Media management system and method
First Claim
1. A media management system operable on a user'"'"'s computing device for managing a user'"'"'s media files and information related to such media files, comprising:
- a storage management component for facilitating storage of at least a portion of a user'"'"'s media files and information related to said user'"'"'s media files on a storage device;
a server communication component for permitting communication by said system with a media server on a network and other servers on said network, said server communication component receiving from said media server server-based media files and information related to said server-based media files, said files and said information either stored by said user in said storage device or associated with said user at said media server;
a media player component for rendering a media file into a user cognizable form;
an instant messaging component through which said system intercommunicates with an instant messaging server on said network and with instant messaging users accessible via said network, and through which said user'"'"'s media files and messaging users'"'"' media files and information related to said user'"'"'s media files and said messaging users'"'"' media files are capable of being exchanged with each other; and
a media engine component for managing said user'"'"'s media files and said information related to said user'"'"'s media files, said media engine component comprising;
a subcomponent for identifying one or more locations at which said user'"'"'s media files are stored or accessible;
a subcomponent for communicating said locations to said server communication component for transmission to said media server as location data;
a subcomponent for intercommunication with said messaging component for permitting communication among said media engine component and said messaging server and said instant messaging users;
a subcomponent for handling playing of a selected media file to be played by said media player component, which playing subcomponent utilizes said identified locations to determine from where said selected media file should be played by said media player component, such that said system can automatically select whether said media file should be accessed from said storage device or from said media server or from another location on said network or from another user'"'"'s computing device, so as to automatically select whether said selected media file, if not located in said storage device, should be received via said server communication component or via said instant messaging component or some combination thereof.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A media management system for managing a user'"'"'s media files and information related to such media files and a method of the same. In one aspect, the system and method are operable on a user'"'"'s computing device. In one aspect, the system comprises a storage management component, a server communication component, a media player component, an instant messaging component, and a media engine component. In one aspect, the method allows a user to browse and/or exchange media files with other users via a network using an instant messaging component.
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Citations
98 Claims
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1. A media management system operable on a user'"'"'s computing device for managing a user'"'"'s media files and information related to such media files, comprising:
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a storage management component for facilitating storage of at least a portion of a user'"'"'s media files and information related to said user'"'"'s media files on a storage device;
a server communication component for permitting communication by said system with a media server on a network and other servers on said network, said server communication component receiving from said media server server-based media files and information related to said server-based media files, said files and said information either stored by said user in said storage device or associated with said user at said media server;
a media player component for rendering a media file into a user cognizable form;
an instant messaging component through which said system intercommunicates with an instant messaging server on said network and with instant messaging users accessible via said network, and through which said user'"'"'s media files and messaging users'"'"' media files and information related to said user'"'"'s media files and said messaging users'"'"' media files are capable of being exchanged with each other; and
a media engine component for managing said user'"'"'s media files and said information related to said user'"'"'s media files, said media engine component comprising;
a subcomponent for identifying one or more locations at which said user'"'"'s media files are stored or accessible;
a subcomponent for communicating said locations to said server communication component for transmission to said media server as location data;
a subcomponent for intercommunication with said messaging component for permitting communication among said media engine component and said messaging server and said instant messaging users;
a subcomponent for handling playing of a selected media file to be played by said media player component, which playing subcomponent utilizes said identified locations to determine from where said selected media file should be played by said media player component, such that said system can automatically select whether said media file should be accessed from said storage device or from said media server or from another location on said network or from another user'"'"'s computing device, so as to automatically select whether said selected media file, if not located in said storage device, should be received via said server communication component or via said instant messaging component or some combination thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A method of managing a user'"'"'s media files and information related to such media files on a system operable on a user'"'"'s computing device within a network, comprising the steps of:
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facilitating the storage of at least a portion of said user'"'"'s media files and information related to said user'"'"'s media files on a storage device;
permitting communication by said system with a media server on said network and other servers on said network, and receiving from said media server server-based media files and information related to said server-based media files, which files and information either stored by said user or associated with said user at said media server;
rendering media file data so as to permit a user to experience media in a user cognizable form;
intercommunicating with an instant messaging server on said network and with instant messaging users accessible via said network, and through which messaging users'"'"' media files and information related to said messaging users'"'"' media files may be exchanged between said user and said messaging users;
identifying one or more locations at which said user'"'"'s media files are stored or accessible; and
communicating said locations for transmission to said media server as location data. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98)
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Specification