Patent Publication Number: US-2007100481-A1

Title: System and method for organizing information

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      This invention generally relates to systems and methods for organizing information and more particularly relates to systems and methods for organizing a hierarchy of information to be presented to a user.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Specialized devices for storing and playing music have grown in popularity over the last ten years. These specialized devices are typically known as “media players” and in the most popular embodiments, they are portable and capable of storing a vast quantities of music. For example, it is not unusual for media players to have 20 gigabytes of storage which, in turn, can hold well over 5,000 songs in a resident music library data base. However, regardless of the number of songs a media player is capable of holding, a device is only as useful as its user interface. If the user interface is not intuitive, easy-to-use, and flexible (i.e. accommodate multiple ways that users desire to access the music library data base), the benefit rendered to the user is marginal regardless of how many songs the media player is capable of storing. One of the most notable and widely recognized media player user interface is that used in the Apples iPod™. Popular reviews have touted the iPod™ interface as easy-to-use primarily due to its unique thumbwheel design that allows a user to easily scroll through the iPod&#39;s™ hierarchical menu system. The iPod&#39;s™ menu structure provides various “views” into the song library by using genre, artist name, album name, or song name.  
      Although the iPod® has met with wide acceptance, one of the limitations of its hierarchical menu structure is that only one selection can be made at each menu level. For example (see  FIG. 1 ), from the Music screen  20 , if a user selects Genres  22 , screen  24  (the Genres screen) is presented to the user. From the Genres screen  24 , only one Genre selection at a time can be elected for play or can be saved in a temporary play list. If a user wanted to listen to two different Genres (e.g. folk and gospel) in a single listing session, the user would have to first select the first Genre and thereafter step through all of the associated subordinate screen prompts (such as artist  31 , album  33 , and song  35 ). Thereafter, the user would go back to the Genres screen  24  and save the Genres selection to the temporary play list. Then the user would then make a second genre selection (followed by the associated subordinate screen prompts) and save it to the same temporary playlist. Thereafter, the user would select the play list for playing.  
      Although the type of hierarchical menu structure employed by the iPod™ device is intuitive (and accordingly, easy-to-use), it is slow, cumbersome and inflexible.  
      The system and method of the present invention sets forth a way of organizing information that is intuitively presented to the user, but is done so in a way that is flexible and fast. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a prior art flow diagram of how information is presented to a user of the Apples™ iPod™;  
       FIG. 2  is an example of one possible application of the present invention as a device that is useable both within a vehicle, or remotely from the vehicle;  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic drawing of a hardware embodiment of the device of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4-6  are various methodologies for presenting screen selections to a user.  
       FIG. 7  is a logic flow diagram of a method embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       FIG. 2  depicts one possible use for the present invention. In this application, vehicle  8  is provided with media storage and entertainment device  30 . Device  30  can be fitted into a predetermined slot in the dash panel of the vehicle  8  as a permanent fixture. However, it is also contemplated that device  30  can be mounted on a slide interface thereby allowing it to be easily removed from the vehicle dashboard so that it can function remotely from the vehicle.  
      An embodiment of the present invention uses a user interface that allows the user to make multiple selections at various hierarchical levels of an interface of a media player device  30 . This, in turn, gives the user extensive flexibility for music selection and play. The interface uses a hierarchical menu structure which gives the user the option to make one or more selections at each hierarchical level. Thus, at any level, the user has the option to play all of the songs associated with each selection made or, the user may progress one step deeper into the hierarchy to further refine (i.e. filter) the selections. An embodiment of the invention is most easily described in conjunction with an example set forth in  FIGS. 2-6 .  
      Now referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an embodiment of the disclosed media player device  30  may include microprocessor  32  for receiving music content through I/O port  34  and for storing the music content in music database  36 . Microprocessor  32  is also responsible for coordinating the display of information on user display device  38  and it is also responsible for receiving and outputting information from and to various user interface controls  40  found on the face of device  30 . An audio reproduction device  42  (such as a speaker, or the like) interfaces with microprocessor  32  in order to produce an audio replication of songs stored on the music database  36 .  
      Now referring to  FIGS. 2, 3  and  4 , in a default mode, user display device  38  sets forth the initial options (classification categories) at the user&#39;s disposal (see  FIG. 4 ). These initial options can be “album”, “play list”, “genre”, “folder”, “artist”, and the like. If, for example, the user selects the Genre, the user is then presented with a screen as shown in  FIG. 5  on the user display device  38 .  
