Network media device

• US 10,200,430 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2018
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B
• Application Number:
  US15/878,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20180152492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 709218, 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/604 Hybrid IP/Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A network media device is described that pulls multimedia data from one or more sources (e.g., a multimedia website or a multimedia server computer) at a first time, stores it to long-term storage within the device and transmits the stored multimedia data to one or more designated multimedia playback devices at a second time.

Claims

1. A method of retrieving multimedia content from a content source by a network multimedia device, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are in communication through at least one network, the method comprising:

receiving, by the network multimedia device, an advertisement of one or more services provided by the content source, wherein the one or more services provided by the content source are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the advertisement facilitates discovery of the content source by the network multimedia device;

accessing, based upon the advertisement, by the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; and

initiating playback of the multimedia content by at least one multimedia playback device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting, at the at least one multimedia playback device, user input to cause the network multimedia device to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; and

configuring the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising accepting, at the at least one multimedia playback device, user input to cause the network multimedia device to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the multimedia content comprises:

accessing one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

retrieving the specified one or more multimedia files from the content source by the network multimedia device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the multimedia content comprises retrieving the multimedia content via the content source, from a remote source.

10. A network multimedia device, comprising:

communications circuitry that communicatively couples the network multimedia device to a content source that hosts multimedia content, via a network;

one or more processors, configured to;

discover one or more services provided by the content source, wherein the one or more services provided by the content source are advertised over the network using a predetermined protocol;

access, using the one or more services, via the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; and

cause at least one multimedia playback device to initiate playback of the multimedia content.

11. The network multimedia device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to access the multimedia content based upon a user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source.

12. The network multimedia device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

establish a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; and

configure the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source, based at least in part upon the one or more services.

13. The network multimedia device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

request establishment of the paired relationship, via the network multimedia device, based upon a user input to establish the paired relationship.

14. The network multimedia device of claim 12, wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

15. The network multimedia device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to access the multimedia content by:

accessing one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

retrieving the specified one or more multimedia files from the content source by the network multimedia device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing one or more hardware processors to perform a method of receiving multimedia content from a content source by a network multimedia device, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are in communication through at least one network, the method comprising:

receiving, by the network multimedia device, an advertisement of one or more services provided by the content source, wherein the one or more services provided by the content source are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the advertisement facilitates discovery of the content source by the network multimedia device;

accessing, based upon the advertisement, by the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; and

initiating playback of the multimedia content by at least one multimedia playback device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device based upon the user input.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source, based upon the one or more services; and

configuring the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source via the one or more services.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; and

establishing, via the network multimedia device, the paired relationship based upon the user input.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein accessing the multimedia content comprises:

accessing one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

retrieving the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.