CA2131375A1 - System for managing a plurality of computer jukeboxes - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus is shown for managing a plurality of computer jukeboxes (13) at different locations from a central station.
Each jukebox (13) includes processor means (121) for controlling the computer jukebox (13), storage and retrieval means (93) for data, display means (125) for selection menus, audio production means (127) for playing musical records, and a user interface (123) enabling patrons to communicate with the processor means. The central station (11) can be used to download musical recording data to each computer jukebox (13), and each computer jukebox (13) can upload usage data to the central station (11).

Description

W093/1~65 PCT/US93/01336 --` 213137~

BY~T~ F0~ ~a~a~IN~ A PL~R~ITY
OF CO~P~R J~R~BOX~B
.
:: This is a continuation-in-part of United States : 5 patent application S~rial No. 07/538,981, flled June ; 15, l~90.

Th~ pr~s~3nt invention relates general ly to a : : jukebox syste~, and more particularly to such a sys~em ~ncluding on~ or more c:o~puter jukeboxes that can be manag~d fro~ a remot~ location.

H~retopQre~ an a~sort~nt o~ ~u~ical re~ordings ound in a ~uk~box ~on~i~t~ ~ a plur~lity of : 15 re~o~ds, : ~ach r~cord containing a ~pecific r~cording. ~ Sraditlon~lly,, th4BB r~cord~ ~re grooved phono~rap: ~ r~cord~ ar ~ p~trcJn ~a)c~ a seles::tion, ~ha ~el~cted pbon~3r~ph r~cord is mechani cally ~e:~oYed ~rom a storage rack within the :: 20 ju}cebox, and: th~ phonograph ~Iscord is plac:ed upon rotatiJIg~pla~orm. A stylus which is ~onnect2d to a speaker syst~m is th~n placed upon the rotatin~
phs~no~raph: record " r~sulting in ~he phonograph record :~2ing pl~yed by tS~: jukebQx. For each ~: : 25 ~;el ction, a separat2 phonogr~iph racord ~ust be removed fro~ ~he storage rack in order to lbe played by the jukebQx.
Convéntional ju3ceboxes ha~e also imple~aented ~: ~ compas::t disks as means for creating an assortmant of 3 0 musical songs . Compact disks provide the improved sound ~ality made possible by digital reccJrdings.
:: The same :techni~ue, however, is used to play compactdisks. A separate compact disX corresponding to each selection must be removed from a storage rac:k :

wo 93~lu6sl 3 1 3 7 ~ PCr/US93/01336 in order for the jukebox to play the selection.
Updating conventional jukeboxes is a costly and time consuming task. Routemen must periodically travel to each jukebox location and replace the existing recordings of each jukebox with up-to-date records. The existing recordi~gs are ~ longer used by the jukebox ~nce removsd, thus making the conventiona-l met~od wasteful.
: Rou~e~en :must al~o trav~l to each jukebox location to keQp a tally of the number of times each musicaI recording is selected in order to deter~ine : royalty f~es.: It is known to proYide a jukebox w~th a counter that kseps track of th~ nu~ber of times : each ~usical ~ecor~ing is ~elected, but routemen must still trav~l to ~a~h ~ukebox location to obtain this in~or~at~on. Such a proces~ requires an exce~siv~nu~b~r of ~op}~ to Yi~it ~ukebox locatio :peri:od~a~ly~nd: visually ~d ~ e in~orm~tlon off the~ co~nt~r~vithin each ~uk~box. ~ince the nu~b~r : 20 ~f juX~boxe~ ~n oper~tion ls quite larg~, the : e~ployment~ r~ute3en ~o obt~ u~h Ba~a invoIves a ~considerable expense. ~ur~he~more~ the ever changing~natur~ of the recQrdlng indu~try requires that such:~ data be qat;he~ed frer~ntly in order to ;25~ : keep abr~as~;of ~ c~ntinually ch~nging ~arke~.

Aac~rdingly, :it i5 a prim~ry object of the presen~ invention to pro~ide a ~ethod and apparatu~
for ~anaging~a plurality o~ com~uter jukeboxes which is capable~:~of eli~inating the~necess~ty for rout~men : ; to ch~nge reaords ~n the i ~ eboxes. The c~mputer jukeboxes~store recordings in ~emory, thus enabling r~utemen ~to~imply load new recordingæ into the : memory of ea h computer jukebox.
Another object of the present invention is to eliminate~a~necessity for routemen by enabling new : recordings and selection menus to be downloaded to ~ : .

