MXPA97005311A - A method and apparatus for providing markers for au programs - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an audio service that verifies the progress of a user as it progresses through the service. The location in the service at the time of termination is detected and correlated with user identification information and service. As a result, a marker is created that allows the user to subsequently resume service at the pre-termination point.

Description

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MARKERS FOR AUDIO PROGRAMS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to providing a recorder for audio programs. In one embodiment, an audio service includes the ability to create a user marker, to allow a user to proceed through an audio program at the user's own pace. It is known to provide telephone-based audio services, for example by the public switched telephone network (PSTN). For example, it is known to provide link call services where a service user dials a particular number through the PSTN to obtain information. An example of such a service is a "w900" service that allows a user to call a "900" number and receive the day-to-day comments of a celebrity or sports personality, similarly, it is possible to provide an audio service in that the user will dial a designated number and have audio program information such as news summaries, play them back to the user through the PSTN.The audio services currently available are somewhat limited in nature. audio that provide serial information, they are not as powerful as they could be, because the user is not REF: 24550 provided with a way to select the appropriate rhythm with which to proceed through the material. flexibility provided to the user to choose a starting point, or more importantly a restart point if the user accesses a given audio service multiple times In a typical service, if the user chooses to disconnect from the service at any point before the end of the program material, the call ends and the service does not take note of where or when the user finished accessing the service. The connection time can be checked for billing purposes, but no correlation is drawn regarding the user's progress through the audio program. If the user subsequently reconnects to the service, the program material is inserted at its initial starting point and the user must listen to the entire portion of the program material that was previously accessed before returning to the point at which the service was finished. previously. The present construction of these services limits their utility by providing audio services such as audio books or audio "comedies", since there is no possibility of rapid return to the point where the user previously terminated the service. The user is discouraged from returning to access these services.

For example, the user may with some difficulty return to the same part of a story or comedy, at the cost of having to listen to the same program material again before proceeding to the new material. In this way, it would be advantageous if some technique were provided to allow a user to enjoy the audio services at a rate set by the user. A similar problem arises in the context of the audio program material that can be downloaded from a network audio service, for example a music program can be accessed over the Internet and downloaded to a user PC. When playing the program, the user may decide to stop playing the program to follow some other interest. It would also be advantageous if the PC could provide a technique to automatically place the downloaded program playback again, to avoid having to search for the desired restart point. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a "marker" that allows a user reviewing audio program material to stop at any point in the program and resume the review at the point where the user previously stopped.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a user can access an audio information services platform through the PSTN. The platform has an audio content database (program) and a personal profile database. The user has an assigned user code. When the user connects to the audio information services platform, the user code is used to access information stored in the personal profile database. The stored information identifies the services that were previously accessed by the user and identifies the location within each audio service in which the user will previously terminate the service. Then the user can choose a desired audio service and request that he return to the site in the audio service in which the previous access had been terminated. According to one modality, the marker is generated when verifying or tracking the user's progress when reviewing the program material. In particular, a reproduction module can be coupled to a position location detector such as a block counter or synchronizer. When the user terminates access, the user ID, a service identifier and a last position location are grouped and stored in the personal profile database for later use.

By providing a marker for audio services, the user can better access and use audio books, multi-stage programs such as smoking cessation programs, audio comedies, travel management services, or any serial presentation of information that It leads to a proper rhythm on the part of the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 describes an information service system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 2A illustrates a flow diagram for creating a scoreboard in the audio service system of FIGURE 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 2B illustrates a flow diagram for using a marker created in FIGURE 2A. PBTFPTPCTQK PBT? T.T ??? FIGURE 1 illustrates in block diagram form, a system for providing an audio training service that includes markers. The service provider has an audio information service platform 103 that is accessible through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 102. Typically, under these circumstances, the platform is accessible by dialing a particular number, for example 800 -XXX-YYYY, which is associated with the platform. The user can access the platform through the PSTN, simply by using the telephone 101. The telephone will include a keypad that allows the user to provide alphanumeric codes represented by a DTMF signal that can be transmitted through the PSTN 102 to the service platform of audio information 103. A known audio services platform that does not include the bookmark capability is the CONVERSANT8 system belonging to Lucent Technologies, Inc. In the present invention, the platform 103 includes not only a database for the content 104, but a personal profile database 105 that stores information regarding service users. A service controller 107 is a processing device that has the ability to control access to the personal profile database to obtain information regarding users accessing the service platform. Alternatively, the service controller may arrange to have information regarding a user stored in his personal profile database 105. The service controller 107 also interfaces with a program reproduction and recovery module 109. This module is responsible for access audio from the audio content database 104 under the specific instructions of the service controller. For example, the service controller will provide information to the module as to which audio content to obtain, as well as identify the location within the audio content in which the service will begin. Typically, each service will have an associated code or identifier that uniquely identifies the service and / or content. The service controller then arranges for the audio playback service to be routed to the appropriate user via the PSTN 102 to the user's telephone 101. The service controller also interfaces with a service menu module 108 which provides information regarding the audio services available in the audio content database. Under the control of the combination of the service controller and the service menu module, the user when connecting to the platform is given information regarding the available services and as described below, can be instructed regarding options to resume services of audio previously accessed. The service controller can also interconnect with an automatic speech recognition unit (ASR) that will enable users to detect voice responses to menu prompts, instead of detecting keyboard or DTMF responses.

