U.S. patent application number 10/394304 was filed with the patent office on 2003-08-28 for virtual jukebox.
Invention is credited to Van Der Meulen, Pieter.
Application Number | 20030163486 10/394304 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27376073 |
Filed Date | 2003-08-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030163486 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Van Der Meulen, Pieter |
August 28, 2003 |
Virtual jukebox
Abstract
A collection management system, or virtual jukebox, is provided
for a collection of recordings that is independent of the physical
media upon which the material is recorded. The system forms a part
of a network that includes storage media and playback devices, and
provides an easy to use system for collection cataloging,
archiving, and retrieval. In a preferred embodiment, a collection
management system resides on a consumer electronic (CE) device, or
a personal or home computer (PC), and the collection includes
recordings that are stored on one or more hard drives associated
with the CE device or the PC. The collection management system
includes a user interface that facilitates the retrieval of
recordings for playback from one or more storage devices, based on
an individual selection of genre, author, and so on. By storing the
recordings on a hard disc drive or other mass storage device with
an associated disk operating system, immediate access is available
to each recording on the drive, and additional drives can be added
to the system as new material is added to the collection.
Inventors: |
Van Der Meulen, Pieter;
(Sunnyvale, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & STANDARDS
1000 WEST MAUDE AVENUE
SUNNYVALE
CA
94085-2810
US
|
Family ID: |
27376073 |
Appl. No.: |
10/394304 |
Filed: |
March 20, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10394304 |
Mar 20, 2003 |
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09326506 |
Jun 4, 1999 |
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6563769 |
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60088912 |
Jun 11, 1998 |
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60093656 |
Jul 22, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 ;
707/999.107; G9B/27.001; G9B/27.019; G9B/27.021; G9B/27.051 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 707/99948 20130101;
G11B 2220/90 20130101; G11B 2220/2545 20130101; G11B 2220/2587
20130101; H04L 12/2805 20130101; G06Q 30/06 20130101; G11B 27/105
20130101; H04L 2012/2849 20130101; G11B 2220/415 20130101; G11B
2220/2562 20130101; G11B 27/11 20130101; G11B 27/34 20130101; G11B
2220/218 20130101; H04L 12/2812 20130101; G11B 27/002 20130101;
G11B 2220/93 20130101; G11B 27/36 20130101; G11B 2220/41 20130101;
Y10S 707/99945 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/104.1 |
International
Class: |
G06F 007/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A content processing device comprising: a receiver that receives
content data from a content source, a processor, operably coupled
to the receiver, that processes the content data and produces
therefrom archive content, a storage device, operably coupled to
the processor, that accumulates the respective archive content at a
respective location, a cataloger, operably coupled to the receiver
and the storage device, that associates the location corresponding
to the archive content to an identifier of the content data, and a
retriever, operably coupled to the storage device, that facilitates
a selection of at least one of the archive content and the content
data, based on information associated with the identifier of the
content data.
2. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the content
data comprises audio information.
3. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the retriever
includes means for transforming the archive content into a form
suitable for rendering by a rendering device.
4. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the content
source is a recording medium, and the receiver includes a playback
device that receives the content data by accessing information that
is stored on the recording medium.
5. The content processing device of claim 4, wherein the playback
device also renders the content data in an audible form while the
processor is processing the content data to form the archive
content.
6. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the content
source is at least one of: a playback device, a storage device, and
an Internet site.
7. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the archive
content comprises at least one of a Philips DCC compression and an
MPEG compression.
8. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the storage
device is also configured to store the content data, for subsequent
processing by the processor to produce the archive content.
9. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the cataloger
associates one or more information items to the identifier, and the
retriever facilitates the selection based also on the one or more
information items.
10. The content processing device of claim 1, wherein the retriever
includes a graphic user interface that facilitates the
selection.
11. A collection management system comprising: a cataloger that
associates a locator and at least one information item to each
recording of a collection of recordings, a user interface that
facilitates a user selection of a selected recording from the
collection of recordings, based on the at least one information
item associated with the selected recording, a retriever that
determines the locator associated with the selected recording, and
accesses recorded content at a storage device, based on the
locator.
12. The collection management system of claim 11, wherein the user
interface is a graphic user interface, and the at least one
information item is rendered to the user in a graphic form that
facilitates the user selection.