W~093/184652 1 3 1 3 7 5 PCT/US93/01336 each computer jukebox via a transmission link. In that regard, it i~ an object of the prasent invention to provide a method and apparatus which ~: eliminates the material waste usually associate~
5with updating jukeboxes. Instead of throwing away old recording and replacing them with new one~, a~
is thP conventional procedure, the present invention : ~eliminatQ~ this waste by enabling naw recordings to simply be: downloaded into the ~emoxy of ~ach lOc~mputer jukebox. ThR old recording6 are simply erased, if neces~ary.
Ano~he~ obiect:o~ the pre~ent invention is to provide~a~method and apparatu~ which is capable of ::~ ::remotely obta~ning jukebox usa~ data, thus elimina~ing a nec~ity for route~en to do this task. ~he: pr~s2nt ~nvQntion utilizas a computer jukebox, whi~h as p~rt ~f ~t~ ~o~tw~re prngramm~ng, store~ the nu~b~ ~r tiae$ ~a~h ~u~iaal recording is : played and; tb~ nusber o~ ¢rs:d~t~ th~t have been 20: awarded.~ :Thi~data i~ uplo~d~d to ~ ~n~ral control device via~ tr~nsmi~ion link~
An:~àdditional ob~ct o~ the pre~ent inYention is to provide a ~eth~d ~nd ~p~aratus utilizing :modern :c~mputer: te~hnolngy t~ digitally ~tore and 25play ~usical~reaord6. ~h~ juk~box o~ the present invention~ ;is~ basi~al~y a co~puter having a ophisticat~d~:: aud~o pr~ductiQn capa~ y, the computer storing digit~zed ~ong d~ta in a cQmputer ~ memory. ~;~ec~use convent~onal juk~boxe~ maintain : 30cQmpact:discs or records in the juk~ox, theft of the compact disc/record~ has ~een a pro~lem, thi~
problem being ~liminatsd by ~e present invention's utilization of a compu~er m~mory to ~tore the : digitized:song data.
: 35A further object of the present invention is to provide a ~thod and apparatus capable of being used with the remote management ~f ~uke~oxes via public telephone lines without interfering with W093/1~65 PCT/US93/01336 2 13 ~37 5 4 _ establishments' use of their own phone lines.
Other objects, features and ad~antages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the ~ accompanying :drawings, although variations and :~ modifications may be e~fect~d without departing from : the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the ~: ~ disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a ~loc~ diagram o the computer jukebox systQm o~ the pr~ent ~n~ntion;
ig. 2 is an illustration o~ the data structure of an indi~idual sonq record ~tored in a master lS :libra ~ ~talo~ strated iR Fi~ 1~
Flg~ a ~lo~-~h~rt illustrating the pr~cedur~ ~or ~orln~ naw ~ong5 in a bulk storage unit illu~tr~d~ln ~ig. 1:
Fig 4A an~ a are ~low-charts illustrat~ng the æoftware procedur~s used ~y th~ ce~tral management syste~ and:the juXebox ~e p~ct~vely in ~anaging the sony l~brary of th~ ~uk~ox; and Fig~. 5:: is a ~l~w-c~art illustrating the :sp~cific operation of ~he ~uk~box in inter~acing 25~ with a~user.

; : B8C~
~ .
In accordance with ~he pr~nt invention as ' ~ : shown in Fig. 11 a central ~anagement system ll : monitors~and updates the availa~l~ selection of music at a number sf remotely located jukeboxes such as a jukebox 13. Particularly, the central management system ll monit~rs each jukebox 13 to :: de ermine *he~ n~mber of times each son~ has been played~: From:these numbers, the central management ~: 35 system ll can calculate ths royalty payments that are due. More importantly, the central management ::
~ ~:

