MOBILE INFORMATION APPARATUS WITH AN APPLICATION FOR RECEIVING DIGITAL CONTENT FROM A DIGITAL CONTENT SERVICE OVER THE INTERNET AND FOR WIRELESSLY TRANSMITTING OR PLAYING AT LEAST PART OF THE RECEIVED DIGITAL CONTENT AT A BLUETOOTH ENABLE OUTPUT DEVICE

• US 20180041482A1
• Filed: 10/18/2017
• Published: 02/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, William Ho, Liu, Christina Ying
• Granted Patent: US 10,489,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 : by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 : Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 : Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Mobile information apparatus (e.g., smart phone, Internet appliances, information pad) with software applications for receiving digital content from a service provided over a network (e.g., Internet) and for wirelessly playing at least part of the received digital content at a Bluetooth enabled output device are herein disclosed and enabled. To receive and play digital content, the software applications may obtain authentication information for accessing the service, receive a list of one or more digital content that is available from the service for selection on the touch sensitive screen interface, receive a selected digital content from among the list displayed on the touch sensitive screen, receive output data from the service related to the selected digital content, and then either play audio data related to the received output data at a speaker of the mobile information apparatus or wirelessly play the audio data at the Bluetooth enabled output device.

Claims

1. A mobile information apparatus for receiving digital content from one or more servers over a network that includes the Internet, the one or more servers, operated, at least in part, by a service over the network that includes the Internet, and the mobile information apparatus for wirelessly playing at least part of the received digital content that includes audio digital content or video digital content at a wireless output device that is wirelessly connected or wirelessly connectable to the mobile information apparatus via a short range wireless communication link, the mobile information apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

operating system software;

memory or storage;

a touch sensitive screen interface for interacting with a user;

one or more software applications stored, at least partly, in the memory or the storage, and the one or more software applications is executable by the one or more processors and facilitated, at least in part, by the operating system software for accessing the service over the network;

wireless communication circuitry for establishing the short range wireless communication link with the wireless output device that is available within a physical distance to the mobile information apparatus, the wireless output device being a distinct device from the mobile information apparatus;

one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets for wirelessly accessing the network that includes the Internet;

wherein the mobile information apparatus;

(1) wirelessly accesses, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets, the network that includes the Internet;

(2) obtains, by the one or more software applications, authentication information for connecting to the one or more servers, operated, at least in part, by the service over the network accessed in (1);

(3) wirelessly connects, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets and using the one or more software applications, to the service by accessing the one or more servers, operated, at least in part, by the service over the network, the wireless connection to the service is based, at least in part, on the one or more software applications having obtained the authentication information in (2) for connecting to the service;

(4) displaying, via the touch sensitive screen and by using the one or more software applications, a list of one or more digital content that is available from the one or more servers for user selection on the touch sensitive screen interface, and the displaying of the list of one or more digital content is while the mobile information apparatus is connected to the service in (3);

(5) receives, via the touch sensitive screen interface and by using the one or more software applications, a selected digital content from among the list of one or more digital content displayed on the touch sensitive screen interface for user selection in (4);

(6) wirelessly receives, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets at the mobile information apparatus and by using the one or more software applications, output data related to the selected digital content in (5) from the one or more servers over the network, at least part of the output data includes audio digital content or video digital content, individually or in any combination;

(7) wirelessly transmits, via the wireless communication circuitry and over the established short range wireless communication link from the mobile information apparatus to the wireless output device, audio data or video data related to the output data received in (6), the audio data or video data for playing at least part of the selected digital content in (5) at the wireless output device.

2. The mobile information apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile information apparatus is at least one of a smart phone, an information pad, an Internet-Pad, an Internet appliance, an e-book, or a digital camera, individually or in any combination.

3. The mobile information apparatus of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication circuitry of the mobile information apparatus includes one or more chips or chipsets that are compatible, at least in part, with at least part of a protocol within Bluetooth specifications for establishing the short range wireless communication link;

and wherein the wireless transmitting of the audio data or video data in (7), over the established the short range wireless communication from the mobile information apparatus to the wireless output device, is compatible, at least in part, with at least part of a protocol within Bluetooth specifications; and

wherein the wireless output device is a Bluetooth enabled output device.

