IP Library Granted Patent US 9,153,217
Granted Patent B2
US 9,153,217 · App. 13/800,386 · Granted Oct 6, 2015

Simultaneously playing sound-segments to find and act-upon a composition

Inventor: James W. Wieder (Ellicott City, MD)
G10H1/0008G10H1/0033G10H1/46G10H2210/061G10H2240/151
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,153,217
App. No.
13/800,386
Granted
Oct 6, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method, apparatus and system that enables a user to find and act-upon a sound-containing composition, in a group of compositions. One or more sound-segments, which are intended to prompt a user's memory, may be associated with each composition in a group of compositions. A recognition sound-segment may include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to users than the beginning part of its associated composition. A recognition-segment may contain one or more highly recognizable portion(s) of a composition. When the user is trying to locate or select a particular composition, the recognition-segments are navigated and played-back to the user, based upon a user-device context/mode. When a user recognizes the desired composition from its recognition-segment, the user may initiate a control action to playback; arrange; and/or act-upon, the composition that is associated with the currently playing recognition-segment.

Claims (46)

1. Apparatus for finding and acting-upon compositions that contain a sound component, the apparatus comprising:

one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or or processer(s) that:

obtain or provide, an ordering of a plurality of sound-segments: wherein each sound-segment is associated with a composition wherein at least a portion of said sound-segments are recognition sound-segments; wherein each of said recognition sound-segments include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to user(s) than a beginning part of its associated composition;

obtain or provide, a current-location in said ordering that refers to one of said sound-segments in said ordering;

change the current-location in said ordering in response to user navigation action(s);

in response to each change to the current-location, play the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering, in a combination with one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering;

in response to a command-action by the user, perform one or more of: play, add, move, remove, cut, copy, paste, arrange, organize, and/or order, the compostition that is associated with the sound-segment at the current-location.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering is set louder, than said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering, decreases more for recognition sound-segments are further from the current-location.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering, are located on one side of said current-location.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering, are located on both sides of said current-location.

6. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) also: change the current-location in said ordering, to a new current-location in said ordering, in response to a completion of a playback of a said sound-segment in said ordering.

7. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the user can navigate through said ordering using navigation actions, without the user needing to view said ordering on an active visual display.

8. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the ordering was automatically generated, for the user based on a user-request.

9. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the ordering was automatically generated for the user based on a user-request, and the sound-segments are ordered by their probability of satisfying said user-request; wherein said user the request was for a composition title and/or artist.

10. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) also; generate the ordering for the user, based on an operating mode or context of a user-device.

11. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said ordering corresponds to a playback order of a sequence or stream of compositions; wherein the playback order was customized for the user.

12. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said ordering corresponds to a playback order of a playlist.

13. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the sound-segments are related to their associated compositions by pointers, links, hyperlinks, universal resource locators and/or universal object identifiers.

14. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the sound-segments are related to their associated compositions by a standardized file-naming convention, tables, databases and/or linked-lists.

15. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the sound-segments was configured at least partially based upon a test of a recognition time of people who have previously experienced its associated composition.

16. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the sound-segments has been previously tested against a user or users, in-order to verify that the sound-segment is substantially immediately recognized by the user or users who have previously experienced its associated composition.

17. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said sound-segments was chosen from a plurality of alternative sound-segments that were created for a given composition; based on how quickly users were able to recognize each one of the alternative sound-segments for the given composition.

18. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said sound-segments was previously determined to be recognized the soonest among a plurality of alternative sound-segments, that had been created for its associated composition and tested for recognition times of people who have previously experienced its associated composition.

19. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said one or more of electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) also: provide to an active display: a visual representation of the ordering, and an indicator of the current-location in the visual representation of the ordering.

20. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said sound-segments includes a mix or addition of a plurality of different sound-segments; wherein at least one of the mixed or added segments, includes a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to the user than a beginning part of its associated composition.

21. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein some of said sound-segments include an audio description of characteristics of its associated composition; wherein said characteristics include an artist name or composition title.

22. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location, is lower than playback volume of said recognition sound-segment at the current-location.

23. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location, are scaled to a lower volume relative to the recognition sound-segment at the current-location.

24. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in said combination, playback volume of said one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location, are scaled to a lower volume than playback volume of said recognition sound-segment at the current-location; wherein playback volume is decreased more for recognition sound-segments in said combination, that are further from the current-location.

25. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said sound-segments in said ordering include a sub-portion of the composition that is associated with each said sound-segment.

26. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said sound-segments in said ordering, include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to users than a beginning part of its associated composition.

27. An apparatus-implemented method for finding and acting-upon a composition that contains a sound component, the method comprising:

obtaining or providing, by electronic-circuitry and/or processer(s), an ordering of a plurality of sound-segments;

wherein each sound segment is associated with a compostion wherein at least a portion of said sound-segments are recognition sound-segments; wherein each of said recognition sound-segments include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to user(s) than a beginning part of its associated composition;

obtain or provide, by electronic-circuitry and/or processer(s), a current-location in said ordering that refers to one of said sound-segments in said ordering;

changing, by electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s), the current-location in said ordering in response to user navigation action(s);

playing, by electronic-circuitry and/or processer(s), in response to each change to the current-location, the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering, in combination with one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering;

in response to a command-action by the user, perform one or more of: playing, adding, moving, removing, cutting, copying, pasting, arranging, organizing, and/or ordering, the composition that is associated with the sound-segment at the current-location.

28. One or more computer-readable memories or media, not including carrier-waves, having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more processing devices, implement a method of:

obtaining or providing, an ordering of a plurality of sound-segments;

wherein each sound segment is associated with a composition; wherein at least a portion of said sound-segments are recognition sound-segments; wherein each of said recognition sound-segments include a portion of its associated composition, which is more recognizable to user(s) than a beginning part of its associated composition;

obtain or provide, current location in said ordering that refers to one of said sound-segments in said ordering;

changing the current-location in said ordering in response to user navigation action(s);

playing, in response to each change to the current-location, the recognition sound-segment at the current-location in said ordering, in a combination with one or more recognition sound segments that are adjacent or near to the current-location in said ordering;

in response to a command-action by the user, perform one or more of: playing, adding, moving, removing, cutting, copying, pasting, arranging, organizing, and/or ordering, the composition that is associated with the sound-segment at the current location.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2018
From: WIEDER, JAMES W.
To: SYNERGYZE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 045554/0078 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation In Part 13286578 · Nov 1, 2011
Provisional Application 61408690 · Nov 1, 2010
Related Publication 20140230630A1 · Aug 21, 2014