WO2009080588A1

WO2009080588A1 - A music playing device

Info

Publication number: WO2009080588A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/067550
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jad El-Khoury; Martin Renck; Daniel Wallner; Jonas Norberg; Fredric Vinnaa
Original assignee: Tonium Ab
Priority date: 2007-12-19
Filing date: 2008-12-15
Publication date: 2009-07-02

Abstract

A music playing device, preferably hand-held, comprises a display unit (1) arranged to display a tracks list of music tracks available to the music playing device, and further arranged to enable a user to scroll between lists in the display unit, each list representing a characteristic of the music tracks, and having a number of selectable items each of said items matching a value for the characteristic concerned. The device further comprises a filter input unit (9) for enabling user input to select at least one item from each of the at least first and second list, and a processor (3) for identifying the music tracks among the available music tracks that match the at least first and/or second values and for controlling the display unit (1) to display a list of the music tracks thus identified.

Description

A MUSIC PLAYING DEVICE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a music playing device and a method of operating a music playing device.

Background and Related Art

Portable or hand-held music devices are becoming increasingly popular. As technology develops even small devices may have sufficient memory capacity to hold a very large number of tracks. Hence, there is a need for a tool that enables a user, in an efficient way, to find a track among a large number of tracks stored in the memory, which will work for small devices.

Published US application No. 2005/0187976 discloses a hierarchical solution in which the user of a portable music player may search in a tree of a predefined structure for a particular music track. Each selection narrows the search down and brings the user to the next level, where another criterion can be applied to narrow the search down even further. On each level, the available options are limited by the search criteria applied on the previous level. Subcategories may be defined, for ex- ample, when searching for an artist, it may be possible to search in different sub- categories depending on the artist's nationality.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a more flexible way of searching for music tracks in a portable music player.

Summary of the Invention

This object is achieved according to the present invention by a music playing device comprising a display unit arranged to display a tracks list of music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, and further arranged to enable a user to scroll between at least a first and a second list in the display unit, each list representing a characteristic of the music tracks, and each list having a number of selectable items each of said items matching a value for the characteristic concerned, said music playing device further comprising a filter input unit for enabling user input to select at least one item from each of the at least first and second list, said music playing device further comprising a processor for identifying the music tracks among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, having characteristics that match at least one of the at least first and second values and for controlling the display unit to display a list of the music tracks thus identified, characterized in that the filter input unit is arranged to enable selection from the first list and the second list in an order determined by the user.

The object is also achieved by a method of operating a music playing device, for identifying at least one music track among a number of music tracks that can be played on the music playing device, said device having a display unit, and a filter input unit, said method comprising the steps of

- toggling between at least a first and a second list, each list representing a characteristic of the music tracks, and each list having a number of selectable items each of said items matching a value for the characteristic concerned,

- selecting in at least one of the first and second list by means of the filter input unit at least one item,

- identifying by means of a processor the music tracks, among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, having characteristics that match at least one of the at least first and second values,

- controlling the display to display a list of the music tracks thus identified. The method is characterized in that the user is enabled to select in the at least first and second list in an order determined by the user during selection.

Hence, the method and apparatus according to the invention allow a more flexible and dynamic combination of criteria than that of the prior art. The search criteria can be applied in any order chosen by the user and combined according to the user's wishes. The system does not exclude certain criteria once a certain criterion has been chosen. Hence, the inventive solution is non-hierarchical and does not require the criteria to be chosen in a particular order. In the US Application 2005/0187976 the criteria can only be applied in a particular order that is pre-defined in the music playing device. The application of a select button enables the use of the invention in a small hand-held music player.

