Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
  • G06F3/0481—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
  • G06F3/0482—Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
  • G06F16/40—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data
  • G06F16/43—Querying
  • G06F16/438—Presentation of query results
  • G06F16/4387—Presentation of query results by the use of playlists
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q30/00—Commerce
  • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
  • G06Q30/0601—Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
  • G06Q30/0631—Recommending goods or services

Definitions

• the present invention relates to playlists, and more specifically, to using a pivot command to manage playlists.
• Portable media devices use playlists to organize and control media.
• Playlists allow a user to navigate through a collection of available audio, audio/visual and other related media or multimedia selections for playback. These may include, for example, songs, videos and multimedia presentations. A user traditionally plays songs, videos and/or multimedia presentations in one playlist before playing another playlist.
• the present invention provides for managing playlist by implementing a pivot command.
• a method of managing playlists comprises: displaying a current playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the current playlist at a current media item; selecting one of the following: (1) when a pivot command to pivot from the current playlist to a pivoted playlist is received, first moving to a next media item of the pivoted playlist, and displaying the pivoted playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the pivoted playlist at the next media item of the pivoted playlist; (2) otherwise when no pivot command is received, second moving to a next media item of the current playlist, and displaying the current playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the current playlist at the next media item of the current playlist.
• a portable media device which implements pivot commands for playlists.
• the portable media device comprises: an input interface to invoke a pivot command to pivot from a current playlist to a pivoted playlist selected from one or more playlists that intersect the current playlist at a current media item; a display module to display the current playlist and the one or more playlists; and a processor configured to manage playlists including selecting one of the following: (1) when the pivot command is received, moving to a next media item of the pivoted playlist, and displaying on the display module the pivoted playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the pivoted playlist at the next media item of the pivoted playlist; (2) otherwise when no pivot command is received, moving to a next media item of the current playlist, and displaying the current playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the current playlist at the next media item of the current playlist.
• a non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program for managing playlists.
• the computer program includes executable instructions that cause a computer to: display a current playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the current playlist at a current media item; select one of the following: (1) when a pivot command to pivot from the current playlist to a pivoted playlist is received, first move to a next media item of the pivoted playlist, and display the pivoted playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the pivoted playlist at the next media item of the pivoted playlist; (2) otherwise when no pivot command is received, second move to a next media item of the current playlist, and display the current playlist and one or more playlists that intersect the current playlist at the next media item of the current playlist.
• FIG. 1 shows a graphical representation of multiple playlists and relationships among those playlists in
• FIG. 2 shows one implementation of graphical displays which illustrate a process for a pivot command.
• FIG. 3 shows another implementation of graphical displays which illustrate a process for a pivot command.
• FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process for implementing a pivot command in accordance with one
• a playlist refers to an ordered list of media items, including songs, videos and/or multimedia presentations, played during a given time period. It allows a desired atmosphere or styles to be created and maintained without constant user interaction. Such a playlist may be defined, stored, and selected to run either in sequence or, if a random playlist function is selected, in a random order.
• a playlist may be static or dynamic. For example, a dynamic playlist may include a list of songs that is generated periodically, such as for a shuffle or weekly top-25 list.
• a static playlist may include a list of songs that is preselected by a user.
• Playlist A may include user-defined songs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, while Playlist B may include
• Certain implementations as disclosed herein provide for directing playback of media items using playlists by allowing the user to transition from a first playlist to a second playlist at a given media item which appears in both playlists.
• the transition can be made from the first playlist to a third, fourth, or any other playlist.
• a playlist provides a method for organizing the media items by grouping them based on certain criteria, including atmosphere (e.g., "soft listening"), style (e.g., "rock and roll”), and artist (e.g., "Elvis Costello”) .
• the rock and roll songs in that playlist are played in sequence or in random order.
• the user may want to change the playlist (or "pivot") to the "Elvis Costello” playlist because the user likes the song and wants to hear more of his songs rather than continue listening to "rock and roll” songs of other artists,
• FIG. 1 shows a graphical representation 100 of
• Playlist A includes songs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 21; Playlist B includes songs 7, 2, 8, 9; Playlist C includes songs 10, 11, 3, 12, 9; and so on.
• the songs may be played in sequence 1-2-3-4-5-6-21.
• the songs may be played starting from any song and in any direction.
• the songs can be played in forward sequence 3-4-5-6-21-1-2, backward sequence 21-6-5-4-3-2-1, or other sequences.
