초록 ▼

A media playlist is generated from a set of two or more seed media selections as well as the desired number of selections in the playlist. The seed selections represent waypoints in "media space". A playlist is generated by finding a path of "stepping stone" selections between the waypoints, with t

A media playlist is generated from a set of two or more seed media selections as well as the desired number of selections in the playlist. The seed selections represent waypoints in "media space". A playlist is generated by finding a path of "stepping stone" selections between the waypoints, with the constraints that no selection is presented more than once and the maximum distance between stepping stones is minimized. In one embodiment, an "endless" playlist by adding a final path from the last playlist selection back to a selection that is nearest the first selection, but has not been presented yet. In still another embodiment, a separate set of "avoid" selections is maintained. When generating the playlist, given a set of paths that meet the aforementioned path generation constraints, paths will be selected that maximize the distance from the set of "avoid" selections.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A method for generating a media playlist from a group of media selections, comprising: (a) receiving a set of two or more waypoint media selections in the group and a presentation order of the two or more waypoint media selections; (b) determining, using a computer, a distanc

What is claimed is: 1. A method for generating a media playlist from a group of media selections, comprising: (a) receiving a set of two or more waypoint media selections in the group and a presentation order of the two or more waypoint media selections; (b) determining, using a computer, a distance between each pair of media selections in the group, which distance represents a degree of similarity between that pair of media selections; (c) for a waypoint segment comprising a pair of adjacent waypoint media selections in the presentation order, generating, using the computer, a waypoint set by adding at least one media selection to the presentation order between the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections, wherein the waypoint set comprises the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections and the at least one media selection, wherein adding the at least one media selection is with constraints that no media selection is presented more than once in the presentation order and a maximum distance between adjacent media selections in the presentation order in the waypoint set is minimized; and (d) adding the waypoint set determined in step (c) to the playlist. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising computing a minimum spanning tree for a graph representing the group of media selections in which each graph vertex is a media selection in the group and each graph edge between two graph vertices is a distance between two media selections that correspond to the two graph vertices and the edge weight is a value of that distance. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein in step (c) generating the waypoint set by adding at least one media selection comprises generating the waypoint set by traversing the minimum spanning tree from a first waypoint media selection in the waypoint segment to a second waypoint media selection in the waypoint segment and adding all media selections encountered during the traversal to the waypoint set. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein step (c) further comprises: (c1) adding media selections to the waypoint set when a number of media selections in the waypoint set is less than a predetermined number. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein adding the media selections comprises choosing a media selection in the waypoint set in a random manner, determining a new media selection from the group that has a smallest distance from the randomly chosen media selection and that is not already in the waypoint set and adding the new media selection to the waypoint set. 6. The method of claim 3 wherein step (c) the further comprises: (c1) deleting media selections from the waypoint set when a number of media selections in the waypoint set is greater than a predetermined number. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein deleting the media selections comprises choosing a media selection in the waypoint set that will leave a smallest gap between preceding and following selections when removed and removing the media selection from the waypoint set. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the media selections are music selections and step (b) comprises determining a distance between each pair of media selections in the group by using a distance metric comprising one of the group consisting of spectral distance, rhythm distance, timbral distance, Erdos number and influence distance. 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: (e) choosing a new selection that is close to a first selection in the waypoint selection set; and (f) repeating steps (b), (c) and (d) in order to generate a new playlist. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: (e) designating an avoidance set of media selections which are to be avoided; and (f) repeating steps (b), (c) and (d) with the constraint that media selections in the avoidance set cannot be included in the playlist. 11. Apparatus for generating a media playlist from a group of media selections, comprising: memory having instructions when executed by a processor comprise functionality to receive a set of two or more waypoint media selections in the group and a presentation order of the two or more waypoint media selections; a mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections in the group, which distance represents a degree of similarity between that pair of media selections; a waypoint segment selection generator that, for a waypoint segment comprising a pair of adjacent waypoint media selections in the presentation order, generates a waypoint set by adding at least one media selection to the presentation order between the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections, wherein the waypoint set comprises the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections and the at least one media selection, wherein adding the at least one media selection is with constraints that no media selection is presented more than once in the presentation order and a maximum distance between adjacent media selections in the presentation order in the waypoint set is minimized; and a selection accumulator that adds the waypoint set determined by the waypoint segment selection generator to the playlist. 12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a mechanism that computes a minimum spanning tree for a graph representing the group of media selections in which each graph vertex is a media selection in the group and each graph edge between two graph vertices is a distance between two media selections that correspond to the two graph vertices and the edge weight is a value of that distance. 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein in the waypoint segment selection generator, generating the waypoint set by adding at least one media selection is by a mechanism that generates the waypoint set by traversing the minimum spanning tree from a first waypoint media selection in the waypoint segment to a second waypoint media selection in the waypoint segment and a mechanism that adds all media selections encountered during the traversal to the waypoint set. 