Pacing content
AssigneeAudible, Inc.
InventorsDouglas C. Hwang, Ajay Arora, Douglas S. Goldstein, Shirley C. Yang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Users may have a set duration during which they may consume content, or they may have a variable duration during which they may consume content. A content pacing service is disclosed so that a portion of an item of content may be conveyed in the set duration during which a user is to consume the content. In one embodiment, the rate at which the content is conveyed is increased or decreased so that a reference point in the item of content (e.g., the end of a chapter in an audiobook) is reached approximately when the duration of the user's content consumption ends.
Claims31
A system for pacing an audiobook, the system comprising:
- an electronic data store configured to store the audiobook;
- and
- a computing device in communication with the electronic data store, the computing device configured to:
- determine a convey duration, the convey duration representing an amount of time a user has to consume the audiobook;
- determine the user's range of preferred convey rates;
- select a portion of the audiobook;
- determine a base duration of the portion of the audiobook, the base duration comprising an amount of time over which the portion of the audiobook is currently set to be conveyed to the user;
- generate a new convey rate for the portion of the audiobook based at least in part on the base duration of the portion of the audiobook and the convey duration;
- and
- if the new convey rate is within the user's range of preferred convey rates, convey the portion of the audiobook substantially at the new convey rate.
A computer-implemented method for pacing an item of content, the computer-implemented method comprising:
- under control of one or more computing devices configured with specific computer-executable instructions,
- determining a convey duration, the convey duration representing an amount of time a user has to consume the item of content;
- determining the user's position in the item of content;
- selecting a reference point in the item of content following the user's position in the item of content;
- determining a base duration of a portion of the item of content between the user's position in the item of content and the selected reference point, the base duration comprising an amount of time over which the portion of the audiobook is currently set to be conveyed to the user;
- generating, based at least in part on the convey duration and the base duration, a convey rate;
- and
- conveying the portion of the item of content at the generated convey rate.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-executable module for pacing conveyance of an item of content, the computer-executable module comprising:
- a content pacing module configured to:
- obtain a convey duration representing an amount of time during which an item of content comprising one or more reference points is to be consumed at least in part;
- identify a user's position in the item of content;
- select a reference point in the item of content;
- set a first convey rate that causes the reference point in the item of content to be reached during the convey duration;
- and
- convey, at the first convey rate, a portion of the item of content between the user's position in the item of content and the selected reference point.
A computer-implemented method for recommending paced content, the computer-implemented method comprising:
- under control of one or more computing devices configured with specific computer-executable instructions,
- receiving a request for a recommendation of content to be consumed during a convey duration by a user;
- determining the user's slowest preferred convey rate;
- determining the user's fastest preferred convey rate;
- determining a preferred base duration range based at least in part on the user's slowest preferred convey rate, the user's fastest preferred convey rate, and the convey duration;
- identifying, in an item of content, one or more portions having a total base duration substantially within the preferred base duration range;
- generating a recommendation for the identified one or more portions of the item of content;
- and
- providing the recommendation to the user.
A system for pacing content, the system comprising:
- an electronic data store configured to store one or more items of content;
- and
- a computing device in communication with the electronic data store, the computing device configured to:
- determine a convey duration during which an item of content is to be conveyed at least in part to a user;
- receive a selection of a portion of the item of content having a base duration, the base duration comprising an amount of time over which the portion of the item of content is currently set to be conveyed;
- generate a new convey rate based at least in part on the convey duration and the base duration of the selected portion of the item of content;
- and
- convey the selected portion of the item of content at the new convey rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.