W093/1~6~ 2 1 ~ 1 3 7 ~ PCT/US93/0l336 system 11 can identify those speci~ic songs whîch need to be replaced in each jukebox on an individual basis, the central management system communicating replacement songs to each jukebox 13 to update the available music selection therein a~ needed.
Each jukebox 13 ic basically a ~mputer having sophi~icatad audio production capability wherein each computer ~ukebox 13 i~ programmed to play songs ~ha~ have been digitally compressed and stored in a }arg~-volume data:~torage unit 93. The storage unit :: 93 may be a optical memory or any other available: large volume nonvolatile computer memory that provides both~read and WritB access~
The central ~nage~ant gystem 11 communicates :~: 15 with each computer ~ukQbox 13 Yia a transmission link 15~ ~h~ c~ntral manag~ent syBtem 11 and each ; jukebox 13 u~ re~peGt~Ye ~dems 17 and 19 to : maintain~ sexial co~munlcation on th~ transmission link 15~: The trans~ ion link 15 ~y be a cable 2 0 system suab ~ p~blic or pri~a~ t~lophone li~es or n ~ :~ the like. HoweYer~ the ~deE~ 17 and 19 ~ay be replace~ with ~F (~adio frequency~ tr~nsceiv~rs and associate~ :ant~nn~s~ In the latt~r instance the transmiss~io~link l5 is an ~F link~
:~ :; speaif~cally, th~ c~n~ral manag~ent sy~tem ll înclud~s a ~05t co~puter 21 whi~h ~aintain~ a ~aster ibrary: Z3 0f fi~ongs and associat~d graphics which are stored in a co~pr~ss~d digit~l for~ in a bulk :: storage unit~ 25. The ~u}k storag~ uni~ 25 is capable:of storing Yast amount cf digital data, and may be take~the for~ of a read-wr~te optical storage device.~ The host aomputer 21 indexes the master library 23 by using a master catal~q 27 which is ~::: al50 maintained in the bulk st~rage unit 25.The master catalog 27 stores a song record 29, as illustrated in Fig. 2, for each song stored in ::
the ma~ter library 23. ~ach ~ong record 29 ~ associa~es;information in the following fields: a) a : :

W093/1846~PCT/US93/01336 2~.3~L3~ 5 `;~' title field 31, csntaining the name of the song; b) a clasæification field 33, containing the type of music, i.e., country, pop, jazz, classiaal, ~tc.; c) a song address field 37, containing the beginning address in the bulk storage unit 25 of the compressed di~ital data of the song; d~ a song size fiel~ 39, containing the numb2r of bytes in length of the compressed digital data; ~) a graphic~
addr~s field 41, containing th8 beginning address in the bulk storage unit 25 of the compre~ed digital data o~ a graphics image, if any, to be associa~ed with ~he.~ong; f ? a graph~cs ~ize field 43, con~aining the numbe~ of bytes in length of the .compressed graphicæ im~g~J and g) a play count ~ield 45, cantaining a count which indicate~ the number of times this 8peci~ic song ha~ ~en played. By parsing the~ ma~ter c~t~log 27, the h~t computer 21 can quickly locat~ all ~ail~bl~ in~ormation : relating to a~ny avallabl~ son~ ~h~ ar catalog 20 : ~7 also store~ d~t~ partlcul~r to each ~uk~box such :as the n~ber o~:ti~s eac~ ~vailabl~ ~ong has been played,~the c~in intake~ for ~hat ~uk~box, etc. The data particul~r to ~ach jukQbox 1~ uploaded from the jukebox to t~e central ~an~gement system 11 to 2S~ : update the:ma~ter cata}og 27~
turn~ng to Fig~ 1, in ord~r ~o add to the ; master library 23 and associated master catalog 27, the host co~puter 21 receive~, ~a~ c~mpre&sed and stores ~in the~bulk storag~ ~nit 2S digital data 30representing the nBw song and associated pictorial : graphic~. The~host computer 21 rec2i~es the digital data for storage from ~ r~e s~ur~es: 1) a compact disc~read only memory (ÇDROM~ reader 51, which reads DROMs; 2) a graphics scanner 53, which digitizes : 35pictorial graphic images; and 3~ an analog to ::: digital (A/Dj reader/converter 55, which reads analog data from both tapes and records and then : con~erts the analog data into digital data. A

