MULTIPLE DEVICES MULTIMEDIA CONTROL

• US 20100153576A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.), Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.), Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: MAHDI, KANIZ, WOHLERT, RANDOLPH
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that effectuate initiating, transferring, manipulating, and/or maintaining simultaneous real time streaming of multimedia content. The system can include devices and components that synchronize multimedia distribution to disparate user devices, distribute media streams to the disparate user devices, and provide media control over the media streams by the disparate user devices.

Claims

1. A system implemented on a machine that effectuates initiating, transferring, manipulating, or maintaining a simultaneous real time streaming of multimedia content, comprising:

a memory that retains instructions related to synchronizing multimedia distribution to one or more user devices, distributing one or more media streams to the one or more user devices, and supporting media control over the one or more media streams by the one or more user devices; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, configured to execute the instructions retained in the memory.

2. The system of claim 1, at least one of the one or more user devices intercommunicates with an application server situated in a core cellular telephone network to establish and control the one or more media streams.

3. The system of claim 2, the application server effectuates the synchronizing of the multimedia distribution to the one or more user devices, the synchronizing ensures that a similar real time media experience is experienced by one or more users associated with the one or more user devices.

4. The system of claim 1, the synchronizing of the multimedia distribution to the one or more user devices provided by one of a server dedicated to actuating the synchronizing or a server that provides one or more functionality related to content distribution or content persistence.

5. The system of claim 1, the one or more media streams initiated by a media session establishment request utilizing a session initiation protocol (SIP).

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising establishing a multimedia streaming session between an application server situated in a core network and at least one of a device with a control function, or a device without the control function.

7. The system of claim 6, the multimedia streaming session synchronized to provide a same or similar real time experience to users employing the device with the control function, or the device without the control function.

8. The system of claim 1, the synchronizing further comprising arbitrating between conflicts arising between two or more user devices that include a control function.

9. The system of claim 8, the arbitrating further comprising utilizing at least one of a user priority level or a timing of receipt of a command received from the two or more user devices to resolve a conflict that arises between the two or more user devices that include a control function.

10. A machine implement method for initiating, transferring, manipulating, or maintaining a simultaneous real time streaming of multimedia content, comprising:

synchronizing multimedia distribution to one or more user devices;

distributing one or more media streams to the one or more user devices; and

supporting media control over the one or more media streams by the one or more user devices.

11. The method of claim 10, the supporting media control over the one or more media streams by the one or more user devices further comprising transferring exclusive control from a first device to a second device included in the one or more user devices.

12. The method of claim 10, the supporting media control over the one or more media streams by the one or more user devices further comprising arbitrating control amongst the one or more user devices.

13. The method of claim 12, the arbitrating control amongst the one or more user devices further includes utilizing a control token retained by at least one of a user device with exclusive control or an application server from which the one or more media streams are distributed.

14. The method of claim 13, the utilizing the control token further comprising transferring the control token from the user device with exclusive control or the application server from which the one or more media streams are distributed to a requesting user device.

15. The method of claim 13, where a user device obtains possession of the control token a non-controlling user device is rendered inactive by at least one of disabling transmission of commands from the non-controlling user device or ignoring received commands from the non-controlling user device during the synchronizing of multimedia distribution to the one or more user devices.

16. A system that effectuates initiating, transferring, manipulating, or maintaining a simultaneous real time streaming of multimedia content, comprising:

means for synchronizing multimedia distribution to a means for receiving;

means for distributing one or more media streams to the means for receiving; and

means for supporting media control over the one or more media streams by the means for receiving.

17. The system of claim 16, the one or more media streams initiated by a media session establishment request utilizing a session initiation protocol (SIP).

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for establishing a multimedia streaming session between means for distributing situated in a core network and a means for receiving associated with a control function.

19. The system of claim 16, the means for synchronizing further comprising means arbitrating between conflicts arising between two or more means for receiving that include a control function.

20. The system of claim 19, the means for arbitrating further comprising means for utilizing at least one of a user priority level or a timing of receipt of a command received from the two or more means for receiving to resolve a conflict that arises between the two or more means for receiving that includes a control function.