REMOTE ACCESS OF MEDIA ITEMS

• US 20130282856A1
• Filed: 05/15/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Heller, David, Mavrakakis, Thomas C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

Methods and systems that facilitate the downloading of media items to a first network device from a second network device are disclosed. A plurality of media items are identified Media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. Media item content data associate with a first subset of the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. In this manner, only media item metadata associate with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

playing an episodic media item on a client device;

obtaining, from a network device, metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library, the metadata at least including one or more variables indicating the intended order for playback of the episodic media items;

displaying a list of episodic media items available to the first network device including locally-stored episodic media items and episodic media items available to be obtained from the second network device; and

enforcing a content caching policy on a client device, the policy governing automatic acquisition and storage of at least one further episodic media items upon playing a media item from the plurality of episodic media items on the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring a content caching policy further involves configuring a rule comprising:

determining that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the first network device;

determining that the episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is available on the second network device; and

initiating an obtainment of the episode intended to be played back sequentially after the currently playing episode from the second network device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring a content caching policy further involves configuring a rule comprising:

determining that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the first network device;

determining that the episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not available on the second network device; and

launching an application for allowing a user to obtain the episode intended to be played back sequentially after the currently playing episode from an online media store.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a storage resource policy comprising:

determining that an episode from among the plurality of episodic media items has been consumed and that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after the consumed episode is available on the first network device, and

deleting the consumed episode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises obtaining a release date for a plurality of episodic media items from an online media store.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises obtaining a date that the episodic media items were stored on the second network device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

confirming that a user is authorized to access media items on the first network device and the second network device before enforcing the content caching policy.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

a medium configured to store computer-readable instructions thereon; and

the computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processing device cause the processing device to perform a method, comprising;

playing an episodic media item on a client device;

obtaining, from a network device, metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library, the metadata at least including one or more variables indicating the intended order for playback of the episodic media items; and

enforcing a content caching policy on a client device, the policy governing automatic acquisition and storage of at least one further episodic media items upon playing a media item from the plurality of episodic media items on the client device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein configuring a content caching policy further involves configuring a rule comprising:

determining that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the first network device;

determining that the episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is available on the second network device; and

initiating an obtainment of the episode intended to be played back sequentially after the currently playing episode from the second network device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein configuring a content caching policy further involves configuring a rule comprising:

determining that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the first network device;

determining that the episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not available on the second network device; and

launching an application for allowing a user to obtain the episode intended to be played back sequentially after the currently playing episode from an online media store.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the instructions further causing the processing device to perform the steps of configuring a storage resource policy comprising:

determining that an episode from among the plurality of episodic media items has been consumed and that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after the consumed episode is available on the first network device, and

deleting the consumed episode.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein obtaining metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises obtaining a release date for a plurality of episodic media items from an online media store.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein obtaining metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises obtaining a date that the episodic media items were stored on the second network device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the instructions further causing the processing device to perform the steps of:

confirming that a user is authorized to access media items on the first network device and the second network device before enforcing the content caching policy.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the instructions further causing the processing device to perform the steps of:

displaying a list of episodic media items available to the first network device including locally-stored episodic media items and episodic media items available to be obtained from the second network device.

16. A portable electronic device configured for obtaining media items from a network device, the portable electronic device capable of playing at least one type of media items available in a media item library accessible by the network device, comprising:

a processor being adapted to;

play an episodic media item on a client device;

obtain, from a network device, metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library, the metadata at least including one or more variables indicating the intended order for playback of the episodic media items; and

enforce a content caching policy on a client device, the policy governing automatic acquisition and storage of at least one further episodic media items upon playing a media item from the plurality of episodic media items on the client device.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a display for displaying a list of episodic media items available to the first network device including locally-stored episodic media items and episodic media items available to be obtained from the second network device.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further adapted for configuring a content caching policy a rule comprising:

determining that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the first network device;

determining that the episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is available on the second network device; and

initiating an obtainment of the episode intended to be played back sequentially after the currently playing episode from the second network device.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further adapted for configuring a content caching policy a rule comprising:

determining that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the first network device;

determining that the episode intended to be played back sequentially after a currently playing episode is not available on the second network device; and

launching an application for allowing a user to obtain the episode intended to be played back sequentially after the currently playing episode from an online media store.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further adapted for configuring a storage resource policy comprising:

determining that an episode from among the plurality of episodic media items has been consumed and that an episode intended to be played back sequentially after the consumed episode is available on the first network device, and

deleting the consumed episode.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises a release date for a plurality of episodic media items from an online media store.

22. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises a date that the episodic media items were stored on the second network device.