pertaining to a subset of the plurality of digital media assets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage data pertains to historical usage of the electronic device or its user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching is influenced by the usage data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more search criteria comprises one or more search facets that further limit a scope of the search, and wherein presenting the ranked search results comprises displaying information concerning a set of the digital media assets that fall under the one or more search facets.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more search facets are automatically determined by the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more search facets are each individually user-selectable.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling purchase of at least a portion of the ranked search results;

determining whether a purchase request with respect to the ranked search results has been received; and

purchasing at least the portion of the ranked search results when the purchase request has been determined to be received.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a category of a digital media asset is one of a group consisting of a television show, a musical piece, a video, an electronic book, an audiobook, a software game, and a podcast.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the database includes searching digital media assets resident at a local repository of the electronic device and digital media assets resident at a remote repository associated with an online media server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the trigger point in the digital media asset is dependent upon the particular type of the digital media asset and duration of the digital media asset.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein different types of digital media assets have trigger points in different positions of the digital media assets.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of digital media assets corresponds to a plurality of mobile device software applications, wherein the plurality of mobile device software applications includes at least one of a book application, a business application, an education application, an entertainment application, a finance application, a game application, a healthcare and fitness application, a lifestyle application, a medical application, a music application, or a navigation application.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the ranked search results includes presenting a representation of a software application, descriptive information for the software application, and a price to acquire the software application.

15. A computer readable memory encoded with a set of program instructions that, when executed, causes a processor to execute a method, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from an electronic device, the search request including one or more search criteria;

searching a database in accordance with the one or more search criteria to obtain search results, the database including digital asset information pertaining to a plurality of digital media assets and the search results corresponding to different digital media assets;

monitoring usage of the electronic device to determine usage data, wherein monitoring the usage includes determining a level of completion of a digital media asset consumed by the electronic device;

determining, based on the level of completion of the digital media asset consumed by the electronic device, that a particular type of digital media asset is of more interest to a user of the electronic device compared to another type of digital media asset when the level of completion of the digital media asset consumed by the electronic device has exceeded a trigger point of the digital media asset, wherein the trigger point indicates a position in the digital media asset;

ranking the search results based at least in part on the usage data and the particular type of digital media asset determined to be of more interest to the user compared to the other type of digital media asset, wherein ranking the search results includes increasing a ranking for digital media assets belonging to the determined particular type of digital media assets compared to digital media assets of the other type within the search results; and

presenting the ranked search results via the electronic device.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the search results includes resultant digital asset information pertaining to a subset of the plurality of digital media assets.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more search criteria are determined automatically based on the usage data.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user selection for at least one of the one or more search criteria.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein presenting the search results comprises displaying information concerning a set of the digital media assets that match at least the one or more search criteria.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more search criteria are presented as user interface elements on a display device associated with the electronic device, and wherein the user interface elements are user-selectable.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein at least one of the user interface elements enable selection of one of a list of selectable search criteria.