13. The collection management system of claim 12, wherein the
graphic user interface is programmable.
14. The collection management system of claim 12, wherein upon
selection of the selected recording, the graphic user interface
presents ancillary information related to the selected
recording.
15. The collection management system of claim 12, wherein the
graphic user interface includes an image corresponding to each
recording of the collection of recordings, and the selection of the
selected file is facilitated by a rendering of the image
corresponding to the selected recording by the graphic user
interface.
16. The collection management system of claim 11, wherein the at
least one information item is provided by an Internet site.
17. The collection management system of claim 11, further
including: a processor that processes at least one recording of the
collection of recordings to produce an archive content to
facilitate a storage of the archive content, and wherein the
retriever processes the archive content corresponding to the at
least one recording to produce therefrom a corresponding content
that is suitable for rendering by a rendering device.
18. The collection management system of claim 17, further including
an archive device that stores the archive content, and wherein the
retriever receives the archive content corresponding to the
selected recording from the archive device.
19. The collection management system of claim 18, wherein the
archive device is at least one of a disk drive device, a DVD
recorder, a CD recorder, and a semiconductor memory device.
20. A method of archiving content data, comprising receiving the
content and a content identifier, rendering the content data in at
least one of an audio form and a visual form. processing the
content data to produce archive content, accumulating the archive
content at a respective storage location in an archive storage
device, and cataloging the content data by associating the storage
location to the content identifier.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising: determining whether
the content data has been previously catalogued, based on the
content identifier, and cataloging the content data only if the
content data has not been previously catalogued.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/088,912, filed Jun. 11, 1998, Attorney Docket
PHA 23,417P, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/093,656, filed
Jul. 22, 1998, Attorney Docket PHA 23,474P.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to the field of consumer electronics,
and in particular to recording and playback systems.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Most consumers have collections of recordings in one form or
another. Records, tapes, CDs, DVDs, and the like are the
conventional media for these recordings, each having a
corresponding means for playing back the recorded information on
demand. Conventionally, racks and similar devices are used to
contain these recordings. Various methods are used by consumers to
order the arrangement of the recordings within their storage racks:
alphabetic by author, alphabetic by title, grouped by genre,
color-coded tagging, and so on. A selection of a particular
recording requires locating the appropriate disk or tape on the
rack and placing it in the playback device. After playback, the
recording is placed back on the rack, in it's appropriate order.
The physical handling and ordering task can be particularly
problematic in a multi-user environment, such as a home.
[0006] With advancing technology, some playback devices are
configured to allow for the storage of hundreds of disks, akin to a
prior-art "jukebox" that allows for the selection of individual
songs without physically handling the recorded media. These devices
often include automated playback selection by genre or other
categorization, random playback, and so on. Although these devices
ease the media handling task, and facilitate an improved method of
categorization and organization, they have a fixed physical limit,
When a user's collection exceeds the capacity of the
storage-playback device, the user must either replace the existing
device with a larger capacity device, if available, or select a
portion of the collection for storage and organization in the
storage-playback device. Purchasing a second, or third
storage-playback device is not a currently practical option,
because the organization and playback control capabilities of
current devices are isolated from each other.
[0007] Many consumers have more than one playback device for a
given medium. In a multi-playback environment, a user must
typically physically divide the collection, allocating select
recordings to each playback locale. For example, a user may have a
few CDs in an automobile, a few CDs in an office, and the remainder
of the collection in a family room. Alternatively, copies of the
recordings are made, and distributed to each locale, but the
recording task is typically somewhat cumbersome, requiring the
finding and loading of a blank medium, creation of a label, and
soon.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of this invention to provide a device and
method for creating a collection of recordings that can be readily
accessed. It is another object of this invention to provide a
device and method for creating a collection of recordings that is
easy to create and categorize. It is another object of this
invention to provide a device and method for creating a collection
of recordings that is easy to expand and modify. It is another
object of this invention to reduce the storage requirements for a
collection of recordings. It is a further object of this invention
to provide a device and method for accessing databases of
information relating to items contained in a collection of
recordings. It is a further object of this invention to provide a
means of protecting a collection of recordings from loss. It is a
further object of this invention to provide a visual interface to
access a collection of recordings. It is a further object of this
invention to provide a hierarchical visual interface to access a
collection of recordings.