WO 93/1~65 2 1 3 ~ 3 7 5 PCT/US93/01336 compression circuit 52 uæing an adaptive-delta, pulse-code-modulation compression scheme compresses the digital data before it is stored. Other compre~sion schemes may also be used. The compression circult 52 might also be fully replaced by a software algorithm which is executed by the host ~omputer 2l.
: Fig. 3 more :~peci~ically illustrates the operation of th~ host computer ~l in add~ng new ~0 songs to th~ ma~ter 11brary 23. At a block 61, the :: user is initialIy:prompted by th~ host computer 21 to enter a new ~ong~titl~ and category. The host comput~r 21~write~ this inform~tîon into the title : ~ field 31 and ~ Picat~on field 33 of a new song ~; 15 recoxd 29 at;a~b1O~k 63~ Next, a~ a ~lock 651 the host computer 21 pr~pt~ the u~ex to place ~ither a CDROM into ~the:r-~d~r 51 or a r~coFd or tape into the :reade~fcsnYexter 5~. A~r the us~r ha~
aompl~tQ~ thi~ plac~ent, at ~ block ~7 ~h~ ho t computer~21 ld~n~if~es availa~ torage space in the:bulk ~tor3g~ unit 2~ by ~nalyzing the sp~ae in use as descri~ed~1n th~ curr~nt list of ong records 29 in the ~aster catalo~ 23. ~h~ b~ginning addresæ
of this ava~1able~torage space i5 placed in th~
25~ ~ song~:address~ield ~37 o~ th~ n~w song r~cord 29.
: Therea~ter,~:at~:a block 69, the host co~puter ~l pr~Yides a;read:enable ~ignal ~n a bus 50 to either the reader 51~;or~ reader~onverter 55. Either th~
; ; reader 51 or read~r/converter 55 responds by re~ding ~: 30 and sending~digital dat~ repre~entinq the new song to the hos~t~computer 21 via the bu5 5Q. Vtilizing a bus 54, th~ host ~mputer 21 ~orwards t~e digital data receiYed to the co~pre~sion circuit 52, receiYes compressed digital data from the compression :~circuit 52 and ~rites the compressed digital data into the bulk storage unit 25~ At a : ~ : block 71, upon reaching the end of the digital data output, i.e., the end of a song, the host computer .

W093/1~65 ~Cr/US93/01336 2 ~3 13~ ~ , 21 writes the byte length of the digital output into the song size ~ield 39.
The host computer 21 at a block 73 prompt~ the user to load a picture, such as an album cover, into the graphics scanner 53. At a block 75, the host computer ~1 identi~ies further available storage space in the bulk storage unit 25 and places the beginning addrQss thereof into the graphics address field 41O Once ~ picture i~ lo~ded, the host ~ 10 computer 21 at block 77, u~ing the bu~ 50, provides : ~ read enable ~ignal to the scann~r 53 which responds v~ bus 50. by digitizing the picture and . transferring~ the di~itized output to the host computer 21. A~ ~ blo~k 7~, using the bus 54, the hoæt comput~r 21 ~o~ward~ th~ digi~ized data of the picture to the co~pr~s~ion circuit ~, receive~
compress~d di~itiz~d d~ta fro~ th~ compression cir~uit 52, a~d wr~s ~he co~p~ d di~itlzed data nto the ~ul~ storag~ unit 25. At a bloc~ ~1, upon 20~ reaching t~ ~nd oX t~ dig~t~zed QUtpUt, i.e~, the ` end of:the pictur~, th~ ho~t co~puter 21 pl~ces the by~e~ length o~ :the di~itized output into the rap~ics size~f~eld 43. Finally~ ~t a block 83, the host~compu~er~:21 ~et~ th~ play count ~ield 45 to 2:s~ zero~ (0)~ This flow-chart i~ r~peat~d aæ n~cecsa~y :~ : un~il:all of :the new ~onqs ar~ added to th~ master library 27.; I:t:;is noted that the operator can al~o delete,~modify~or replace any ~p~c~fic ong record 2~ found in the master catalog 23 and mast~r library ~7 : ~ Retuxning to Fig. ~, each comp:~ter jukebox 13 plays song~ and~di~plays ~raphics whi~h are stored locally ;in the large-volume data storage unit 93.
The storage unit 93 of the jukebox 13 con~ains a : 35 subset of ~he songs found in the master library 27 ; maintained by the central mana~ement system 11.
:~ More specifically, the storage unit 93 of the jukebox 13 ~stores a song library 91 which is a 2~31375 W093/18465 ~ PCT/US93/01336 _ g _ .
corresponding subset of the ~aster library 27. The song library 91 conta~ns all of the currently available song ~election and associated pictorial graphics for the jukebQx 13. The storage unit 93 also stores a catalog 95 that is an index into the local song Iibrary 91. The ca~alog 95 is similar to the master catalog 23~ Both the song library 91 and associated catalog 95 ar~ monitored and updated by : the central manage~nt system 11 as needed via the transmission link 15. Th~ ~ukebox 13 permits thiC
monitoring and~updating at any time with no impact : on its end-us~r perf~r~ance~
The ~ukebox 13 al~o includ~s a pxocessing circuit 121 whi~h~cont~ins a microproc~ssor 121A, read only memo ~::~RQM~ l~lB and random access ~emory ; fRAM) 121C. : A~ in:~on~nt~on~l computer syste~s, the ~icropro~sor 121A op~r~t~ in aocord~nce with ;: the software:~progra~ co~tai~d in ~he ROM 121B and utili2e8 the~Rh~ C ~or ~cr~t ~ -pad ~mo ~ The 20 ~ processing ~ clr~u~t; 121 ~ay 81So con~ain a de~o~pro sion~oircult ~not ~own~ ~r ~ay perform decompression~;using a ~oftware algorithm s~ored in the ~ ROM : 121B; depending on ~he type of data :compression ~sch~me: u~d ~y th~central management 2:5~ system l~ In~ ei ~ er ~ase, d~compression i~
: necessary::to~dsco~pres~ the co~pressed data received from the:c~ntral control syste~ l~ so that the 80ng can be~ played and a~sociated graphics image displayed~
~ :The processing circuit 121 controls the : operation~ and ~flQw of data into and out of the ; j ~ ebox 13 through the modem 19 via a bus 124.
Using:the bus~ 4,~ the processing cirsuit 121 also : controls a ~Yisual di~play 125~t one or ~ore selection ~: : 3s keys 123 and a coin/bill detector 126 to provide the user with an:interactive interfa~e to the jukebox 13. The keys 123~ provide signal~ representing u~er inputs such ~as displayed ~ong selection. The ::

