Media Player With Automatic Streaming of Media Files

• US 20090100187A1
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

A media streaming device which automatically senses the proximity of an auxiliary media player such as a digital picture frame or digital audio device, and automatically streams the media information from the player to the auxiliary media player. Commissions can be sent so that only some files are sent, based on either user specified permissions or based on copyright restrictions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing a plurality of media files in a storage unit;

enabling carrying out an action that allows playing the media files;

storing at least one attribute associated with at least a plurality of the media files; and

based on said at least one attribute, selectively determining whether the media file can be streamed to an associated media playing device, separate from the device that stores the plurality of files, wherein a first value of said one attribute allows the media file to be streamed, and the second value of said at least one attribute prevents the media file from being streamed.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising automatically determining a proximity of a connection to said media playing device, and wherein said first value causes the media file to be automatically streamed whenever a connection to a media playing device is detected by said automatically determining.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the media files are at least one of video files, image files, or audio files.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said media playing device is connected to the internet, and wherein said automatically streamed comprises streaming over the Internet connection.

5. A method as in claim 1, further comprising streaming said media file to said associated playing device at a first time, and playing said media file on said media playing unit at a second time subsequent to said first time.

6. a method as in claim 1, further comprising storing another file attribute which specifies ownership characteristics of the file, wherein said selectively determining is based on both said at least one attribute and said another file attribute, and allows the media file to be streamed to the media playing device only when ownership information of the media playing unit is allowed by said ownership characteristics information of the file.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein said at least one attribute is a copyright attribute that determines whether the file can be sent to another device.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein said copyright attribute is stored in an encrypted form.

15. A method as in claim 7, wherein said copyright attribute is stored in an encrypted form.

9. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of media files in a media playing unit, where said media playing unit enables selecting a media file for playing, and said media playing unit carries out at least one of providing audio and/or pictures and/or the video from the media playing unit to a user;

automatically detecting a proximity of a connection to an external playing unit within range of said media playing unit, which external playing unit is one that can play the at least one of audio and/or pictures and/or video; and

automatically streaming at least one file to the media playing unit found by said automatically detecting.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein said storing comprises storing at least one attribute associated with at least a plurality of the media files, and said automatically streaming is based on a value of said at least one attribute wherein a first value of said one attribute allows the media file to be streamed, and a second value of said at least one attribute prevents the media file from being streamed.

11. A method as in claim 9, wherein said external playing unit is connected to the internet, and said streaming said at least one file comprises streaming over the internet.

12. A method as in claim 9, wherein said automatically streaming is carried out at a first time, and a playing by said media playing unit is carried out at a second time subsequent to said first time.

13. A method as in claim 10, further comprising storing another file attribute which specifies ownership characteristics of the file, wherein said selectively determining is based on both said at least one attribute and said another file attribute, and allows the media file to be streamed to the media playing unit only when ownership information of the media playing unit is allowed by said ownership characteristics information of the file.

14. A method as in claim 9, wherein said at least one attribute is a copyright attribute that determines whether the file can be sent to another device.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a media player device, having a storage unit that stores media files, and a player that allows playing the stored media files, and also stores at least one attribute associated with at least a plurality of the media files; and

a streaming part, operable based on said at least one attribute, to send the media file to an associated media playing device, separate from the media player device that stores the plurality of files, wherein a first value of said one attribute allows the media file to be sent to said associated media playing device, and the second value of said at least one attribute prevents the media file from being sent to the associated media playing device.

17. An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein said media playing device has a wireless connection that is used for automatically sensing a connection to an associated media playing device, and wherein said first value causes the media file to be automatically streamed whenever a connection to a media playing device is detected.

18. An apparatus as in claim 17, wherein said associated media playing device is connected to the internet, and wherein said media file is automatically streamed over the Internet connection.

19. An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein said associated media playing device includes a storage memory, that receives the streamed media at a first time, and plays said media file on said media playing unit at a second time subsequent to said first time.

20. A method as in claim 16, wherein said media player device stores another file attribute which specifies ownership characteristics of the media file, and wherein said streaming part is operable based on both said at least one attribute and said another file attribute, and allows the media file to be streamed to the media playing device only when ownership information of the media playing unit is allowed by said ownership characteristics information of the file.