System and Method for Customized Sharing of Multimedia Content in a Communications Network

• US 20090100134A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Svennarp, Goran
• Application Number:
  US11/871,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100134A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods and devices for sharing multimedia content in a communications network are disclosed. In an exemplary method, the initiation of a communications session between a first communications device and a second communications device is detected. In response, a content update, based on multimedia content stored on the first communications device, is formed and sent to the second communications device. In some embodiments, the content update is formed using files stored on the first communications device. In other embodiments, the content update describes one or more files stored on the first communications device, and may comprise pointers to the files, such as URLs, for use by the second communications device in retrieving one or more of the files.

Claims

1. A method for sharing multimedia content in a communications network, comprising:

detecting the initiation of a communications session between a first communications device and a second communications device;

responsive to said initiation, forming a content update based on content stored on the first communications device;

sending the content update to the second communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the initiation of a communications session comprises receiving, at a server, a message indicating the initiation of the communications session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the content update is further based on a prior content update previously sent to the second communications device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving a content profile corresponding to a user of the second communications device, and wherein forming the content update is further based on the content profile.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein retrieving a content profile corresponding to a user of the second communications device comprises requesting the content profile from a remote server, using an identifier corresponding to the user.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein retrieving a content profile corresponding to a user of the second communications device comprises requesting the content profile from the second communications and receiving the content profile in response.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the content profile comprises a content type, and wherein forming the content update comprises forming the content update using one or more files stored on the first communications device and corresponding to the content type.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining location data corresponding to the second communications device, and wherein forming the content update is further based on the location data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an operational mode for the second communications device, and wherein forming the content update is further based on the operational mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the content update comprises assembling the content update using one or more files stored on the first communications device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the content update comprises forming a content update describing one or more files stored on the first communications device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the content update comprises pointers corresponding to the one or more files for use by the second communications device in retrieving one or more of the files.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the content update comprises pointers corresponding to copies of one or more files stored on the first communications device, the copies stored on a server, wherein the pointers are for use by the second communications device in retrieving one or more of the copies.

14. A communications device, comprising:

a communications section configured to communicate with a remote device;

a memory device configured to store multimedia content; and

a processor configured to;

detect the initiation of a communications session between the communications device and the remote device;

form a content update based on the multimedia content; and

send the content update to the remote device, using the communications section.

15. The communications device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to form the content update based on a prior content update previously sent to the remote device.

16. The communications device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve a content profile corresponding to a user of the remote device and to form the content update based on the content profile.

17. A server for use in a communications network, the server configured to:

receive a notification of a communication session between a first participant and a second participant, the notification comprising a first user identifier corresponding to the first participant;

retrieve a content profile for the first participant, using the first user identifier;

update a content status for a communications device associated with the second participant;

form a content update, based on the content status and the content profile; and

send the content update to the first participant.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the server is configured to form the content update based on a prior content update previously sent to the first participant.

19. The server of claim 17, wherein the server is further configured to store copies of one or more files stored on the communications device, and wherein the content update comprises one or more pointers to the stored copies.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the content profile comprises a content type, and wherein forming the content update comprises forming the content update using one or more of the copies corresponding to the content type.