METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT ON A MOBILE MEDIA CENTER

• US 20100136958A1
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: CHANDRA, NALESH, Small, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,892,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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: 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 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing multimedia content over a wireless network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request from a customer via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing one or more multimedia content from a multimedia content server of the customer, and performs an authentication for obtaining the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server. The method obtains the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server, and transmits the one or more multimedia content to the data enabled cellular phone.

Claims

1. A method for providing multimedia content, comprising:

receiving a request from a customer via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing one or more multimedia content from a multimedia content server of said customer;

performing an authentication for obtaining said one or more multimedia content from said multimedia content server;

obtaining said one or more multimedia content from said multimedia content server; and

transmitting said one or more multimedia content to said data enabled cellular phone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting said one or more multimedia content from said data enabled cellular phone to a mobile set-top box.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said mobile set-top box is programmable.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said mobile set-top box is deployed in a vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said mobile set-top box interacts with a display installed in said vehicle for displaying said one or more multimedia content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said display installed in said vehicle is part of an entertainment system or a navigation system of said vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said authentication comprises communicating with an access management system, wherein said access management system manages access to said multimedia content server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said data enabled cellular phone has a multimedia content previewing capability.

9. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps of a method for providing multimedia content, comprising:

receiving a request from a customer via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing one or more multimedia content from a multimedia content server of said customer;

performing an authentication for obtaining said one or more multimedia content from said multimedia content server;

obtaining said one or more multimedia content from said multimedia content server; and

transmitting said one or more multimedia content to said data enabled cellular phone.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting said one or more multimedia content from said data enabled cellular phone to a mobile set-top box.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein said mobile set-top box is programmable.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein said mobile set-top box is deployed in a vehicle.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said mobile set-top box interacts with a display installed in said vehicle for displaying said one or more multimedia content.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein said display installed in said vehicle is part of an entertainment system or a navigation system of said vehicle.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said authentication comprises communicating with an access management system, wherein said access management system manages access to said multimedia content server.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said data enabled cellular phone has a multimedia content previewing capability.

17. A method for providing multimedia content, comprising:

receiving a request from a customer via a mobile set-top box for accessing one or more multimedia content from a multimedia content server of said customer;

performing an authentication for obtaining said one or more multimedia content from said multimedia content server;

obtaining said one or more multimedia content from said multimedia content server; and

transmitting said one or more multimedia content to said mobile set-top box.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said mobile set-top box has a predetermined home location.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining by said mobile set-top box when said mobile set-top box is at said predetermined home location; and

automatically generating said request.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said mobile set-top box is deployed in a vehicle.