Patent ID: 7814135

Claim:
A system for writing a playlist and listed works from a user terminal to a portable player comprising: a first processor in said user terminal; a first digital storage medium in said user terminal operatively associated with said first processor for storing a first plurality of digital audio and/or video works; a second processor in said portable player, a second digital storage medium in said portable player operatively associated with said second processor for storing a second plurality of digital audio and/or video works; a playlist identifying a plurality of digital audio and/or video works, said playlist being stored in said first digital storage medium and being executable by a user to cause said first processor to play at said user terminal one or more of the digital audio and/or video works identified in said playlist; a communications link extending between said first and second processor for writing said playlist and/or said digital audio and/or video works from said first digital storage medium to said second digital storage medium; said first and second processors automatically determining which of the digital audio and/or video works identified on said playlist are not included in said second plurality of digital works stored in said second digital storage medium, and automatically writing only copies of said digital works that are not part of said second plurality of digital works from said first digital storage medium to said second digital storage medium over said communications link; said written playlist being executable by a user to cause said second processor to play at said portable player one or more of the digital audio and/or video works identified on said written playlist; and wherein at least some of the digital audio and/or video works contained in said first plurality of digital audio and/or video works contained in said first plurality of digital audio and/or video works have one or more associated characteristics, and wherein said playlist is automatically built by said first processor in response to a selected characteristic, said playlist comprising only digital audio and/or video works having said selected characteristic.