NETWORK MEDIA DEVICE

• US 20140006946A1
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,448,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/604 Hybrid IP/Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A network media device is described that pulls multimedia data from one or more sources (e.g., a multimedia website or a multimedia server computer) at a first time, stores it to long-term storage within the device and transmits the stored multimedia data to one or more designated multimedia playback devices at a second time.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a network multimedia device to receive multimedia content from a content source, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are coupled via at least one network, method comprising:

at a content source;

discovering one or more services provided by a network multimedia device coupled to the content source through at least one network, wherein the one or more services provided by the network multimedia device are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the one or more services are associated with at least one multimedia playback device coupled to the network multimedia device; and

accepting user input to establish a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

presenting one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

presenting one or more multimedia libraries that may be synchronized with the network multimedia device, each multimedia library containing one or more multimedia files;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device; and

synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device further comprises specifying one or more synchronization parameters; and

synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device further comprises communicating with the network multimedia device to copy one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device and delete one or more multimedia files from the network multimedia device according to the specified synchronization parameters.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device comprises automatically synchronizing in response to one or more predetermined events.

7. A non-transitory memory storage device having instructions stored thereon for causing a programmable processor unit to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A method of configuring a network multimedia device to receive multimedia content from at least one content source, wherein the network multimedia device and the at least one content source are coupled via at least one network,

the method comprising:

at a network multimedia device;

discovering on at least one network one or more services provided by at least one content source coupled to the network multimedia ice through at least one network, wherein the one or more services provided by the at least one content source are advertised on the at least one network by the at least one content source using a predetermined protocol; and

accepting user input at the network multimedia device to establish a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the at least one content source,

wherein the establishment of the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the at least one content source causes the network multimedia device to stop advertising one or more services provided by the network multimedia device on the at least one network.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the at least one content source is exclusive.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

presenting a representation of each of the at least one content sources, each of the at least one content sources having one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device comprises streaming the one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

presenting a representation of each of the at least one content sources, each of the at least one content sources having one or more multimedia libraries that may be synchronized with the network multimedia device, each multimedia library containing one or more multimedia files;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device; and

synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device further comprises specifying one or more synchronization parameters; and

synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device further comprises copying one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device and deleting one or more multimedia files from the network multimedia device according to the specified synchronization parameters.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device comprises automatically synchronizing in response to one or more predetermined events.

15. A non-transitory memory storage device having instructions stored thereon for causing a programmable processor unit to perform the method of claim 8.

16. A method for configuring a network multimedia device, comprising:

advertising services provided by a network multimedia device to a plurality of content sources over a network;

receiving requests for one or more of the services, the requested services, from one of the plurality of content sources, the requesting content source, via the network;

pairing the requesting content source with the requested services; and

ceasing to advertise the requested services to other of the plurality of content sources over the network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the pairing between the requesting content source and the requested services is exclusive.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

accepting a user input specifying one or more multimedia files, the specified multimedia files, from the requesting content source are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device; and

synchronizing between the specified multimedia files and the network multimedia device, wherein synchronizing includes transferring to or deleting from the network multimedia device the specified multimedia files.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the act of synchronizing is performed automatically upon a predefined event related to the specified multimedia files,

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the predefined event includes playback of the specified multimedia files on a playback device.