WOg3/1~6~ PCT/US93/01336 ~3~3'1~ - lo-display 125 displays alpha numeric inPormation as well as pictorial graphics to interface with the user. ~he coin/~ill detector 126 is responsive to one or more coins or bills input by a customer to S determine whether the proper amount of money ha~
been input and to provide money detect signals coupled to the processing circuit. The processing ~ir~uit 121 further controls, via the bus 124, an audio reproduGtion~circu~t 127 coupled to a speaker : 10 system 129 along a bus 131 to provide an audio : output to the user.
~: Figs. 4A ~nd 4B are ~ow-chart~ illustrating the so~tware pr~cedurQs respectively used by the central manage~nt syst~m 11 and the jukebox 13 in managin~ the SQn9 ~ ary 91 of the juke~ox 13. At a ~lock ~01, the csntral man~gs~ent system 11 ~ initiat~s c = i~catLon wlth one of the jukeboxes 1~
: ~ via the tran~l~sion link 15~ Immediately :thereaft~r, at ~bl~ck lQ3, th~ manage~ent system 11 : request~ that ~hQ iukebox dat~ be 8ent includ~ng a COpy of the:catalog ~5. ~t a corresponding block : 141, the iukebox 13 respond~ by ~ending the copy of e; catalog~ file as well as ~ther iukebox data includin~ total~money intake o~er 8 peri ~ of tlme.
:25 The :data sent~:from the ~ukebox to th~ manage~ent station ~ay also ~nclude cus~omer r~quests for new songs, a customer uti~izinq the dis~lay and keyboard of ~he jukebox 13 to ent~r song request data as dLscussed bél~w. Thereafter, at a block 105, by examining each play count ~ield ~5 in the copy of the catalog 95 received, the management ~ystem 11 : determines~the:: royalty amount due per 50ng and :~ : : whether to:replace or update specific song entries ::: stored in the jukebox 13. Th~ manage~ent system 11 also:d~termines the total money intake from the play count: in~ormation and compares this value to the total money intake value received from the jukebox to provide a check. At an inquiry block 107, if no .