[0009] These objects and others are achieved by providing a
collection management system, or virtual jukebox, for a collection
of recordings that is independent of the physical media upon which
the material is recorded. The system forms a part of a network that
includes storage media and playback devices, and provides an easy
to use system for collection cataloging, archiving, and retrieval.
In a preferred embodiment, a collection management system resides
on a consumer electronic (CE) device, or a personal or home
computer (PC), and the collection includes recordings that are
stored on one or more hard drives associated with the CE device or
the PC. The collection management system includes a user interface
that facilitates the retrieval of recordings for playback from one
or more storage devices, based on an individual selection of genre,
author, and so on. By storing the recordings on a hard disc drive
or other mass storage device with an associated disk operating
system, immediate access is available to each recording on the
drive, and additional drives can be- added to the system as new
material is added to the collection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The invention is explained in further detail, and by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a network
comprising a collection management system in accordance with this
invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a collection
management system in accordance with this invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of a catalog
database for a collection management system in accordance with this
invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates an example block diagram of a collection
management system in accordance with this invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates an example flow diagram of a collection
management process in accordance with this invention.
[0016] FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate example user interfaces in accordance
with this invention.
[0017] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate alternative example user interfaces
in accordance with this invention.
[0018] Throughout the drawings, same reference numerals indicate
similar or corresponding features or functions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a network 100
comprising a collection management system in accordance with this
invention. The collection resides on one or more storage devices
that contain recordings of material, such as music or video
recordings. The storage devices may include an archive set of files
on one or more hard disk drives 110, one or more combination
storage and playback devices 120, or some other storage devices
(not shown) that are connected to the network 100, such as to
provide access to files on a server, an Internet site, and so on.
Note that in a networked environment, the collection may comprise
content material that the user merely has access to, such as
recordings or performances provided by a service provider based on
a license or purchase agreement with the user. Note also that the
term "playback" is used herein in the general sense of providing an
output signal corresponding to a recorded content, a transmitted
content, or an other source of content material.
[0020] The collection management system comprises the collection
manager 150 that contains a user interface that provides a
controlled access to the one or more storage devices 110, 120. That
is, the collection management system forms a "virtual jukebox" that
allows for a selection from among a plurality of recordings in the
collection contained within the associated storage devices 110,
120. Also illustrated on the network are playback devices 130, such
as a CD or DVD player, a tape player, a record player, and the
like, and an audio/video system 180 that allows for the
presentation of the material that is played from the storage and
playback devices 110, 120, 130.
[0021] In a preferred embodiment, a combination of components 110,
120, 130, 150, 180 is embodied as an integrated system, thereby
allowing for use in a dedicated system, a distributed system, or a
combination of both. FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of an
integrated system 200 that includes both storage and playback
capabilities. As is discussed further herein, the collection
management system includes facilities to automate the playback of
selected recordings, for example, via a random play of selections
of the same selected genre. To facilitate a playback of a selection
without the typical delays associated with the selection of a
recording via mechanical means, a preferred embodiment includes an
archiving of recordings onto a medium having a relatively fast
selection and access time, such as a "hard drive" disk memory
device with an addressable file access means. Alternative random
access file devices, such as recordable DVDs and mass storage
semiconductor memory, may also be used. Existing technology such as
MPEG or Philips' DCC audio compression, can be applied to compress
each recording for efficient archiving. For example, using Philips'
DCC audio compression, a conventional 40 minute/350 MB audio CD can
be compressed into about 33 MB of data. Therefore, a conventional
10 GB hard disk drive could contain approximately 300 audio CDs, or
more than 3000 songs. Although the size of video data files, such
as an MPEG encoding of a full length movie, does not currently
allow for an economically viable mass storage on a hard drive disk
memory, this aspect of the invention can be applied to video data
files as larger capacity disk drives become available.
