CONCURRENT MEDIA DELIVERY

• US 20130326041A1
• Filed: 12/12/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Millot, Manuel, Auroux, Damien, Bellet, Vincent, Greene, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast

Abstract

Various embodiments relating to managing media delivery are disclosed. In one embodiment, a first request is received from a first device associated with a first account to obtain a first media content item. The first request may include an identifier indicating that the first request is an automatic request or a manual request. Information for obtaining the first media content item is sent to the first device. A second request is received from a second device associated with the first account to obtain a second media content item. The second request may include an identifier indicating that the second request is a manual request. Information for obtaining the second media content item is sent to the second device, such that obtaining the first media content item on the first device temporally overlaps obtaining the second media content item on the second device.

Claims

1. A method of managing media delivery from a media authority computing machine, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from a first device associated with a first account to obtain a first media content item;

sending to the first device information for obtaining the first media content item;

receiving a second request from a second device associated with the first account to obtain a second media content item, the second request including an identifier indicating that the second request is a manual request; and

sending to the second device information for obtaining the second media content item, such that obtaining the first media content item on the first device temporally overlaps obtaining the second media content item on the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after receiving the second request, receiving a third request from the first device to obtain a third media content item, the third request including an identifier indicating that the third request is an automatic request; and

blocking the first device from obtaining the third media content item.

3. The method of claim 2, where blocking includes refraining from sending to the first device information for obtaining the third media content item.

4. The method of claim 1, where sending information for obtaining the media content item includes sending a pointer to a network location from which the media content item is available.

5. The method of claim 1, where sending information for obtaining the media content item includes sending information for streaming the media content item.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

after receiving the second request, sending to the first device instructions to suspend automated streaming.

7. The method of claim 1, where sending information for obtaining the media content item includes sending information for persistently downloading the media content item.

8. The method of claim 1, where the media content item is an audio content item.

9. The method of claim 8, where the audio content item is a song.

10. The method of claim 1, where the media content item is a video content item.

11. The method of claim 1, where the media content item is a game content item.

12. The method of claim 1, where the first request includes an identifier including a flag with a first setting indicating that the first request is an automatic request , and where the identifier indicating that the second request is a manual request includes the flag with a second setting, different than the first setting.

13. A method of managing media delivery from a media authority computing machine, the method comprising:

receiving a request to provide a media content item to a device associated with an account;

if no other device associated with the account is being provided a media content item, allowing provision of the media content item to the device;

if another device associated with the account is being provided a media content item and the request is a manual request, allowing provision of the media content item to the device if a prevention criteria is not satisfied; and

if another device associated with the account is being provided a media content item and the request is an automatic request, not allowing provision of the media content item to the device.

14. The method of claim 13, where the prevention criteria is a threshold number of instances of concurrent streaming within a testing period.

15. The method of claim 13, where the prevention criteria is configurable for the account.

16. The method of claim 13, where allowing provision of the media content item to the device includes sending to the device a pointer to a network location from which the media content item is available.

17. A method of obtaining media content items with a playback device, the method comprising:

recognizing a manual input to obtain a media content item;

sending to a media authority computing machine a request to obtain the media content item, the request including an identifier indicating that the request is a manual request; and

obtaining the media content item with the playback device while another playback device associated with a same account concurrently obtains a media content item.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising streaming the media content item while another playback device associated with the same account concurrently streams a media content item.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising relaying the media content item to one or more slave playback devices for synced streaming.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising persistently downloading the media content item while another playback device associated with the same account concurrently downloads a media content item.