The service controller 107 also interconnects with a user ID module 106. This connection provides the service controller with information regarding the user, including the identity of the user to use together with the personal profile database. User IDs are well known. One possibility for a user ID is the automatic number information (ANI) detection that can be transmitted by the PSTN 102 and that identifies the telephone number associated with the line connected to the user telephone. Alternatively, the user may be advised to provide a personal ID or PIN so that the user can access the audio service from anywhere instead of being limited to accessing it from a particular telephone. Finally, the platform for audio information service 103 also includes a position detector, illustrated as a block counter in this mode, which is used in conjunction with the playback module 109, to verify the user's progress through the service of audio The block counter provides useful information about where the user is at a selected audio service at any given time. This present position location information is then detected and associated with a user when the user ends an audio service. The service controller can then provide the user information (user ID), service identification information (service ID) and termination location information to the personal profile database at the time the user terminates a service . The entire audio service platform is operated with the service controller 107, which operates under the control of a stored program to access the audio services, creating a marker and using an existing marker. The access of the audio services itself is well known. However, the creation of a marker and the use of an existing marker are described below with reference to the flow diagrams of FIGURES 2A and 2B. A potential modality for creating a marker is written by the flow chart of FIGURE 2A. According to this operation, a client first accesses the audio information services platform through the PSTN, and the platform identifies the user either by detecting the ANI, or by notifying the user to provide a PIN, step 201. The user is then provided with an interactive service menu and chooses an audio program from the menu, step 202. The interactive service menu can operate in conjunction with an ASR and / or DTMF detector, to detect user responses to notices or signs of the menu. The service menu module reports the selection of the audio service to the service controller 107 and in turn, the controller activates the playback module to request a reproduction of the desired audio service (step 203). The program recovery and playback module 109 then acts upon request of the service controller to access the audio content database 104 to choose the desired audio service according to the service ID associated with the selected service. The reproduction module 109 can then verify the selected program by length, step 204. This can be done for example by checking the length of the file or length information can be encoded in a spindle, for example. It can be determined in advance that certain programs are too short to guarantee the provision of markers to the user, so that only selected programs will provide marker capability. If that is the case, then having obtained the information that identifies the length of the program, the reproduction module determines if the program is long enough to guarantee markers, step 205. If the module detects that the service is not long enough to guarantee markers, then the module will reproduce the program in the normal way without following the progress of the user through the program, step 206.

