System for creating and rendering synchronized audio and visual programming defined by a markup language text file

Abstract

An audio program and message distribution system in which a host system organizes and transmits program segments to client subscriber locations. The host organizes the program segments by subject matter and creates scheduled programming in accordance with preferences associated with each subscriber. Program segments are associated with descriptive subject matter segments, and the subject matter segments may be used to generate both text and audio cataloging presentations to enable the user to more easily identify and select desirable programming. A playback unit at the subscriber location reproduces the program segments received from the host and includes mechanisms for interactively navigating among the program segments. A usage log is compiled to record the subscriber's use of the provided program materials, to return data to the host for billing, to adaptively modify the subscriber's preferences based on actual usage, and to send subscriber-generated comments and requests to the host for processing. Voice input and control mechanisms included in the player allow the user to perform hands-free navigation of the program materials and to dictate comments and messages which are returned to the host for retransmission to other subscribers. The program segments sent to each subscriber may include advertising materials which the user can selectively play to obtain credits against the subscriber fee. Parallel audio and text transcript files for at least selected programming enable subject matter searching and synchronization of the audio and text files. Speech synthesis may be used to convert transcript files into audio format. Image files may also be transmitted from the server for synchronized playback with the audio programming.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a Division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 782,546 filed on Feb. 13, 2001 which is a Division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 724,813 filed on Oct. 2, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,076. This application claims the benefit of the filing date of both of the above identified applications. The disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08 / 724,813 and 09 / 782,546, and of U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,076, are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to electronic information distribution systems and more particularly to a system for dynamically and interactively selecting and playing particular programs from a program library. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The three dominant commercial systems for providing audio programming to a listeners are broadcast radio systems, cassette tape playback systems and compact disk playback systems. [0004] Broadcast radio uses both...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] to listen to only predetermined highlight passages in any program segment, thereby more rapidly reviewing the highlights only of a program segment with the ability to commence normal playing at any point where the highlight passage reveals information which the listener desires to hear in more detail;

[0016] As contemplated by the invention, the player subsystem includes a control mechanism responsive to commands received from a listener to dynamically alter the sequence and content of the programming material actually presented. More specifically, the player may advantageously incorporate means for skipping the remaining content of any program being played at any time, or returning to the beginning of a particular subject to replay its content. Each given program segment is preferably preceded by a topic description segment, and the program skipping mechanism is the player is preferably adapted to automatically skip to the next topic description, bypassing the intervening program content, whenever a skip command is receive when a topic description is being played. Similarly, related topics (program segments) are sequentially grouped together by subject category, and a subject description program segment advantageously precedes each subject collection. When the user issues a skip command at the time a subject description is playing, the player automatically skips all of the program segments (topics) within the described subject and continues by playing the next subject description. In this way, the listener can rapidly skim through subject categories, one at a time, until a desired subject is reached, and then allow the player to play topic descriptions one at a time until a desired topic (program segment) is reached.

[0017] In accordance with still another feature of the invention, means are employed for identifying one or more discrete passages within any program segment as being a “highlight,” and the player incorporates means operative when the player is placed in a “play highlights” mode for skipping those portions of the content which are not highlights, thus enabling the listener to review only the key points of a presentation, or to more rapidly locate particular passages on interest within the body of a particular program segment.

[0018] According to yet another feature found in the preferred embodiment of the invention, a designated portion of a program segment may be designated as a hyperlink anchor from which, at the request of the user, the player jumps to another portion of the session sequence and begin playing a different sequence of program segments. Means are advantageously employed for generating an audible cue signal to inform the listener that a hyperlink anchor is being played, enabling the listener to request that the link be executed. The hyperlink capability may be used to advantage to implement cross references to related information, or to provide an audible menu of alternative programming which the user may select merely by executing the link when the anchor passage identifies other information of interest to the listener. In the preferred embodiment, a stack mechanism is used to allow hyperlinks to be called in nested fashion, so that a hyperlink may be executed from a linked program segment, with each “return” command from the user causing play to be resumed at the program segment from which the last link was performed.

[0019] As contemplated by still another aspect of the invention, the player subsystem includes means for identifying a program segment, or a particular passage within a program segment, as a bookmarked item for ease of reference later. In addition, the player system incorporates means for accepting a dictated annotation from the user which associated with any bookmarked passage. This annotation mechanism may be used to particular advantage when the program segments provided to the subscriber include email or voice mail messages, since the bookmarking may be used to identify specific messages, or portions thereof, which require later attention, and the annotation mechanism provides a convenient mechanism for dictating replies and / or specifying actions to be take in response to particular messages or portions thereof.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, since most broadcast stations attempting to appeal to the same general listening audience, much of the programming is duplicative and special interest programs are broadcast on a limited basis.

In addition, because there is no convenient way for listeners to be aware of the wide variety of materials scheduled for broadcast, most people listen to only a limited number of stations which dependably broadcast the programming considered to be most acceptable.

Unfortunately, specialized information programming, unlike music, is largely unavailable on tape or disk, and that media is not capable of adequately conveying rapidly evolving information such as local and world news, weather reports, and rapidly changing trade and business information.

Although broadcast radio provides adequate, up to the minute coverage of general news topics, specialized information continues to be largely unavailable on any of these three audio delivery systems, not withstanding the fact that radio, tape and CD players continue to be widely used, particularly in automobiles, for general news and music programming.

Although Internet radio systems make it possible to deliver a richly diverse selection of audio programs to interested listeners on request, including specialized information not offered by conventional broadcast media, the use of a visual web browser to search for and then play individual program selections one at a time makes conventional Internet radio players impractical for routine desktop use, and wholly unsuitable for use by an automobile drive.

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