US 8258390

Patent Overview: US8258390B1

Title: System and method for dynamic, feature-based playlist generation

Patent number: US8258390B1

Assignee/Current Assignee: Google LLC (originally Google LLC; assignment records list a 2017 change of name from Google Inc.)

Key dates (as listed):

• Priority date: 2011-03-30
• Filing date: 2011-09-30
• Publication/grant date: 2012-09-04
• Anticipated expiration: 2031-03-30
• Legal status listed: Expired – Fee Related

Inventors: Rich Gossweiler, Douglas Eck, Hrishikesh Aradhye, Tomas Izo (assignment record spells "IZO, THOMAS").

Purpose: Creating playlists of media items (songs, videos) is often a tedious, highly manual process that yields static, repetitive playlists that do not change without user intervention, and users may want playlists suited to a time of day, mood, or particular length. Embodiments address this by using feature sets and received transition characteristics to generate a playlist with minimal user involvement.

Plain-language scope (from the supplied excerpt): The disclosure describes receiving a first and second feature set, each corresponding to an existing media item (e.g., derived from user-selected songs such as "Imagine" or "Candle in the Wind," or from play frequency, user-selected genres, or metadata; a feature set may also be user input such as "mellow"). Transition characteristics are received (e.g., where a playlist should transition between feature sets, how many media items from each, or an aggregate duration such as ~15 minutes). Media items matching each feature set, and both, are identified, and a playlist is generated that transitions from the first feature set to the second according to the transition characteristics. Further disclosed methods use detected context data, and receipt of a desired playlist length with dynamic selection based on playlist position.

Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US8258390](/patent/US8258390)/en

What the excerpt does not establish: It does not provide full claim language or claim count, the complete specification, the examiner's cited prior art references (only "prior art keywords" such as "feature set," "media items," "playlist" are listed), or the figures' full content. The legal status shown is expressly an assumption, not a legal conclusion. No litigation, validity, or ownership-transfer analysis is included or made.