[0022] A preferred embodiment of the integrated system 200 includes
at least one playback device 130, at least one hard disc drive 10,
and interconnection means 220 for accessing other items, or
appliances, on a network. See, for example, the HAVi architecture
and the Home API initiative, for home-networks, both involving
substantial contributions from Philips Electronics, the Jini
technology of Sun Microsystems, Inc., etc. In a simple embodiment,
the interconnection means 220 may merely connect to an amplifier, a
television, a set of speakers, and so on, for rendering the
recorded information. For use as a stand-alone system, the
integrated system 200 may optionally include an integral amplifier
and speaker system (not shown).
[0023] The integrated system 200 also includes an LCD touch display
device 250 for interacting with the collection manager 150 (not
shown) within the system 200. The display device 250 may also be
used as an auxiliary rendering device, or A/V system 180, for
viewing video recordings in the collection. For ease of reference,
the integrated system 200 is used hereinafter as the paradigm for a
collection management system in accordance with this invention,
although as previously noted, the components of the system 200
could be distributed throughout a network, located in a computing
device, and so on.
[0024] Of note are the multiple bays 210 of FIG. 2. Using
conventional disk operating system techniques, the collection
manager 150 stores recordings at directly addressable storage
locations on a hard disk drive 10. In a preferred embodiment, the
system 200 is provided with one hard drive 110, the remaining bays
210 being empty.. As discussed above, a conventional 10 GB hard
disk has the capacity to hold more than 300 audio CDs, or well over
3000 songs. If the collection becomes larger than 300 CDs,
additional hard drives can be added at each bay location 201. Thus,
by using a conventional disc operating system, the collection
system of this invention is limited only by the number of files
that can be indexed by the collection system. By using conventional
dynamic tables, linked lists, and the like for such indexing, it
would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the
maximum size of the collection is virtually unlimited.
[0025] Illustrated in FIG. 3 is an example catalog 300 that
contains an identification 301 of each recording in the collection,
and a locator 302 associated with each recording that identifies
where the recording is located. In a preferred embodiment, the
locator 302 is not limited to a single physical device, or a single
set of storage devices 110, 120. The identification 301 may be, for
example, the name of the recorded song, movie, show, etc., and the
locator 302 may be an identification of the particular disk array
120, the disk number within that array 120, and the track within
the disk identified by that disk number.
[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the catalog 300 also includes key
fields 305 that may contain, for example, the title of the
recording, the author, the performer, the genre, and so on, and the
identification 301 is an index number, to which these key fields
305 can be referenced. That is, for example, using conventional
data base search techniques, one could determine the identification
number 301 of each of the recordings having a specified genre, and
provide a list of the titles and performers associated with each
determined identification number. In a preferred embodiment, the
catalog 300 also includes ancillary information 309 associated with
each recording identifier 301. This ancillary information 309
includes, for example, a reference to other material, such as a
news item related to the recording, a reference to another
recording in another collection, a hyperlink address, a file
containing the script or lyrics associated with the recording, and
so on. The ancillary information 309 need not be limited to
information that is contained within the collection itself For
example, an indexed recording of an Elvis song may contain a
hyperlink to another collection that contains a movie in which
Elvis sang that song. Other information, such as recording time,
media type, etc., may also be associated with each recording
identifier 301.
[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 4, entries are made into the catalog
300 by a cataloger 350, and retrieval from the catalog 300 is
effected by a search engine 360 and retriever 370. The cataloger
350 and retriever 370 form the basic collection manager 150 of FIG.
1. The cataloger 350 and retriever 370 are preferably embodied as a
software program that is executable on a computing device (not
shown). A user interface, discussed further herein, provides for
user control of the cataloging and retrieval process. A preferred
embodiment of this invention allows for the building of an archive
of recordings from a content source 310. The archive in a preferred
embodiment is an accumulation of copies of content material from
one or more content sources 310 that allows for a playback of the
content material from the archive storage device in lieu of the
original content source 310. The content source may be, for
example, a conventional playback device 130, such as a CD and DVD
player, a cassette tape player, record player, VCR player,
laser-disc player, and so on. In the integrated system 200 of FIG.
2, the content source is the integral CD/DVD device 130, or via an
external connection 220. A receiver 320 receives material 311 from
the content source 310, the content of the material being dependent
upon the capabilities of the content source 310. If the content
source, for example, is a legacy record player, the material 311 is
limited to the recorded audio information. In this case, the
receiver obtains an identification of the material 311 from an
information source 340, such as an identification input from the
user. This input may be a conventional text entry, or a spoken
entry that is either converted to a text entry, or stored directly
as a spoken identifier. If the content source is a CD or DVD, the
material 311 includes the unique identifier that is associated with
commercial CDs and DVDs. In this case, the receiver provides the
identification to the information source 340 to facilitate the
determination of other information 341 related to the material 311.