• a playback of a playlist When a playback of a playlist reaches an intersection with other playlist (s) in the graph 100, it indicates that the song of that intersection is present m all playlists that cross this intersection. Thus, the user can invoke a pivot command to change to another playlist that crosses this intersection. For example, in FIG. 1, when a playback of Playlist A reaches song 3, it can be seen that two other playlists (i.e., Playlist C and Playlist F) intersect Playlist A. Thus, a pivot command can be issued at this point in Playlist A to "pivot" to Playlist C or Playlist F.
• a pivot command can be issued at any time once a song is reached (i.e., before, during, and after the playback of the song) , and the "pivot" can occur once the song is finished.
• a pivot command from Playlist A to Playlist C is issued while song 3 is being played, the playback of song 3 is not terminated until the end of song 3.
• the playback of the next song in Playlist C i.e., song 12
• the "pivot" to another playlist can occur immediately upon issuing of a pivot command.
• a pivot command from Playlist A to Playlist C is issued while song 3 is being played, the playback of song 3 is terminated and the playback of the next song in Playlist C (i.e., song 12) is initiated.
• the graphical representation 100 shown in FIG. 1 seems to allow "pivot" only to a playlist that intersects a current playlist, a "pivot" command can allow a jump from a first playlist to a second playlist that does not
• Playlist B is a group of Elvis
• Playlist D is a group of Elvis Presley songs. It can be seen that Playlist B and Playlist D are connected through Playlist G, F, A, J, or K.
• One or more of these playlists can be playlist (s) of rock and roll songs, and the selected playlist connects the two playlists, Playlist B and Playlist D.
• Playlist G (Playlist G, F, A, J, or K) .
• the logistics of a pivot jump command can be varied.
• Playlist B e.g., a playlist of Elvis Costello songs
• Playlist D e.g., a playlist of Elvis Presley songs
• "pivot" jump to Playlist D can also be accomplished by issuing a jump to song 2 in Playlist B, a pivot command to Playlist A, and another pivot command to Playlist D.
• a "pivot" jump can be accomplished in many different ways.
• FIG. 2 shows one implementation of graphical displays 210, 220, 230 which illustrate a process for a pivot
• the graphical displays 210, 220, 230 represent illustrations of the pivot command process displayed on a portable media device.
• the graphical display 210 shows three playlists (i.e., Playlist A, Playlist C, and Playlist F) intersecting at song 3 consistent with the graphical representation 100 of FIG. 1.
• the playlist along the vertical line is the currently- playing playlist (i.e., Playlist A).
• the graphical display 210 shows that the next song in Playlist A is song 4.
• the graphical display 210 also shows that the user can request "pivot" from the currently-playing playlist (i.e., Playlist A) to two playlists (i.e., Playlist C and Playlist F) . It further shows that the next song on Playlist C is song 12, while the next song on Playlist F is song 14.
• Next songs of the playlists are displayed so that the user can be provided a short overview of the songs that might be available on different playlists. However, in other implementations, other items such as previous songs or next 5 songs can be displayed for the similar purposes.
• the graphical display 220 shows the result of "pivot" from Playlist A to Playlist C, consistent with the
• graphical display 220 shows Playlist C along the vertical line with a current song being song 12. It also shows that the next song on Playlist C is song 9. It further shows that Playlist J intersects Playlist C at song 12, and that the next song on Playlist J is song 15.
• the graphical display 230 shows the result of "pivot" from Playlist A to Playlist F, consistent with the
• graphical display 230 shows Playlist F along the vertical line with a current song being song 14. It also shows that the next song on Playlist F is song 19. It further shows that Playlist D intersects Playlist F at song 14, and that the next song on Playlist D is song 15.
• pivot commands described above are implemented in a graphical user interface that allows selection of a playlist from a plurality of intersecting playlists shown. For example, in a configuration shown in graphical display 210, a screen area near letter C may be pressed to select and pivot to Playlist C shown in graphical display 220, or a screen area near letter F may be pressed to select and pivot to
• the pivot commands are accomplished by pressing a pivot button.
• a pivot button located near or within the display 210 (e.g., a physical push button near the graphical display 210 or graphical display button shown in the display 210) .
• the button is pressed for the first time, "pivot" to
• Playlist C shown in graphical display 220 is performed.
• "pivot" to Playlist F shown in graphical display 230 is performed.
• the pressing of the pivot button moves or pivots the playlist clockwise on a display.
• the pivot commands are accomplished in an integrated manner. For example, in conjunction with pressing and holding down of the pivot button, a wheel or trackball is scrolled or dragged to move a cursor on the screen to choose a playlist.
• the pivot commands can be accomplished by voice commands, hardware-implemented instructions, software-implemented instructions, or other similar implementations.
• the user issues a voice command such as "pivot" to select a next playlist.
