According to Apple, improved techniques to facilitate generation, management and delivery of personalized media items for users are disclosed. Users are able to influence or control content within a media item being personalized. In one embodiment, personalized media items are podcasts. Users are able to influence or control the content in or with a podcast. In other words, a podcast can be created in accordance with a user's needs or specifications so that the content within a podcast is customized or personalized for the user.

Here's Apple's background on the invention: "A media player stores media assets, such as audio tracks, that can be played or displayed on the media player. One example of a portable media player is the iPod.RTM. media player, which is available from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Often, a media player acquires its media assets from a host computer that serves to enable a user to manage media assets. In managing media assets, a user can create playlists for audio tracks. These playlists can be created at the host computer. Media assets within the playlists can then be copied to the media player. As an example, the host computer can execute a media management application to acquire and manage media assets. One example of a media management application is iTunes produced by Apple Computer, Inc.

"Podcasts are typically used to share content from websites. Podcasts are associated with Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds which use a lightweight XML format. A podcast can be organized into episodes much like a radio or television program. An interested person can subscribe to receive podcast episodes that are subsequently published. This is achieved by the interested person using their computer to access a podcast website (i.e., subscription server) that hosts the RSS feed. The interested person can then subscribe to the RSS feed such that their computer occasionally re-visits the podcast website to check for any new podcast episodes. Typically, if a new podcast episode is available, it is downloaded to the computer. Thereafter, the interested user can play the podcast episode at their computer in the same manner as other audio files (e.g., MP3 files). A utility program can be used to download the audio files to a portable media player (e.g., MP3 player). One example of such a conventional utility program is 'ipodder' which is a small program that runs on one's computer to download audio files to one's portable media player.

"Conventionally, the media content within podcasts are fixed when made available to subscribers. In other words, a subscriber can choose to subscribe to a particular podcast from a plurality of established podcasts. However, a subscriber has no control over the content provided in or with podcasts. Unfortunately, however, a subscriber may desire a podcast that is somewhat different from the available podcasts. In many cases, a subscriber is not interested in the entire pre-established podcast but would prefer to modify the podcast in some manner. However, there is currently no way for a subscriber to alter the content within a podcast.

"Thus, there is a need for improved techniques to enable podcast users to have greater control over the content provided in or with podcasts."

And here's Apple's summary of the invention: "The invention pertains to the generation, management and delivery of personalized media items for users. Users are able to influence or control content within a media item being personalized. In one embodiment, personalized media items are podcasts. Users are able to influence or control the content in or with a podcast. In other words, a podcast can be created in accordance with a user's needs or specifications so that the content within a podcast is customized or personalized for the user.

"The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, system, device, apparatus (including graphical user interface), or computer readable medium. Several embodiments of the invention are discussed below.

"As a computer-implemented method for forming a podcast, the method includes at least: determining whether a custom podcast should be formed; retrieving stored podcast characteristics associated with the custom podcast to be formed; and forming the custom podcast based on the podcast characteristics.

"As a computer-readable medium including at least computer program code for forming a personalized media item, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: computer program code for retrieving stored characteristics associated with the personalized media item to be formed, the stored characteristics specifying or referencing media content to be included within the personalized media item; and computer program code for forming the personalized media item based on the stored characteristics.

"As a computer system, one embodiment of the invention includes at least a processor and a data storage device. The processor is configured to execute computer program code to form one or more personalized media items. The data storage device stores one or more personalized media items and the computer program code. The computer program code includes at least: computer program code for determining whether a personalized media item should be formed; computer program code for retrieving stored predetermined characteristics associated with the personalized media item to be formed; and computer program code for forming the personalized media item based on the predetermined characteristics."

The inventor is Ellis M. Verosub. The graphic below is a block diagram of a podcast media system according to one embodiment of the invention.