ARCHITECTURE FOR CONTENT AWARENESS AND CONTROL AMONG PEER-TO-PEER COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• US 20130290419A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm Innovation Center Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm Innovation Center Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spencer, Brian J., Kinneberg, Steven J., Johnsgard, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1074 for supporting data block transmission mechanisms file transfer H04L67/06

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for collaboratively presenting content that is distributed among a plurality of communication devices are disclosed. The method includes providing a control service at a player device to enable communicatively coupled controller devices to control playback of media on the player device, and creating a single play queue at the player device that includes identifiers of media content selected by the controller devices. A stream of particular media content from one of the multiple source devices is received when the particular media content is identified at a top of the single play queue, the particular media content is rendered at the player device, and the rendered media content is presented to users associated with the controller devices.

Claims

1. A system for playing media content with communication devices that include source devices, player devices, and controller devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of separate source devices each storing media content, each of the separate source devices providing a media service to enable communication devices that are remote from the player device to identify and retrieve the media content;

at least one player device that maintains a single play queue of media content that is distributed across the plurality of separate source devices and plays the media content identified in the playing queue, the at least one player device providing a control service to enable communication devices that are remote from the player device to select the media content in the single play queue and to remotely control play of the media content at the player device; and

a plurality of separate controller devices that each select, from among available media content that is distributed across the plurality of separate source devices, media content for the single playing queue, each of the separate controller devices remotely control play, at the player device, of the media content that is stored at the plurality of separate source devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of separate controller devices directly access the plurality of separate source devices to obtain metadata that indicates the media content that is available on each of the source devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of separate controller devices directly accesses the plurality of separate source devices to obtain the metadata during an ephemeral session that ceases to exist after the metadata is obtained.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the separate controller devices maintains a persistent session with the at least one player device to receive playback information from the player device that is selected from among an identification of particular media playing on the at least one player device, an indicator of progress of play of media on the player device, and an audio indicator level.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of separate controller devices selects a player device that plays the media content.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of separate controller devices is capable of selecting a player device based upon the media file types that the at least one player device supports.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of separate controller devices identifies media file types that the at least one player device supports and filters the media content so unsupported media file types are not selectable for play.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of separate controller devices is capable of joining and leaving a session with the at least one player device at will.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the media service enables the at least one player to stream a particular media file, from a corresponding one of the plurality of separate source devices where the particular media file resides, when the particular media media file is identified at a top of the single queue.

10. The system of claim 1, where in a single communication device is capable of operating as a controller device, a source device, and a player device during a single session with other communication devices.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the single communication device is a communication device selected from among a smart phone, a tablet, a netbook, a gaming device, and a laptop.

12. A method for playing media content that is distributed across multiple source devices, the method comprising:

providing a control service at a player device to enable communicatively coupled controller devices to control playback of media on the player device;

creating a single play queue at the player device that includes identifiers of media content selected by the controller devices;

receiving a stream of particular media content from one of the multiple source devices when the particular media content is identified at a top of the single play queue;

rendering the particular media content at the player device; and

presenting the rendered media content to users associated with the controller devices.

13. The method of claim 12, including:

receiving requests from the controller devices to identify media file types that are support by the player device; and

sending a list of supported media file types to the controller devices.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the control service updates controller devices with playback information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the control service enables the controller devices to drop off a session with the player device without affecting the play queue and enables the controller devices to return to the play queue and be updated with the playback information.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein presenting includes feeding the rendered content to a presentation device selected from among an audio amplifier and a display device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the control service enables the controller devices to send control commands include commands selected from among rewind, fast forward, pause, stop, and sound level commands.

18. The method of claim 12 including receiving media content metadata from the multiple source devices.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the player device, the controller devices, and the source devices communicate by a peer-to-peer session established via a short-range communication link that is selected from among Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, and WiFi direct communication schemes.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the media content is a content type selected from among audio content, video content, and still images.

21. A communication device for playing media content that is distributed across multiple source devices, the communication device comprising:

means for providing a control service to enable communicatively coupled controller devices to control playback of media on the communication device;

means for creating a single play queue at the player device that includes identifiers of media content selected by the controller devices;

means for receiving a stream of particular media content from one of the multiple source devices when the particular media content is identified at a top of the single play queue;

means for rendering the particular media content at the player device; and

means for presenting the rendered media content to users associated with the controller devices.

22. The communication device of claim 21, including:

means for receiving requests from the controller devices to identify media file types that are support by the communication device; and

means for sending a list of supported media file types to the controller devices.

23. The communication device of claim 21, wherein the control service updates controller devices with playback information.

24. The communication device of claim 23 wherein the control service enables the controller devices to drop off a session with the communication device without affecting the play queue and enables the controller devices to return to the play queue and be updated with the playback information.

25. The communication device of claim 21, wherein means for presenting includes means for feeding the rendered content to a presentation device selected from among an audio amplifier and a display device.

26. The communication device of claim 21, wherein the control service enables the controller devices to send control commands include commands selected from among rewind, fast forward, pause, stop, and sound level commands.

27. The communication device of claim 21 including means for receiving media content metadata from the multiple source devices.

28. The communication device of claim 21, wherein the player device, the controller devices, and the source devices communicate by a peer-to-peer session established via a short-range communication link that is selected from among Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, and WiFi direct communication schemes.

29. The communication device of claim 21, wherein the media content is a content type selected from among audio content, video content, and still images.

30. A non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium, encoded with processor readable instructions to perform a method for playing media content that is distributed across multiple source devices, the method comprising:

providing a control service at a player device to enable communicatively coupled controller devices to control playback of media on the player device;

creating a single play queue at the player device that includes identifiers of media content selected by the controller devices;

receiving a stream of particular media content from one of the multiple source devices when the particular media content is identified at a top of the single play queue;

rendering the particular media content at the player device; and

presenting the rendered media content to users associated with the controller devices.

31. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 30, the method including:

receiving requests from the controller devices to identify media file types that are support by the player device; and

sending a list of supported media file types to the controller devices.

32. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the control service updates controller devices with playback information.

33. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 32 wherein the control service enables the controller devices to drop off a session with the player device without affecting the play queue and enables the controller devices to return to the play queue and be updated with the playback information.

34. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein presenting includes feeding the rendered content to a presentation device selected from among an audio amplifier and a display device.

35. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the control service enables the controller devices to send control commands include commands selected from among rewind, fast forward, pause, stop, and sound level commands.

36. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 30 including receiving media content metadata from the multiple source devices.

37. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the player device, the controller devices, and the source devices communicate by a peer-to-peer session established via a short-range communication link that is selected from among Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, and WiFi direct communication schemes.

38. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the media content is a content type selected from among audio content, video content, and still images.