• the user issues a voice command such as
• a playlist may be described as Playlist A but may actually refer to "All Time Favorites of Elvis Costello.”
• a song may be described as song 5 but may actually refer to Elvis Costello' s song “Alison.”
• graphical displays different from those shown in FIG. 2 are used. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a current playlist being played and all other playlists intersecting that playlist at the current song may be shown as rows of lines on a graphical display. Each playlist line would have a current song and a next song specified. When a pivot command is received, the next playlist on the rows of lines is brought up to the top and the remainder of the lines is now filled with all other playlists intersecting the selected playlist at the next song on that selected playlist.
• FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 illustrating a process for managing playlists in accordance with one implementation of the present invention.
• the current playlist and playlists that
• the current playlist can be Playlist A and the playlists that intersect it at the current media item (e.g., song 3) can be Playlist C and Playlist F.
• the current media item e.g., song 3 of the current playlist (e.g., Playlist A) is displayed, at box 420.
• next media items (song 4 for Playlist A, song 12 for Playlist C, and song 14 for Playlist F) for the playlists can also be displayed.
• an inquiry is made to determine if a pivot command has been received.
• pivoted playlist refers to a playlist that is selected by the user's request for "pivot". For example, in relation to FIG. 2, a move is made to the next media item (e.g., song 12) of the pivoted playlist (e.g., Playlist C) when the current media item (song 3) ends.
• next media item e.g., song 12
• the pivoted playlist e.g., Playlist C
• the pivoted playlist and playlists that intersect it at the next media item of the pivoted playlist is displayed.
• the pivoted playlist e.g., Playlist C
• playlists e.g., Playlist J
• the pivot command at box 430 was for "pivot to Playlist F"
• the pivot command at box 430 was for "pivot to Playlist F"
• another pivoted playlist e.g., Playlist F
• playlists e.g., Playlist D
• next media item e.g., song 14
• the pivoted playlist e.g., Playlist F
• the terms are reset at box 460 so that the terms will be consistent in the next iteration. For example, the next media item will become the current media item, while the pivoted playlist will become the current playlist.
• a move is made to the next media item of the current playlist when the current media item ends, at box 470.
• a move is made to the next media item (e.g., song 4) of the current playlist (e.g.,
• Playlist A when the current media item (song 3) ends.
• the current playlist and playlists that intersect it at the next media item of the current playlist is displayed.
• the current playlist e.g., Playlist A
• playlists e.g., Playlist D
• the terms are reset at box 490 so that the terms will be consistent in the next iteration.
• the next media item will become the current media item.
• a "pivot" to a playlist of media items can be made by a user to trigger presentation of recommended media items by a content provider/
• a "pivot" to a recommended list of "soft rock” songs may trigger a request to a content
• the user can then select songs from the list of song snippets to buy only the songs that the user wants to buy.
• a playlist of songs including the selected song(s) can be formed to intersect the playlist from which a "pivot" was made.
• a playlist of songs "Lying Eyes", x, y, and z would form a new playlist (e.g., "soft rock") that intersects Playlist of songs by The Eagles at song “Lying Eyes.”
• each media item would include pivot metadata such as a theme, style, or category so that, in the example above, songs in a "soft rock” category can be recommended by a content provider/distributor.
• pivot metadata can include other information with which to recommend media items .
• the pivot metadata can include singer's name, year the song was released, tempo (e.g., slow or fast),
• a playiist can be configured to include any items of media such as images, movies, multimedia presentations, electronic news articles, podcast files, streamed webcasts, and the like.
• the invention is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principal and novel features disclosed herein.
• the computing device includes one or more processors, one or more data-storage components (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory modules and persistent optical and magnetic storage devices, such as hard and floppy disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and magnetic tape drives), one or more input devices (e.g., game controllers, mice and keyboards), and one or more output devices (e.g., display devices and audio devices) .
• processors e.g., central processing unit (CPU), atile memory modules
• data-storage components e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory modules and persistent optical and magnetic storage devices, such as hard and floppy disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and magnetic tape drives
• input devices e.g., game controllers, mice and keyboards
• output devices e.g., display devices and audio devices
• the computer programs include executable code that is usually stored in a persistent storage medium and then copied into memory at run-time. At least one processor executes the code by retrieving program instructions from memory in a prescribed order. When executing the program code, the computer receives data from the input and/or storage devices, performs operations on the data, and then delivers the resulting data to the output and/or storage devices.
• a software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium including a network storage medium.
• An example storage medium can be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor.
• the processor and the storage medium can also reside in an ASIC.

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• 2010
  • 2010-09-10 US US12/879,982 patent/US8826134B2/en active Active
• 2011
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