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  Portable media device interoperabilityUSPTO Application #: 20060195864Title: Portable media device interoperability Abstract: A method of adding content to a portable entertainment device, comprising identifying DRM capabilities of the portable entertainment device, defining a first set of content, defining a second set of content which is comprised of content selected by a user from the first content set, identifying content which is not compatible with the DRM capabilities of the portable entertainment device, and obtaining rights which allow at least a subset of the identified content to be copied to the portable entertainment device. The method also allows new content to be periodically added to the portable entertainment device. Also disclosed is a user interface through which the user can build a list of content to be copied to the portable entertainment device and through which the user can obtain any necessary rights to such content. (end of abstract) Agent: James J. Decarlo Greenberg Traurig, LLP - New York, NY, US Inventors: Matthew David New, Jonathan Cooper Ochenas, Scott Austin Haynie, Daniel Carter Hunt USPTO Applicaton #: 20060195864 - Class: 725025000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Interactive Video Distribution Systems, Access Control Or Blocking The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060195864. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application claims priority from Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/657,222, filed Feb. 28, 2005, and Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/678,718 filed May 5, 2005, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. [0002] This application includes material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0003] The present invention relates to the field of portable media reproduction devices, and more specifically to the creation and maintenance of playlists for portable media reproduction devices. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0004] The advent of computers has greatly changed how users transport and access music, movies, television shows, photographs, and other sensory-stimulating content. Perhaps one of the biggest drivers in recent years is the advent of the Motion Picture Entertainment Group Layer 3 ("MP3") standard for audio encoding, and the resulting cadre of portable devices capable of playing audio encoded in the MP3 standard. From cellular telephones, such as the Audiovox SMT 6500 Smartphone, to portable digital assistants ("PDA's"), to specialized devices such as the iPod line of portable entertainment devices by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., the Zen and MuVo lines of portable entertainment devices by Creative Technology, Ltd., and the iRiver line or portable entertainment devices by IRiver Incorporated of Seoul, South Korea, a wide variety of products are available which allow people to take their favorite music and other content with them wherever they go. [0005] However, such devices often pose unique problems for users. Although the devices can carry tens of thousands of pictures, several thousand songs, hundreds of hours of television shows, or other such single- and multi-media content, the users can become bored with accessing the same content over and over, even where the order and/or frequency of playback is determined through one or more playlists. Thus, users frequently wish to update their portable entertainment devices with new content. [0006] Users can add content to a portable media device through a variety of means. With respect to music content, such means include creating one or more MP3 files from songs on a compact disc ("CD"), tape, or phonograph, a process referred to as "ripping". While ripping is popular, it requires that users visit a bricks-and-mortar or online retailer, purchase the CD or other physical copy of the content, and then take the time to convert the content file or files into the desired format. This is both time consuming and technologically challenging for many consumers. To help facilitate users gaining access to larger music libraries, and thus allowing them to enhance the scope of content available on a portable media device, some services have been launched through which a user can download an MP3 or other content file from an online music source. [0007] Several different content sources have become available in recent years, and many use differing business models. One business model, supported by the Yahoo! Music Engine service offered by Yahoo!, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., is the "tethered-download" or subscription model. In this model, users pay a flat fee to download content files from a central source to their home computer. This flat fee is typically relatively low because content downloaded from such services is protected using digital rights management ("DRM") technology, and will frequently expire (i.e. cannot be played or accessed) if the user stops subscribing to the service. Some services allow the downloaded content to be transferred to portable entertainment devices, where the devices support DRM. [0008] While such services have gained in popularity, not all portable entertainment devices support digital rights management, and some services require different forms of digital rights management. Thus, unless a user has a DRM-compatible portable entertainment device, the user is not able to take full advantage of the content provided by such services. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system and method creating playlists for portable entertainment devices, and for obtaining appropriate DRM rights for the content in such playlists, that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. [0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of adding content to a portable entertainment device, comprising identifying digital rights management capabilities of a portable entertainment device onto which content is to be added; defining a first content set, wherein at least one content attribute is associated with each member of the first content set; defining a second content set, wherein the second content set is comprised of content selected from the first content set whose content attributes match those selected by a user; identifying as a third content set that content in the second content set which is not compatible with the digital rights management capabilities of the portable entertainment device and/or rights of the user; obtaining rights which allow at least a subset of the third content set to be transferred to the portable entertainment device; and, allowing the content defined in the second content set and for which appropriate rights have been obtained to be transferred to the portable entertainment device. [0011] It is a further object of the invention to provide a user interface for defining content to be transferred to a portable entertainment device, comprising a list of available content, a selected content list, and a transfer content user interface element, wherein the user interface allows content from the list of available content to be added to the selected content list, wherein content in the selected content list for which the user has appropriate rights to allow the content to be transferred to the portable entertainment device are presented differently than other content, and wherein, upon activation of the transfer content user interface element, rights are obtained to transfer to the portable entertainment device any content in the selected content list for which the user does not have appropriate rights. [0012] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. [0013] An embodiment of the invention is implemented as part of content management software for portable entertainment devices. The software allows a user to easily build one or more "playlists", or lists of content to be transferred to a portable entertainment device, and to associate the playlist with a given portable entertainment device such that changes to the content in the playlist are automatically transferred to the portable entertainment device when the portable entertainment device is synchronized or otherwise connected to a content source, or such a content source is made available to the portable entertainment device. Such content sources may include, without limitation, content stored on a computer associated with the user, content stored remotely on a server, and content available from other users. [0014] In a preferred embodiment, playlists may include individual content entries selected by the user (such as by dragging and dropping entries from a list of available content onto the playlist), and/or rules by which content available to the user can be selected for inclusion in the playlist. By way of example, without intending to limit the present invention, a playlist rule may indicate that all content by the user's three favorite artists are to be given the highest priority, and that randomly selected content of a specific genre is to be given the next highest priority. The software can then select from the available content that content which meets the user-defined rules and can add such content to the playlist. [0015] The software can also preferably monitor content added to a playlist and automatically determine whether the user has the rights necessary to allow the content to be transferred to the portable entertainment device. By way of example, without intending to limit the present invention, the portable entertainment device may not support DRM, or may not support a particular DRM method, thus the user may not be authorized to copy the currently-available content file to the portable entertainment device. In such instances, the software can ask the user whether rights should be obtained which permit the content to be copied to the portable entertainment device and, where the user authorizes obtaining such rights, the software can automatically obtain the rights for the user. [0016] In one embodiment, the software also provides visual feedback to the user regarding the DRM licensing status of particular content with respect to a given portable entertainment device. Such feedback may include, but is not limited to, displaying the title, artist, track, or other information associated with content for which the user does not have an appropriate DRM license in a different font, altering the color of the font, altering the background behind the text, striking through the text, drawing a box around the text, or the like. Furthermore, the software may order the playlist so that entries corresponding to content for which appropriate licensing information is not available appear at the bottom or top of the playlist, or in an alternative window or portion of the window associated with the playlist. [0017] The software can also allow new content to be added to a portable entertainment device. Such content can be selected based on the contents of a playlist. By way of example, without intending to limit the present invention, a user's preferences may be determined based on the frequency with which an artist or genre appears within a playlist, based on the frequency with which a particular content file is played by the user, based on the user's ratings of different content within the playlist, or combinations thereof. The software can then select new content that has similar characteristics to those preferred by the user and the new content can be added to the playlist, thereby allowing the user to access new content. Similarly, rules associated with a playlist may be used to select appropriate content. [0018] Where a portable entertainment device is capable of storing new content, the new content can merely be added to the device. However, where the device is too full to allow new content to be copied thereto, the software can substitute the new content for content in the playlist associated with the device. The user can preferably control the number of playlist entries and/or content files that can be substituted, and the frequency with which such substitutions may occur. The user can also preferably control the manner in which the software chooses a content file or files for which the new content is to be substituted. By way of example, without intending to limit the present invention, the user may choose the content files to be removed, the user may choose to have the lowest rated content removed first, or the user may choose to have the least frequently accessed content removed first. [0019] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of at least one embodiment of the invention. Continue reading... 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