Apparatus for disseminating a series of episodes represented by media files as the episodes become available

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Apparatus for disseminating a series of episodes represented by media files via the Internet as said episodes become available, said apparatus comprising:
 one or more data storage servers,   one or more communication interfaces connected to the Internet for receiving requests received from remotely located client devices, and for responding to each given one of said requests by downloading a data file identified by a URL specified by said given one of said requests to the requesting client device,   one or more processors coupled to said one or more data storage servers and to said one or more communications interfaces for:
 storing one or more media files representing each episode as said one or more media files become available, each of said one or more media files including a compressed audio recording and each being stored at a storage location specified by a unique episode URL; 
 storing attribute data describing currently available episodes in said series of episodes in said one or more data storage servers, said attribute data describing each given one of said currently available episodes including:
 (a) displayable text describing said given one of said currently available episodes, 
 (b) an identification of the series of episodes to which said given one of said available episodes belongs, and 
 (c) one or more episode URLs specifying the storage locations of one or more corresponding media files representing said given one of said episodes; 
 
 from time to time, as new episodes in said series of episodes become available, processing said attribute data in said one or more data storage server to generate a compilation file containing attribute data describing currently available episodes in said series of episodes, and 
 employing one of said one or more communication interfaces to:
 (1) receive a request via the Internet specifying said predetermined URL from a requesting client device for the updated version of said compilation file, 
 (2) download said updated version of said compilation file via the Internet to said requesting client device, and 
 (3) thereafter receive and respond to a request from said requesting client device for one or more media files identified by one or more corresponding episode URLs included in the attribute data contained in said updated version of said compilation file. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus for disseminating a series of episodes represented by media files via the Internet as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 1  wherein at least some of said one or more media files represent advertisements and wherein said one or more processors employ one or more of said communications interfaces to download one or more of said media files representing advertisements to said requesting client device. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus for disseminating a series of episodes represented by media files via the Internet as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said compilation file further contains one or more advertisement URLs specifying the storage location of media files representing advertisements that are reproduced by said requesting client device. 
     
     
         4 . Apparatus for disseminating a series of episodes represented by media files via the Internet as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said attribute data describing each given one of said currently available episodes further specifies the position of said given episode within said series of episodes. 
     
     
         5 . Apparatus for disseminating a series of episodes represented by media files via the Internet as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 4  wherein at least some of said one or more media files represent advertisements and wherein said one or more processors employ one or more of said communications interfaces to download one or more of said media files representing advertisements to said requesting client device. 
     
     
         6 . Apparatus for distributing a serialized sequence of episodes as said episodes become available, said apparatus comprising, in combination:
 one or more data storage servers for storing:
 a plurality of media files each representing an episode in a serialized sequence of episodes and each containing a compressed audio recording, and 
 a database containing attribute data describing each episode in said serialized sequence of episodes, said attribute data including a displayable text description of each of said episodes, an identification of the serialized sequence of episodes to which each of said episodes belongs, and a URL identifying each of said media files, 
   one or more communications interfaces for receiving data requests from remote client devices and transmitting data files to said remote client devices in response to said requests,   one or more processors coupled to said one or more data storage servers and to said one or more communications interfaces for:
 processing said attribute data in said database from time to time as new episodes in said serialized sequence become available to generate an updated compilation file that describes the currently available episodes in said serialized sequence, said compilation file including a displayable text description of each of said currently available episodes and a URL identifying each media file representing each of said currently available episodes, 
 responding to a compilation file request specifying a predetermined compilation file URL by transmitting the updated compilation file that describes the currently available episodes in said serialized sequence to the remote client device requesting said updated compilation file, 
 responding to each media file request specifying the URL of a given one of said media files by transmitting said given one of said media files to the remote client device requesting said given one of said media files. 
   
     
     
         7 . Apparatus for distributing a serialized sequence of episodes as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 6  wherein said one or more data storage servers further store media files representing advertisements and wherein said one or more processors employ one or more of said communications interfaces to download one or more of said media files representing advertisements to one or more of said remote client devices. 
     
     
         8 . Apparatus for distributing a serialized sequence of episodes as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 6  wherein said updated compilation file further includes one or more advertisement URLs identifying one or more media files representing advertisements that can be retrieved and reproduced by said remote client device requesting said updated compilation file. 
     
     
         9 . Apparatus for distributing a serialized sequence of episodes as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 6  wherein said plurality of media files stored in said data storage server represent episodes in a plurality of serialized sequences of episodes and wherein said attribute data contained in said database includes, for each given one of said currently available episodes, an identifier specifying the serialized sequence of episodes to which said given episode belongs. 
     
     
         10 . Apparatus for distributing a serialized sequence of episodes as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 9  wherein said attribute data describing each given one of said currently available episodes further specifies the position of said given episode within the serialized sequence of episodes to which said given episode belongs. 
     
     
         11 . Apparatus for distributing a serialized sequence of episodes as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 10  wherein said one or more data storage servers further store media files representing advertisements and wherein said one or more processors employ one or more of said communications interfaces to download one or more of said media files representing advertisements to one or more of said remote client devices. 
     
     
         12 . Apparatus for distributing a serialized sequence of episodes as said episodes become available as set forth in  claim 10  wherein said updated compilation file further includes one or more advertisement URLs identifying one or more media files representing advertisements that can be retrieved and reproduced said remote client device requesting said updated compilation file.