SYSTEM SHARING USER CONTENT ON A CONTENT-RECEIVING DEVICE

• US 20080155057A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MusicGremlin, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Price, Harold E., Axelrod, Jonathan N., Khedouri, Robert K.
• Application Number:
  US12/045,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155057A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• 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 portable wireless communications subscriber audio and/or video player apparatus and system and method for selecting, requesting, downloading, and playing audio and/or video data content files from an Internet-based database server. The wireless link is preferably implemented in accordance with the WiFi protocol, which allows connectivity to the Internet by being in proximity with a local base station or WiFi hotspot (i.e., publicly available local wireless access hub connected to the Internet). The portable wireless communications subscriber audio and/or video player apparatus and system preferably include a security means for monitoring and blocking unauthorized use of the player apparatus and system. The player apparatus further preferably has the capability to communicate with other neighboring player apparatus for the purpose of exchanging content data files, playlists and personal messages.

Claims

1. A method of sharing content over a network including a media storage, a controller controlling data exchange over the network and a source selectively providing content for said media storage comprising:

presenting at least a portion of the content metadata on at least one network-connected device; and

providing access to said content by from said one network-connected device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-connected device is a portable wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is user-generated content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user device is connected to the network via one of Wi-Fi or a wide-area broadband wireless connection.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is one of audio, video, text, images.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein data based on user behavior is included in said content metadata.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said data is a measure of popularity.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said data includes ratings provided by users.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said ratings are applied to one of playlists, user collections, individual media items, groupings of content.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein statistical methods are applied to said data and the results are shown to users.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein users provide commentary in one of text, audio, video, image form and such data is made available for at least one other user to view.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein such commentary is made available for viewing on a Web page.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein a top listing based on said metadata is created and presented on the network-connected device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein a user of a network-connected device can search or view a listing of the collection of another user.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein one user can send a message to another user in reference to content stored on the media storage.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the network includes a server, and the message is routed through the server.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the server caches a listing of recommended items for at least one user until such user'"'"'s device contacts the server.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the network-connected device stores a request for the server at least temporarily when as a network connection is unavailable.

19. A portable wireless device comprising:

a wireless communication interface;

a controller;

a user interface receiving commands from the user; and

a storage means;

wherein said device periodically connects to a network, and checks with a content source as to whether new content desired by the user is available, and if new content is available, the device automatically downloads said content without requiring the user to take any manual action.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein said wireless communication interface includes an 802.X communications protocol.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein said wireless communication interface includes an 802.11 communications protocol, and resumes downloading content after a connection break that disrupted the completion of download activity.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein the user interface of said device permits the user to view at least one of genre, activity, content type, content category, channel name, content programming information.

23. The device of claim 19, wherein the user interface permits the user to save all or some of the content downloads into a playlist on the device.

24. The device of claim 19, wherein the user may choose to vary the frequency of delivery of the content.

25. The device of claim 19, wherein said wireless communication interface automatically wakes from a sleep mode periodically to check for updates.