However, if the reproduction module detects that the program is long enough to guarantee bookmarks, the reproduction module searches for the first block of the audio program and registers the block number in the block counter 110 in step 207. the reproduction of a given block of audio program is completed, the playback module searches for the next block in the sequence and starts playing it while updating the contents of the block counter to ensure that the counter keeps an accurate indication of the block now involved in the reproduction process, step 208. Simultaneously, the service controller continuously verifies a user request to terminate the program, step 209. The user can already terminate the program by choosing specific keys on the user's telephone keypad or can simply hang up. If the user is still listening to the program as detected in step 210, then the operation recycles through steps 208 and 209 to ensure that the user continues to obtain additional blocks of the audio service and that the user's location through the service is constantly verified. However, if the user is not listening to the program anymore, then the service controller notifies the playback module that step 211 terminates. At the time of completion, the playback module passes the last registered block number stored in it. block counter as well as the program ID for the service in use to the service driver, step 212. The service controller then takes the location information and the program information and combines it with the customer or user ID that is detected in step 201 and records this information in the personal profile database 105 for future reference, step 213. The creation of the marker is variable depending on the type of program that is provided to the user. Different types of programs lead to different ways of verifying the user's progress through the program. For example, in a book environment it may be convenient to follow the progress of a user through the book in terms of blocks that are related, either to chapters, pages or paragraphs, then as each element, for example a paragraph is accessed , the block counter is incremented by one in such a way that the system tracks which paragraph in the presentation the user is currently located. Alternatively, the program can be a multi-stage improvement program, for example a smoking cessation program. In this circumstance, it may be beneficial to detect the user's progress through the individual stages. In that case, the blocks referred to in connection with FIGURE 2A, may in fact correspond to the stages (or sub-stages) through the process or program. Additionally, it may be advantageous to detect the current elapsed time of the audio program. This would be applicable to the current reproduction of a continuous program in donae the system verifies in time (number of minutes and seconds) that the user has advanced in the audio file. Therefore, the block counter 110 can be replaced by a synchronizer and the synchronization information associated with the user's location through the audio content can then be provided to the service controller at the time of termination. Then, the synchronization information will be stored with the program ID, and the user ID in the personal profile database. FIGURE 2B illustrates a flow diagram for use in the scoreboard in connection with providing the audio service. At the point of departure, the customer dials the audio information service via the PSTN, step 221. The system responds to the user's call and the service counter 107 activates the user ID module to detect the user's identity, step 222. As described above, the user module can already use ANI or PIN specifically provided by a user to identify the user, step 223. The service controller then interrogates the personal profile database the one that verifies the user ID to determine if any markers exist and to determine based on past experience with the user, if the user has some particular audio service preferences, step 224. The controller then detects if any markers exist for the user in decision step 225. If there are no bookmarks for the user, then the service controller asks the service menu module for a menu that is not a standard bookmark similar to the menu previously received in connection with FIGURE 2A. That menu provides the user with an identification of the audio information services that are available through that platform. The service module then reproduces the standard menu, step 227 and the process continues from step 203 of FIGURE 2A. However, if the service controller detects that a marker has been created for this user then the service controller retrieves the program or programs with markers and the specific marker values from the personal profile database stage 230. The controller of service can then pass the identification information regarding the previously accessed access services where there are markers to the service menu module stage 231. The service menu module can then play a special menu that includes the programs that have associated markers. Additionally, the service menu module can provide the user with the option to continue the program from where the user will last leave or start the program from the beginning. In one embodiment, the user indicates the selection by activating a corresponding key on the user's keyboard to indicate the selection of the program and to choose the location that is reproduced from the program. The service menu module then indicates what selection the user has made. If the user has chosen to start a program from the beginning instead of from the site where the previous access was terminated, then the service controller includes the playback module that reproduces the program from the beginning and the process continues from of step 207 of FIGURE 2A. If the user has indicated desire to continue the program from where he left off for the last time, the service controller passes the marker value to the playback module with the instruction to play the program from the marker, step 235. The playback module uses the marker value to index a point in the program where the user stayed. The reproduction module then requests the next program block from the audio content database, step 236. As previously indicated, if the increments of the program are increments in time or incremental increments, the reproduction module will then proceed to mark the re-start location according to the stepped advance information or the time that is provided with the marker value. The reproducing module then begins to reproduce the program based on the marker and initiates block tracking or location verification for marker updates when carrying out the process from step 208 of FIGURE 2A onwards. Of course, if the user chooses a new service for which a marker has not yet been created, the operation of the system will continue from step 203 of FIGURE 2A. The block diagrams and flow diagrams above show a modality for a system that provides audio services and creates and uses markers in connection with providing those audio services. It will be recognized that various modifications to the modality are possible. For example, it is possible that the service is a revenue generating service. In these circumstances, the user may be asked to provide information not only to identify the user, but also to be asked to provide information for billing purposes. This billing information can also be stored in the personal profile database. Of course, the user ID and billing information codes can be oneself.

As indicated above, the user may have the ability to indicate user preferences for type of audio services. This preference information can also be stored in the personal profile database and used to build the appropriate menu to be provided by the service menu module. Similarly, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to user telephones on a PSTN. Any type of network that supports audio services can be an appropriate transmission medium for the audio service from the platform to the user (for example, a wireless network). Similarly, the user may employ a PC or other device or personal item to access the audio information service, for example with an appropriate user ID information. As an example of an alternate application, a user can access an audio program or service through the Internet. In this circumstance, the available bandwidth may limit the feasibility of presenting the audio program in real time. In this way, the most appropriate presentation will first involve downloading the program material to the user's PC where it will be stored for playback. Once the user starts playing the program, the PC can check the progress through the program material and generate the appropriate marker in a manner consistent with the techniques described above. Then, when the user finishes the program and subsequently returns, he will be given the option where to re-start the program. The termination and creation of a marker are different from a pause functionality, since the termination currently frees the program and finishes its execution. The pause function keeps the program indefinitely waiting. In this way, the marker will be useful in this environment equally. All of these capabilities are auxiliary to the invention and are different techniques for employing that invention. The invention provides the user's ability to advance through an audio program at the user's own set pace and return to the program and the last location in the service, at will. As a result, it provides the ability to create and use audio services that contain serial or continuous information in a more user-friendly way. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (30)