For example, each track on an album may have different characteristics as regards genre, artist and/or beats per minute. With the inventive solution this can be catered for in a manner that allows maximum flexibility. In the prior art solution referred to above assumptions have to be made about the hierarchical structure of the criteria, and how they can be combined. Further, in the prior art, certain assumptions have to be made to create the pre-defined structure. For example, it can be assumed that all tracks on a certain album belong to the same genre, and are performed by the same artist. Regardless of exactly which assumptions are made, they will necessarily limit the way the search can be performed. In contrast, according to the invention, for example, only tracks on a certain album having a certain genre, or only tracks by the same artist having bpm within a certain range can be selected. Alternatively, all tracks in all genres having bpm within a certain range can be selected. According to the prior art, since a hierarchy is defined, the criteria have to be applied in a prede- termined order and one is not expected to reach the resulting tracks until the leafs of the predefined hierarchy is reached. For example, once a genre has been selected, all albums within this genre are listed and one must be selected before a certain track can be selected. As can be seen, the inventive solution offers a more flexible way of combining search criteria.

The music playing device is preferably adapted to be hand-held during use.

The processor may be arranged, in response to user input by means of a mode select input unit, to control the display to switch between a first mode in which only the tracks list is displayed and a selection mode in which at least the first and second lists are displayed. The display may be controlled in such a way that the user can toggle between the tracks list and the at least first and second list to select from the at least first and second list. This may be in addition to, or instead of, the default mode in which the tracks are displayed. Hence, in the selection mode, a tracks list may or may not be displayed.

The music playing device preferably also comprising a data storage unit arranged to hold a plurality of music tracks. Alternatively, or in addition, the music playing de- vice can be arranged to play tracks that are stored in an external data storage unit.

The mode select input unit may be a hardware unit, such as a switch arranged on the music playing device or a button that may be depressed to enable input to the filter input unit or a software unit enabling selection by means of the display.

The lists preferably include at least one of the following: Genre, Album, Artist, BPM and Year. The lists may also include one or more user-defined characteristics, where each characterstic can be attributed/tagged to one ore more tracks. This tagging acts as a grouping of the selected tracks into a common entity. An example of such user defined characteristic is the definition of playlists or favourites commonly found in music players.

The method preferably comprises the steps of selecting, by means of the filter input unit, a first item in the first list, scrolling, by means of the filter input unit to the sec- ond list and selecting, by means of the user input unit a second item in the second list.

Preferably, when the user sets one criterion, the other lists should be adapted to match this criterion. For example, if the user selects an artist, the items on the Al- bums list are reduced to albums featuring this artist, the Genre list is adapted to display only the available genre or genres, etc.. Similarly, if a user selects an album, the items on the Artist list are reduced to artists featured on the album, etc. If the user wishes to add or change a selection from any list this can be done in any desired order and any number of times as long as the display is in the selection mode. In this case, a function for quick return to displaying all tracks may be included.

Preferably, when the user sets one criterion, and the other lists are adapted to match this criterion as described above, if any list contains only a single entry as a result of this adaption, the system shall not provide this criterion to the user. For example, if the user selects an album, and the items on the Artist list contain a single artist, the artist criterion will be of no interest, as long as the Albums filter is set, since the user will not be interested in choosing an artist from the list that contains only one.

In one embodiment, more than one selection can be made from the same list. For example, two or more artists can be selected. Selection may be enabled based on an AND function or an OR function. If an OR function is used, all tracks on which one of the selected artists perform will be selected. If an AND function is used, only the tracks on which both artists perform will be shown.

It may be possible to scroll between the lists in a circular fashion, so that when the scrolling reaches the last list, it goes directly to the first list again. Alternatively, the scrolling to the right may be stopped at the last list and the scrolling to the left may be stopped at the first list. A circular scrolling is preferably not enabled between the items of one list. Alternatively, the user is able to toggle from one list to any other list through an interface in which all of the available lists are directly accessible.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail in the following, by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Figures Ia and Ib illustrate a display for a portable music playing device according to an embodiment the invention. Figure 2 is an overall block diagram of a portable music playing device according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a selection algorithm that may be used according to the invention.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

Figure 1 a shows a display of a music playing device according to an embodiment of the invention, in a default mode showing a list of all tracks available in a suitable order, for example, alphabetically. In Figure Ia two columns are shown schemati- cally, but the tracks may be displayed in any suitable way depending on the size and design of the display. Only the title, or the title and some additional information may be displayed for each track. Typically, not all tracks can be displayed at one time. How to scroll the list will be discussed in more detail in connection with Figure 2.

