Audio player using audible prompts for playback selection

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.

1 . An audio recording player comprising:
 a digital memory for storing a plurality of audio recordings and a plurality of spoken program announcements each of which describes or identifies the content of a corresponding one of said audio recordings,   a playback controller for reproducing a sequence of said spoken program announcements in audible form perceptible to a listener and, in response to a program selection command accepted from said listener during the reproduction of a given one of said spoken program announcements, for initiating the reproduction of the particular one of said audio recordings whose content is described by said given one of said spoken program announcements.   
     
     
         2 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 1  wherein said digital memory further stores a plurality of spoken category announcements each of which describes a collection of said audio recordings and wherein said playback controller reproduces a sequence of said spoken category announcements and responds to a category selection command accepted from said listener during the reproduction of a given one of said spoken category announcements by initiating the reproduction of the collection of said audio recordings described by said given one of said spoken category announcements. 
     
     
         3 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 2  wherein said playback controller reproduces said a sequence of said spoken program announcements one at a time in response to program announcement selection commands accepted from said listener. 
     
     
         4 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 3  wherein said playback controller reproduces said a sequence of said spoken category announcements one at a time in response to category announcement selection commands accepted from said listener. 
     
     
         5 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 2  further including a communications port coupled to said digital memory for receiving said audio recordings, said spoken program announcements, and said spoken group announcements from an external server computer. 
     
     
         6 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 5  wherein said external server computer stores text data describing each of said audio recordings and each collection of audio recordings, and wherein said spoken program announcements and said spoken category announcements are created by employing speech synthesis to convert said text data into spoken audio recordings stored in said digital memory. 
     
     
         7 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 2  further including a communications port for coupling said audio recording player to a local server computer, said local server computer being in turn coupled via the Internet to a remotely located Internet server computer that stores a library of available audio recordings and descriptive text data describing said audio recordings that are selectively transferred to said local server computer via the Internet and thereafter transferred to said digital memory in said portable audio player. 
     
     
         8 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 7  wherein said text data is translated into said spoken program announcements that are transferred to said digital memory in said portable audio player from said local server computer. 
     
     
         9 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 2  wherein playback controller enables said listener to quickly locate a category of interest by skipping from spoken category announcement to spoken category announcement in said sequence of spoken category announcements until a spoken category announcement describing said category of interest is reproduced. 
     
     
         10 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 9  wherein playback controller enables said listener to quickly locate an audio recording of interest by skipping from spoken program announcement to spoken program announcement in said sequence of spoken program announcements until a spoken program announcement describing said audio recording of interest is reproduced. 
     
     
         11 . The audio recording player set forth in  claim 2  wherein said digital memory further stores at least one sequencing file containing data specifying an ordered sequence of said audio recordings, and wherein said playback controller reproduces a succession of said audio recordings in said ordered sequence specified by said sequencing file in the absence of a program selection command from said listener, and for discontinuing the reproduction of the currently playing audio recording and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of a listener-selected one of said audio recordings in said ordered sequence in response to a program selection command from said listener. 
     
     
         12 . A portable audio program player for storing and reproducing a collection of audio recording files using simple manual playback controls that allow a listener to dynamically and interactively select a desired recording file for playback from said collection in an easy and intuitive way without the need to refer to a visual display screen, said portable audio program player comprising:
 a mass storage unit,   a communications port for receiving digital data from an external source and for storing said digital data in said mass storage unit, said digital data received via said communications port including a plurality of separate audio recording files, a plurality of spoken announcement recordings each of which describes the content of one of said audio recording files, and at least one playback session scheduling file that specifies an ordered sequence of a collection of said separate audio recording files,   an audio output unit for reproducing selected ones of said audio recording files and selected ones of said spoken announcement recordings in audible form perceptible to a listener,   playback controls for accepting playback selection commands from said listener, and   a processor coupled to said mass storage unit, to said audio output unit and to said playback controls for:
 reproducing a sequence of said spoken announcement recordings, 
 accepting a playback selection command from said listener when a given one of said spoken program announcement recordings is being reproduced, and 
 initiating the reproduction the particular audio recording file whose content is described by said given one of said spoken announcement recordings and thereafter continuing the sequential reproduction of said audio recording files in the ordered sequence specified by said playback session scheduling file in the absence of a further playback selection command from said listener. 
   
