APPARATUS, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD, FOR PROVIDING MEDIA IN A RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20130042277A1
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hymel, James Allen
• Application Number:
  US13/208,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20130042277A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2183 Cache memory caches in web servers or browsers G06F16/9574; intermediate storage and caching in data networks H04L67/568

Abstract

An apparatus, and an associated method, facilitates the sending and play out of popular media, such as viral videos, in a radio communication system. Portions of popular media are broadcast and stored at communication devices. When a user of a communication device elects to play out popular media, the broadcast portion, stored at a communication device, is retrieved and played out. If an additional portion of the media is to be played out, the additional portion is retrieved and downloaded to the communication device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a wireless device having media-broadcast reception functionality, said apparatus comprising:

a selection detector configured to detect selection to play out selected media;

a media retriever adapted to receive indication of selection detected by said selection detector, said media retriever configured to retrieve a locally-cached portion of the selected media and configured to initiate retrieval of a remotely-located additional portion of the selected media.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said selection detector is configured to detect selection to access a network location associated with a selected uniform resource locator.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said media retriever is configured to retrieve a locally-cached portion of selected media associated with the selected uniform resource locator.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said media retriever is configured to initiate retrieval of a remotely-located additional portion of the selected media by initiating access to the selected uniform resource locator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a memory cache configured to store mobile-broadcast media.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the mobile-broadcast media comprises the locally-cached portion of the selected media, the locally-cached portion of the selected media forming less than an entirety of the selected media.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the mobile-broadcast media comprises mobile-TV media.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said media retriever is configured to initiate packet-channel retrieval of a remotely-located additional portion of the selected media.

9. A method for facilitating broadcast of selected media in a wireless communication system, said method comprising:

broadcasting at least a first portion of the selected media together with an indication of a network location at which the media is accessible;

providing at least a second portion of the selected media for access by way of the network location indicated by the indication broadcast together with the first portion of the selected media.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising selecting the selected media.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said selecting comprises selecting media identified to be popular according to a popularity indicia.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said broadcasting comprises broadcasting less than an entirety of the selected media.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising identifying a location of the selected media at which the first portion of the selected media terminates.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the second portion of the selected media commences at the location at which the first portion of the selected media terminates.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising detecting a request for the second portion of the selected media and wherein said providing further comprising sending the second portion of the selected media by a packet-switched communication connection.

16. A method for facilitating play out of media at a wireless device having media-broadcast reception functionality, said method comprising:

detecting selection to play out selected media;

retrieving a locally-cached portion of the selected media; and

initiating retrieval of a remotely-located additional portion of the selected media if play out of the selected media is to continue beyond play out of the locally-cached portion.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said detecting comprises detecting selection to access a selected uniform resource locator.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the locally-cached portion of the selected media comprises broadcast-delivered media.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said initiating retrieval of the remotely-located additional portion by way of a packet-switched connection.

20. An apparatus for facilitating broadcast of selected media in a wireless communication system, said apparatus comprising:

a media portion definer configured to define a first portion of the selected media; and

a broadcast initiator configured to initiate broadcast of a first portion, defined by said media portion definer, of the selected media, together with an indication of a network location at which the selected media is accessible.