Intelligent routing of digital content

• US 20050055722A1
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lym, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US10/658,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055722A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An application which automatically routes digital content to secondary devices overcomes the traditional problems present with downloading content to secondary devices. The digital content preferably includes file types such as movies, music, images, or anything else that might be stored on a secondary device like an MP3 player or a video recorder. Initially the user must download digital content from a server to the user'"'"'s computer or set-top box. The routing application compares the file types or alternatively, meta data, of the downloaded content with set values that determine where the content is routed. When the secondary devices are coupled to the computer, the application determines, based on its current settings, which file type is routed to which secondary device and then distributes the files to the appropriate device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatically routing digital information, comprising:

a. an interface coupled to receive downloaded digital information having a type;

b. a storage device coupled to the interface to store the digital information; and

c. a controller coupled to the storage device to automatically sort and distribute the digital information based on the type to one or more secondary devices.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the digital information is downloaded from a server to the storage device.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage device is a hard disk drive.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage device is a semiconductor memory.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the digital information comprises media content including music, videos, and data.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller utilizes a routing table to route the digital information.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the routing table further comprises a file type column and a device column.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the routing table utilizes meta data information within the digital information to route the digital information.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the routing table is user-defined.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller automatically detects one or more secondary devices.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the secondary devices include one or more of an mp3 player, a video recorder, and a handheld.

12. An apparatus for automatically routing digital information from a computing device to one or more secondary devices, comprising:

a. an interface coupled to receive downloaded digital information having a type;

b. a storage device coupled to the interface to store the digital information; and

c. a controller coupled to the storage device to automatically;

i. detect the one or more secondary devices;

ii. determine which type of digital information is routed to which secondary device; and

iii. distribute the digital information to the one or more secondary devices based on the type.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the digital information is downloaded from a server to the storage device.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the storage device is a hard disk drive.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the storage device is a hard disk drive.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the digital information comprises media content including music, videos, and data.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the controller utilizes a routing table to route the digital information.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the routing table further comprises a file type column and a device column.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the routing table utilizes meta data information within the digital information to route the digital information.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the routing table is user-defined.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the secondary devices include one or more of an mp3 player, a video recorder, and a handheld.

22. An apparatus for automatically routing digital media content from a computing device to one or more secondary devices comprising:

a. an interface coupled to receive downloaded digital media content having a type;

b. a storage device coupled to the interface to store the digital media content; and

c. a controller coupled to the storage device to automatically;

i. detect the one or more secondary devices;

ii. determine which type of media content is routed to which secondary device utilizing a routing table; and

iii. distribute the digital media content to the one or more secondary devices based on the type.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the digital media content is downloaded from a server to the storage device.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the storage device is a hard disk drive.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the storage device is a semiconductor memory.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the digital media content includes music, videos, and data.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the routing table further comprises a file type column and a device column.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the routing table utilizes meta data information within the digital information to route the digital information.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the routing table is user-defined.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the secondary devices include one or more of an mp3 player, a video recorder, and a handheld.

31. A network of devices for automatically routing digital information comprising:

a. a server including digital information;

b. a computing device coupled to the server for obtaining and routing the digital information; and

c. one or more secondary devices coupled to the computing device for receiving the digital information from the computing device.

32. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the digital information comprises media content including music, videos, and data.

33. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the computing device further comprises:

a. an interface coupled to receive the digital information having a type;

b. a storage device coupled to the interface to store the digital information; and

c. a controller coupled to the storage device to automatically sort and distribute the digital information based on the type to one or more secondary devices.

34. The network of devices as claimed in claim 33 wherein the controller automatically detects the one or more secondary devices.

35. The network of devices as claimed in claim 33 wherein the storage device is a hard disk drive.

36. The network of devices as claimed in claim 33 wherein the storage device is a semiconductor memory.

37. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the computing device is a personal computer.

38. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the computing device is a set-top box.

39. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the computer device further comprises a modem device for coupling to the server.

40. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the secondary devices comprise an mp3 player, a video recorder, and a handheld device.

41. A method for routing digital information from a computing device to one or more secondary devices, comprising:

a. receiving the digital information having a type;

b. automatically sorting the digital information based on the type; and

c. automatically distributing the digital information to a corresponding one or more of the secondary devices based on the type.

42. The method as claimed in claim 41 further comprising downloading the digital information from a server to the computing device.

43. The method as claimed in claim 41 further comprising automatically detecting the secondary devices.

44. The method as claimed in claim 41 further comprising storing the digital information in the computing device until the corresponding one or more of the secondary devices is coupled to the computing device.

45. A method for routing digital information from a computing device to one or more secondary devices, comprising:

a. receiving the digital information having a type;

b. automatically detecting the secondary devices;

c. automatically sorting the digital information based on the type; and

d. automatically distributing the digital information to a corresponding one or more of the secondary devices based on the type.

46. The method as claimed in claim 45 further comprising downloading the digital information from a server to the computing device.

47. The method as claimed in claim 45 further comprising storing the digital information in the computing device until the corresponding one or more of the secondary devices is coupled to the computing device.