AUDIO VISUAL PLAYER APPARATUS AND SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTENT DISTRIBUTION USING THE SAME

• US 20080010372A1
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Douglas R. Kraul, Harold Price, John Becker, Jonathan Axelrod, Mark Edinger, Robert Khedouri
• Original Assignee: Douglas R. Kraul, Harold Price, John Becker, Jonathan Axelrod, Mark Edinger, Robert Khedouri
• Inventors: Kraul, Douglas, Axelrod, Jonathan, Khedouri, Robert, Edinger, Mark, Becker, John, Price, Harold
• Application Number:
  US11/780,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010372A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/134 Distributed indices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system is presented providing content to a plurality of handheld devices (including musical selections). The devices can access a server over the Internet via a Wi-Fi or other similar wireless interconnection and can download songs requested by a user from the server or from other users using, e.g., a P2P protocol. All downloads may be governed by applicable DRM rules. Content and playlists may also be pushed by a server from other sources and means including, e.g., podcasting, based on predetermined rules, favorite preferences of users, and other criteria.

Claims

1. A system for distributing and playing musical selections comprising:

a server;

a plurality of portable devices, each device including a music selector and a music player, said devices being selectively connected to said server through a distributed computer network;

wherein said server provides lists of musical selections to said devices;

wherein a user can select specific musical selections for his device using said music selector, said selections being transmitted to said server; and

wherein said server sends musical selections to the devices based on the specific musical selections selected by each user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user makes his specific selection while his device is offline.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said server communicates external sources for the transmission of musical selections to said devices.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said musical selections are podcasts.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said server pushes musical selections to said device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said server delivers and updates playlists of musical content.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said content incorporates content-protection security means.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein said intermediate server exchanges information with several content providers and wherein said intermediate server sends said new request to the content provider associated with the requested content.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein said intermediate server receives requests from several devices, said intermediate server generating said new request by aggregating the requests from the several devices.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein an alternate security means or access protocol is utilized in place of or in addition to the DRM system.

8. A system providing content to multiple users, wherein said content is protected by DRM rules comprising:

a plurality of devices, each device having input members receiving content requests from respective end-users; and

an intermediate server connected between said devices and at least one content provider, said intermediate server receiving a request from one of said end-users, translating said request into a new request compatible with DRM rules and transmitting said new request to a content provider.