For example, the identification can be used to access an Internet
site to obtain detailed information regarding each commercial CD,
such as the title, performer, etc. of each selection on the CD.
Alternatively a user can enter such information, or provide
direction to other sources of information regarding this material
311.
[0028] The processing of the material 311 and information 341 is
best understood with reference to FIG. 5, which illustrates an
example flow diagram of a cataloging and archiving process in
accordance with this invention. Cataloging includes the storage of
the identification 321 and information 341 regarding the content
322 of the recording, and archiving includes the storage of the
content 322 itself. At 410, the process discussed above is
initiated to determine the identification 321 of the material 311
and related information 341. The identification 321 is compared
with the information contained within the catalog 300, at 420.
Other means of determining whether the playback information is
already within the catalog would be evident to one of ordinary
skill in the art. For example, a segment of the playback material
can be compared to a corresponding segment in the catalogued
material, using for example, a digital signature that is derived
from each segment. Incorporated by reference herein is copending
U.S. patent application "BIBLIOGRAPHIC MUSIC DATA BASE WITH
NORMALIZED MUSICAL THEMES", U.S. Ser. No. 08/840,356, filed Apr.
28, 1997 for Mark Hoffberg, Attorney docket PHA 23,241, now allowed
for issuance as a US patent. This referenced application relates to
an information processing system that has a music data base. The
music data base stores homophonic reference sequences of music
notes. The reference sequences are normalized and stored
lexicographically to facilitate a search based on a string of input
music notes. Other catalog search techniques will be- evident to
one of ordinary skill in the art in view of this disclosure. If the
material has already been archived and cataloged, at 430, the
process is bypassed, and the system continues uninterrupted, at
490.
[0029] At 435, default flags are used to identify whether
cataloging or archiving should occur. In a preferred embodiment, a
variety of options are available, and the system can be configured
to select a predetermined set of options upon initialization. The
predetermined options remain in effect unless overridden by a user
input, at 440 and 445. In accordance with one aspect of this
invention, the archive options include:
[0030] Archive while playing back (auto-archive);
[0031] Archive without playing back (fast-archive); and,
[0032] Store for subsequent archive processing
(background-archive).
[0033] If any of the archive options are set, at 450, the content
322 of the recorded material 311 is processed for storage by the
processor 330 of FIG. 3, at 454. In a preferred embodiment, the
processing includes an encoding of the information in a compacted,
or compressed, form, such as an encoding into MPEG or DCC.
[0034] In the auto-archive mode, the processing occurs while the
material is being received. This option, however, requires that the
processing be accomplished at least as quickly as the material
arrives for rendering. That is, for example, if the material is a
video stream having a 30 frame per second arrival rate, the
collection building system must be able to process the received
information at an aggregate rate of 30 frames per second, and must
contain sufficient buffering to cope with potential bursts of data
as the information content of frames vary. In the strict
auto-archive mode, the processing of the material is bound by the
presentation speed; that is, in the above example, the processing
of the material can not exceed an aggregate rate of 30 frames per
second, because 30 frames per second is the speed at which the
information is arriving.
[0035] The fast-archive mode is used whenever the material need not
be presented to the user while it is being processed. In this mode,
the speed of processing is limited only by the time required to
effect the processing. The speed of processing may be less than or
greater than the nominal presentation speed. Using the above
example, if the processing is performed efficiently by a high speed
processor, and if the playback device provides the material as
quickly as the processing can be effected, the archive rate may be
substantially greater than 30 frames per second. Conversely, if the
processing is slow, the archive rate may be substantially less than
30 frames per second.
[0036] The background-archive mode is used to rapidly store the
material being received, while deferring the processing until a
later time, when the system is less busy. This mode can be used to
rapidly load the material into the system, a process that typically
requires human interaction, and then leave the system unattended.
This mode can also be used to rapidly load the material into the
system and then replay it at presentation speed, while the
processing occurs at its own pace.
