System, Apparatus and Methods for Storing Links to Media Files in Network Storage

• US 20100211998A1
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soelberg, Emily Lyons, McNamara, Justin M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

When a user purchases digital rights to a media file, or otherwise obtains the right to have a copy of the media file downloaded to the user'"'"'s wireless device, a link to the media file that is stored in the media database is stored in a user storage database. When the user desires to have the media file downloaded to the user'"'"'s wireless device, the user sends a request to the network. The network performs a check to determine whether the user is authorized to receive the requested media file, and if so, causes the requested media file to be downloaded to the user'"'"'s wireless device where the media file is stored in the local memory of the wireless device for playback by the user on the wireless device.

Claims

1. A wireless device for obviating the need to store multiple copies of a media file in a media storage database, the wireless device comprising:

a client processor;

a local memory in communication with the client processor; and

an upload logic on the local memory for

requesting to move a media file from the local memory to the media storage database,

receiving a request to store a link to the media file in the media storage database,

sending a link to the media file to a user storage database, and

deleting the media file from the local memory;

wherein the request to move the media file is interpreted as a request to store a link to the media file; and

wherein the media storage database has no more than one copy of each media file.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a display device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein a user agent storage database stores capabilities of the display device.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising an input device.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the input device is a keypad.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the upload logic requests to download a media file to the local memory from the media storage database, the request including a link associated with the media file and an identifier that identifies the wireless device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the upload logic receives authorization to receive the media file associated with the link included in the request.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising retrieving the media file associated with the link from the media storage database to the local memory.

9. A system for storing links to media files in a media storage database that are used to access media files stored in network storage, the system comprising:

a wireless device;

a download server in communication with the wireless device;

a media storage database in communication with the download server, the media storage database having a plurality of media files stored therein;

an application server in communication with the wireless device;

a user storage database in communication with the application server, the user storage database having a plurality of links to the plurality of media files stored therein;

an authentication logic on the application server, the authentication logic for determining whether a user is authorized to receive one or more media files;

a download logic on the download server, the download logic for;

receiving a request to send a media file to a wireless device, the request including a link associated with a media file and an identifier that identifies the wireless device to which the media file is to be sent,

retrieving the media file associated with the link from the media storage database, and

sending the retrieved media file to the identified wireless device; and

upload logic on the application server, the upload logic for

receiving a request to move a media file from a local memory of the wireless device to the media storage database,

interpreting the request as a request to store a link to the media file in the user storage database,

storing the link in the user storage database, and

deleting the media file from the local memory of the wireless device;

wherein the media storage database has no more than one copy of each media file.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a billing server.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the billing server authenticates the wireless device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the billing server associates the wireless device with a paid subscription.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a user agent storage database, the user agent storage database including user profiles of wireless devices.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user agent storage database includes device capabilities of each wireless device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless device includes a display device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user agent storage database includes capabilities of the display device on the wireless device.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the download logic determines whether or not a user associated with the wireless device is authorized to receive the remote media file associated with the link included in the request.

18. A method for storing links to media files in network storage that are used to access media files stored in network storage in a way that obviates the need to store multiple copies of media files in network storage, the method comprising:

receiving a request to upload a local media file from a wireless device to network storage;

interpreting the request as a request to store a link to the media file in the user storage database;

storing the link to the local media file uploaded from the wireless device in a user storage database of the network storage; and

deleting the local media file from the local memory of the wireless device;

wherein the media storage database has no more than one copy of each media file.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a request from the wireless device to download a media file to the wireless device from the network storage, the request including a link associated with the media file from the network storage and an identifier that identifies the wireless device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining whether or not a user associated with the wireless device is authorized to receive the remote media file associated with the link included in the request.