      The screen presented to the user in  FIG. 5 , presents the user with a previous selection field  44  and one or more subcategory fields  46  (exemplified at reference numeral  46 ). The previous selection field  44  sets forth the previous menu selection made by the user (which was responsible for bringing the user to the current screen). Also set forth in  FIG. 5  is one or more subcategory fields (exemplified at  46 ,  47 ,  49 ) which set forth subcategory options that the user may select. The subcategory options set forth in subcategory field  46  are subcategories of the selection set forth in selection field  44 . Any or all of the subcategories set forth in  FIG. 5  may be selected by the user. The user is not restricted to selecting one, and only one, of the options set forth in subcategory field  46 . For example, in the embodiment set forth in  FIG. 5 , the user has exercised a selection option of selecting both the “new age” and “soft rock” genres. The user makes the selections by using one or more of the interface controls  40  found on the face plate of device  30 . The use and implementation of user interface controls is well known to those skilled in the art.  
      If, after selecting both the “new age” and “soft rock” genres, the user selects the PLAY  48  interface control, song play will commence beginning with the first song associated with the first selected genre and play will continue until the last song associated with the last selected genre has been played. The reference to “a first song” and “a last song” is simply a general reference to a sequential playing of each song categorized by each of the selected genres. Songs may be played in any order including, but not limited to, playing the songs in alphabetical order according to the genre title, artists name, album name, song title, or the like. If the user wishes to play the songs within the selected genre in a random order, a simple randomizer routine can be implemented within microprocessor  32  to select and play each of the songs found within the selected genre in a random order. The user may also be given the option of selecting the order in which the songs are played (e.g. by genre, artist, etc.) Display device  38  may also include a filter field  50 . Within filter field  50 , the user may be presented with one or more filters that the user can apply to the selections made in one or more subcategory field  46 . For example, in  FIG. 5 , an “artist” filter, an “album” filter, and a “song” filter is presented to the user. These filters may be presented to the user in a “grayed out” format. When information is presented to the user in the filter field  50  in a “grayed out” format, this indicates to the user that these filters are not applicable (for any number of reasons) at this stage of compiling a playlist. Once the filter selection is available to the user, the filter field is changed from its “grayed-out” format to its regular (i.e. non-grayed out) format.  
      Now referring to  FIG. 6 , if the user wishes to filter the subcategory fields (e.g.  47  and  49 —see  FIG. 5 ), the user selects one of the filters in filter field  50  (e.g. Artist) and immediately the user is presented with a screen display such as shown in  FIG. 6  wherein the user is given the selection option to play music only performed by one or more select artists found within the first selected genre. This is known as a positive filter. Other filter modes could be used such as a negative filter mode where any selection made by the user will not be included in the play list.  
      In the example of  FIG. 6 , the artist has elected to play only music performed by artist  1  and artist  3  within “new age” genre. Next, the user selects the appropriate navigation control to advance to the next genre screen (see  FIG. 7 ) where all of the artists associated with the “soft rock” genre are presented. From the screen set forth in  FIG. 7 , the user is given the option of selecting one or more artists associated with “soft rock” genre. Although the detail steps associated with the artist&#39;s filter are shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , one skilled in the art can readily recognize that these same filter techniques can be associated with any number of categories associated with genre such as album title, song title, and the like.  
      In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 4-7 , soft key labels are shown associated with the selection of filter fields  50  and “genre” navigation. The use of soft key labels is often desirable because they allow a fixed number of user interface control switches to be used in various contexts depending on the information presented on the currently displayed screen.  
      After the “genre” selections are made and the appropriate filters (if any) are applied by the user, the user presses the “play” button and the microprocessor  32  sequentially retrieves the songs from music database  32  and outputs them to output device  42  if they fall within the selected genre and meet the requirements established by the user selected filters (if any).  
      Now referring to  FIG. 8 , in an embodiment of the method of the present invention, the user interface controls  40  are monitored by microprocessor  32  to determine if the user has selected a first level classification category  52 . If the user has not yet selected a first level classification category, the software routine simply loops back upon itself  54  to continually monitor the user selection  52 . Once the user has selected a first level classification category  56 , the user is then presented with a single screen (see  FIG. 5 ) which displays one or more selection options within the first level classification category and also one or more filters  57 . If the user makes one or more selections within the first level classification category without electing to apply one or more filters  50 , then the device  30  proceeds  60  to play all of the songs encompassed by the selections made in step  58  without any further prompting of the user  62 . On the other hand, if the user has made one or more selections within the first level classification category and has also elected to apply one or more filters  50  to the selections, then path  64  is followed and the filters are applied (step  66 ) to the specific selections made in step  58 .  
      After procedure  66  is complete, a playlist is compiled  69  of all songs that fall within a specific selection made in  58  and that satisfy the filters applied in step  66 . The filter criteria can be couched in the positive or negative. Specifically, the user may elect to apply a filter that allows (positive filter) all songs to be played that meet a certain filter criteria or a filter can be applied that it prevents (negative filter) from playing if they meet the filter criteria. Lastly, in block  70 , all of the songs compiled in the playlist of step  69  are played.  
      Having described the embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various modifications or additions may be made to the embodiments chosen here to illustrate the present invention, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that subject matter sought to be afforded protected hereby shall be deemed to extend to the subject matter defined in the appended claims, including all fair equivalents thereof.