REMOTE ACCESS OF MEDIA ITEMS

• US 20170149923A1
• Filed: 08/29/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Heller, David, Mavrakakis, Thomas C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,951,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

Methods and systems that facilitate the downloading of media items to a first network device from a second network device are disclosed. A plurality of media items are identified Media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. Media item content data associate with a first subset of the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. In this manner, only media item metadata associate with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method comprising:

obtaining, from a first network device, metadata identifying a collection of media items available to the first network device;

playing a first media item from the collection of media items; and

during the playing of the first media item from the collection of media items, fetching at least a portion of a second media item from the collection of media items available to the first network device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the collection of media items available to the first network device includes at least one media item stored at the first network device and at least one media item accessible from a second network device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein fetching the at least a portion of the second media item from the collection of media items available to the first network device comprises:

identifying the second media item based on a content storage policy governing the fetching and storage of the second media item; and

storing the at least a portion of the second media item on the first network device based on the content and storage policy.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein fetching the at least a portion of the second media item from the collection of media items available to the first network device comprises:

identifying the second media item based on playback of other media items in the collection of media items at the first network device; and

storing the at least a portion of the second media item on the first network device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein fetching the at least a portion of the second media item from the collection of media items available to the first network device comprises:

identifying the second media item based on user settings identifying a specific type of media item to fetch; and

storing the at least a portion of the second media item on the first network device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein fetching the at least a portion of the second media item from the collection of media items available to the first network device comprises streaming the second media item from the second network device to the first network device. [0074].

8. The method of claim 7, wherein during the streaming of the second media item to the first network device, the second media item cannot be streamed to any other network device.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein fetching of the second media item is temporarily paused when a third media item of the collection of media items is being played at the first network device.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether a network is available to enable the fetching of the at least a portion of the second media item; and

when the network is not available, delaying the fetching of the second media item. [0054]

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least a portion of the second media item is fetched before the first media item is finished playing.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising distinguishing, in a graphical-user interface on the first network device displaying at least a portion of the collection media items available to the first network device, the at least one media item stored at the first network device from the at least one media item accessible from a second network device.

13. The method of claim 2, comprising deleting the first media item played at the first network device after completion of the playing.

14. The method of claim 2, comprises obtaining release dates of each media item of the collection of media items, and wherein the second media item is a media item from the collection of the media items available to the first network device with an oldest release date following a release date of the first media item.

15. The method of claim 3, further comprising exchanging the at least one media item stored at the first network device with the at least one media item accessible from the second network device.

16. The method of claim 2, further comprising sharing the second media item from the collection of media items with a plurality of network devices.