U.S. patent application number 14/171422 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-29 for systems and methods for playing media obtained via the internet on a television.
The applicant listed for this patent is Daniel Benyamin. Invention is credited to Daniel Benyamin.
Application Number | 20140149866 14/171422 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40940019 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140149866 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Benyamin; Daniel |
May 29, 2014 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PLAYING MEDIA OBTAINED VIA THE INTERNET ON
A TELEVISION
Abstract
Systems for browsing media that is accessible via the Internet
are described. In many embodiments, the system includes a browsing
application that identifies media within pages retrieved via the
Internet by performing document analysis. The document analysis
identifies pieces of media referenced by the page and, in a number
of embodiments, also identifies pieces of media referenced by pages
linked to by the original page. The identified pieces of media can
be used to generate playlists that can then be played for a user
via a television.
Inventors: |
Benyamin; Daniel; (Los
Angeles, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Benyamin; Daniel |
Los Angeles |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
40940019 |
Appl. No.: |
14/171422 |
Filed: |
February 3, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12368145 |
Feb 9, 2009 |
8683516 |
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14171422 |
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61027127 |
Feb 8, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/719 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/47 20130101;
H04L 67/025 20130101; H04L 67/36 20130101; H04L 65/605 20130101;
H04N 21/8586 20130101; H04N 21/8543 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/719 |
International
Class: |
H04N 5/445 20060101
H04N005/445 |
Claims
1. A system for playback of media obtained via the Internet,
comprising: a server connected to a network, where the server hosts
at least one page of information including embedded media; and a
computing device connected to the network and to a display device,
where the display device is configured to receive instructions from
a remote control device; wherein a browser application configures
the computing device to retrieve a page hosted on the server;
wherein the browsing application further configures the computing
device to perform page analysis, where page analysis includes
identifying hyperlinks within the page, inspecting the hyperlinks
to identify embedded media, and adding the embedded media to a
playlist; and wherein the browsing application further configures
the computing device to generate a playback guide user interface in
which the playlist of media is displayed, and to display the
generated playback guide via the display device.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein page analysis comprises:
generating a tree graph of key markup elements present on the page;
determining areas of interest and static information and adding the
areas of interest and static information to the tree graph;
analyzing the graph tree to locate static information and areas of
interest that share a key markup element as a parent in the graph
tree; grouping the static information and the area of interest as a
program element; and adding each program element to a playlist.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein page analysis further comprises:
analyzing the tree graph to identify a key markup element that is a
parent of a number of program elements; and assigning the
identified key markup elements as a channel element and adding the
program elements to a playlist associated with the channel
element.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the browsing application further
configures the computing device to generate a playback guide user
interface displaying the playlist and the option to display the
playlist associated with the channel element.
5. The system of claim 2, wherein the media objects are inserted in
the play list in the order in which they appear in the page.
6. The system of claim 2, wherein key markup elements include "div"
elements in a CSS.
7. The system of claim 2, wherein key markup elements include
"table" elements in an HTML page.
8. The system of claim 2, wherein an area of interest includes
embedded media.
9. The system of claim 2, wherein an area of interest includes a
link to a page that contains embedded media.
10. The system of claim 2, wherein static information includes
text.
11. The system of claim 2, wherein static information includes an
image.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a
personal computer.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a set
top box.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is embedded
within the display device.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the browsing application further
configures the computing device to update the playback guide user
interface in response to navigation instructions received from the
remote control and forwarded to the computing device by the display
device.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the browsing application further
configures the computing device to playback media using a media
player in response to navigation instructions received from the
remote control and forward to the computing device by the display
device.
17. The system of claim 1, wherein the browsing application further
configures the computing device to display the entire page
retrieved from the server via the display device and configures the
computing device to display the playback guide via the display
device in response to navigation instructions received from the
remote control and forwarded to the computing device by the display
device.
