Customizable media player with online/offline capabilities

• US 9,467,529 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2008
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US12/180,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,997 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

An information dissemination system comprises an Internet-connected server adapted for gathering information from plural sources, and sorting the information according to subscriber preferences. The sorted information is transmitted via the Internet to a subscriber'"'"'s Internet Appliance (IA) as electronic documents, where the documents are downloaded to a connected playback device. The playback device may be disconnected from the PC, and the information electronic documents rendered as speech to a speaker in the playback device by a text-to-speech system. In a preferred embodiment annotation is added at the Internet-connected server to control speech characteristics, such as inflection, upon playback. In some embodiments updates may be made by radio with the playback device disconnected from the IA.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a data store configured to store profile information for a user account established with the system, wherein the profile information comprises media preferences for the user account; and

a host server configured to;

receive information from media station devices as text files,

encode the information to control audio characteristics including inflection in subsequent speech rendering of the information,

select a subset of the information based on the profile information,

deliver the subset of the information to a user computer for download to a portable playback device when the portable playback device is connected to the user computer, and

determine whether the portable playback device is connected to the user computer so that if not connected, an update associated with the subset of the information, determined based on the profile information, can be delivered to the portable playback device via a radio broadcast device of a radio broadcast system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the host server is configured to sort the subset of the information for delivery to the user device according to the profile information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the host server is coupled to the radio broadcast device, and wherein the host server is configured to receive updated data from the radio broadcast device that updates the profile information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the host server is configured to adjust the profile information stored in the data store according to a subscriber use pattern.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user computer transfers the subset of the media information to the portable playback device via an offline data connection when the portable playback device is connected to the user computer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the host server is further configured to receive a notification in response to the portable playback device disconnecting from the user computer, and wherein the host server is configured to send the update to the subset of the media information via the radio broadcast device in response to reception of the notification.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the host server is configured to receive the notification from the portable playback device via the radio broadcast device in response to the portable device disconnecting from the user computer.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the host server is configured to receive the notification from the user computer via the radio broadcast device in response to the portable device disconnecting from the user computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile information further comprises information identifying a geographic location of residence associated with the user account.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the media preferences comprise a preferred local radio broadcast station.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the media preferences comprise a preferred media source.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the host server is further configured to:

receive information identifying skipped information included in the subset of the information that was skipped for playback at the portable playback device; and

update the profile information based on the skipped information.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises an Internet protocol based wireless network.

14. A portable device, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components;

a speaker; and

a processor that facilitates execution of the executable components, the executable components comprising;

a reception component configured to receive media information based on profile information related to a user account established with a media information delivery system, the profile information comprising user preferences associated with the media information,

wherein the reception component is configured to receive the media information in a text format from a server device via another device connected to the server device in response to connection of the portable device to the other device, and

wherein the reception component is configured to receive an update to the media information from the server device via a radio broadcast device when the portable device is disconnected from the other device, wherein the update is based on the profile information; and

a text-to-speech component configured to convert the media information from the text format to an audio format for playback via the speaker.

15. The portable device of claim 14, wherein the executable components further comprise an input component configured to control selection of the media information for playback, and start and stop functions for the playback.

16. The portable device of claim 14, further comprising a battery and recharge circuitry, wherein the battery is adapted to provide electrical power to the portable device and the recharge circuitry is adapted to recharge the battery in response to connection of the portable device to the other device.

17. The portable device of claim 14, wherein the executable components further comprise:

a notification component configured to send a notification to the server device in response to disconnection of the portable device from the other device.

18. The portable device of claim 14, the executable components further comprising:

an update component configured to provide update information to the server device identifying a portion of the media information that is skipped for playback, wherein based on provision of the update information, the profile information is updated based on the update information.

19. The portable device of claim 18, wherein the update component is configured to provide additional update information to the server device identifying another portion of the media information that is marked as preferred, and wherein based the profile information is further updated based on provision of the additional update information.

20. The portable device of claim 14, wherein the reception component is configured to receive the media information in the text format from the server device via the other device based on connection of the other device to the server device via a network device of an Internet protocol based wireless network.

21. A method, comprising:

downloading, by a mobile device comprising a processor, media data in a text form from a device connected to an information delivery server in response to connection of the mobile device to the device, wherein the media data is selected based on profile information accessible to the information delivery server and comprising a media preference associated with the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile device in response to disconnection of the mobile device from the device, an update to the media data from the information delivery server via a radio broadcast system device communicatively coupled to the information delivery server, wherein the update is determined based on profile information; and

converting the media data to speech.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

playing the media data;

identifying a portion of the media data that is skipped during the playing; and

providing update information to the information delivery server identifying the skipped portion, wherein based on providing, the profile information is updated based on the update information.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising, displaying, by the mobile device, control functions to facilitate operation of the playing.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising, controlling, by the mobile device, selection of a subset of the media data for speech rendering.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the media data in the text form is encoded with one or more audio control characteristics that control inflection during playing of the media data as speech.

26. A computer readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution by a server device of a media delivery system comprising a processor, cause the server device to perform operations, comprising:

storing profile information for a user account established with the media delivery system, wherein the profile information comprises media preferences for the user account;

receiving media information from media station devices as text files;

encoding the media information with control audio characteristics including inflection applicable to speech rendering of the information;

selecting a subset of the media information based on the profile information;

delivering the subset of the media information to a user computer for download to a portable playback device when the portable playback device is connected to the user computer; and

determining whether the portable playback device is connected to the user computer so that if not connected, an update associated with the subset of the information, determined based on the profile information, can be delivered to the portable playback device via a radio broadcast device of a radio broadcast system.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the media preferences comprise information identifying a preferred location from which to receive the media information.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the media preferences comprise information identifying a preferred media source from which to receive the media information.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 26, the operations further comprising:

receiving information identifying skipped media information included in the subset of the information media that was skipped during playback at the portable playback device; and

updating the profile information based on the skipped media information.