ALTERNATE MEDIA STATION SELECTION USING SITUATIONAL PARAMETER HISTORY

摘要

A media receiver identifies attributes of a media station to which the media receiver is currently tuned. The media receiver monitors the signal quality of the media station. If the signal quality of the media station drops below a quality threshold, the receiver chooses an alternate station having similar content, and then tunes to the alternate station until the signal quality of the original station improves. When the signal quality of the original station rises above a re-tune threshold, the receiver can switch back to the original station. The receiver can monitor and record user listening patterns, station-switching patterns, and situational parameters, to identify times or locations at which station switches occur. This information can be used to select appropriate alternative stations, to perform pre-emptive station switches, and to determine when a station's content will be buffered with the expectation that a station's signal will drop below the quality threshold.

主权项

1. A method for use in a wireless receiver tuned to a first media station, the method comprising:
determining that the wireless receiver is to be tuned to an alternate media station; maintaining a history of user listening patterns associated with historical situational parameters in a memory of the wireless receiver; determining a current situational parameter using a processor included in the wireless receiver; determining whether the current situational parameters match particular historical situational parameters using a processor included in the wireless receiver; and automatically tuning the wireless receiver from the first media station to the alternate media station based, at least in part, on the user listening patterns associated with the particular historical situational parameters.