w~o g3/l~65 2 1 3 1 3 7 S PCT/US93/01336 replacements are necessary, the managem~nt system 11 branches to a block lO9 to termina~e communication with the jukebox 13. If, however, replacements are necessary, the management system 11 branches to download the changes. Particularly, at a block 111, the management ~ystem 11 downloads to the jukebox 13 the song record~ 29 o~ both the song to be replaced and the replacement song. In a corresponding block 143, the ~uk~box 13 replaces the song record 29 in the catalog ~95. Tber~fter, the jukebox 13 identifi~s avail~ble ~torag~ space in th0 storage unit 93 basQd on th~ 50ng 8iZB ~ield 39 of the new ong, and wrltes th~ bsglnn~n~ addr~ss thereof into the song address rield 37 in a corre~ponding block 145. Afte~ward~, at a bl~ck 113, the central management sy~tem 11 download~ the compr~ssed di~ital data of ~he ~ong ~o the ~uXebox 13~ At a : corr~$pondlng blo¢k 147~ th~ juX~box 13 receives and writes th- data~ln~o:~e 30ng library 91~ Next, at ~ a coxrespondi~g bl~X 149, the ~ukebox 13 identifiQs : a~ailab}e storag~ ~p~e ~n the storage unit 93 based : ; ` on ~the graphics :~ize Pisld 43f and writes the beginn~ng addr~s;s:th~r~o~ into ~he graphics addr~ss field 41 of tbe~:n~w ~on~. Ther~after, at a block 25 : 115, the :~anage~ent ~yste~ : 11 downloads the compress~d ~di~itized data of the picture ts the jukebox~l3.:~ The ~ukebox, at a corresponding block 151, receive~ and writes ~e data into the song :: library 91. ~Finally, the blo~k 107 is again : 30 encountered. If further r~placement~ need to b~
made, the bl~cks~lll, 113 an~ ar~ rep~ated until : ~ complete. At~a~correspondlng block 153, the jukebox ;~: similarly repeats the corresponding blocks 143 : through 151:until no further replacements need to be ~ade. A further block placed immediately above the ~: block 107 may also be used, wherein th~ central managsment system 11 sends a delete, modify, add or replace command to ~he jukebox 13 before downloading ~3~3~ PCT/US93/01336 into the ~ong library 93. In t~s way, the management system 11 receives additional flexibility in updating the jukebox 13. It is noted that the jukebox 13 can also initiate communications with the mana~ement syst~m 1~ at predetermined time~ or if the jukebox determines that an event has occurred that tha ~anagement system 11 should be aware of.
Fig. S is ~ flow-chart illustrating the sp~cific operation of ~hQ pro~essing circuit 1~1 of ~;~ 10 the juk~box 13 in:int~r~acin~ w~h the u~er. At a bloGk 161~ if~ n~ song ~election i5 playing, the processing c1~cu1t 12l operate~ i~ a u~er attract mode,~display~ng a random ~egu~nce of available ~; graphic i~ag~s on the Yisual display ~ 5. ~ore ; 15 particularly, ~be processing cir~uit 121 randomly selects :a ~tarting ~ddr~s~ o~ the compr~ed graphics d~t:4~;fro~ kh~ ~Yailable song r~cor~s ~9 in the catalo7~ 95~ Fr~m that ~tart~ng ~ddress, the : :circuit l~l retr~eY~ th~ d~a from the son~ library ~ 91 via the ~u~ 124. ThQ circuit 121 deco~presses and trans~rs the ~ data alonq tha bus 124 to the : visual display ~25 for dlsplay. Thereafte~, the circuit 12~ a~ain randoFly seleots a s~arting address of~:~ava~lable graphics data and this ¢ycle 25~ repeats. I,~ how~erJ a son~ selection i~ being played when~the b:lock 161 i~ encountered, the attract mode~6equencing do~s n~t: occur. I:nste~d the circuit~121~ di~play~ *h~ associa~ed graphios image of ~th~ ong b~ing played on the display 125.
: 30 During the attract m4de the processing circu~t 121 may alæo contro1 the di~play t25 to present a prompt requ~sting customers ~o enter new song requests.
~ The new song~ request data entered by a cust~mer ; : using the keyboard is stored and uploadPd to the management system ll:to aid the sy~tam 11 in ~: determining ~whether new song data should be downloaded to the jukebox.
At a block~163, the processing circuit 121 W0 93/18465 2 1 3 1 3 7 ~ P~IUS93/01336 responds to a ~ignal indicating user interest from the ~;election keys 123 by providing on the display 125 those music categorie~, i.e., country, rock, jazz , ete:., found in the catalog 95 . At a block 16S, the circuit 121 xesponds to a ~ignal indicating a category selection from the keys 123 by providing on the di~;play 125 an index of available ~;ong~, arranged alphabetically eithsr by arti~t or title, which can be scrolled and ~ele ted using the keys 123. Upon ~ele~:tion of a 6p~cific sonS~, the ~irc:uit 121 encounter~ an in~ y blocX 16~. If at the : ~ block 167 th~ aircuit 121 determin~s ~rom the ~;ignal received ~rom :~h~ ~oney detector 125 that a ~ufficient amount ~ ~oon@~y h~ not b~en depofiited, a branch t~ a ~lock 169 ~curs. At the block 169, ; uoing th~ di~i;play~ 1~5, ~e circuit ~Zl prompts the use~ to d~posit ~ ney into the coln/bill det~ctor :: :` ~ :
126, ~hen branc:h~s back to ~e blocX 1~ ow~ver, if : suffiai~nt; ~ne~ have : b~en deposited, the aircuit 12~ ~brancbe~ to a b,lock 171 wherein the cir~it 12ï ~ a~es~ the play co~nt field of the sel~cted song'~ record ~n the catal~ file 95 and money intak~data~stor~d in th~ ~nemoryO The c:ircuit also places~ thQ 50ng record ~9 c:orr~3ponding to the 25~ ~ æelected ~;on~`~ into a queu~ o~ song records to be played. ~After :the selection i8 qu2ued, the circuit 121 encounters ;an inquiry block lS3. I~ otal numb~r o~ sel~ctions purchase~ hav~ b~en s~lec:ted, the circuit 121 ~ranches b~ck to: the block 161.
Ot~erwise, if further purchased selections are forthcoming, ~ the circuit 121 ~ranches b:ack to the block 163. In ~this manner, all of the selections are mad~ and ~ plàced in the queue. Upan completion of playing a ~queued-up, selected songr the circuit 3 S 121 removes the corresponding song record 2 9 f rom the queue, selects the next song record in the queue, begins to play that next song, and executes the block 161. : It is noted that the song queue can W093/18465 ~CT/US93/01336 ?,~3~3~ S ~`

