Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – Application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-19
2001-02-20
{haeck over (S)}mits, T{overscore (a)}livaldis I. (Department: 2741)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
Application
C704S275000, C455S001000, C455S418000, C455S185100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192340
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Systems for, and methods of, integrating a playing of music that is responsive to a user's music preferences applied to the user's audio library with a playing of real-time information that is responsive to the user's information preferences.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of radio markets offer listeners a substantial variety of musical and/or informational radio broadcast formats. Real-time broadcasts offer the advantages of companionship, currency, and exposure to music not previously listened to by a particular listener. However, a broadcast, by definition, cannot intend to play a particular listener's favorite selection of songs or precisely the information that is of interest to that listener.
Clearly, systems that permit a user to play only the favorite songs from a library of music offer advantages of customized selection that cannot be duplicated by a broadcast format. Limiting the playing to songs from a personal library, also avoids having to listen to commercials, or to unsuitable or undesirable content. However, such systems do not provide, for example, news information, or the sense of currency and companionship that a real-time broadcast offers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS
The term “audio” refers to any audible content, tone, or sound regardless of the source or technology implemented. Audio includes, for example, music, songs, tunes, tracks, titles, voice, speech, content similar to or analogous to content that may be provided by a broadcast radio station, and sounds including the unheard sound of a tree falling in the forest. Audio also comprises information that is associated with, may be associated with, or may serve to produce, an audible content. Audio may be part of, be extracted from, and/or be generated from, text, data, information, or video, e.g., a track from a DVD-Video. Audio may be part of, be extracted from, and/or be generated from video including, for example, still characters, graphics, images, motion pictures, films, interactive electronic games, and multimedia productions; music videos, full motion pictures, and television programming; and news, sports, cultural, entertainment, commercial, advertisements, instructional, and educational programming.
Audio may originate as, and/or be provided as, an analog or digital format, compressed or uncompressed, by a human voice or synthesized, naturally occurring, instrumental, or humanly, created, edited, or otherwise produced, and/or any combination thereof. The audio may be provided by a local source, e.g., storage, media, memory, device, CD, DVD-Audio, magnetic disk; by a remote source, e.g., radio broadcast, FM station, or “transmission”; and/or any combination thereof. A transmission may be provided by a private or public, broadcast or pointcast, wired or non-wired means and/or capability; and may utilize one or a hybrid combination of, for example, fiber optic cable, coaxial cable, twisted copper wire, cellular, radio, and/or satellite based technologies, systems, and infrastructures. In the broadest sense, a transmission also comprises the utilization of, for example, the U.S. Postal Service to deliver a CD.
The term “user” as used herein is meant to include and be interchangeable with the term “player” (when referring to a person), and is to be understood in the general sense of a person that may be utilizing, playing, and/or listening to audio.
The term “music preferences” refers, principally, although not exclusively, to a preference or preferences for audio which is musical in character, such as songs which may be played from a CD or listened to from an FM radio broadcast.
The term “information preferences” refers, principally, although not exclusively, to a preference or preferences for audio which is informational in character, such as the audio that is produced by an AM radio broadcast between the playing of songs, including, for example, information relating to the song being played, and/or news, weather, and traffic reports, jokes, quotes, inspirational or motivational messages, advertisements, and programming of a non-musical nature.
The term “schedule preferences” refers to a time based preference or preferences, such as when certain audio, music, and/or information is to be played.
The term “technical preferences” refers to a preference or preferences for, for example, the relative volume and playback speed of the different categories of information, and the voice to be utilized in the synthesizing of information.
The term “radio-on-demand” refers to audio played for a user and that is responsive to at least the user's music and information preferences. Radio-on-demand enables, for example, a user to enjoy the playing of songs selected from a CD album synergistically interleaved with a playing of synthesized real-time stock quotes for the user's stock portfolio. Radio-on-demand is not specific to any particular local and/or remote sources of audio.
The term “audio library” refers to a plurality of audio items. An audio library may contain the data, information, or content required to make audible the audio item (“physical audio item”) and/or a link, pointer, address, or location to the data, information, or content required to make audible the audio item (“virtual audio item”). An audio library can comprise a plurality of audio items from a single source or from a plurality of local and remote sources. An audio library of a user can comprise, consist of, and/or be obtained from, for example,: i) selected audio items from a single optical memory, device, and/or disc such as a DVD; ii) selected audio items from a collection of CDs and DVDs; iii) audio items obtained, from a variety of local and remote sources and stored in, for example, the hard disk of a PC; iv) URLs of specific audio items retrievable from one or a plurality of web sites; and/or v) audio items downloaded from, captured, or otherwise obtained from, a broadcasted signal such as a transmission from an FM station or satellite.
Where not clearly and unambiguously inconsistent with the specific context, the above terms as defined above and as they may be more broadly defined below are to be given the broadest possible interpretation and not be limited in scope by any example. While a particular feature may be detailed with respect to a specified example or application, it is intended that the teachings herein be applied broadly and harmoniously across the many possible uses.
Accordingly, it is an object to communicate a user's information preferences to an information provider; receive, from the information provider, informational items that are responsive to the user's information preferences; interleave and sequence, for the user, a playing of the received informational items with a playing of a plurality of musical items included in an audio library of the user; and play, for the user and responsive to the interleaving and sequencing, the received informational items within a playing of the plurality of musical items.
It is also an object to integrate informational items obtained from a radio broadcast with a playing of musical items obtained from a user's audio library.
It is also an object to incorporate a playing of audios obtained from a source other than the user's audio library, that are responsive to the user's music preferences, and that may be added, by the user, to the user's audio library.
It is also an object that an addition of an audio to a user's audio library be at no expense to the user, for a fee, or for such other consideration as may be required by a provider. Such consideration including, for example, the verified apparent listening or actual rejection of a targeted advertisement.
It is also an object to suspend a playing of information that would otherwise be responsive to a user's information preferences.
It is also an object that the radio-on-demand be immediately responsive to a user activating a play control corresponding to a specific information preference.
I
Nolan Daniel A.
{haeck over (S)}mits T{overscore (a)}livaldis I.
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