Method and apparatus for identifying and retrieving media content

• US 20040103217A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute, Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Kridner, Jason D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

The specification discloses a system and related method for retrieving encoded media content, such as retrieving audio tracks from a CD in MP3 format. The system involves attaching indicia to the media, or possibly a case or protective cover of the media, which uniquely identifies the content. An encoding retrieval and playback device has the ability to obtain the unique number identified by the indicia, where obtaining the unique number may be a consumer entering the number, may be by reading a barcode label, may be by reading the number from a radio frequency device and the like. Once the unique number has been obtained, the encoding retrieval and playback device retrieves the encoded media content from a server across a network connection. In this manner, a consumer need only be present to initiate the retrieval process, and the retrieval of the encoded media content may be completed without the presence of the consumer, and without inserting the storage media in the playback device.

Claims

1. In a system for obtaining an encoded version of information stored on a storage media, a method comprising:

reading an indicium on the storage media with an indicia reading device, wherein the indicium identifies the information on the storage media; and

downloading the encoded version of the information across a network connection for storage on a storage device.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein reading an indicium on the storage media with an indicia reading device further comprises scanning a barcode label affixed to the storage media with a barcode reader.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein scanning a barcode label affixed to the storage media with a barcode reader further comprises scanning with the barcode reader the barcode label coupled to an audio compact disk.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein scanning a barcode label affixed to the storage media with a barcode reader further comprises scanning with the barcode reader the barcode label coupled to a protective cover of an audio compact disk.

5. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein scanning a barcode label affixed to the storage media with a barcode reader further comprises scanning with the barcode reader the barcode label coupled to a digital video disk.

6. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein scanning a barcode label affixed to the storage media with a barcode reader further comprises scanning with the barcode reader the barcode label coupled to a protective cover of a digital video disk.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein reading an indicium on the storage media with an indicia reading device further comprises reading, with a radio frequency transmitter/receiver, a passive circuit coupled to the storage media.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein reading, with a radio frequency transmitter/receiver, a passive circuit coupled to the storage media further comprises reading the passive circuit coupled to a protective cover of an audio compact disk.

9. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein reading, with a radio frequency transmitter/receiver, a passive circuit coupled to the storage media further comprises reading the passive circuit coupled to a protective cover of a digital video disk.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 downloading the encoded version of the information across a network connection for storage on a storage device further comprises:

accessing a server across an internet connection;

retrieving the encoded version of the information from the server based on the indicium read in the reading step.

11. A system comprising:

a digital signal processor;

an indicia reader coupled to the digital signal processor;

a network interface coupled to the digital signal processor; and

wherein the system is adapted to read, using the indicia reader, an indicium coupled to a storage media storing information in a first format, and based on the indicium read, accessing a remote device using the network interface to retrieve the information in an encoded format.

12. The system as defined in claim 11 further comprising a storage device coupled to the digital signal processor, and wherein the apparatus is further adapted to store the information in the encoded format on the storage device.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the storage device further comprises a hard disk drive.

14. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the storage device further comprises a static memory device.

15. The system as defined in claim 14 wherein the static memory device further comprises static random access memory.

16. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the digital signal processor further comprises a part number TMS320VC5509 digital signal processor produced by Texas Instruments, Inc.

17. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the indicia reader further comprises a barcode scanner, and wherein the indicia of the storage media further comprises a barcode label.

18. The system as defined in claim 17 wherein the barcode label is attached to the storage media.

19. The system as defined in claim 17 wherein the barcode label is attached to a protective cover of the storage media.

20. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the indicia reader further comprises a radio frequency device reader, and wherein the indicium of the storage media further comprises a passive radio frequency device.

21. The system as defined in claim 20 wherein the radio frequency device is coupled to the storage media.

22. The system as defined in claim 20 wherein the radio frequency device is coupled to a protective case of the storage media.

23. The system as defined in claim 11 further comprising:

a storage media reader coupled to the digital signal processor;

a playback device coupled to the digital signal processor; and

wherein the system is adapted to read information in the first format using the storage media reader, and playback the information using the playback device.

24. The system as defined in claim 23 wherein the storage media reader further comprises an audio compact disk reader.

25. The system as defined in claim 23 wherein the storage media reader further comprises a digital video disk reader.

26. A method comprising acquiring encoded versions of audio tracks of an audio compact disk without inserting the audio compact disk into a compact disk reader, the acquiring based on a unique identifier associated with the audio compact disk.

27. The method as defined in claim 26 wherein acquiring encoded versions of audio tracks of an audio compact disk without inserting the audio compact disk into a compact disk reader further comprises:

reading the unique identifier associated with the audio compact disk with a reader of a download device;

accessing a remote server across an internet connection by the download device; and

downloading the encoded version of the audio tracks based on the unique identifier read.

28. The method as defined in claim 27 wherein reading the unique identifier associated with the audio compact disk with a reader of a download device further comprises reading a barcode label coupled to the audio compact disk with a barcode reader of the download device.

29. The method as defined in claim 27 wherein reading the unique identifier associated with the audio compact disk with a reader of a download device further comprises reading a barcode label coupled to a protective cover of the audio compact disk with a barcode reader of the download device.

30. The method as defined in claim 27 wherein reading the unique identifier associated with the audio compact disk with a reader of a download device further comprises reading an electronic identification tag coupled to the protective cover of the audio compact disk with a radio frequency transmitter/receiver of the download device.

31. The method as defined in claim 26 wherein acquiring encoded versions of audio tracks of an audio compact disk without inserting the audio compact disk into a compact disk reader further comprises:

inputting the unique identifier associated with the audio compact disk into download device using a user interface;

accessing a remote server across an internet connection by the download device; and

downloading the encoded version of the audio tracks based on the unique identifier read.

32. In a system for obtaining an encoded version of information stored on a storage media, a method comprising:

reading an indicium on the storage media with an indicia reading device, wherein the indicium identifies the information on the storage media; and

downloading the encoded version of the information across a network connection.

33. The method as defined in claim 32 wherein reading an indicium on the storage media with an indicia reading device further comprises scanning a barcode label affixed to the storage media with a barcode reader.

34. The method as defined in claim 32 wherein reading an indicium on the storage media with an indicia reading device further comprises reading, with a radio frequency transmitter/receiver, a passive circuit coupled to the storage media.

35. The method as defined in claim 32 downloading the encoded version of the information across a network connection for storage on a storage device further comprises:

accessing a server across an internet connection;

retrieving the encoded version of the information from the server based on the indicium read in the reading step.