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the waypoint segment selection generator further comprises: a selection adder/deleter that adds media selections to the waypoint set when the number of media selections in the waypoint set is less than a predetermined number. 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the selection adder/deleter comprises a mechanism that chooses a media selection in the waypoint set in a random manner, determines a new media selection from the group that has a smallest distance from the randomly chosen media selection and that is not already in the waypoint set and adds the new media selection to the waypoint set. 16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the waypoint segment selection generator further comprises: a selection adder/deleter that deletes media selections from the waypoint set when the number of media selections in the waypoint set is greater than a predetermined number. 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the selection adder/deleter comprises a mechanism that chooses a media selection in the waypoint set that will leave a smallest gap between preceding and following media selections when removed and that removes the media selection from the waypoint set. 18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the media selections are music selections and the mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections comprises a mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections in the group by using a distance metric comprising one of the group consisting of spectral distance, rhythm distance, timbral distance, Erdos number and influence distance. 19. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising: a mechanism that chooses a new selection that is close to a first selection in the waypoint selection set; and a mechanism that generates a new playlist from the new selection using the mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections, the waypoint segment selection generator and the selection accumulator. 20. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising: a user interface that designates an avoidance set of media selections which are to be avoided; a mechanism that generates a new playlist from the new selection using the mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections, the waypoint segment selection generator and the selection accumulator with the constraint that media selections in the avoidance set cannot be included in the playlist. 21. A computer program product for generating a media playlist from a group of media selections, comprising a computer readable medium for storing computer readable program code thereon including: program code for receiving a set of two or more waypoint media selections in the group and a presentation order of the two or more waypoint media selections; program code for determining a distance between each pair of media selections in the group, which distance represents a degree of similarity between that pair of media selections; program code, for a waypoint segment comprising a pair of adjacent waypoint media selections in the presentation order, for generating a waypoint set by adding at least one media selection to the presentation order between the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections, wherein the waypoint set comprises the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections and the at least one media selection, wherein adding the at least one media selection is with constraints that no media selection is presented more than once in the presentation order and a maximum distance between adjacent media selections in the presentation order in the waypoint set is minimized; and program code for adding the waypoint set to the playlist. 22. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising program code for computing a minimum spanning tree for a graph representing the group of media selections in which each graph vertex is a media selection in the group and each graph edge between two graph vertices is a distance between two media selections that correspond to the two graph vertices and the edge weight is a value of that distance. 23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein in the program code for generating the waypoint set, adding at least one media selection is by traversing the minimum spanning tree from a first waypoint media selection in the waypoint segment to a second waypoint media selection in the waypoint segment and adding all media selections encountered during the traversal to the waypoint set. 24. The computer program product of claim 23 where in the program code for generating the waypoint set comprises program code for adding media selections to the waypoint set when a number of media selections in the waypoint set is less than a predetermined number. 25. The computer program product of claim 24 wherein the program code for adding media selections to the waypoint set comprises program code for choosing a media selection in the waypoint set in a random manner, program code for determining a new media selection that has a smallest distance from the randomly chosen media selection and that is not already in the waypoint set and program code for adding the new media selection to the waypoint set. 26. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein the program code for generating the waypoint set comprises program code for deleting media selections from the waypoint set when a number of media selections in the waypoint set is greater than a predetermined number. 27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the program code for deleting media selections from the waypoint set comprises program code for choosing a media selection in the waypoint set that will leave a smallest gap between preceding and following media selections when removed and program code for removing the media selection from the waypoint set. 28. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the media selections are music selections and the program code for determining a distance between each pair of media selections comprises program code for determining a distance between each pair of media selections in the group by using a distance metric comprising one of the group consisting of spectral distance, rhythm distance, timbral distance, Erdos number and influence distance. 29. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising: program code for choosing a new selection that is close to a first selection in the waypoint selection set; and program code for generating a new playlist from the new selection using the mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections, the waypoint segment selection generator and the selection accumulator. 30. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising: program code for designating an avoidance set of media selections which are to be avoided; and program code for generating a new playlist from the new selection using the mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections, the waypoint segment selection generator and the selection accumulator with the constraint that media selections in the avoidance set cannot be included in the playlist.