[0037] A mix of these archive modes is also supported. For example,
the material can be continually buffered into storage, and then
presented from storage and processed from storage simultaneously.
Assuming that the average processing rate is at least as fast as
the presentation rate, the processing for archiving can occur at
its own pace, either faster or slower than the presentation rate,
until the difference in rate causes the buffer to approach its
limit of capacity, at which time the processing is slowed down.
[0038] The processing for archiving, at 454, in a preferred
embodiment includes a compression of the material, using for
example, an MPEG encoding, a DCC encoding, and the like. As would
be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art, if the content 322
is in the appropriate form, no further processing is required, and
for example, a direct disk-to-disk transfer can be effected. U.S.
patent Application "SELECTIVE BY-PASS OF ANALOG MODE IN
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DIGITAL DEVICES", U.S. Ser. No. 08/994,887,
filed Dec. 19, 1997 for Paul Chambers, Attorney docket PHA 23,324,
presents a method for fast data transfer by avoiding the decoding
and subsequent encoding associated with the transfer of content
material via analog communication paths, and is incorporated by
reference herein.
[0039] At 458, the processed material is stored to an archive
device 110, typically a hard drive. Note that by archiving a
recording, the archive copy also provides a safeguard in the event
of a loss of the original medium providing the content 322. If a
recording is archived, it is automatically catalogued by the
cataloger 350, at 464-468. If a recording is not archived, at 450,
it may or may not, at 460, be catalogued. This option is provided
for a recording that is intended to remain at its current location
at the content source 310, yet managed by the collection management
system in accordance with this system. This option includes the
cataloging, for example, of a CD recording in a multiple CD
storage/playback device 120, the cataloging of a recording that is
located at an Internet site, and so on..
[0040] If the material 311 is to be catalogued, via 458 or 460, any
additional information 341 that is to be associated with the
recorded material is determined, at 464. As noted above, this
material could be provided via input from the user, via input from
an associated database, via input from an Internet site, and so on.
The identifier 301 of each selection, its locator 302, and any
ancillary material 305, 309 is stored in the archive catalog 300,
at 468.. The identifier 301 is derived from the identification
information 321, and may be a copy of the information 321 or a
translation of the information 321 into a form that is specific to
the catalog 300. The locator 302 is an identifier to a location
within the collection 390 where the content 322 of the material 310
can be found. If, for example, the content 322 has been archived to
a file on the archive device 391, its locator 302 is the name of
the archive storage device 391 followed by the name of the file. If
the content source 310 forms a part of the collection 390, for
example a multi-disk CD storage and player device 120, the locator
302 is the name of the player 120 followed by a disk number and
track number or selection number. As noted above, the physical size
of each storage device 110, 120 does not, per se, limit the size of
a collection 390. If additional storage is required, another
storage device 110, 120 need only be added to the collection 390.
Because the catalog 300 contains a locator 302 that provides an
identifier of where the recording is located, the actual location
of the recording, and therefore the size of the collection 390, is
only limited by the constraints and capabilities of the catalog
300, and not the physical bounds among storage devices 110,
120.
[0041] The retriever 370 uses the catalog 300 to retrieve
recordings from the collection 390. In a straightforward
embodiment, the retriever 370 presents a list of the key fields 305
of the catalog data to a user. The user selects an entry from the
list, and the retriever determines the locator 302 that is
associated with that selected entry. Illustrated in FIG. 4 is a
rendering device 380. The rendering device 380 is the device with
which the recording is presented to the user. This rendering device
380 may be an independent component, or integrated within a content
source 310, a receiver 320, or other component within the system.
