Collaborative media playback

• US 10,009,413 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wohlert, Randolph, Majmundar, Milap V., Pratt, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nicholas R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiu, Ho T
• Application Number:
  US14/315,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20150381706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to collaborative media playback. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a media playback node can receive information for use in determining a start time for playback of media content so that playback of the media content is in sync with playback of the media content by a further playback node. The media playback node also can determine, based at least in part upon the information, the start time for playback of the media content. The media playback node also can initiate playback of the media content at the start time.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device comprising:

a storage component storing a physical layer application programming interface;

a processor component; and

a memory component that stores a media playback application and instructions that, when executed by the processor component, cause the processor component to perform operations comprising

receiving, from a base station serving the mobile communications device, information for use in determining a start time for playback of media content by the mobile communications device so that playback of the media content by the mobile communications device is in sync with playback of the media content by a further mobile communications device served by the base station, wherein the information received from the base station is received by a physical layer of the mobile communications device, wherein the information received from the base station comprises a time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device and further comprises a subframe number that identifies a subframe of a radio frame broadcast by the base station, wherein the base station derives the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device and a time advance correction corresponding to the further mobile communications device, wherein the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device is based upon a propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device and the time advance correction corresponding to the further mobile communications device is based upon a different propagation delay associated with the further mobile communications device,

calling, by the media playback application, the physical layer application programming interface to obtain the information received by the physical layer of the mobile communications device from the base station,

receiving, at an application layer of the mobile communications device, from the physical layer of the mobile communications device, the information received by the physical layer of the mobile communications device from the base station, wherein the media playback application accesses the information from the application layer of the mobile communications device,

determining, using the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device, the propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device,

requesting a common time reference from a time reference server,

receiving, from the time reference server, the common time reference,

setting a time reference clock of the mobile communications device in accordance with the common time reference,

determining a time reference, wherein the time reference is determined based on a first occurrence of the subframe number equaling a chosen value after the time reference clock of the mobile communications device set in accordance with the common time reference equals a predetermined time when the mobile communications device and the further mobile communications device are to start playback of the media content,

determining, based at least in part upon the propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device and the time reference, the start time for playback of the media content by the mobile communications device, and

initiating playback of the media content at the start time.

2. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the memory component stores the media content.

3. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises audio content and at least one of video content or lighting effects content.

4. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein initiating playback of the media content at the start time comprises initiating playback of a portion of the media content, wherein a further portion of the media content is played by the further mobile communications device.

5. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

streaming the media content from a content server;

establishing a media playback network comprising the mobile communications device and the further mobile communications device; and

providing the media content to the further mobile communications device via the media playback network.

6. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein determining the start time for playback of the media content comprises determining the start time for playback of the media content to be within a maximum time window dictated by a time span of subframe number values.

7. The mobile communications device of claim 6, wherein the subframe number values range from 0 to 1023.

8. The mobile communications device of claim 7, wherein the subframe number increments every 10 milliseconds.

9. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the subframe number is broadcast by the base station in a master information block of a physical broadcast channel.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile communications device, from a base station serving the mobile communications device, information for use in determining a start time for playback of media content by the mobile communications device so that playback of the media content by the mobile communications device is in sync with playback of the media content by a further mobile communications device served by the base station, wherein the information received from the base station is received by a physical layer of the mobile communications device, wherein the information received from the base station comprises a time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device and further comprises a subframe number that identifies a subframe of a radio frame broadcast by the base station, wherein the base station derives the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device and a time advance correction corresponding to the further mobile communications device, wherein the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device is based upon a propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device and the time advance correction corresponding to the further mobile communications device is based upon a different propagation delay associated with the further mobile communications device;

calling, by a media playback application stored by a memory component of the mobile communications device, a physical layer application programming interface stored by a storage component of the mobile communications device to obtain the information received by the physical layer of the mobile communications device from the base station,

receiving, at an application layer of the mobile communications device, from the physical layer of the mobile communications device, the information received by the physical layer of the mobile communications device from the base station, wherein the media playback application accesses the information from the application layer of the mobile communications device,

determining, by the mobile communications device, using the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device, the propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device,

requesting, by the mobile communications device, a common time reference from a time reference server;

receiving, by the mobile communications device, from the time reference server, the common time reference;

setting, by the mobile communications device, a time reference clock of the mobile communications device in accordance with the common time reference;

determining, by the mobile communications device, a time reference, wherein the time reference is determined based on a first occurrence of the subframe number equaling a chosen value after the time reference clock of the mobile communications device set in accordance with the common time reference equals a predetermined time when the mobile communications device and the further mobile communications device are to start playback of the media content;

determining, by the mobile communications device, based at least in part upon the propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device and the time reference, the start time for playback of the media content by the mobile communications device; and

initiating, by the mobile communications device, playback of the media content at the start time.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the media content in a memory component of the mobile communications device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the start time for playback of the media content comprises determining the start time for playback of the media content to be within a maximum time window dictated by a time span of subframe number values.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the subframe number values range from 0 to 1023.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the subframe number increments every 10 milliseconds.

15. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing component of a mobile communications device, cause the mobile communications device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a base station serving the mobile communications device, information for use in determining a start time for playback of media content by the mobile communications device so that playback of the media content by the mobile communications device is in sync with playback of the media content by a further mobile communications device, wherein the information received from the base station is received by a physical layer of the mobile communications device, wherein the information received from the base station comprises a time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device and further comprises a subframe number that identifies a subframe of a radio frame broadcast by the base station, wherein the base station derives the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device and a time advance correction corresponding to the further mobile communications device, wherein the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device is based upon a propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device and the time advance correction corresponding to the further mobile communications device is based upon a different propagation delay associated with the further mobile communications device;

calling, by a media playback application stored by a memory component of the mobile communications device, a physical layer application programming interface stored by a storage component of the mobile communications device to obtain the information received by the physical layer of the mobile communications device from the base station;

receiving, at an application layer of the mobile communications device, from the physical layer of the mobile communications device, the information received by the physical layer of the mobile communications device from the base station, wherein the media playback application accesses the information from the application layer of the mobile communications device;

determining, using the time advance correction corresponding to the mobile communications device, the propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device;

requesting a common time reference from a time reference server;

receiving, from the time reference server, the common time reference;

setting a time reference clock of the mobile communications device in accordance with the common time reference;

determining a time reference, wherein the time reference is determined based on a first occurrence of the subframe number equaling a chosen value after the time reference clock of the mobile communications device set in accordance with the common time reference equals a predetermined time when the mobile communications device and the further mobile communications device are to start playback of the media content;

determining, based at least in part upon the the propagation delay associated with the mobile communications device and the time reference, the start time for playback of the media content by the mobile communications device; and

initiating playback of the media content at the start time.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining the start time for playback of the media content comprises determining the start time for playback of the media content to be within a maximum time window dictated by a time span of subframe number values.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the subframe number values range from 0 to 1023 and wherein the subframe number increments every 10 milliseconds.