Generating a playlist based on a data generation attribute

• US 9,454,342 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gracenote Digital Ventures LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Tribune Digital Ventures, LLC (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Panguluri, Venkatarama Anilkumar, Yarram, Venkata Sunil Kumar, Sunku, Raghavendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/196,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

An example method involves determining an attribute associated with an audible version of a news story, wherein the attribute indicates a manner in which data representing the audible version of the news story was generated; using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to generate a playlist of a news program that includes the audible version of the news story; and transmitting the generated playlist to a client device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining an attribute associated with an audible version of a news story, wherein the attribute indicates that a manner in which data representing the audible version of the news story was generated is either (i) by recording a human verbal reading of a text based version of the news story, or (ii) by a text-to-speech system based on data representing the text based version of the news story;

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to generate a playlist of a news program that includes the audible version of the news story; and

transmitting the generated playlist to a client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as the basis to generate the playlist of the news program that includes the audible version of the news story comprises:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to select a set of audible news stories from a group of audible news stories, wherein the selected set of audible news stories includes the audible version of the news story; and

using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist, wherein the generated playlist includes references to each audible news story from the selected set of audible news stories.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

selecting a playlist template of the news program; and

using the selected template as a basis to select the set of audible news stories from the group of audible news stories.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an attribute associated with a user of the client device,

wherein selecting the playlist template of the news program comprises using the determined attribute associated with the user as a basis to select the playlist template of the news program.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist comprises using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist in accordance with the determined arrangement.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

using a predetermined arrangement technique as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein the arrangement technique specifies a threshold value indicating a maximum number of audible news stories generated by the text-to-speech system that may separate audible news stories generated by recorded human verbal readings.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

using a predetermined arrangement technique as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein the arrangement technique employs a simulated annealing metaheuristic.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:

determining an attribute associated with an audible version of a news story, wherein the attribute indicates that a manner in which data representing the audible version of the news story was generated is either (i) by recording a human verbal reading of a text based version of the news story, or (ii) by a text-to-speech system based on data representing the text based version of the news story;

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to generate a playlist of a news program that includes the audible version of the news story; and

transmitting the generated playlist to a client device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as the basis to generate the playlist of the news program that includes the audible version of the news story comprises:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to select a set of audible news stories from a group of audible news stories, wherein the selected set of audible news stories includes the audible version of the news story; and

using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist, wherein the generated playlist includes references to each audible news story from the selected set of audible news stories.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the set of operations further comprise:

selecting a playlist template of the news program;

using the selected template as a basis to select the set of audible news stories from the group of audible news stories; and

determining an attribute associated with a user of the client device, wherein selecting the playlist template of the news program comprises using the determined attribute associated with the user as a basis to select the playlist template of the news program.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the set of operations further comprise:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist comprises using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist in accordance with the determined arrangement.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the set of operations further comprise:

using a predetermined arrangement technique as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein the arrangement technique specifies a threshold value indicating a maximum number of audible news stories generated by the text-to-speech system that may separate audible news stories generated by recorded human verbal readings.

13. A server device comprising:

a communication interface;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the server device to perform a set of operations comprising;

determining an attribute associated with an audible version of a news story, wherein the attribute indicates that a manner in which data representing the audible version of the news story was generated is either (i) by recording a human verbal reading of a text based version of the news story, or (ii) by a text-to-speech system based on data representing the text based version of the news story;

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to generate a playlist of a news program that includes the audible version of the news story; and

transmitting via the communication interface the generated playlist to a client device.

14. The server device of claim 13, wherein using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as the basis to generate the playlist of the news program that includes the audible version of the news story comprises:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to select a set of audible news stories from a group of audible news stories, wherein the selected set of audible news stories includes the audible version of the news story; and

using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist, wherein the generated playlist includes references to each audible news story from the selected set of audible news stories.

15. The server device of claim 14, wherein the set of operations further comprise:

selecting a playlist template of the news program;

using the selected template as a basis to select the set of audible news stories from the group of audible news stories; and

determining an attribute associated with a user of the client device, wherein selecting the playlist template of the news program comprises using the determined attribute associated with the user as a basis to select the playlist template of the news program.

16. The server device of claim 14, wherein the set of operations further comprise:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist comprises using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist in accordance with the determined arrangement.

17. The server device of claim 14, wherein the set of operations further comprise:

using a predetermined arrangement technique as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein the arrangement technique specifies a threshold value indicating a maximum number of audible news stories generated by the text-to-speech system that may separate audible news stories generated by recorded human verbal readings.

18. A method comprising:

determining an attribute associated with an audible version of a news story, wherein the attribute indicates that a manner in which data representing the audible version of the news story was generated is either (i) by recording a human verbal reading of a text based version of the news story, or (ii) by a text-to-speech system based on data representing the text based version of the news story;

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to generate a playlist of a news program that includes the audible version of the news story; and

traversing the generated playlist, and for each media content item referenced by the playlist, (i) retrieving data representing the media content item, and (ii) using the retrieved data to play out the media.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as the basis to generate the playlist of the news program that includes the audible version of the news story comprises:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to select a set of audible news stories from a group of audible news stories, wherein the selected set of audible news stories includes the audible version of the news story; and

using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist, wherein the generated playlist includes references to each audible news story from the selected set of audible news stories.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

using the determined attribute associated with the audible version of the news story as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist comprises using the selected set of audible news stories to generate the playlist in accordance with the determined arrangement.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

using a predetermined arrangement technique as a basis to determine an arrangement of the selected set of audible news stories, wherein the arrangement technique specifies a threshold value indicating a maximum number of audible news stories generated by the text-to-speech system that may separate audible news stories generated by recorded human verbal readings.