Remote access of media items

• US 20080189390A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Heller, David, Mavrakakis, Thomas C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

Methods and systems that facilitate the downloading of media items to a first network device from a second network device are disclosed. A plurality of media items are identified. Media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. Media item content data associated with a first subset of the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. In this manner, only media item metadata associated with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device.

Claims

1. A method of downloading media items to a first network device from a second network device, comprising:

obtaining media item metadata associated with a plurality of media items from the second network device;

storing the obtained media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items on the first network device;

obtaining media item content data associated with a first subset of the plurality of media items from the second network device; and

storing the obtained media item content data associated with the first subset of the plurality of media items on the first network device;

wherein at least some of the media item metadata associated with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device without the associated media item content data.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the plurality of media items as selections via a display associated with the first network device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first subset of the plurality of media items are distinguished from the second subset of the plurality of media items.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting only the first subset of the plurality of media items as selections via a display associated with the first network device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein obtaining media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items from the second network device, storing the obtained media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items on the first network device, obtaining media item content data associated with a first subset of the plurality of media items from the second network device, and storing the obtained media item content data associated with the first subset of the plurality of media items on the first network device are performed when the first network device is physically connected to the second network device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein identifying a plurality of media items for which access is desired via the first network device is performed using at least one of one or more settings obtained in response to user input, history of use, or one or more policies.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein at least one of the settings corresponds to a type of media.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein at least one of the policies corresponds to a type of media.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to play a selected one of the plurality of media items;

determining whether media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items is on the first network device; and

if the media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items is on the first network device, playing the media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

if the media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items is not on the first network device, determining whether the media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items can be accessed remotely from the second network device and if the media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items can be accessed remotely from the second network device, playing the media item content data via the second network device or downloading the media item content data from the second network device to the first network device and playing the media item content data via the first network device.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether to play the media item content data via the second network device or to download the media item content data from the second network device to the first network device in order to play the media item content data via the first network device.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein determining whether to play the media item content data via the second network device or to download the media item content data from the second network device to the first network device in order to play the media item content data via the first network device comprises:

at least one of determining whether the first network device is in the same network as the second network device on which the media item content data is stored, determining a type of connection between the first network device and the second network device, or determining a type of the network.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first network device is a portable device.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

deleting the media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items after media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items has been played.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

deleting the media item metadata associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items after media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items has been played

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

retrieving media item content data of one of the second subset of the plurality of media items; and

storing the media item content data of the one of the second subset of the plurality of media items on the first network device.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the media item content data of the one of the second subset of the plurality of media items is retrieved from the second network device.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

identifying the one of the second subset of the plurality of media items using at least one of one or more settings obtained in response to user input, a history of use, or one or more policies.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein at least one of the one or more settings, the history of use, or the one or more policies are associated with a type of media item, wherein the type of media item is the same as the type of the media item for which the media item content data has been deleted.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the type of media item is television show, movie, video clip, podcast episode or song.

21. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein retrieving is performed when the first network device is not physically connected to the second network device.

22. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether to delete the media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items after media item content data associated with the selected one of the plurality of media items has been played.

23. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein determining is performed using at least one of one or more settings obtained in response to user input or one or more policies.

24. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving media item content data of one of the second subset of the plurality of media items; and

storing the media item content data of the one of the second subset of the plurality of media items on the first network device.

25. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the media item content data of the one of the second subset of the plurality of media items is retrieved from the second network device.

26. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

identifying the one of the second subset of the plurality of media items using at least one of one or more settings obtained in response to user input, a history of use, or one or more policies.

27. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein retrieving is performed when the first network device is not physically connected to the second network device.

28. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein retrieving is performed when the first network device has memory to store the retrieved media item content data.

29. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one of the one or more settings, the history of use, or the one or more policies are associated with a type of media item.

30. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the type of media item is television show, movie, video clip, podcast episode or song.

31. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

obtaining metadata of the one of the second subset of the plurality of media items;

determining whether the media item content data corresponding to the metadata can be retrieved;

if it is determined that the media item content data corresponding to the metadata can be retrieved from the second network device, retrieving the media item content data from the second network device; and

if it is determined that the media item content data cannot be retrieved from the second network device, retrieving the media item content data from the second network device at a later time or retrieving the media item content data from another location.

32. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the another location is an online media store.

33. The method as recited in claim 29, further comprising:

charging a monthly service fee to enable media item content data to be retrieved from the another location.

34. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a notification from the second network device, the notification indicating that a specified media item has been deleted from the second network device or stored on the second network device.

35. The method as recited in claim 31, further comprising:

deleting metadata associated with the specified media item from the first network device when the notification indicates that the specified media item has been deleted from the second network device; and

retrieving or receiving metadata associated with the specified media item from the second network device and storing the metadata associated with the specified media item on the first network device when the notification indicates that the specified media item has been stored on the second network device.

36. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein deleting metadata associated with th specified media item from the first network device is performed when media item content data associated with the specified media item is not already stored on the first network device.

37. The method as recited in claim 32, further comprising:

obtaining the metadata associated with the specified media item from the notification when the notification indicates that the specified media item has been stored on the second network device.

38. An apparatus for downloading media items to a first network device from a second network device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

obtaining media item metadata associated with a plurality of media items from the second network device;

storing the obtained media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items on the first network device;

obtaining media item content data associated with a first subset of the plurality of media items from the second network device; and

storing the obtained media item content data associated with the first subset of the plurality of media items on the first network device;

wherein at least some of the media item metadata associated with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device without the associated media item content data.

39. A method of modifying media items on a second network device corresponding to media items stored in a first network device, comprising:

deleting a media item stored on the first network device or storing a media item on the first network device; and

sending a notification to the second network device, the notification indicating that a media item has been deleted from the first network device or stored on the first network device.

40. The method as recited in claim 39, wherein the first network device and the second network device are not physically connected when the notification is sent.

41. A computer-implemented method for managing a mobile media library on a mobile network device, said method comprising:

(a) determining whether the mobile network device has access to a media repository via a network;

(b) determining whether the mobile media library is to be updated;

(c) determining update data to be provided to the mobile media library;

(d) acquiring the update data from the media repository via the network; and

(e) storing the acquired update date to the mobile media library on the mobile network device,

wherein said determining (c), said acquiring (d) and said storing (e) are performed when said determining (a) determines that the mobile network device has access to the media repository and said determining (b) determines that the mobile media library is to be updated.

42. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein said determining (b) determines whether the mobile media library is to be updated based on at least one library update policy.

43. A method as recited in claim 42, wherein the at least one library update policy is dependent on time, location, or condition of the mobile network device.

44. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein said determining (c) determines the update data for the mobile media library based on at least one media data update policy.

45. A method as recited in claim 44, wherein the at least one media data update policy is user configured by a user of the mobile network device.

46. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein said determining (c) determines the update data for the mobile media library based on usage history of the mobile network device.

47. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein said method is automatically performed without user initiation.

48. A graphical user interface that displays a listing of a media library on a mobile network device, comprising:

a listing of the media library;

wherein the listing includes each of a plurality of media items in the media library;

wherein at least some media item metadata associated with a subset of the plurality of media items in the media library is stored on the mobile network device without associated media item content data.

49. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 48, wherein the listing includes metadata for each of the plurality of media items in the media library.

50. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 48, wherein the listing is presented in a track listing area of the graphical user interface, the track listing area being capable of displaying the metadata for each of the media items in the media library.

51. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 48, wherein the subset of media items that have their media content stored on the mobile network device are visually distinguished from those media items for which media content is not stored on the mobile network device.

52. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 48, wherein the media items in the listing are user selectable, and wherein, when one of the media items is selected, an indication of availability of media content for the selected media item is presented.

53. A method for managing media items in a media library accessible by a network device and an electronic device using the network device, the media items including associated media item metadata and media item content, comprising:

accessing the media library with the electronic device via a communications link between the electronic device and the network device;

storing a plurality of media item metadata on the electronic device; and

,

storing associated media item content on the electronic device for only a subset of the plurality of stored media item metadata.

54. The method as recited in claim 53, wherein storing associated media item content on the electronic device is performed based on one or more of the following:

user input, prior use of media items, media item type, or one or more policies.

55. The method as recited in claim 53, further comprising:

modifying the subset of the particular media item content associated with the media item metadata that is stored on the electronic device based on one or more of the following;

user input, prior use of media items, media item type, or one or more policies.

56. The method as recited in claim 53, further comprising:

displaying information identifying one or more of the media items associated with the plurality of media item metadata stored on the electronic device.

57. The method as recited in claim 53, further comprising:

displaying information identifying two or more of the media items associated with the plurality of media item metadata stored on the electronic device in a manner that distinguishes between media items having associated media item content stored on the electronic device and media items not having associated media item content stored on the electronic device.

58. An electronic device capable of playing at least one type of the media items available in a media library accessible by a network device, comprising:

a processor having associated memory;

circuitry capable of establishing a communications links with the network device having access to the media library; and

data storage having a plurality of stored media item metadata, wherein at least some of the media item metadata associated with a subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the electronic device without the associated media item content data.

59. The electronic device as recited in claim 58, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

a display capable of presenting information identifying any two or more of the media items associated with the plurality of the stored media item metadata in a manner that distinguishes between any displayed media items having associated media item content stored on the electronic device and any displayed media items not having associated media item content stored on the electronic device.