Sharing digital content via a packet-switched network

• US 20070255853A1
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Toutonghi, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for sharing content. The method is performed by a data acquisition device and comprises upon encountering a content transfer condition, if a size of content is greater than a predefined size threshold then performing a lossy compression operation on the content to reduce the size of the content to produce lossy-compressed content, and transmitting the lossy-compressed content to a predefined destination for routing to a final storage location using a packet-switched networking protocol; and at a later time, performing a synchronization operation wherein the non-lossy compressed content is transmitted to the final storage location.

Claims

1. A method for a data acquisition device, comprising:

upon encountering a content transfer condition, if a size of content is greater than a predefined size threshold then performing a lossy compression operation on the content to reduce the size of the content to produce lossy-compressed content, and transmitting the lossy-compressed content to a predefined destination for routing to a final storage location using a packet-switched networking protocol; and

at a later time, performing a synchronization operation wherein the non-lossy compressed content is transmitted to the final storage location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet-switched networking protocol comprises the multimedia messaging protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting metadata to the predefined destination via the packet-switched networking protocol to facilitate processing of the lossy-compressed content at the predefined location

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the metadata is selected from the group consisting of an identifier for the final storage location, category information to facilitate categorization of the lossy-compressed content;

and invitee information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined destination comprises a server for an online content management service.

6. The method of claim 1, the data acquisition device performs the synchronization upon detection of a synchronization condition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the synchronization condition comprises the presence of a local over-the-air (OTA) network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the synchronization condition comprises the establishment of a non-OTA connection with the final storage location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-OTA connection is selected from the group consisting of a Wi-Fi connection, and a Bluetooth connection.

10. A server device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a

method comprising

receiving lossy-compressed content from a data acquisition device;

receiving metadata associated with the lossy-compressed content from the data acquisition device;

storing the lossy-compressed content;

routing the lossy-compressed content to its final storage location based on the metadata;

sending the lossy-compressed content to selected invitees based on the metadata; and

performing a synchronization operation at a later time, wherein non-lossy compressed content corresponding the lossy-compressed content is received from the data acquisition device.

11. The server device of claim 10, wherein for the synchronization operation, the non-lossy content is received using an over-the air data connection with the data acquisition device established when the data acquisition device in within a local network.

12. The server device of claim 11, wherein the synchronization operation comprises sending the non-lossy compressed content to the final storage location.

13. A data acquisition device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor causes the data acquisition device to perform a method comprising

upon encountering a content transfer condition, if a size of the content is greater than a predefined size threshold then performing a lossy compression operation on the content to reduce the size of the content to produce lossy-compressed content, and transmitting the lossy-compressed content to a predefined destination for routing to a final storage location using a packet-switched networking protocol; and

at a later time, performing a synchronization operation wherein the non-lossy compressed content is transmitted to the final storage location.

14. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the packet-switched networking protocol comprises the multimedia messaging protocol.

15. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises transmitting metadata to the predefined destination to facilitate processing of the lossy-compressed content at the predefined location.

16. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the metadata is selected from the group consisting of an identifier for the final storage location, category information to facilitate categorization of the lossy-compressed content;

and invitee information.

17. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the synchronization is performed upon detection of a synchronization condition.

18. A method, comprising

receiving lossy-compressed content from a data acquisition device;

receiving metadata associated with the lossy-compressed content from the data acquisition device;

storing the lossy-compressed content;

routing the lossy-compressed content to its final storage location based on the metadata;

sending the lossy-compressed content to selected invitees based on the metadata; and

performing a synchronization operation at a later time, wherein non-lossy compressed content corresponding the lossy-compressed content is received from the data acquisition device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein for the synchronization operation, the non-lossy content is received using an over-the air data connection with the data acquisition device established when the data acquisition device in within a local network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the synchronization operation comprises sending the non-lossy compressed content to the final storage location.