Storage and playback device and method for using the same

• US 20070178830A1
• Filed: 03/13/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Edwards, Bruce, Janik, Craig, Kalayjian, Nick
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.60
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A storage and playback device is capable of being detachably coupled to an output device, such as speakers of an automobile. The device includes a wireless transceiver to receive compressed digital content automatically from a computer system via a wireless local area network based on user defined preferences input into the computer system. The wireless transceiver is communicably coupled to the wireless local area network when the wireless transceiver is a predetermined distance from a wireless local area network access point. The device also includes a decoder and converter to decompress and convert the digital content. The decompressed and converted digital content is sent to be played on the output device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer system communicably coupled to a wireless local area network, the computer system automatically obtaining, storing, and sending digital media content via a wireless local area network access point to a storage and playback device when a wireless transceiver associated with the storage and playback device is within range of the wireless local area network, the computer system, being located remotely from the storage and playback device, automatically obtaining at least a portion of the digital media content at scheduled times from one or more digital media content servers via a wide area network, based on user defined preferences directly input into the computer system by a user, while the wireless local area network is not within range of the wireless transceiver associated with the storage and playback device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer system attempts to sends the digital media content to the storage and playback device periodically at times designated according to the user defined preferences input into the computer system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer system is operable to send the digital media content to the storage and playback device in response to a user action.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer system comprises:

a system control application to manage and control the transfer of the digital media content to the storage and playback device; and

a user interface by which the user defined preferences are directly input into the computer system by the user.

5. A method of transferring digital media content to a storage and playback device comprising:

communicably coupling the storage and playback device to a local area network when the storage and playback device is within range of a wireless local area network; and

receiving at least a portion of the digital media content automatically from a remote computer system located remotely from the storage and playback device via the wireless local area network, based on user defined preferences input in the computer system, while the wireless local area network is not within range of a wireless transceiver associated with the storage and playback device, wherein the digital media content was automatically obtained by the remote computer system from one or more digital content servers via a wide area network, at scheduled times based upon user defined preferences directly input into the computer system by a user, while the wireless local area network is not within range of the wireless transceiver associated with the storage and playback device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein receiving digital media content includes receiving the digital media content periodically at times designated according to the user defined preferences input into the computer system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving digital media content includes receiving at least a portion of the digital media content in response to a user action.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising decompressing and converting the digital media content into at least binary data.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising transferring the converted content to an output device placed into releasable communication with the playback and storage device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising playing the converted content on the output device.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the digital media content includes at least one of a music file, a text file, an image file, a video file, and an interactive multimedia file.