CONTENT CHANNELS FOR A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20110145361A1
• Filed: 02/15/2011
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Harris, Jonathan R., Andrews, Anton O.A., Fong, Jeffrey C., Lauby, William J., Shum, Albert Y.S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

Various embodiments enable a user of a mobile media device to select one or more channels to load onto the device. Each channel comprises a collection of media content files, such as video content, audio content, and so on. Each collection of media content files can be associated with a particular genre (or genres) of media content. A channel can be managed such that its collection of media content can be rearranged, augmented, and/or otherwise edited to produce a refreshed version of the channel. The refreshed version of the channel can be provided to the mobile media device for playback. Thus, a channel associated with a particular genre of media content can provide a user with a dynamic user experience without requiring the user to manipulate specific media content files.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a content request from a mobile device;

responsive to receiving the content request, replacing on the mobile device a first instance of a selected channel with a second instance of the selected channel by loading content files from a second collection of content files associated with the second instance of the selected channel that are not in a first collection of content files associated with the first instance of the selected channel onto the mobile device and removing content files from the first collection of content files that are not in the second collection of content files from the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content request is generated responsive to the mobile device being wirelessly connected to a channel management service over a network.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, wherein the channel management service is located at a remote server, and wherein the network comprises the Internet.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content request is generated responsive to the mobile device being wirelessly connected to a computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, wherein the computing device comprises a desktop PC, a laptop, or a game console.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content request is generated responsive to the mobile device being directly connected to a computing device via a wired connection.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the computing device comprises a desktop PC, a laptop, or a game console.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content files from the second collection of content files associated with the second instance of the selected channel are retrieved from a channel management service and transmitted to the mobile device.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second instance of the selected channel includes a metafile that comprises channel description information and pointers to each of the content files comprised by the second instance of the selected channel.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

requesting a new instance of a selected channel;

receiving content files from a new collection of content files associated with the new instance of the selected channel; and

replacing, on a mobile device, a current instance of the selected channel with the new instance of the selected channel by loading the content files from the new collection of content files associated with the new instance of the selected channel that are not in a current collection of content files associated with the current instance of the selected channel onto the mobile device and removing content files from the current collection of content files that are not in the new collection of content files from the mobile device.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10, wherein requesting the new instance of the selected channel is performed responsive to the mobile device being wirelessly connected to a channel management service over a network.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 11, wherein the channel management service is located at a remote server, and wherein the network comprises the Internet.

13. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10, wherein requesting the new instance of the selected channel is performed responsive to the mobile device being wirelessly connected to a computing device.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the computing device comprises a desktop PC, a laptop, or a game console.

15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10, wherein requesting the new instance of the selected channel is performed responsive to the mobile device being directly connected to a computing device via a wired connection.

16. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein the computing device comprises a desktop PC, a laptop, or a game console.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10, further comprising receiving the content files from the new collection of content files associated with the new instance of the selected channel from a channel management service.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10, wherein the new instance of the selected channel includes a metafile that comprises channel description information and pointers to each of the content files comprised by the new instance of the selected channel.

19. A mobile device comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, implement a method comprising;

requesting a new instance of a selected channel;

receiving content files from a new collection of content files associated with the new instance of the selected channel; and

replacing, on the mobile device, a current instance of the selected channel with the new instance of the selected channel by loading the content files from the new collection of content files associated with the new instance of the selected channel that are not in a current collection of content files associated with the current instance of the selected channel onto the mobile device and removing content files from the current collection of content files that are not in the new collection of content files from the mobile device.

20. The mobile device as recited in claim 19, wherein requesting the new instance of the selected channel is performed responsive to the mobile device being wirelessly connected to a channel management service over a network.