Figure Ib shows the display in a selection mode, enabling the user to set one or more criteria for which tracks to display. Depending on the size of the display, one or more of the lists shown in Figure Ib may be displayed at any given time. As will be discussed in more detail in connection with Figure 2, the device may comprise a mode selector for switching between the default mode and the selection mode, and for scrolling from one list to the next and also for scrolling within one list.

Figure Ib shows five lists, each listing the available values, or options for one criterion. In Figure Ib, as an example only, the criteria are Genre, Album, Artist, BPM and Year. As will be understood both the number of different criteria and the types of criteria that can be applied, and their order, may be selected freely. Other possible criteria, not shown in Figure Ib, include Country and Label. It is foreseen that user-defined characteristics that can be attributed to one or more tracks can also be used as criteria, for example, different playlists or lists of favourite tracks. This will enable a selection between only tracks that have been grouped together by a user. In this example, the screen is assumed to be large enough to display three of the lists at any time. The lists related to Genre, Album and Artist are displayed and the lists related to BPM and Year are currently not displayed, but may be displayed by scrolling sideways. Sideways scrolling is possible in both directions. Each list preferably has the option <all> so that the criterion will not be applied. In this example, a cur- sor is placed at the second list, listing all artists, and artist3 is being selected. How to perform a selection will be discussed in connection with Figure 2. At present no album has been selected and no range of BPM has been selected. Once an artist has been selected (if desired) the user can scroll back to the Album list to select an album, or to the BPM list or the Year list to select a BPM range or a year (or period). Typically, only the albums, and bpm values relevant for the selected artist will be shown. The BPM is preferably displayed as a list of ranges, for example, 90-100 bpm, 100-110 bpm, and so on. The years may be displayed as one year per item, or a range of years, for example, 1970s, 1980s, and so on.

Instead of using two different modes, the display may be arranged to enable toggling between the list of all tracks and the lists of different criteria in the same mode, as shown in Figure Ic. Of course, the tracks list may be included in the selection mode also in the case when there is a particular default mode. Preferably, as explained above, the tracks list is filtered for each criterion that is set by the user, so that only the tracks matching all criteria that have been set are displayed. Alternatively, all tracks matching at least one, or some, of the criteria set can be displayed, for example all tracks by a particular artist and all tracks on a particular album. It may also be possible to select more than one item from the same list, for example a first and a second artist, or all songs by one artist from two or three years.

Figure 2 is an overall block diagram of an embodiment of a music playing device according to the invention. For clarity, only the functions that are of importance to the implementation of the present invention are shown. The music playing device comprises a display 1, as discussed in connection with Figures Ia and Ib. The dis- play and other functions of the device are controlled by a processing unit 3. The processing unit is also connected to a data storage unit such as a database 5, in which all music tracks are saved along with information for each music track about which option is corresponds to in which list, for example, the artist, genre, year, etc. Music tracks can also be retrieved from an external storage unit (not shown), for example, the hard disk of a computer.

The device comprises a mode selector 7 for switching between the default mode and the selection mode, as defined above. The mode selector 7 may be implemented as any type of input means providing a selector input to the processing unit 3. For example, it may be software implemented and operated from the display 1 , or it may be hardware implemented. In the latter case, it may be, for example, a switch or a button arranged on the casing of the device. In Figure 2 the mode selector is a button 7 arranged on the left side of the device. When the user presses the button the device will operate in selection mode, and when the user releases the button the device will return to default mode, displaying only the tracks that match all the se- lected criteria.

