SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20090210477A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: WHITE, SCOTT, Schmehl, Ian C., Cansler, James L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• 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 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media distribution system having a controller to identify a plurality of media presentation devices of a user of the MDS, identify one or more distribution preferences supplied by the user for distributing media content to the plurality of media presentation devices, receive media content from one of a plurality of media sources of the user, determine a media content type from the received media content, and distribute the received media content to one or more of the plurality of media presentation devices according to the one or more distribution preferences and the media content type. The one or more distribution preferences comprise in part media content distribution arrangements assigned by the user between the plurality of media sources of the user and the plurality of media presentation devices of the user. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A media distribution system (MDS), comprising a controller to:

identify a plurality of media presentation devices of a user of the MDS;

identify one or more distribution preferences supplied by the user for distributing media content to the plurality of media presentation devices, wherein the one or more distribution preferences comprise in part media content distribution arrangements assigned by the user between a plurality of media sources of the user and the plurality of media presentation devices of the user;

receive media content from one of the media sources of the user;

determine a media content type from the received media content; and

distribute the received media content to one or more of the plurality of media presentation devices according to the one or more distribution preferences and the media content type.

2. The MDS of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media presentation devices comprise at least one among a computing device, a portable media player, an entertainment system of an automobile, and a set top box.

3. The MDS of claim 1, wherein the MDS operates in one among an Internet Protocol Television (TV) communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TV communication system, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Voice over IP (VoIP) communication system, and an IP Multimedia Subsystem combining the PSTN and VoIP communication systems.

4. The MDS of claim 3, wherein the media source comprises one among a still image recorder, a moving image recorder, an audio recorder, a media player, and an Internet media content source.

5. The MDS of claim 3, wherein the controller is adapted to:

detect a presence of the media source; and

retrieve the media content from the media source responsive to the detected presence.

6. The MDS of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to:

determine which of the plurality of media presentation devices is communicatively coupled to the MDS; and

distribute the media content to the one or more media presentation devices according to the distribution preferences, the media content type, and the communicative determination of said one or more media presentation devices.

7. The MDS of claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to:

detect an availability of at least one of the plurality of media presentation devices not previously communicatively coupled to the MDS but selected to receive the media content according to the distribution preferences and the media content type; and

distribute the media content to the at least one detected media presentation device.

8. The MDS of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a software application to facilitate distribution of media content from the MDS to said plurality of media presentation devices.

9. The MDS of claim 3, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a software application to facilitate receiving the media content from the media source.

10. The MDS of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to distribute the media content to the one or more media presentation devices by way of at least one among a wireline communication medium and a wireless communication medium.

11. The MDS of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication medium comprises at least one among a wireless fidelity communication medium, a cellular communication medium, and a worldwide interoperability for microwave access communication medium.

12. The MDS of claim 1, wherein the one or more distribution preferences comprise user-defined macros for directing a selective distribution of the received media content to the plurality of media presentation devices according to a media consumption capability of each of the plurality of media presentation devices and the one or more media content distribution arrangements, wherein the media sources of the user are operatively different, and wherein the plurality of media presentation devices are operatively different.

13. The MDS of claim 12, wherein the media content type comprises one among an audio content type, a visual content type, and combinations thereof.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving media content from one of a plurality of media sources of a user;

identifying a media content type from the received media content; and

distributing the received media content to one or more of a plurality of media presentation devices of the user according to the identified media content type and one or more media content distribution arrangements assigned by the user between the plurality of media sources of the user and the plurality of media presentation devices of the user.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions for receiving from the user one or more distribution preferences corresponding in part to the one or more media content distribution arrangements.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more distribution preferences comprise user-defined macros for directing a selective distribution of media content between the plurality of media sources and the plurality of media presentation devices, and wherein the media content type comprises one among an audio content type, a visual content type, and combinations thereof.

17. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of media presentation devices comprise at least one among a computing device, a portable media player, an entertainment system of an automobile, and a set top box, and wherein the media source comprises one among a still image recorder, a moving image recorder, an audio recorder, a media player, and an Internet media content source.

18. The storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions for:

determining which of the plurality of media presentation devices is communicatively coupled to the MDS; and

distributing the media content to the one or more media presentation devices according to the one or more media content distribution arrangements, the media content type, and the communicative determination of said one or more media presentation devices.

19. The storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a software application to facilitate receiving the media content from the media source; and

receiving a software to facilitate distribution of media content to said plurality of media presentation devices.

20. A method, comprising distributing media content supplied by one of a plurality of media sources of a user to one or more of a plurality of media presentation devices of the user according to a media content type determined from the supplied media content and one or more media content distribution arrangements assigned by the user between the plurality of media sources of the user and the plurality of media presentation devices of the user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the method operates in a media distribution system (MDS).

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the media content type comprises one among an audio content type, a visual content type, and combinations thereof.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of media presentation devices comprise at least one among a computing device, a portable media player, an entertainment system of an automobile, and a set top box, and wherein the media presentation device comprises one among a still image recorder, a moving image recorder, an audio recorder, a media player, and an Internet media content source.

24. The method of claim 20, comprising:

determining one or more of the plurality of media presentation devices communicatively available to receive media content;

distributing the media content to the one or more media presentation devices according to the one or more media content distribution arrangements, the media content type, and the one or more media presentation devices detected;

detecting an availability of at least one of the plurality of media presentation devices not previously communicatively available but selected to receive the media content according to the distribution preferences and the media content type; and

distributing the media content to the at least one detected media presentation device.

25. The method of claim 20, comprising:

receiving a software application to facilitate receiving the media content from the media source; and

receiving a software application to facilitate distribution of media content to said plurality of media presentation devices.