     
     
         13 . The portable audio program player set forth in  claim 12  wherein said processor further:
 responds to a skip forward playback selection command by discontinuing the reproduction of said currently playing audio recording file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of that audio recording file which follows said currently playing audio recording file in said ordered sequence specified by said playback session scheduling file,   responding to a skip backward playback selection command accepted from said listener at a time when said currently playing audio recording file has played for at least a predetermined amount of time by discontinuing the reproduction of said currently playing audio recording file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of said currently playing audio recording file,   responding to a skip backward playback selection command accepted from said listener at a time when said currently playing audio recording file has not yet played for said predetermined amount of time for discontinuing the reproduction of the currently playing audio recording file and instead continuing the reproduction at the beginning of audio recording file which precedes said currently playing audio recording file in said ordered sequence specified by said playback session scheduling file.   
     
     
         14 . The portable audio program player set forth in  claim 12  wherein said external source is a local server computer server computer which is in turn connected via the Internet to a remotely located host server computer that stores a library of available audio program files that may be selectively transmitted on request to said local server computer via the Internet and thereafter transferred to said mass storage unit in said portable audio player before said portable audio program player is disconnected from said local server computer. 
     
     
         15 . The audio program player as set forth in  claim 12  wherein each audio recording file in said collection of audio recording files specified by said playback session scheduling file is selected by said external source in accordance with preference data indicating the interests of said listener to thereby define the content of a playback session that is personalized to match the preferences of said listener. 
     
     
         16 . The portable audio program player set forth in  claim 11  wherein said processor employs said audio output unit for reproducing an audible menu consisting of a sequence of recorded spoken category announcements each of which describe or identify a group of said audio recording files and wherein said processor accepts a playback selection command from the listener when a given one of said recorded spoken category announcements is being reproduced to initiate the playback of the group of audio recording files described or identified by said given one of said spoken category announcements. 
     
     
         17 . A portable audio player comprising, in combination,
 a digital memory for storing a plurality of audio program files and a plurality of audio program announcement recordings each of which describes or identifies the content of one of said audio program files,   an audio output unit including at least one speaker or headset for reproducing selected ones of said audio program files and selected ones of said audio program announcement recordings in audible form perceptible to a listener,   one or more manual controls for accepting commands from said listener, and   a processor coupled to said digital memory and to said audio output unit for reproducing a sequence of said audio program announcement recordings in response to one or more announcement selection commands accepted from said listener, and for initiating the reproduction of a given one of said audio program files in response to a program selection command accepted from said listener during or immediately after the reproduction of that audio program announcement recording which describes or identifies the content of said given one of said audio program files.   
     
     
         18 . A portable audio player as set forth in  claim 17  wherein said digital memory further stores a plurality of audio group announcement recordings each of which describes a group of audio program files and wherein said processor reproduces a sequence of said audio group announcement recordings and responds to a group selection command accepted from said listener during the reproduction of a given one of said audio group announcement recordings by initiating the reproduction of that group of audio program files that is described by said given one of said audio group announcement recordings. 
     
     
         19 . A portable audio player as set forth in  claim 18  wherein said processor responds to a skip forward group announcement selection command from said listener by reproducing the next audio group announcement recording in said sequence of audio group announcement recordings. 
     
     
         20 . A portable audio player as set forth in  claim 19  wherein said processor responds to a skip backward group announcement selection command from said listener by reproducing the audio group announcement recording that precedes the audio group announcement recording currently reproduced in said sequence of audio group announcement recordings. 
     
     
         21 . A portable audio player as set forth in  claim 20  wherein said processor responds to a skip forward program selection command accepted from said listener by initiating the reproduction of the next audio program announcement recording that follows the audio program announcement recording currently being reproduced in said sequence of audio program announcement recordings. 
     
     
         22 . A portable audio player as set forth in  claim 21  wherein said processor responds to a skip backward program selection command accepted from said listener by initiating the reproduction of that audio program announcement recording that precedes the audio program announcement recording currently being reproduced in said sequence of audio program announcement recordings. 
     
     
         23 . A portable audio player as set forth in  claim 17  wherein said audio program announcement recordings are created by employing speech synthesis to convert text data describing said audio program files into said audio program announcement recordings and wherein said audio group announcement recordings are created by employing speech synthesis to convert text data describing said groups of audio program files into said audio group announcement recordings. 
     
     
         24 . A portable audio player as set forth in  claim 17  wherein said digital memory further stores a plurality of program group announcements each of which describes or identifies corresponding group of said audio recording files, wherein said playback controller reproduces an audible menu comprising a sequence of said program group announcements, and wherein said playback controller responds to a command accepted from said listener during or immediately after the reproduction of a given one of said program group announcements by reproducing the group of audio recording files that is described by said given one of said program group announcements.