18. The system of claim 1, wherein: the browser application
configures the computing device to retrieve multiple pages hosted
on at least one server; the browsing application further configures
the computing device to perform page analysis on each of the
retrieved pages, where page analysis includes identifying
hyperlinks within each page, inspecting the hyperlinks to identify
embedded media, and adding the embedded media to a playlist; and
the browsing application further configures the computing device to
generate a playback guide user interface in which the playlist of
media from the retrieved pages is displayed, and to display the
generated playback guide via the display device.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the browser application selects
the multiple pages to retrieve based upon hyperlinks in previously
retrieved pages.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/368,145, filed Feb. 9, 2009, that claims
priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
61/027,127, filed Feb. 8, 2008, the disclosures of which are
incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates generally to playing media via
a television and more specifically to playing media obtained via
the Internet on a television.
[0003] Analog and/or digital signals can be used to play media via
a television. Media information used to generate the analog and
digital signals can be obtained via any of a variety of sources.
Media can be obtained from a broadcast source such as terrestrial
broadcast television, cable television, and satellite television.
Media can also be obtained from a fixed media such as digital
versatile disks (DVDs), on demand via a local network, such as
media obtained from a home media server, via a closed network, such
as a cable or satellite network, or via the Internet.
[0004] A problem commonly encountered when attempting to display
media obtained from the Internet is that the media is difficult to
access via a typical television remote control. A number of
services offer the ability to view media, which has been syndicated
by the service, on a television. However, these services typically
do not enable a user to access media via the Internet that has not
been syndicated. Other systems circumvent the issues associated
with viewing media via the Internet by downloading the media to a
local storage device and enabling a user to access the locally
stored media files using a locally generated user interface.
[0005] Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a technology that is used
by many media distribution sites to provide media to subscribers.
An RSS subscription is a way for a user to "subscribe" to a site on
the Internet that frequently updates content. The RSS file contains
a summary of content and an RSS reader fetches RSS files from
predefined locations on a periodic basis and provides the
subscriber with information concerning "new" content. RSS feeds,
however, usually only summarize the content of a single web site
and do not give the user freedom to "browse" from page to page. For
example, a subscriber to an RSS feed can see new music videos added
to a site by a favorite band. However, the subscriber cannot view
all of the music videos on the site attributed to the band.
[0006] A CSS can be used to describe the visual layout of
information in a structured document. The separation of content
from presentation enables a CSS to define the presentation of the
content in various contexts. For example, different displays can be
used for computers and televisions. CSSs are currently supported by
a large number of websites, however, very few of these sites
utilize CSSs to format information for display on alternate display
devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Systems and methods are described for browsing sites
containing media and playing media over the Internet. In a number
of embodiments, a browsing application obtains information
concerning media embedded in a page and generates a playlist using
the media. In several embodiments, the system is capable of
generating a guide page that displays playlist information. In many
embodiments, the browsing application provides the ability to skip
between media in the playlist and to browse to other sites to
access additional media content.
[0008] One embodiment of the invention includes a server connected
to a network, where the server hosts at least one page of
information including embedded media, and a computing device
connected to the network and to a display device, where the display
device is configured to receive instructions from a remote control
device. In addition, a browser application configures the computing
device to retrieve a page hosted on the server, the browsing
application further configures the computing device to perform page
analysis, where page analysis includes identifying hyperlinks
within the page, inspecting the hyperlinks to identify embedded
media, and adding the embedded media to a playlist, and the
browsing application further configures the computing device to
generate a playback guide user interface in which the playlist of
media is displayed, and to display the generated playback guide via
the display device.
[0009] In a further embodiment, page analysis includes generating a
tree graph of key markup elements present on the page, determining
areas of interest and static information and adding the areas of
interest and static information to the tree graph, analyzing the
graph tree to locate static information and areas of interest that
share a key markup element as a parent in the graph tree, grouping
the static information and the area of interest as a program
element, adding each program element to a playlist.
[0010] In another embodiment, page analysis further includes
analyzing the tree graph to identify a key markup element that is a
parent of a number of program elements, and assigning the
identified key markup elements as a channel element and adding the
program elements to a playlist associated with the channel
element.
[0011] In a still further embodiment, the browsing application
further configures the computing device to generate a playback
guide user interface displaying the playlist and the option to
display the playlist associated with the channel element.
[0012] In still another embodiment, the media objects are inserted
in the play list in the order in which they appear in the page.
[0013] In a yet further embodiment, key markup elements include
"div" elements in a CSS.
[0014] In yet another embodiment, key markup elements include
"table" elements in an HTML page.
[0015] In a further embodiment again, an area of interest includes
embedded media.
[0016] In another embodiment again, an area of interest includes a
link to a page that contains embedded media.
[0017] In a further additional embodiment, static information
includes text.
[0018] In another additional embodiment, static information
includes an image.
[0019] In a still yet further embodiment, the computing device is a
personal computer.
[0020] In still yet another embodiment, the computing device is a
set top box.
[0021] In a still further embodiment again, the computing device is
embedded within the display device.
[0022] In still another embodiment again, the browsing application
further configures the computing device to update the playback
guide user interface in response to navigation instructions
received from the remote control and forwarded to the computing
device by the display device.
[0023] In a still further additional embodiment, the browsing
application further configures the computing device to playback
media using a media player in response to navigation instructions
received from the remote control and forward to the computing
device by the display device.
[0024] In still another additional embodiment, the browsing
application further configures the computing device to display the
entire page retrieved from the server via the display device and
configures the computing device to display the playback guide via
the display device in response to navigation instructions received
from the remote control and forwarded to the computing device by
the display device.
[0025] In a yet further embodiment again, the browser application
configures the computing device to retrieve multiple pages hosted
on at least one server, the browsing application further configures
the computing device to perform page analysis on each of the
retrieved pages, where page analysis includes identifying
hyperlinks within each page, inspecting the hyperlinks to identify
embedded media, and adding the embedded media to a playlist, and
the browsing application further configures the computing device to
generate a playback guide user interface in which the playlist of
media from the retrieved pages is displayed, and to display the
generated playback guide via the display device.
[0026] In yet another embodiment again, the browser application
selects the multiple pages to retrieve based upon hyperlinks in
previously retrieved pages.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a semi-schematic diagram of a system in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention for distributing media via the
Internet for playing on appropriately configured televisions.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a conceptual illustration of a web page that
includes a link to a multimedia file that can be played via an
embedded media player and links to additional multimedia files.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a conceptual illustration of a screen shot of the
multimedia file playing on a television in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a process for browsing the
Internet and playing embedded media files in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0031] FIG. 5 is a conceptual illustration of a screen shot of a
playback guide in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0032] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a process for displaying a
playback guide in response to a user instruction.
[0033] FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a process for automatically
generating a playlist from a page accessed via the Internet in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0034] FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a process for performing
document analysis to identify media referenced by a page accessed
via the Internet and to construct channels from the referenced
media in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0035] FIG. 8a is a conceptual illustration of a tree graph that
could be generated from a web page using page analysis in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0036] FIG. 9 is a conceptual illustration of a screen shot of a
playback guide including channels in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention.
[0037] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a process for responding to
user instructions relating to the playing of a piece of media in a
playlist.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] Turning now to the drawings, embodiments of a system for
browsing media that is accessible via the Internet is shown. In
many embodiments, the system includes a browsing application that
identifies media within pages retrieved via the Internet by
performing document analysis. The document analysis identifies
pieces of media referenced by the page and, in a number of
embodiments, also identifies pieces of media referenced by pages
linked to by the original page. The identified pieces of media can
be used to generate playlists that can then be played for a user
via a television. In several embodiments, the browsing application
is configured to render a playback page that shows pieces of media
queued in a playlist and facilitates user navigation to other sites
using a typical television remote control.
Accessing Media via the Internet
[0039] A system for accessing media via the Internet and playing
the media back via a television in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The system includes a number of
servers 12 connected to a network 14. Although much of the
following discussion describes systems where media is obtained via
the Internet, media can also be accessible via a local network. A
number of computing devices access media stored on the servers via
the network. In the illustrated embodiment, a computer 16
communicates with the servers via a modem 18. The computer includes
a browsing application that enables media retrieved from the
servers to be displayed on a television 22 or another form of
display or rendering device. In the illustrated embodiment, a set
top box 24 handles communication with the computer 16 and playing
of audio and video information via the television and/or external
audio devices. The connection between the computer 16 and the set
top box 24 can be wired and/or wireless. In another configuration,
a television 22 that includes a built-in browser application is
connected to the network. In the illustrated embodiment, the
connection is via a modem 26. In other embodiments, the connection
can be via a set top box that is locally connected to the network
or that obtains information from the Internet via a remote cable
head end.
[0040] Although specific examples of devices configured with
browsing applications are discussed above, other devices that do
not include a conventional keyboard and/or mouse can be configured
using a browsing application in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention. The browsing application can be implemented using a
general computing architecture that is configured using software,
and/or firmware, or the browsing application can be implemented in
hardware. Characteristics of various browsing applications are
discussed further below.
Browsing
[0041] Media is typically provided via the Internet in accordance
with a defined presentation format. A conventional web browsing
application presents a page of information to a user. The page can
include embedded media playable via an embedded media player.
Embedded media is a term that is typically used to describe media
files referenced by a URL in a page, where a media player can use
the URL to retrieve the media file and playback the media. Browsing
applications in accordance with embodiments of the invention
extract information from pages and reformat the information in a
manner that is more readily navigable using simple user interface
devices such as typical consumer electronics remote controls. A
conceptual illustration of a web page including embedded video
displayed by a browsing application configured in accordance with
an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 2. The web page 30
includes a frame 32 of an embedded multimedia sequence and frames
34 from a list of "similar" videos. When a user selects the
embedded media object, the browsing application can display the
embedded multimedia sequence in a full screen mode using an
embedded player.
[0042] A conceptual illustration of a screen shot of the media
sequence embedded in the web page 30 shown in FIG. 2 is illustrated
in FIG. 3. Overlaid on the screenshot 40 is a an optional status
box 42 that can contain information such as the name of the
multimedia sequence being played, the duration, and controls
allowing the user to perform functions that enable the user to
navigate between different locations and/or at different speeds
within the multimedia sequence (e.g. fast forward, and rewind
functions) and/or skip between media sequences in a playlist of
media. The generation of a playlist of media, and user interactions
with media playlists are discussed further below.
[0043] A process for browsing the Internet and playing embedded
media in a manner similar to that described above is shown in FIG.
4. The process 50 includes retrieving (52) a new page of
information via the Internet and rendering (54) the new page. As
discussed above, the rendering of the page can be performed in a
manner similar to that of a conventional web browsing application.
In a number of embodiments, a browsing application is used to
display the page in a way that facilitates user selections of
hypertext links within the page. When the page has been displayed,
the system waits to receive (56) user instructions. When the
process determines (58) that a received user instruction is a
direction to navigate to another page, the system retrieves the
page indicated by the user's selection. When the process determines
(60) that a received user instruction is an instruction relating to
the display of the page (e.g. scroll up, scroll down, shift between
hypertext links prior to selection), the onscreen display of the
page is updated (62) to reflect the user instruction. When the page
contains embedded media and the process determines (60) that a
received user instruction is a direction to play the embedded
media, then the selected media is played (64) using an appropriate
media player. In many instances the embedded media includes audio
and/or video.
[0044] Although a specific process is shown in FIG. 4 other
processes that enable the identification of embedded media, receipt
of user instructions directing the playing of embedded media and
the playing of media can be implemented in accordance with
embodiments of the invention.
Playlists and Playback Guides
[0045] When a user directs a browsing application in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention to download a page containing
embedded media, the browsing application can display the embedded
media via a display that can be referred to as a playback guide.
The playback guide simplifies the selection of embedded files and
can display playlists derived by the browsing application. In a
number of embodiments, the browsing application is only capable of
displaying pages of information obtained via the Internet that
include embedded media via the playback guide. In other
embodiments, the user can direct the browsing application whether
to display the page in the manner of a conventional browsing
application or via a playback guide. In several embodiments, the
playback guide is presented to the user at the user's direction and
is only available once a user has commenced playing media embedded
on a page.
[0046] A conceptual illustration of a screen shot of a playback
guide in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown in
FIG. 5. The playback guide 70 includes the embedded media 72
currently being viewed by the user. In many embodiments, the media
continues playing within the playback guide. The playback guide 70
also includes screen shots 74 taken from media contained in a media
playlist and the title 75 of each piece of media. The title text is
often enlarged to facilitate display on a television. The
generation of a media playlist is discussed further below.
Information concerning the media being played 76 is also
displayed.
[0047] In operation, the user can use the playback guide to return
to full screen viewing of the currently playing piece of media, can
navigate to another piece of media queued up in the playlist or
select a link 78 to obtain more information concerning the piece of
media currently being played or select a link 80 to be provided
with information concerning additional pieces of media queued in
the playlist. The presentation of information in the playback guide
facilitates navigation with a simple user interface device, such as
a television remote control. For example, a current selection in
the program guide can be indicated by highlighting the selection in
the display and any of the items shown in the playback guide can
rapidly be accessed via directional arrows and an enter button
common on many television remote controls. Although a specific
layout of information is shown in the playback guide illustrated in
FIG. 5, other layouts and information can be presented to a user in
a playback guide that is readily navigable using a simple user
input device, such as a television remote control, in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention.
[0048] A process for generating a playback guide and responding to
user instructions in accordance with an embodiment of the invention
is shown in FIG. 6. The process 100 includes receiving (102) an
instruction to navigate to a playback guide. As discussed above, a
browsing application in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention can be limited to the playback guide display, can invoke
the playback guide in response to a user instruction and/or can
invoke the playback guide once a user has commenced playing
embedded media and then provides an appropriate instruction. The
process displays (104) the playback guide and waits for further
instructions from the user. Once an instruction is received (106),
the process determines (108) whether the instruction is the
location of a new page of content. In which case, a new playback
guide is generated (102). When a determination (110) is made that
the instruction is to navigate within the playback guide, then the
onscreen display is updated (112) in response to the user
instruction and displayed (104). When a determination (110) is made
that the instruction is to play a piece of embedded media, then the
embedded media is played (114).
Extracting Playback Guide Information
[0049] Generation of a playback guide involves extracting relevant
information from pages downloaded via the Internet. A process for
extracting information that can be used in the generation of a
playback guide is shown in FIG. 7. The process 130 includes loading
(132) a page and performing page analysis to locate relevant
information within the page including media embedded on the page.
As part of the page analysis, hyperlinks within the page are
identified (136) and the hyperlinked pages are retrieved and
analyzed to locate (136) embedded media and associated information.
The located media are then added (138) to a playlist. In several
embodiments, the media are added in the order presented on the
source web page, from top to bottom. Both the information retrieved
during page analysis and the playlist can be used in the generation
of a playback guide in accordance with embodiments of the
invention.
[0050] The process shown in FIG. 7 uses page analysis to collect
information concerning embedded media. Page analysis also allows a
system to obtain an understanding of how information on a page is
visually organized. A page analysis process in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 8. The process 150
includes generating (152) a tree graph of key markup elements
presented on the page in the memory of a computing device. Key
elements are formatting elements within the page that are
indicative of divisions between information. Examples of key markup
elements include "div" elements in a CSS or "table" elements in an
HTML page. Areas of interest are then determined (154) and added to
the tree graph. Depending upon the application, areas of interest
can include embedded media and/or links to pages that contain
embedded media. The areas of interest typically depend upon the
information that is to be displayed in the playback guide. The
graph tree is then analyzed to locate static information and areas
of interest that share a key element as a parent in the graph tree.
The static information and the area of interest are then grouped as
a Program Element. The graph is then further analyzed and key
elements that are parents of a number of Program Elements are
identified (160). The static information associated with each
identified parent forms a Channel Element. Both the areas of
interest and the static information associated with each Program
Element and each Channel Element in the graph tree can then be used
to construct a playback guide and populate a playlist with the
program elements in the order they are visually presented in the
original page(s) in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0051] A tree graph constructed in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention is shown in FIG. 8a. The tree graph 161 includes a
page head element 162 that is connected to a pair of key markup
elements 163, which in the illustrated embodiment are tables. Each
key markup element 163 can be connected to a static element 164
(text and images in the illustrated embodiment), areas of interest
165 and/or other key elements 163. Each key markup element 163 that
is connected to an area of interest forms a program element with
the area of interest 165 and any static elements 164 that are also
connected to the key element. In the illustrated embodiment, there
are two program elements that connect to a single key markup
element. When multiple program elements connect to a single parent
key element, then the parent key markup element and any static
elements connected to the parent key markup element form a channel
element. As discussed above, the program elements can be added to
the playlist and the channel element can be used to present program
elements from a subset of the tree graph to the user via the
playback guide.
[0052] By performing page analysis, a system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention can rearrange information provided by a
site, such as a website, into a format more suitable for viewing
via a television. A conceptual illustration of a playback guide
that can be constructed by performing page analysis on the page
shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention
is illustrated in FIG. 9. The playback guide 170 includes a window
containing a screen shot of a video sequence and, in many
embodiments, a player that enables playing of the video sequence.
The playback guide 170 also includes a screen shots 174 from a
number of video sequences queued in a playlist. In addition, the
playback guide includes two channels. The first channel 176 is
titled "More from: djbail" and can be used to navigate to a
playback guide that contains more media from the user "djbail". The
second channel 178 is titled "Related Videos" and can be used to
navigate to a playback guide that contains additional related
videos. The identification of channels during page analysis enables
the creation of a playback guide that enables a user to filter the
playlist that would otherwise be generated for a particular
category of content. In a number of embodiments, the channels do
not link to a separate playback guide. Instead the channels open
windows that contain a playlist including media associated with the
channel and the user can select the new playlist and/or a piece of
media from within the new playlist. In several embodiments, the
playblack guide includes messaging facilities that enable a user to
send a piece of media to a contact either as a referral or in the
form of an online greeting card or message. In many embodiments, a
fee is automatically billed to the user for services provided via
the playback guide. In a number of embodiments, media viewed via
the playback guide is viewed on a pay-per-view basis and the user
is automatically charged upon confirmation from the user that the
user wishes to view pay-per-view content.
[0053] Although specific examples of systems and processes are
described above for generating playlists and/or playback guides,
any number of different processes can be used to identify media and
static information from within pages and to reformat the
information to accompany a playlist of media for viewing on a
television set.
Navigating within a Playlist
[0054] A playlist is part of many embodiments of the invention. The
playlist enables a user to experience one piece of media after
another without having to provide instructions to the system. In
addition to experiencing media sequentially, the playlist enables
skipping between pieces of media. A process for playing through a
playlist and responding to user instructions in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 10. The process 190
commences when a user navigates to a new base page. A new playlist
is constructed (192) and the first piece of media in the playlist
commences playing (194). The process checks (196) for user
instructions to select a new piece of media. The instruction may be
in the form of an instruction to skip to the next piece of media
forward or backward in the playlist. Alternatively, the instruction
may be in the form of an instruction to select a piece of media out
of sequence in the playlist using the playback guide. When a new
piece of media is selected, the new piece of media is placed (198)
at the front of the playlist. In many embodiments, the selection of
a piece of media out of sequence results in the page from which the
selected piece of media was extracted becoming the base page and
page analysis is performed to add new pieces of media to the
playlist. In several embodiments, the playlist is flushed and the
new pieces of media from the base page are added to the playlist.
In other embodiments, the new pieces of media are amended to the
playlist. In several embodiments, the user can set whether or not
page analysis is performed and/or whether the playlist is flushed.
When no user instructions are received, the process determines
(200) whether the piece of media being played has finished playing.
When a piece of media has finished playing, then a determination
(202) is made as to whether there are any additional pieces of
media in the playlist. In the event that there are additional
pieces of media, then the next piece of media in the playlist is
moved (204) to the front of the playlist. When the playlist is
exhausted, the currently selected base page is displayed (206).
[0055] Although a specific process is outlined above for responding
to user instructions, other processes in accordance with
embodiments of the invention can be used to handle the playing of
media from a playlist generated by page analysis in response to
user instructions. In many embodiments, the process used to respond
to user instructions depends upon the requirements of users in a
specific application.
[0056] While the above description contains many specific
embodiments of the invention, these should not be construed as
limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an example
of one embodiment thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention
should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the
appended claims and their equivalents.
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