Use of an anticipated travel duration as a basis to generate a playlist
View Patent ↗An example system may include a communication interface; a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the server to perform of a set of functions. The set of functions may include determining an anticipated travel duration of a user of a client device, using the anticipated travel duration of the user as a basis to generate a playlist of a personalized news program for the user, and transmitting data representing the generated playlist to the client device.
1. A method comprising:
determining, by a server device, an anticipated travel duration of a client device;
based on the anticipated travel duration, selecting, by the server device, a playlist template from a plurality of playlist templates, wherein the selected playlist template includes a sequence of audio content placeholders, wherein the placeholders in the sequence are associated with respective quantity tags and respective type tags, wherein the quantity tags specify integer numbers of media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, wherein the type tags specify media content types of the media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, and wherein a duration of the playlist template is within a threshold of the anticipated travel duration;
generating, by the server device, a playlist from the playlist template, wherein generating the playlist comprises, for each placeholder in the sequence, (i) selecting one or more media files as specified by the quantity tag and the type tag, respectively, of the placeholder, and (ii) including, in the playlist, references to audible versions of the one or more media files selected; and
transmitting the generated playlist to the client device.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving location history data, wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises using the received location history data as a basis to determine the anticipated travel duration.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, within location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises determining the anticipated travel duration based on a current time and the detected location pattern.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, within location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises determining the anticipated travel duration based on a current location of the client device and the detected location pattern.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
using location history data as a basis to determine an anticipated travel route,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises using the determined anticipated travel route as a basis to determine the anticipated travel duration.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
detecting, within the location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel route comprises determining the anticipated travel route based on a current time and the detected location pattern.
7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
detecting, within the location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel route comprises determining the anticipated travel route based on a current location of the client device and the detected location pattern.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request to transmit, to the client device, a media file referenced by the playlist; and
transmitting the requested media file to the client device in response to receiving the request.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using one or more attributes that are associated with a user of the client device as an additional basis to generate the playlist.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more attributes comprise one or more of: the user's interest in a type of news story represented by at least one of the one or more media files, the user's age, the user's gender, the user's current location, the user's destined location, weather conditions at the user's current location, and weather conditions at the user's destined location.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a processor of a server device, cause the server device to perform a set of functions, the set of functions comprising:
determining an anticipated travel duration of a client device;
based on the anticipated travel duration, selecting a playlist template from a plurality of playlist templates, wherein the selected playlist template includes a sequence of audio content placeholders, wherein the placeholders in the sequence are associated with respective quantity tags and respective type tags, wherein the quantity tags specify integer numbers of media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, wherein the type tags specify media content types of the media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, and wherein a duration of the playlist template is within a threshold of the anticipated travel duration;
generating a playlist from the playlist template, wherein generating the playlist comprises, for each placeholder in the sequence, (i) selecting one or more media files as specified by the quantity tag and the type tag, respectively, of the placeholder, and (ii) including, in the playlist, references to audible versions of the one or more media files selected; and
transmitting the generated playlist to the client device.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , the set of functions further comprising:
receiving location history data, wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises using the received location history data as a basis to determine the anticipated travel duration.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , the set of functions further comprising:
detecting, within location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises determining the anticipated travel duration based on a current time and the detected location pattern.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , the set of functions further comprising:
detecting, within location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises determining the anticipated travel duration based on a current location of the client device and the detected location pattern.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , the set of functions further comprising:
using location history data as a basis to determine an anticipated travel route,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises using the determined anticipated travel route as a basis to determine the anticipated travel duration.
16. A server device comprising:
a communication interface;
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the server device to perform a set of functions, the set of functions comprising:
determining an anticipated travel duration of a client device;
based on the anticipated travel duration, selecting a playlist template from a plurality of playlist templates, wherein the selected playlist template includes a sequence of audio content placeholders, wherein the placeholders in the sequence are associated with respective quantity tags and respective type tags, wherein the quantity tags specify integer numbers of media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, wherein the type tags specify media content types of the media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, and wherein a duration of the playlist template is within a threshold of the anticipated travel duration;
generating a playlist from the playlist template, wherein generating the playlist comprises, for each placeholder in the sequence, (i) selecting one or more media files as specified by the quantity tag and the type tag, respectively, of the placeholder, and (ii) including, in the playlist, references to audible versions of the one or more media files selected;
transmitting the generated playlist to the client device via the communication interface.
17. The server device of claim 16 , the set of functions further comprising:
using location history data as a basis to determine an anticipated travel route,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises using the determined anticipated travel route as a basis to determine the anticipated travel duration.
18. The server device of claim 17 , the set of functions further comprising:
detecting, within the location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel route comprises determining the anticipated travel route based on a current time and the detected location pattern.
19. The server device of claim 17 , the set of functions further comprising:
detecting, within the location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel route comprises determining the anticipated travel route based on a current location of the client device and the detected location pattern.
20. The server device of claim 16 , the functions further comprising:
receiving location history data, wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises using the received location history data as a basis to determine the anticipated travel duration.
21. The server device of claim 16 , the functions further comprising:
detecting, within location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises determining the anticipated travel duration based on a current time and the detected location pattern.
22. The server device of claim 16 , the functions further comprising:
detecting, within location history data, a location pattern with respect to time,
wherein determining the anticipated travel duration comprises determining the anticipated travel duration based on a current location of the client device and the detected location pattern.
23. A method comprising:
determining, by a client device, an anticipated travel duration of the client device;
based on the anticipated travel duration, selecting a playlist template from a plurality of playlist templates, wherein the selected playlist template includes a sequence of audio content placeholders, wherein the placeholders in the sequence are associated with respective quantity tags and respective type tags, wherein the quantity tags specify integer numbers of media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, wherein the type tags specify media content types of the media files to be selected for the associated placeholder, and wherein a duration of the playlist template is within a threshold of the anticipated travel duration;
generating a playlist from the playlist template, wherein generating the playlist comprises, for each placeholder in the sequence, (i) selecting one or more media files as specified by the quantity tag and the type tag, respectively, of the placeholder, and (ii) including, in the playlist, references to audible versions of the one or more media files selected;
traversing, by the client device, the generated playlist, and for each media file referenced by the playlist, (i) retrieving data representing the media file, and (ii) using the retrieved data to play out the media file.