1. CLAIMS 1.- Method to facilitate the revision of a user of audio program material, on at least two review sessions, the audio program material has been communicated to the user on a communication network, the method is characterized because it comprises the stages of: verifying the progress of a user in the review of the user of the audio program material during a first review session; and when the user completes the first review session, store an indication of the user's progress when reviewing the program material during that session.
2. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of an audio program service that provides the audio program material to the user on a communication channel.
3. 3. - The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the communication channel comprises a data network.
4. 4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the communication channel comprises a telephony network.
5. 5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the communication channel comprises a wireless communication channel.
6. 6. - The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the steps are implemented by a personal article of the user.
7. 7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the audio program material is stored on CD-ROM.
8. 8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the steps are implemented by a service based on communications network.
9. 9.- A method to facilitate the revision of a user of an audio program material, on at least two review sessions, the audio program material has been communicated to the user on a communication network, the method is characterized because it comprises the steps of: verifying the progress of a user in the review of the user of the audio program material, the verification is carried out during a first audio program review session; when the user finishes the first audio program review session ,, -store an indication of the user's progress when reviewing the program material during that session; in a second audio program review session subsequent to the completion of the first program review session, playing the audio program material to the user starting from a position within the determined material, based on the stored indication.
10. 10. - The method of compliance with the claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises the step of an audio program service that provides the audio program material to the user on a communication channel.
11. 11. The method according to the claim 10, characterized in that the communication channel comprises a data network.
12. 12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the communication channel comprises a telephony network.
13. 13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the communication channel comprises a wireless communication channel.
14. 14. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the steps are implemented by a personal user article.
15. 15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the audio program material is stored, on CD-ROM.
16. 16. The method according to the claim 9, characterized in that the steps are implemented by a service based on communications network.
17. 17. A method for creating a marker for use with an audio service that provides sequential audio information, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: associating a user code with a user of the audio service; verify a present location of the user in a sequence of audio information in an access to the audio service; detect a termination of access to the audio service; create a termination code that defines the present location of the user in the sequence at the time the termination is detected; correlate the user code and the completion code; and store the result of the correlation stage.
18. 18.- The method of compliance with the claim 17, characterized in that the service identification code is associated with each audio service; and the step of correlating further includes the step of associating a service identifier code with the user code and the completion code.
19. 19. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that the verification step comprises the steps of loading a record with an initialization value at the beginning of the service and updating the record as the audio information is presented.
20. 20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the audio information is divided into discrete blocks of information and where the updating step includes the step of reviewing the contents of the record to retain a block identifier corresponding to the block of information that is transferred by the service at that time.
21. 21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the register stores the time elapsed since the beginning of the provision of audio information.
22. 22. A method for providing audio services using a marker, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: generating a menu of a plurality of audio services; detecting a selection of one of the plurality of audio services; transmit audio information from the selected audio service; verify a user position in the selected audio service, as the corresponding audio information is transmitted; detect a termination of the selected audio service that occurs before terminating the service; create and store a bookmark that identifies a user, the selected service and the user's position in the selected service at the time of completion; subsequently access the marker; and return the user to the location of the selected service based on the marker.
23. 23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that the audio service comprises a plurality of discrete blocks of audio information, each block has a unique block identifier, wherein the step of tracking comprises the step of storing temporarily the block identifier of a discrete block of audio information, as that information is transmitted.
24. 24. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that the step of verifying comprises the step of verifying a time elapsed from a time in which the transmission stage begins.
25. 25. An audio information service platform, characterized in that it comprises: a database of audio contents; a personal profile database; a program reproduction module coupled to the audio content database; a reproduction position monitor coupled to the program reproduction module; and a service controller that creates a user identifier and stores an audio content identifier and a reproduction position identifier, with the user identifier in the personal profile database.
26. 26. The platform according to claim 25, characterized in that the audio content database stores an audio information for a plurality of audio services.
27. 27. The platform according to claim 26, characterized in that it also comprises a service menu module, coupled to the service controller and that identifies an audio service in the audio content database that is desired by a user. .
28. 28. - The platform according to claim 27, characterized in that the service menu module notifies the service controller of a desired starting point for an identified audio module.
29. 29. The platform according to claim 25, characterized in that it also comprises a user ID module that identifies a service user and where the service controller searches for the personal profile database for data referring to the user of the identified service .
30. 30. The platform according to claim 29, characterized in that the service controller is coupled to the program reproduction module to initiate a resumption of an audio program, at a site defined by a reproduction position identifier associated with a program. service user identified in the personal profile database.