For example, if the recording is an audio recording, the rendering
device 380 may be an amplifier and speaker system; if the recording
is a video recording, the rendering device 380 may be a television,
a computer display, and so on. The rendering device 380 is used to
render the original content 322 during the "archive while playing
back" option discussed above, to render retrieved recorded content
395 from the collection 390, and so on. In most applications, the
collection 390 has one associated default rendering device 380,
such as the A/V system 180 of FIG. 1. If multiple rendering devices
380 are supported, the catalog 300 will contain an identification
of the class or classes of rendering device 380 suitable for each
recording in the catalog. Based on the locator 302 associated with
the selected recording, the retriever 370 provides the appropriate
control information 371 to the rendering device 380 to effect the
rendering of the selected recording in the collection 390. If, for
example, the locator 302 indicates that the selected recording is
located on a disk store/playback device 120 at a particular disk
and track location, the retriever 370 instructs, via control 371,
the rendering device 380 to take its input from the disk
store/playback device 120, and instructs, via control 372, the disk
store/playback device 120 to play the identified disk, starting at
the specified location. If, in another example, the locator 302
indicates that the selected recording is stored in the archive 391,
the retriever 370 receives the archive content 331 from the archive
391 and provides it to the rendering device 380 in a suitable form.
If, for example, the archive content 331 is in an MPEG format, and
the rendering device 380 is MPEG-compatible, the retriever 370
provides the content 331 directly to the rendering device 380 as
the recorded content 395. If, on the other hand, the rendering
device 380 is not MPEG-compatible, and only accepts NTSC format
signals, the retriever 370 performs the appropriate translation, or
accesses another processor (not shown) to effect this translation,
to provide the required NTSC format signals as input to the
rendering device 380, as indicated by the dashed lines within the
path of the recorded content 395.
[0042] The retriever 370 in a preferred embodiment also allows for
access to the catalog 300 via a search engine 360. The search
engine 360 includes capabilities for searching the catalog 300
based on the aforementioned key fields, and includes
context-sensitive search techniques, searches based on user
preferences and prior user behavior, and so on. The retriever 370
provides a query or sequence of queries to the search engine 360,
and the search engine 360 provides catalog data in response to each
query. The retriever 370 formulates the query based on a user
input, which can be in a variety of forms, including a keyboard
entry, a touchscreen entry, a spoken entry, and so on. For example,
the integrated system 200 of FIG. 2 may be located in an
automobile, and a vocal entry of "Play classics" effects the
selection of all the recordings on the hard drive 110 having a
genre of "classic". Depending upon the user's preference, the
recordings will be played in sequential or random order, starting
from the last classic recording that was rendered for this user.
These and other techniques for providing selections based on a
user's expressed or implied preferences will be evident to one of
ordinary skill in the art in view of this invention.
[0043] The presentation of the information of the catalog 300 in a
preferred embodiment of this invention is not limited to a text
display. FIG. 6A illustrates a presentation of the catalog 300 in a
graphic form that is representative of the conventional storage of
disks on a rack, as might be presented by the retriever 370. The
individual sets of recordings 610 are illustrated as disk cases,
organized by genre 620A, ownership 620B, or any other user
definable groupings. Because this display is a virtual
representation of a collection, the same disk case may be
illustrated in multiple groupings. For example, the category
"Joe's" 620B may be a user defined category for Joe's favorite
recordings, some of which may be country-music recordings. These
favorite country-music recordings will be represented by a disk
case on each illustrated shelf, in the "country" category 620A, and
in the "Joe's" category 620B. In accordance with this invention,
the virtual representation also allows for alternative arrangements
of selections, without requiring a physical rearrangement of media
devices. For example, a user may prefer to reorganize the
collection by performer, rather than by genre, or in addition to
genre. Techniques for sorting and organizing information from the
catalog 300 are common in the art. The results of such sorting and
organizing, in accordance with this aspect of the invention, is a
visual form that is familiar to a user, thereby providing the user
with a degree of comfort and familiarity that increases the
perceived worth of the collection management system. An alternative
presentation of the catalog 300 information that is particularly
well suited for a large collection is illustrated in FIG. 6B. In
this hierarchical presentation, the user is provided a scrollable
(left 631, right 632) high-level view 630 of a portion of the
catalog 300 information, and a scrollable (left-right 641) "zoom"
view 640 of individual selections 610. In a preferred embodiment,
the user may modify the views 630, 640 to display more or less of
the collection, with less and more detail, respectively.
[0044] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate other example selection
presentation devices 700 for the presentation of the catalog 300
information. In FIG. 7A, the catalog 300 is illustrated as a
carousel of disks 710, similar to the carousels of legacy jukebox
devices. The carousel 710 is rotated by the control arrows 711,
712, as may be implemented on the example touch screen 250 of FIG.
