Sharing historical user preferences across wireless radio receivers

Abstract

A method includes a media services system maintaining user preference data, including historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters user preference data from a first wireless receiver in memory. The method continues with the media service system receiving current situational parameters from a second wireless receiver and comparing the situation parameters to the historical listening patterns with situation parameters from the first wireless receiver. The method continues by selecting media selection data for the second wireless receiver and then transmitting the media selection data to the second wireless receiver.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for execution by one or more processing modules of one or more computing devices of a media services system, the method comprises:
 maintaining, in memory operably associated with the media services system, user preference data, wherein the user preference data includes first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for a user and further wherein the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for the user are associated with a first wireless receiver;   receiving, by the media services system via an interface, one or more current situational parameters associated with a second wireless receiver;   comparing, by the media services system, the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver to the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters;   in response to comparing the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver to the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for the user, selecting, by the media services system, media selection data for the second wireless receiver; and   transmitting, by the media services system, the media selection data to the second wireless receiver.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprises:
 determining a hierarchical relationship for the user preference data. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the media selection data is selected based at least partially on the hierarchical relationship for the user preference data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first wireless receiver and the second wireless receiver are affiliated with each other. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first wireless receiver and the second wireless receiver are associated with the user. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first wireless receiver and the second wireless receiver are associated with different users. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , where the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver include at least one of:
 a geographic location,   a time of day,   a day of the week,   a season,   a time of year,   an operating status,   condition of vehicular systems in a vehicle, and   operating condition of a network used to communicate with a wireless receiver.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first wireless receiver is adapted for transmitting a geographic location to the media services system. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the media selection data includes at least one of:
 a station name,   a station call sign,   a broadcast frequency,   a broadcast channel type,   a broadcast stream type,   a program title,   an album title,   a song title, an artist name,   a music genre,   a duration,   a start time,   an end time,   one or more affiliated carriers, and   one or more non-affiliated station carriers.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user preference data further includes at least one of broadcast stream data, and broadcast channels data. 
     
     
         11 . A computing device comprises:
 an interface for interfacing with a network;   memory; and   a processing module operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the processing module is operable to:
 maintain in the memory, user preference data, wherein the user preference data includes first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for a user and further wherein the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for the user are associated with a first wireless receiver; 
 receive, via an interface, one or more current situational parameters associated with a second wireless receiver; 
 compare the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver to the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters; 
 in response to comparing the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver to the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for the user, select media selection data for the second wireless receiver; and 
 transmit the media selection data to the second wireless receiver. 
   
     
     
         12 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the first wireless receiver and the second wireless receiver are affiliated with each other. 
     
     
         13 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the first wireless receiver and the second wireless receiver are associated with the user. 
     
     
         14 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the first wireless receiver and the second wireless receiver are associated with different users. 
     
     
         15 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver include at least one of:
 a geographic location,   a time of day,   a day of the week,   a season,   a time of year,   an operating status,   condition of vehicular systems in a vehicle, and   operating condition of a network used to communicate with a wireless receiver.   
     
     
         16 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the first wireless receiver is adapted for transmitting a geographic location to the media services system. 
     
     
         17 . The computing device of  claim 11 , where the media selection data includes at least one of:
 a station name,   a station call sign,   a broadcast frequency,   a broadcast channel type,   a broadcast stream type,   a program title,   an album title,   a song title, an artist name,   a music genre,   a duration,   a start time,   an end time,   one or more affiliated carriers, and   one or more non-affiliated station carriers.   
     
     
         18 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the user preference data further includes at least one of broadcast stream data, and broadcast channels data. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising a computer-executable program of instructions configured for:
 maintaining user preference data, wherein the user preference data includes first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for a user and further wherein the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for the user are associated with a first wireless receiver;   receiving one or more current situational parameters associated with a second wireless receiver;   comparing the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver to the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters;   in response to comparing the one or more current situational parameters associated with the second wireless receiver to the first historical listening patterns associated with situational parameters for the user, selecting media selection data for the second wireless receiver; and   transmitting the media selection data to the second wireless receiver.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-usable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the computer-executable program of instructions further configured for:
 determining a hierarchical relationship for the user preference data; and   selecting media selection data based at least partially on the hierarchical relationship for the user preference data.