INTELLIGENT DEVICE CONNECTION FOR WIRELESS MEDIA ECOSYSTEM

• US 20140279889A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: JAWB Acquisition LLC
• Original Assignee: AliphCom, Inc. (AliphCom Corp.)
• Inventors: Luna, Michael Edward Smith
• Application Number:
  US13/831,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20140279889A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/626
• 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

Abstract

Techniques associated with intelligent device connection for wireless media ecosystem are described, including receiving, by a media device, a first control signal from another media device implementing a connection awareness device, the first control signal configured to cause the media device to access data associated with playing a media content being played by the other media device, obtaining marker data from the other media device, the marker data representing a marker associated with the media content, retrieving content data from using the marker data, the content data configured to play the media content starting at a point indicated by the marker data, and sending a second control signal to the other media device, the second control signal configured to indicate a completion of synchronization with the other media device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a media device, a first control signal from another media device implementing a connection awareness device, the first control signal configured to cause the media device to access data associated with playing a media content being played by the another media device;

obtaining, by the media device, marker data from the another media device, the marker data representing a marker associated with the media content;

retrieving content data from a source using the marker data, the content data configured to play the media content starting at a point indicated by the marker data; and

sending a second control signal to the another media device, the second control signal configured to indicate a completion of synchronization to the another media device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the marker data from the another media device comprises:

sending a query to the another media device requesting the marker data; and

receiving the marker data from the another media device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the marker data from the another media device occurs within a predetermined range of time prior to a time when the another media device is reaching a point in the media content indicated by the marker.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker represents a point in the media content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker data comprises a timestamp.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker data comprises a time period until a next marker.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker data comprises a time period between the marker and a previous marker.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control signal comprises metadata associated with the media content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second control signal further is configured to indicate playing of the media content by the media device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker data is configured to synchronize playing of the media content by the media device with the another media device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the source comprises a server implementing a storage configured to store the content data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the source comprises a database configured to store the content data in association with the marker data.

13. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to receive a first control signal, the first control signal configured to cause a media device to access data associated with playing a media content being played by another media device, to obtain marker data from the another media device, the marker data representing a marker associated with the media content, to retrieve content data from a source using the marker data, the content data configured to play the media content starting at a point indicated by the marker data, and to send a second control signal to the another media device, the second control signal configured to indicate a completion of synchronization to the another media device;

a logic configured to generate the first control signal and the second control signal; and

a memory configured to store the marker data.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a connection awareness device configured to determine compatibility between the media device and the another media device.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a connection awareness device configured to determine a proximity between the media device and the another media device.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a connection awareness device configured to select a preferred device for playing the media content.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a database configured to store the media content and the marker data.

18. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving, by a media device, a first control signal from another media device implementing a connection awareness device, the first control signal configured to cause the media device to access data associated with playing a media content being played by the another media device;

obtaining, by the media device, marker data from the another media device, the marker data representing a marker associated with the media content;

retrieving content data from a source using the marker data, the content data configured to play the media content starting at a point indicated by the marker data; and

sending a second control signal to the another media device, the second control signal configured to indicate a completion of synchronization to the another media device.