AUDIO VISUAL PLAYER APPARATUS AND SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTENT DISTRIBUTION USING THE SAME

• US 20120323349A9
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Music Gremlin Incorporated
• Inventors: Khedouri, Robert, Axelrod, Jonathan, Price, Harold, Becker, John, Edinger, Mark, Kraul, Douglas R.
• Application Number:
  US11/964,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069915A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/134 Distributed indices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system is presented providing content to a plurality of handheld devices (including musical selections). The devices can access a server over the Internet via a WIFI or other similar wireless interconnection and can download songs requested by a user from the server or from other users using, e,g, a P2P protocol. All downloads are governed by applicable DRM rules. Content and playlists may also be pushed by a server from other sources and means including, e.g., podcasting, based on predetermined rules, favorite preferences of users, and other criteria.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A method for a user controlled media playing device to acquire digital media content in a networked environment comprising:

distributing cataloged data to said user-operated device from a server;

selection of digital media content from said cataloged data; and

delivering said selected digital media content;

wherein said delivery is accomplished based upon user preference of delivery attributes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said digital media content selection is accomplished by user based upon preferred periodicity.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said delivery implements DRM technology.

12. A method for a user controlled media playing device to acquire digital media content to in a networked environment comprising:

distributing cataloged data to said user operated device from a server;

said server selects digital media content from said cataloged data; and

delivering said selected digital media content;

wherein said delivery is accomplished based upon user preference of delivery attributes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said server selection is accomplished based upon preferred periodicity.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said server stores data on users and prior selections and determines selections based on said stored data.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said delivery is subject to a DRM protocol.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the digital media content is delivered using podcasting.

17. A method for a user controlled media playing device to acquire digital media content to in a networked environment comprising:

preparing by a server a plurality of proposed lists of content, each list identifying a plurality of media segments stored in a data storage;

transmitting said proposed lists to a plurality of user-controlled devices;

receiving requests from users for content based on said proposed lists; and

transmitting content to the users using RSS.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising updating said lists at predetermined intervals.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein users register with said server to receive said proposed lists.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein as part of said preparing, said sever receives user preferences indicating the preferences of individual users, and wherein said server modifies said proposed lists using said preferences.

21. A system for distributing digital content, the system comprising:

network servers comprising a catalog storage means;

user-controlled devices capable of communicating with said servers;

one or more content sources that publish content periodically; and

wherein said network servers poll said content sources periodically to determine what items are available; and

wherein said network servers provide a listing of available content sources and items to said user-controlled devices, and indicate which of said items are new.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the content sources is a podcast provider.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the network selectively provides information for only preferred content categories of the user.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the network notifies user devices when new content matching their preferences become available.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the devices automatically obtain the new available content without user interaction when so notified.