be displayed on the display 125 in order to show Gustomers what songs have already been selected prior to ma~ing their selection.
More specifically, referring back to Fig. 1, once a &pecifi~ song has ~een selected and ~ueued-up, the procsssing circuit 121 fir~t identifies the beginning address of the compressed digital data : from the song address field 37 of the ~ong record 29 : in the queue. From this addresc, using the bus : 10124, the circuit~121 re~ds the compres~ed digital dat~ out of the~stora~e unit 93, decompresses th~t data, and ~en~s tbB deco~pr~sssd digital data to the udio rep~duc~Dn cirGuit 127. The audio reproduction cir~uit ~7, co~mQn~y ~ound in CDROM
readers an~ associa~ed a~pli~ier~, ~onverts the digital data~*o~an anal~ nal which i~ amplified and u~ed to drive ~he ~pea~r sy~te~ 129 via the bus 131. After~a ~ cted ~on~ ~in~shes playing, the proces~ing cir~uit 121 d~l~tes t~e song record 29 of ; ZO the seleck:ed: 80ng ~ro~ the queu~, increment~ the :play count fi~id 45 a~ociat~l wlth that 80ng in the : catalog 95,;and begins playing ~he next selected :: song~in the~gueue if any exists~ The proces~ set orth: in ~the flow-chart detailed in ~ig. S is then 25~ xepeated~
While~th~;;present inYentiQn is bQing described and: illustrated::in accord~nce with the preferred embodiment enabling new recordings and computer usage data ~to~ be transferred:via~th~ transmission 30line 15t the~monitoring and updating may also be directly tran ferred. In this latter embodiment, routemen physically Yisit the location of each computer j:ukebox 13. During these visits, the routemen carry a portable management 5y5tem 181 : 35which has only a subset:of potential replacement :songæ stored in a subset library and associated catalog (not shown) on a portable bulk storage unit : 183. The subset library is loaded by the portable WO g3/1~65 2 1 3 1 3 7 3 PCT/US93/~1336 management sy¢tem 181 onto the portable bulk storage unit 183 either directly from the bulk storage unit 25 or indirectly as is initially done by the central mana~ement system 11 (described above). In all other way~, the portable management system 181 operates the same as the central management system 11, collecting the catalog 95 o~ each jukebox 13 and updating or replacing as nece~sary~ To accomplish this, th~: portab}~ ~anag~ment system 181 communicates a~ a very h1 gh rat~ o~ fipeed with the : jukebox 13 via a p~rall~l co~munication link 185 and a direct me~o~y acc~ss ~DMA3 lin~ 187.
Additionally,`th~ route~en ~ay ~imply exchange ~he "old'l storage u~it g3 with a pr~-loaded storage unit (not shown~ . The c~rltral managemQnt system 11 ~ may later r~ad ~ba ~old~ torage unit 93 to gather : : the in~or~a~ion ~ro~ the c~alog g~. 5u~h an .
~: : : ~ odiment ~till ~n~oy~ ~h~ oth~r adva~tages made : possible b~ th~ c~mpu~r ~ukQ~oxes 13 described herein~
Additio~ally, it i~ to ~e understood that the embodiments ~ t~e pre~nt invention d~scribed ~: : hereinabo~e ar~ merely illustrati~ and that other modification~ and adaptation~ may be made without 25 ~ departing:fro~ thæ~cope o~ t~e app~nded claims~