The device also comprises a user input device 9 for making menu based selections. The user input device is shown in Figure 2 as a touch pad, but it may, of course be implemented in any suitable way, for example as a joystick, or as a set of buttons. As indicated in Figure 2, the user input device 9 enables the user to scroll sideways in both directions and to scroll up and down in a list. With a display as the one shown in Figures Ia and Ib, the sideways scrolling to the appropriate list will be used to select a criterion that is to be applied and the up/down scrolling to the desired item in the list will be used to narrow down the list of tracks that can be se- lected. The actual selection may be performed in any suitable way, for example, by lifting the finger from the user input device 9 when the cursor is placed at the desired track, by tapping the user input device 9 when the cursor is placed at the desired track, or by pressing another button on the device when the cursor is placed at the desired track. In one embodiment the user can easily return to displaying all tracks, that is, removing all criteria settings. Especially if the selection mode is arranged to display a list of selected tracks, the return to displaying all tracks may be achieved by releasing the mode select button 7, if present. There may also be a software-implemented function that can be controlled from the display, or some other hardware- implemented function to enable the quick return to displaying all tracks.

It is possible to distinguish between quick and slow movement across the input device 9, so that slow finger movement will move the cursor from one item to the next in the list while fast finger movement will move the cursor longer at a time, for example to items starting with the next letter of the alphabet.

As will be understood, the device also comprises the functions usually found in a music playing device, such as earphone connection, sound output control etc. These are well known to the skilled person and are therefore not shown and will not be discussed in any detail here. When not in selection mode, the user input device 9 may be used to control the sound output and other functions of the music playing device.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method according to the invention.

When the procedure starts, all available tracks are listed in the display in some suitable order, for example, alphabetically. This may be achieved by a menu selection, or in another suitable way. In step S31 , the selecting function is initiated. As discussed in connection with Fig- ure 2, this may be done, for example, by pressing a selector button 7 provided on the device.

In step S32, the user determines whether filtering should be performed according to the first criterion (Album in Fig. Ib). If yes, continue with step S33, if no, go to step S34. In step S33, the user scrolls down (or up) in the list corresponding to the first criterion and selects one album. In step S34 the user determines whether more criteria should be applied. If yes, go to step S35, if no, go to step S38. In step S35, the user scrolls to the next criterion.

In step S36, the user determines whether filtering should be performed according to the current criterion. If yes, continue with step S37, if no go to step S34.

In step S37, the user scrolls down (or up) in the list corresponding to the current criterion and selects one item in this list.

Step S38: return to default mode, for example, by releasing the selector button 7, this time displaying only the tracks that match all the criteria selected in steps S32- S37 above.

In the above the invention has been described by means of examples, which should not be interpreted as limiting to the invention. As will be clear to the skilled person, a number of variations and developments of the invention are possible without de- parting from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A music playing device comprising a display unit (1) arranged to display a tracks list of music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, and further arranged to enable a user to scroll between at least a first and a second list in the display unit, each list representing a characteristic of the music tracks, and each list having a number of selectable items each of said items matching a value for the characteristic concerned, said music playing device further comprising a filter input unit (9) for enabling user input to select at least one item from each of the at least first and second list, said music playing device further comprising a processor (3) arranged to identify the music tracks among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, having characteristics that match at least one of the at least first and second values and for controlling the display unit (1) to display a list of the music tracks thus identified, characterized in that the filter input unit is arranged to enable selection from the first list and the second list in an order determined by the user.

2. A music playing device according to claim 1, adapted to be hand-held during use.

3. A music playing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is arranged to control the display unit (1) to display values in the second list dependent on the at least one item selected from the first list.

4. A music playing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is arranged to control the display in such a way as to display in the tracks list only the tracks matching the selections made by the user.

5. A music playing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a data storage unit (5) arranged to hold a plurality of music tracks.

6. A music playing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is arranged, in response to user input by means of a mode select input unit, to control the display to switch between a first mode in which only the tracks list is displayed and a selection mode in which at least the first and second lists are displayed.

7. A music playing device according to claim 5, wherein the mode select input unit is a hardware unit, such as a switch arranged on the music playing device or a button that may be depressed to enable input to the filter input unit.

8. A music playing device according to claim 5, wherein the mode select input unit is software-implemented.

9. A music playing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is arranged to identify the music tracks among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, having characteristics that match both or all of the at least first and second values.