2. As the carousel 710 is rotated, the title of the selection, the
name of the performing artist, and other information 715 is
displayed, corresponding to each disc on the carousel. As in the
example illustrations of FIGS. 6A and 6B, the ordering of
selections on the virtual carousel 710 can be in any order that is
convenient to the user for effecting a selection. When the carousel
710 is positioned at a desired recording 715, the user touches the
play 720 button to effect the retrieval and rendering of the
desired recording. Note that the actual location of the recording
is of no relevance to this selection process. That is, whether the
selection is at one of a half dozen 100-disk CD players in the
user's home, or in a hard drive that is integral to the selection
display device 700 is irrelevant, provided that the selection
device 700 has access to the selected device. In a preferred
embodiment, the selections presented on the carousel 710 are
limited to those to which the selection device 700 has access.
[0045] FIG. 7B illustrates another example graphic user interface
(GUI) 750 for a presentation device 700. In this user interface,
the catalog information is presented using a representation of a
book 760, or folder, within which the recordings are illustrated
graphically 761 and textually 762. The user controls 711, 712, and
720 operate as in FIG. 7A. The controls 711, 712, and 720 may also
be effected by vocal commands "back", "next", and "play",
respectively. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the
presentation device 700 is configurable to support a choice of
languages for the text items of the display, and for the vocal
command processing. To enhance the ease of recognition and
selection, the graphic representation 761 is preferably a
recognizable image, such as the "jacket cover" that is associated
with individual CDs or DVDs. The jacket cover may be obtained, for
example, from an Internet set, based on the unique CD identifier,
or it may be input by scanning an image from the original CD or DVD
jacket. The text representation may be a listing of song titles,
which automatically changes to a listing of the lyrics associated
with the song that is currently selected within that song title
list. In accordance with this invention, the displayed information
may be obtained from an information source when the material is
catalogued, or from an information source at the time the material
is being considered for selection. The "displayed" information
could also include renderings of samples from the recorded
material. These and other display techniques will be evident to one
of ordinary skill in the art in light of this invention.
[0046] The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the
invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the
art will be able to devise various arrangements which, although not
explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the
invention and are thus within its spirit and scope. For example,
the user interface device 700 may have a programmable user
interface. Copending U.S. Patent Application "INTERNET-BASED
SERVICE FOR UPDATING A PROGRAMMABLE CONTROL DEVICE", U.S. Ser. No.
09/311,128, filed May 13, 1999 for Joost Kemink, Attorney docket
number PHA 23,501, incorporated by reference herein, discloses the
downloading of information to modify the user interface, based for
example on an interface schema that is developed by a third party
to enhance the usability of the controlled device. With such an
embodiment, each of the alternative example interfaces of FIGS. 6A,
6B, 7A, and 7B could be downloaded from the Internet, replacing
whatever interface had been provided initially with the
product.
[0047] In another example embodiment, the user interface to the
retriever 370 may be via a remote control device that accesses the
retriever 370 either directly via, for example, an infra-red link,
or indirectly via the network 100. Copending U.S. patent
application "REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE WITH LOCATION DEPENDENT
INTERFACE", U.S. Ser. No. 09/210,416, filed Dec. 11, 1998 for Joost
Kemink, Attorney docket number PHA 23,522, discloses the use of a
location determination device to select or modify the user
interface in dependence upon the location of a remote control
device, and is incorporated by reference herein. In like manner,
the controls included in the GUI may differ depending upon the
geographic location of the user, using, for example, different
language text in different countries. The controls and selection
criteria may also be dependent upon a time parameter, such as the
time of day, season of the year, and so on.
[0048] The particular configurations in the accompanying figures
are provided for illustration purposes. Alternative arrangements
can be defined. For example, the integrated system 200 of FIG. 2
includes an integral media player 130; a lower cost embodiment,
such as one for portable use, could include a simplified retriever
370, catalog 300, archive 391, and rendering device 380. In such an
embodiment, the portable device could be "docked" to a full
cataloging system that includes playback and storage devices 110,
120, 130, a cataloger 350, and a processor 330 for creating the
archive content 331 that can be directly transferred to the archive
391 in the portable device. These and other system configuration
and optimization features will be evident to one of ordinary skill
in the art in view of this disclosure, and are included within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *