Apparatus, systems and methods for song play using a media device having a buffer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11665403-B2
Application number	US-202217588124-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2022
Priority date	May 20, 2015
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods control presentation of audio-only content that is broadcast to a media device. An exemplary embodiment receives media content that is currently received in a channel of a broadcasted media content stream; determines whether the currently received channel is a type of channel that provides audio/visual content or a type of channel that provides audio-only content; controls presentation of the received media content using at least one audio/visual content control function in response to determining that the currently received channel is the type of channel that provides audio/visual content; controls presentation of the received media content using at least one audio-only content control function in response to determining that the currently received channel is the type of channel that provides audio-only content, wherein the at least one audio/visual content control function is different from the at least one audio-only content control function.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for presentation control of media content, the system comprising:
a tuner configured to receive a media content stream containing the media content;
one or more processors; and
one or more memory devices having stored thereon instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:
communicate the media content to a media presentation device;
analyze the currently presenting media content to identify whether the media content is audio/visual content or audio-only content;
receive a command from a remote control;
in response to receiving the command, perform a skip track forward operation that skips presentation from a currently presenting song to the beginning of a next song when the media content is identified as audio-only content; and
in response to receiving the command, perform a fast forward operation that presents the media content at a faster than normal speed when the media content is identified as audio/visual content.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising instructions to store the received media content in a program buffer and communicate the media content stored in the program buffer to the media presentation device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the currently presenting media content to identify whether the media content is audio/visual content or audio-only content comprises analyzing at least one of the currently presenting media content and electronic program guide (EPG) information to identify one of a first characteristic and a second characteristic of the currently presenting media content, wherein the first characteristic is associated with audio/visual content and the second characteristic is associated with audio-only content, and determining, based on the identified one of the first characteristic and the second characteristic, whether the currently presenting media content provides audio/visual content or provides audio-only content, wherein the audio-only content comprises a series of a plurality of songs and limited visual content in the received media content.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein determining whether the currently presenting media content provides audio/visual content or provides audio-only content comprises:
accessing electronic program guide information that has been stored on a memory of the media device,
wherein the EPG information includes a list of channels that are accessible by the media device, and
wherein for each one of the channels listed in the EPG information, each channel includes a descriptor that describes the media content that is currently in the stream of media content of that particular channel; and

analyzing the descriptor of a currently presenting channel listed in the EPG information to determine whether the currently received channel provides audio/visual content or provides audio-only content,
wherein the audio/visual content is determined when the descriptor corresponds to the first characteristic that is associated with audio/visual type media content, and
wherein the audio-only content is determined when the descriptor corresponds to the second characteristic that is associated with audio-only type media content.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising instructions to determine at least one of a beginning and an end for each of a plurality of songs based on metadata provided with the songs when the media device has determined that the currently presenting media content provides audio-only content.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the metadata provided with each song includes at least one of an artist's name, a song title, an album name, a song label, and a recording date, and wherein determining at least one of a beginning and an end for each of the plurality of songs comprises monitoring the metadata for changes to the at least one of an artist's name, a song title, an album name, a song label, and a recording date.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising instructions to:
receive a second command from the remote control;
in response to receiving the second command, perform a skip track backward operation that skips presentation from a currently presenting song to the beginning of a previously received song when the media content is identified as audio-only content; and
in response to receiving the second command, perform a fast rewind operation that presents the media content in reverse at a faster than normal speed when the media content is identified as audio/visual content.

8. A method for presentation control of media content, the method comprising:
receiving a media content stream containing the media content;
communicating the media content to a media presentation device;
analyzing the currently presenting media content to identify whether the media content is audio/visual content or audio-only content;
receiving a command from a remote control;
in response to receiving the command, performing a skip track forward operation that skips presentation from a currently presenting song to the beginning of a next song when the media content is identified as audio-only content; and
in response to receiving the command, performing a fast forward operation that presents the media content at a faster than normal speed when the media content is identified as audio/visual content.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising storing the received media content in a program buffer and communicating the media content stored in the program buffer to the media presentation device.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein analyzing the currently presenting media content to identify whether the media content is audio/visual content or audio-only content comprises analyzing at least one of the currently presenting media content and electronic program guide (EPG) information to identify one of a first characteristic and a second characteristic of the currently presenting media content, wherein the first characteristic is associated with audio/visual content and the second characteristic is associated with audio-only content, and determining, based on the identified one of the first characteristic and the second characteristic, whether the currently presenting media content provides audio/visual content or provides audio-only content, wherein the audio-only content comprises a series of a plurality of songs and limited visual content in the received media content.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining whether the currently presenting media content provides audio/visual content or provides audio-only content comprises:
accessing electronic program guide information that has been stored on a memory of the media device,
wherein the EPG information includes a list of channels that are accessible by the media device, and
wherein for each one of the channels listed in the EPG information, each channel includes a descriptor that describes the media content that is currently in the stream of media content of that particular channel; and

analyzing the descriptor of a currently presenting channel listed in the EPG information to determine whether the currently received channel provides audio/visual content or provides audio-only content,
wherein the audio/visual content is determined when the descriptor corresponds to the first characteristic that is associated with audio/visual type media content, and
wherein the audio-only content is determined when the descriptor corresponds to the second characteristic that is associated with audio-only type media content.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining at least one of a beginning and an end for each of a plurality

Assignees

• Dish Tech Llc

Inventors

• Greene Gregory

Classifications

• H04N21/47217

  for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks (specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312) · CPC title

• H04N21/439 Primary

  Processing of audio elementary streams · CPC title

• H04N21/482 Primary

  End-user interface for programme selection · CPC title

• H04N21/8113

  comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format · CPC title