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Claims (17)

1. A computer jukebox capable of being updated upon the receipt of digital data representing a plurality of songs, data representing the identity of each of said songs and data representing the amount of storage space necessary to store said digital song data in said jukebox, comprising:
song selection means actuable by a user for generating a signal representing a song selected from a plurality of songs stored in said jukebox, a programmable computer memory storing digital data representing each selectable song stored in said jukebox and a catalog file including data for each stored song representing the identity of said song and the location in said computer memory of the digital data representing said song;
a communication interface for receiving said digital song data, said song identity data and said storage space data;
audio speakers;
a digital to analog converter coupled between said song storing computer memory and said audio speakers to convert digital song data to an analog signal coupled to said speaker; and processing means responsive to a song selection signal for accessing said digital data representing a selected song from said computer memory to apply said song data to said digital to analog converter and said processing means being responsive to digital song data, song identity data and storage space data received by said communication interface to control the storage of said digital song data to update said jukebox.

2. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 wherein said song selection means includes means for displaying information identifying each song stored in said jukebox, said processing means being responsive to said catalog file data to control the information displayed on said display means to represent said updated jukebox song selections.

3. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 wherein said communication on interface includes a modem.

4. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 wherein said communication interface includes a radio frequency receiver.

5. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 wherein said communication interface includes a direct communication interface port.

6. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 1 further including a money intake device, said device generating a money detection signal upon the receipt of money intake of a predetermined amount, said processing means being responsive to said money detector signal to update a money intake memory location in said computer memory, said location storing data representing the total intake of money for said jukebox: over a period of time, said communication interface including means for transmitting said money intake data to a remote location under the control of said processing means.

IN THE CLAIMS:

7. A jukebox network comprising:
a plurality of computer jukeboxes, each jukebox including a programmable computer memory storing digital data representing a plurality of selectable songs and data for each stored song representing the identity of said song and the location in said computer memory of the digital data representing said song;
a song selection device actuable by a user to select a song stored in said memory;
a communication interface for receiving and transmitting digital data including digital song data; and processing means responsive to a sang select signal for controlling the accessing of song data stored in said memory to control the playing of a song and to store song usage data in said memory, said processing means being responsive to the receipt of digital song data by said communication interface to control the storage of said song data in said computer memory;
a management station for updating said plurality of jukeboxes, said management station including a communication interface for receiving and transmitting data and a host processing means for controlling the transmission of digital song data to a computer jukebox to update the jukebox, said management station being operative for selectively transmitting digital song data to different ones of said jukeboxes in response to song usage data received from a respective jukebox.

8. A jukebox network as recited in claim 7 wherein said management station is remote from said plurality of jukeboxes and the communication interface of said management station and each jukebox provides a two way communication link between said remote management station and said jukebox.

9. A jukebox network as recited in claim 7 wherein said management station is portable.

10. A jukebox network as recited in claim g wherein said communication interface of said management station and a jukebox provides a direct connection between said station and said jukebox.

11. A computer jukebox comprising:
a programmable computer memory storing digital data representing a plurality of selectable songs and data for each stored song representing the identity of said song and the location in said computer memory of the digital data representing said song, said song data being stored in variable-sized data blocks according to the length of individual songs;
a song selection device actuable by a user to select a song stored in said memory;
a communication interface for receiving digital data including digital song data; and a processor responsive to a song select signal for controlling the accessing of song data stored in said memory to control the playing of a song, said processing means processor being responsive to the receipt of digital song data by said communication interface to control the storage of said song data in variable-sized blocks in said computer memory.

12. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 11 wherein said song selection device includes a display, said display being controlled by said processor to provide information to a user identifying each selectable song for which data is stored in said memory.

13. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 11 wherein said processing means is responsive to said song selection device to control the storage of song data including data representing the number of times each song is stored.

14. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 13 wherein said communication interface transmits said song data to a remote location under the control of said processing means.

15. A computer jukebox as recited in claim 11 wherein said memory is an optical memory.

16. A jukebox network as recited in claim 7 wherein said song usage data comprises a play count for each song on a jukebox, said play count corresponding to the number of a song has been played on respective jukebox.

17. A jukebox network as recited in claim 7 wherein said processing means processes said song usage data to determine which songs should be replaced on a respective jukebox.