VIRTUAL LIBRARY PROVIDING CONTENT ACCESSIBILITY IRRESPECTIVE OF CONTENT FORMAT AND TYPE

• US 20140215391A1
• Filed: 01/30/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Robert A., Rajabi, Zeyad, Stiles, Scott M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,852,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

A virtual library of content is provided that makes it appear that the content is all of a supported file type for a particular client accessing the virtual library. When the virtual library is displayed at a client device, the content appears as if it is available in the appropriate format for the client device irrespective of the content'"'"'s actual format. Content selected from a content library interface for the virtual library is provided in the appropriate format for the client device through the automatic invoking of a content access service. The content access service can determine the appropriate consumption format for the client device and convert to a supported file format any content that is in a non-supported format before providing the content to the client device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, at a consumer device, a library of available content for selection, the available content being irrespective of a supported file format for the consumer device; and

in response to a user selection from among the library of available content displayed for selection, displaying a selected content in a consumption format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the library of available content for selection comprises content of the supported file format and content of a non-supported file format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected content is from among available content of a non-supported file format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to the user selection from among the library of available content displayed for selection, the method further comprises:

invoking a content access service to receive the selected content in the consumption format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein all content in the library of available content for selection is displayed as being of the supported file format.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

requesting available content from the content access service;

receiving a content list of the available content for selection, the content list indicating that all content is of the supported file format.

7. A method comprising:

providing a library of available content for selection, the available content being irrespective of a supported file format for a consumer device receiving the library;

determining a consumption format for the consumer device receiving the library; and

in response to receiving a request for a selected content from among the library of available content, providing the selected content in the consumption format.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the library of available content for selection comprises content stored in the supported file format and content stored in a non-supported file format.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the consumption format for the consumer device receiving the library comprises determining the supported file format for the consumer device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the consumption format for the consumer device receiving the library further comprises:

determining at least one of processing power of the consumer device, dimensions of a display of the consumer device, available input devices of the consumer device, and bandwidth of a network connection to the consumer device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein in response to receiving a request for the selected content from among the library of available content, the method further comprises:

retrieving the selected content from a storage location;

determining whether the file format of the selected content is the same as the supported file format or different from the supported file format; and

in response to a determination that the file format of the selected content is not the same as the supported file format, converting the content to the supported file format.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the library of available content for selection is provided without an indication of each content'"'"'s file format.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the library of available content for selection comprises providing an indication that the content is of the supported file format irrespective of each content'"'"'s actual file format.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the consumption format for the consumer device receiving the library is performed in response to receiving a request to provide the library of available content for selection.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the consumption format for the consumer device receiving the library is performed in response to receiving the request for a selected content from among the library of available content.

16. A content library interface comprising:

a listing of content available for selection by a consumer device, the content being irrespective of a supported file format for the consumer device;

wherein selection of content invokes a content access service to provide the content in a consumption format.

17. The content library interface of claim 16, wherein the listing of content available for selection by the consumer device comprises content of a supported file format and content of a non-supported file format.

18. The content library interface of claim 16, wherein the consumption format comprises the content in the supported file format and configured according to characteristics of the consumer device.

19. The content library interface of claim 16, wherein the library of available content for selection is provided without an indication of each content'"'"'s file format.

20. The content library interface of claim 16, wherein providing the library of available content for selection comprises providing an indication that the content is of the supported file format irrespective of each content'"'"'s actual file format.