Patents Assigned to Pandora Media, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8306976
    Abstract: Systems and methods of generating and modifying a playlist using contextual information are disclosed. For example, a user may provide an input seed such as a song name or artist name. The input seed is compared to database items and a playlist is generated as a result. In some examples, the contextual information is used to enhance the comparison and to select better content objects for a user's playlist. Meanwhile, in some examples the content objects in the playlist may be arranged in an enhanced order using ranking and/or contextual information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Pandora Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Etienne F. Handman, Thomas J. Conrad, Joseph J. Kennedy, Timothy B. Westergren
  • Publication number: 20110213769
    Abstract: Systems and methods of generating and modifying a playlist using contextual information are disclosed. For example, a user may provide an input seed such as a song name or artist name. The input seed is compared to database items and a playlist is generated as a result. In some examples, the contextual information is used to enhance the comparison and to select better content objects for a user's playlist. Meanwhile, in some examples the content objects in the playlist may be arranged in an enhanced order using ranking and/or contextual information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: PANDORA MEDIA, INC.
    Inventors: Etienne F. Handman, Thomas J. Conrad, Joseph J. Kennedy, Timothy B. Westergren
  • Patent number: 7962482
    Abstract: Systems and methods of generating and modifying a playlist using contextual information are disclosed. For example, a user may provide an input seed such as a song name or artist name. The input seed is compared to database items and a playlist is generated as a result. In some examples, the contextual information is used to enhance the comparison and to select better content objects for a user's playlist. Meanwhile, in some examples the content objects in the playlist may be arranged in an enhanced order using ranking and/or contextual information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Pandora Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Etienne F. Handman, Thomas J. Conrad, Joseph J. Kennedy, Timothy B. Westergren
  • Publication number: 20060212444
    Abstract: Systems and methods of generating and modifying a playlist using contextual information are disclosed. For example, a user may provide an input seed such as a song name or artist name. The input seed is compared to database items and a playlist is generated as a result. In some examples, the contextual information is used to enhance the comparison and to select better content objects for a user's playlist. Meanwhile, in some examples the content objects in the playlist may be arranged in an enhanced order using ranking and/or contextual information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Applicant: Pandora Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Etienne Handman, Thomas Conrad, Joseph Kennedy, Timothy Westergren
  • Publication number: 20060212442
    Abstract: Methods of presenting and providing content to a user are disclosed. For example, a user may provide an input seed such as a song name or artist name. The input seed is compared to database items and a playlist is generated as a result. The playlist has an identifier corresponding to one of the database items. A first graphic element associated with the input seed is displayed. A second graphic element associated with the identifier is displayed. As another example, a plurality of database items are compared and a playlist is generated as a result. The playlist has a first identifier corresponding to a first database item. A first graphic element associated with the first identifier is displayed. A first content object corresponding to the first identifier is provided to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Applicant: Pandora Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Conrad, Daniel Lythcott-Haims, Neil Mix, Joseph Kennedy, Etienne Handman, Timothy Westergren
  • Publication number: 20060206478
    Abstract: Methods of generating a playlist for a user are disclosed. For example, an input seed from the user associated with one or more items in a database is received. The input seed may be a song name or artist name. Characteristics that correspond to the input seed are identified. One or more focus traits based on the characteristics are also identified. Based on the identification of the one or more focus traits, a weighting factor is assigned to at least some of the characteristics. The weighted value of the characteristics that correspond to the input seed and characteristics of items in the database are compared. Based on the comparison, items for the playlist are selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2005
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Applicant: Pandora Media, Inc.
    Inventors: William Glaser, Timothy Westergren, Etienne Handman, Thomas Conrad
  • Patent number: 7003515
    Abstract: A method of determining at least one match item corresponding to a source item. A database of multiple items such as songs is created. Each song is also represented by an n-dimensional database vector in which each element corresponding to one of n musical characteristics of the song. An n-dimensional source song vector that corresponds to the musical characteristics of a source song is determined. A Distance between the source song vector and each of database song vector is calculated, each distance being a function of the differences between the n musical characteristics of the source song vector and one of source database song vector. The calculation of the distances may include the application of a weighted factor to the musical characteristics of resulting vector. A match song is selected based on the magnitude of the distance between the source song and each database songs after applying any weighted factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Pandora Media, Inc.
    Inventors: William T. Glaser, Timothy B. Westergren, Jeffrey P. Stearns, Jonathan M. Kraft