Machine-led mood change

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016196105-A1
Application number	US-201514980650-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Jan 2, 2015
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A machine is configured to identify a media file that, when played to a user, is likely to modify an emotional or physical state of the user to or towards a target emotional or physical state. The machine accesses play counts that quantify playbacks of media files for the user. The playbacks may be locally performed or detected by the machine from ambient sound. The machine accesses arousal scores of the media files and determines a distribution of the play counts over the arousal scores. The machine uses one or more relative maxima in the distribution in selecting a target arousal score for the user based on contextual data that describes an activity of the user. The machine selects one or more media files based on the target arousal score. The machine may then cause the selected media file to be played to the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
accessing, by one or more processors of a machine, play counts that quantify playbacks of media files played for a user, the play counts being accessed from a playback history database of the user; accessing, by one or more processors of the machine, arousal scores of the media files played for the user, the arousal scores indicating energy levels humanly perceivable in the playbacks of the media files; determining, by one or more processors of the machine, a distribution of the play counts over the arousal scores, the distribution indicating relative maximum play counts that each correspond to a different arousal score among the arousal scores; selecting, by one or more processors of the machine, a target arousal score for the user based on contextual data that describes an activity in which the user is engaged; and selecting, by one or more processors of the machine, a media file for playback to the user, the selecting of the media file being based on the target arousal score and based on an arousal score that corresponds to a relative maximum play count included in the distribution of the play counts over the arousal scores.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by one or more processors of the machine, a current arousal score of the user based on a biometric measurement of the user; and wherein the selecting of the media file is further based on the current arousal score of the user.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the determining of the current arousal score includes detecting the biometric measurement of the user via a biometric sensor.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the biometric measurement is selected from a group consisting of:
a force applied by the user to a portion of a car seat,
a frequency at which the force applied by the user to the portion of the car seat fluctuates,
a duration of a blink of an eye of the user,
a frequency at which the eye of the user blinks,
a frequency at which the eye of the user moves,
a blood glucose level of the user,
a heart rate of the user,
a frequency at which the heart rate of the user fluctuates,
a galvanic skin response measurement of the user,
a force applied by the user to a portion of a steering wheel,
a frequency at which the force applied by the user to the portion of the steering wheel fluctuates,
a frequency at which a brake pedal is pressed by the user,
a speed of a vehicle being operated by the user,
a frequency at which the vehicle changes direction,
an electroencephalogram of the user, and
an electrocardiogram of the user.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the biometric measurement of the user indicates that the user is drowsy; the contextual data indicates that the activity in which the user is engaged is driving a vehicle; the selected target arousal score and the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count are higher than the current arousal score; and the selecting of the media file for playback to the user is based on the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count being higher than the current arousal score.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the biometric measurement of the user indicates that the user is agitated; the contextual data indicates that the activity in which the user is engaged is driving a vehicle; the selected target arousal score and the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count are lower than the current arousal score; and the selecting of the media file for playback to the user is based on the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count being lower than the current arousal score.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the selecting of the media file includes determining that a candidate media file among the media files played for the user has a candidate arousal score within a threshold tolerance of the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count; and the selecting of the media file selects the candidate media file based on the candidate arousal score being within the threshold tolerance of the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the selecting of the media file includes determining that a candidate media file in a group of media files from which the media files played for the user are absent has a candidate arousal score within a threshold tolerance of the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count; and the selecting of the media file selects the candidate media file from the group of media files from which the media files played for the user are absent.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the selecting of the media file includes determining that a candidate media file among the media files played for the user has a candidate arousal score beyond a threshold value from the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count; and the selecting of the media file selects the candidate media file based on the candidate arousal score being beyond the threshold value from the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the selecting of the media file includes determining that a candidate media file in a group of media files from which the media files played for the user are absent has a candidate arousal score beyond a threshold value from the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count; and the selecting of the media file selects the candidate media file from the group of media files from which the media files played for the user are absent.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the selecting of the target arousal score includes:
detecting the contextual data via a sensor; and
accessing a context database that maps the contextual data to the target arousal score.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the selecting of the media file includes selecting the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count based on the arousal score being between a current arousal score and the target arousal score.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the selecting of the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count is based on a calculated difference between the target arousal score and the current arousal score.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the selecting of the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count includes:
calculating differences between the target arousal score and each of the arousal scores that correspond to the relative maximum play counts in the distribution; and
determining a smallest difference among the differences between the target arousal score and each of the arousal scores that correspond to the relative maximum play counts.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the selecting of the media file includes:
determining that the relative maximum play count transgresses a threshold play count; and
selecting the arousal score that corresponds to the relative maximum play count based on the relative maximum play count transgressing the threshold play count.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
causing the selected media file to be played to the user.

17 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform oper

Assignees

• Gracenote Inc

Inventors

• Vartakavi Aneesh
• Dimaria Peter C
• Gubman Michael
• Cremer Markus K
• Summers Cameron Aubrey
• Tronel Gregoire

Classifications

• G06F3/165 Primary

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• G06F16/639 Primary

  using playlists · CPC title

• G06F17/30772

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title