10. A music playing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is arranged to control the display in such a way that the user can toggle between the tracks list and the at least first and second list to select from the at least first and second list.

11. A music playing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lists include at least one of the following: Genre, Album, Artist, BPM and

Year.

12. A music playing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lists include at least one user-defined characteristics that can be attributed to one or more tracks, such as playlists, or favourites.

13. A music playing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the filter input unit is arranged to enable selection of more than one item from one list.

14. A method of operating a music playing device, for identifying at least one music track among a number of music tracks that can be played on the music playing device, said device having a display unit (1), and a filter input unit (9), said method comprising the steps of

- selecting in at least one of the first and second list by means of the filter input unit (9) at least one item

- identifying by means of a processor (3) the music tracks, among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, that match at least one of the at least first and second values

- controlling the display to display a list of the music tracks thus identified, said method being characterized in that the user is enabled to select in the at least first and second list in an order determined by the user during selection.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the selection step comprises the steps of selecting, by means of the filter input unit (9), a first item in the first list, scrolling, by means of the filter input unit (9) to the second list and selecting, by means of the user input unit (9) a second item in the second list.

16. A method according to claim 14 or 15, comprising the step of filtering the second list after selecting in the first list and displaying values in the second list in dependence of the selections made in the first list.

17. A method according to claim 14 or 15 further comprising the step of switching between a default mode displaying only a tracks list and a selection mode in which scrolling between the first and second list is enabled.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the switching between the first mode and the selection mode is enabled by means of a hardware unit, such as a button or a switch on the music playing device.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the switching between the first mode and the selection mode is enabled by means of a software function.

20. A method according to any one of the claims 14-19, wherein the lists include at least one of the following: Genre, Album, Artist, BPM and Year.

21. A method according to any one of the claims 14-20, wherein the lists include at least one user-defined characteristic that can be attributed to one or more tracks, such as playlists or favourites.

22. A method according to any one of the claims 14-21, comprising the step of iden- tifying by means of a processor (3) the music tracks, among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, that match both or all of the at least first and second values.

23. A computer program product for controlling a music playing device comprising a display unit (1) arranged to display a tracks list of music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, said computer program product comprising computer-readable code means which will cause at least a first and a second list to be displayed in the display unit in such a way that a user is enabled to scroll between the at least first and second list in the display unit, each list representing a characteristic of the music tracks, and each list having a number of selectable items each of said items matching a value for the characteristic concerned, said computer program product further comprising code means for receiving through a filter input unit (9) a user input selecting at least one item from each of the at least first and second list, identifying the music tracks among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, having characteristics that match at least one of the at least first and second values and controlling the display unit

(1) to display a list of the music tracks thus identified, characterized in that the code means is arranged to enable selection from the first list and the second list in an order determined by the user.

24. A computer program product according to claim 23, comprising code means that will control the display unit (1) to display values in the second list dependent on the at least one item selected from the first list.

25. A computer program product according to claim 23 or 24, comprising code means arranged to control the display in such a way as to display in the tracks list only the tracks matching the selections made by the user.

26. A computer program product according to any one of the claims 23-25, comprising code means arranged, in response to user input by means of a mode se- lect input unit, to control the display to switch between a first mode in which only the tracks list is displayed and a selection mode in which at least the first and second lists are displayed.

27. A computer program product according to any one of the claims 23-26, compris- ing code means for controlling the display in such a way that the user can toggle between the tracks list and the at least first and second list to select from the at least first and second list.

28. A computer program product according to any one of the claims 23-27, com- prising code means for displaying at least one of the following lists: Genre, Album, Artist, BPM and Year.

29. A computer program product according to any one of the claims 23-28, comprising code means for including in the lists at least one user-defined characteristics that can be attributed to one or more tracks, such as playlists, or favourites.

30. A computer program product according to any one of the claims 23-29, wherein the code means is arranged to identify the music tracks among the music tracks that can be played by the music playing device, having characteristics that match both or all of the at least first and second values .

31. A computer program product according to any one of the claims 23-29, wherein the code means is arranged to enable selection of more than one item from one list.