METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UPDATING MEDIA LISTS IN PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICES

• US 20090006542A1
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Varia Mobil LLC
• Inventors: Feldman, Evan, Nelson, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• 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: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A method and apparatus for updating a media list or a media list collection of a portable media player device is disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the updates are generated by a proxy or a third party server, based at least in part on data gathered for media preferences for a user of the portable media play device and one or more other users of one or more portable media player devices. In various embodiments, the method is practiced respecting the access rights of the media files (if access rights are required). Other embodiments may also be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating or retrieving, by a proxy server, updates to a media list or a media list collection for a first portable media player device;

determining for each media title added to the updated media list or media list collection, by the proxy server, whether a first user of the first portable media player device has access rights to the corresponding media;

transmitting the updates to the media list or to the media list collection to the first portable media player device, by the proxy server; and

transmitting or causing to be transmitted, by the proxy server, at least one of;

a media corresponding to a media title added to the updated media list or media list collection, where the first user or the first portable media player device has access rights to the corresponding media, or

information about a media title added to the media list or media list collection, where the first user or the first portable media player device does not have access rights to the corresponding media.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the updates to the media list or media list collection are generated based at least in part upon a media list that is selected from a plurality of media lists, by the first user of the first portable media player device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the media list that is selected is selected from a plurality of media lists associated with a respective plurality of users of portable media player devices.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the media list that is selected is selected from a plurality of media lists created by a remote media service.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the media list that is selected is a media list to which the first user subscribes via the remote media service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the updated media list is based at least in part on data gathered for media preferences of a first user of the first portable media player device and at least a second user of a second portable media player device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the media preferences comprise preferences related to one or more of music, videos, photos, audiobooks or podcasts.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the generating or retrieving of the updates to a media list or a media list collection for the first portable media player device comprises comparing by proxy server the media preferences of the first and the second one or more users.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the comparing comprises comparing a first attribute associated with a first media of the first user with a second attribute of a second media of the second one or more users.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises checking whether the first user or the first portable media player device has access to the corresponding media with a third party service provider.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the checking comprises checking with the third party service provider whether the first user is a service subscriber of the third party service provider and if the first user is a service subscriber whether the service subscribed to include rights to access the media.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the checking comprises checking with the third party service provider whether the media is available from the third party service provider.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the updates to the media list or the media list collection comprises transmitting updates to a media list or a media list collection disposed on the first portable media player device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting or causing to be transmitted comprises causing a third party service provider to transmit media content to the first user or to the first portable media player device with access rights to the media content.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting or causing to be transmitted comprises transmitting a retrieval link for a media to the first user or to the first portable media player device with access rights to the media content.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting or causing to be transmitted comprises transmitting an offer to acquire a media for which the first user or first portable media player device does not have access rights.

17. A method comprising:

receiving by a portable media player device, from a proxy server, updates to a media list or a media list collection of the portable media player device, comprising additional media titles added to a prior local media list or media list collection, the additional media titles included in a media list stored at a remote media service; and

receiving at least one of;

a media corresponding to a media title added to the updated media list or media list collection where a user of, or the portable media player device has access rights to the media, or

information about a media title added to the updated media list or media list collection where the user or the portable media player device does not have access rights to the corresponding media;

wherein the received media or the information about a media, if provided, is provided or caused to be provided by the proxy server, in conjunction with the provision of the updates to the media list or media list collection, by the proxy server.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the additional titles added to the prior local media list or media list collection are added to the prior local media list or media list collection based at least in part on data gathered for media preferences of the user of the portable media player device and one or more other users of one or more other portable media player devices.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the media list stored at the remote media service is a media list selected by the user from a plurality of media lists created by one or more other users of one or more other portable media player devices.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the receiving of the updates to a media list or a media list collection from the proxy server comprises receiving updates to the media list or the media list collection that are generated by comparing an attribute associated with a media of the user with one or more other attributes of one or more other media of one or more other users of one or more other portable media player devices.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the receiving of a media corresponding to a media title being added to the media list or the media list collection comprises receiving the media after a check with a third party service provider has determined that the user is a service subscriber of the third party service provider and the service subscribed includes rights to access the media.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the receiving of a media corresponding to a media title comprises receiving the media from a third party service provider.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein the receiving of information about a media title includes receiving an offer to acquire the media, to which the portable media player device does not have access rights.

18. The method of 1 wherein the updates to the media list or media list collection are generated based at least in part upon a media list stored at the remote media service and selected from a plurality of media lists, by the first user.

25. A proxy server apparatus, comprising:

a network interface;

a processor coupled to the network interface; and

a memory coupled to the network interface and the processor, the memory having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

generate updates to a media list or a media list collection for a portable media player device, based at least in part on data gathered for media preferences for a user of the portable media player device and media preferences of a plurality of other users;

determine for each media title being added to the updated media list or media list collection, whether the user or the portable media player device is a subscriber to a media service that has access to the media title being added to the updated media list or media list collection;

transmit or cause to be transmitted, via the network interface, at least one of;

a media corresponding to a media title being added to the updated media list or media list collection where the user or the portable media player device is a subscriber to the media service, or

an offer to acquire the media from the media service or a third party service where the user or the portable media player device is not a subscriber to the media service.

26. The proxy server apparatus of claim 25 wherein the transmit or cause to be transmitted the updates to a media list or a media list collection comprises transmit updates to a prior media list or a prior media list collection disposed on the portable media player device.

27. The proxy server apparatus of claim 25, wherein the programming instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to gather the data for the media preferences.

28. The proxy server apparatus of claim 25 wherein the transmit or cause to be transmitted comprises transmitting a retrieval link for a media to the user or the portable media player device with a subscription to the media service.

29. A handheld portable media player device, comprising:

a user interface;

storage to store media and media playlists;

a media player;

a transceiver;

a processor coupled to the user interface, the storage, the media player and the transceiver, and configured to control the storage, the media player and the transceiver to collectively receive updates to a media list or a media list collection, from a proxy server, the updates to the media list or media list collection comprising additional media titles to be added to a prior local media list or local media list collection stored in the storage, the additional media titles being added by the proxy server based at least in part on data gathered for media preferences for a user of the portable media player device and one or more other users of one or more other portable media player devices,

wherein the processor is further configured to control the storage, the media player and transceiver to receive at least one of;

a media corresponding to a media title to be added to the updated media list or media list collection where access to the media by the user complies with digital rights management (DRM) rules associated with the media;

or

information about a media title to be added to the updated media list or media list collection, where access to the media by the user does not comply with DRM rules associated with the media;

wherein the received media or the information about a media, if provided, is provided or caused to be provided by the proxy server, in conjunction with the provision of the updates to the media list or the media list collection.

30. The handheld portable media device of claim 29 wherein the processor is further configured to control the user interface to present the updated media list or media list collection with a retrieval link for a media, to the user, the retrieval link being provided by the proxy server if the user or the portable media player device access of the media complies with digital rights management rules associated with the media.

31. The handheld portable media device of claim 29 wherein the processor is further configured to control the storage, the media player and the transceiver to collectively receive a media added to the media list or media list collection, from a third party service provider.

32. The handheld portable media device of claim 29 wherein the updates to a media list or a media list collection are generated by comparing a first music genre of a media of the user with one or more other music genres of one or more other music media of one or more other users of one or more other portable media player devices.