Microsoft patents auto playlist generator

United States Patent 6,987,221

Platt January 17, 2006

Auto playlist generation with multiple seed songs

Abstract
The present invention relates to systems and/or methods that generate playlist(s) for a library or collection of media items via selecting a plurality of seed items, at least one of which is an undesirable seed item. Some of the seed items are desirable indicating that a user prefers additional media items similar to the desirable seed items and others are undesirable indicating that the user prefers additional media items dissimilar to the undesirable seed items. Additionally, the seed items can be weighted to establish a relative importance of the seed items. The invention compares media items in the collection with the seed items and determines which media items are added into the playlist by computation of similarity metrics or values. The playlist can be regenerated by adding desirable seed items to the playlist and removing media items from the playlist (e.g., undesirable seed items).

Inventors: Platt; John C. (Bellevue, WA)

Assignee: Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA)

Appl. No.: 158674

Filed: May 30, 2002

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