4. The mobile information apparatus of claim 3, wherein the mobile information apparatus further:

(a) wirelessly discovers, using the one or more chips or chipsets, the Bluetooth enabled output device for establishing the wireless communication link, the wireless discovering of the Bluetooth enabled output device includes either the mobile information apparatus wirelessly discovering the Bluetooth enabled output device or the Bluetooth enabled output device wirelessly discovering the mobile information apparatus; and

(b) wirelessly establishes, using the one or more chips or chipsets, the wireless communication link between the mobile information apparatus and the Bluetooth enabled output device.

5. The mobile information apparatus of claim 4, wherein the Bluetooth enabled output device includes an interface, and wherein the wireless discovery in (a) of the Bluetooth enabled audio output device is based, at least in part, on the Bluetooth enabled output device having received, via the interface of the Bluetooth enabled output device, an input or an indication from the user to initiate the wireless discovery of the Bluetooth enabled audio output device in (a).

6. The mobile information apparatus of claim 3, wherein the network includes the Internet, and the service provided over the network is for users who have signed up or paid or subscribed to the service, and wherein the receiving of the output data from the service is based, at least in part, on the user having provided payment information or subscription information or authentication information, individually or in any combination, for accessing the service over the Internet.

7. The mobile information apparatus of claim 6, wherein the mobile information apparatus further:

obtains, by the one or more software applications and via the touch sensitive screen interface of the mobile information apparatus, authentication information for connecting to the service provided over the network; and

wherein the wireless connecting to the service in (3) is based, at least in part, on the one or more software applications having obtained the authentication information in (2) for connecting to the service.

8. The mobile information apparatus of claim 7, wherein, while the mobile information apparatus is connected to the service in (3) over the Internet, the mobile information apparatus further transmits, via the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the mobile information apparatus, a device object from the mobile information apparatus to the one or more servers over the network, the device object includes at least one of identification information, capability information, address information, status information, or attribute information, individually or in any combination, related to a device;

and the transmitting of the device object is to facilitate identification of the device for service or for registration of the device with the service.

9. The mobile information apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets for wirelessly accessing the network that includes the Internet, are compatible, at least in part, with at least one of the following, individually or in any combination:

(a) at least part of a protocol within a cellular wireless communication standard for wirelessly accessing the network in (1);

or

(b) at least part of a protocol within IEEE 802.11 standards for establishing a wireless local area network connection to a wireless local area network, and wherein the wireless access of the network in (1) includes the mobile information apparatus using the wireless local area network connection for accessing the network.

10. The mobile information apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets, are compatible, at least in part, with at least part of a protocol within IEEE 802.11 standards, and wherein the mobile information apparatus further:

(i) receives, using the touch sensitive screen interface, security information for establishing a wireless local area network connection to a wireless local area network;

(ii) establishes, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the mobile information apparatus, the wireless local area network connection to the wireless local area network, the establishing of the wireless connection to the wireless local area network is based, at least in part, on the security information received in (i);

(iii) wirelessly accesses, the network that includes the Internet in (1) using the established wireless local area network connection in (ii); and

wherein the security information for establishing the wireless local area network connection in (i) includes one or more of a name, a password, an ID number, a PIN, an IP address, a security key, a biometric, or an input from the user, individually or in any combination.

11. The mobile information apparatus of claim 3, wherein the mobile information apparatus further:

(a) processes, using the one or more processors of the mobile information apparatus, at least part of the output data received in (6) for outputting or playing at least part of the selected digital content in (5) that includes audio digital content or the digital content; and

wherein the audio data or video data wirelessly transmitted in (7) over the established short range wireless communication link from the mobile information apparatus to the wireless output device includes at least part of the processed output data in (a); and

wherein the processing of at least part of the output data includes at least one or more operations related to a decoding, an encoding, an encryption, a decryption, a compression, a decompression, a conversion, an image enhancement, an image processing, a color correction, a color management, an interpolation, a scaling, a smoothing, a segmentation, or a de-segmentation, individually or in any combination.