Wireless music device and method therefor

• US 7,143,939 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2000
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Henzerling, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US09/741,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20020074413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 235/435, 235/375, 235/492, 365/52
• US Class Current: 235/435
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/003 with radio receiver
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a music player may receive a requested music file through a wireless communication. For example, the device may establish a peer-to-peer wireless communication path(s) with another device to initiate a request for a music file without a priori knowledge of whether the file is available to the another device. The device may then receive the music file from the remote device through a peer-to-peer wireless communication path(s).

Claims

1. A method of loading a music player with a music file, comprising:

establishing, with a transceiver associated with a first automobile on which the media player is disposed, a first wireless, peer-to-peer communication path with a first remote device to request a music file be provided to the music player, the request to provide being made without a priori knowledge of whether the music file resides on the first remote device; and

receiving, with the transceiver associated with the first automobile, the requested music file from a second remote device, through a second peer-to-peer wireless communication path to the second remote device, the second remote device having the requested music file, and the second remote device being informed of the request by the first remote device, as a result of the first remote device not having the requested music file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the received music file into a non-volatile memory disposed at the first automobile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the storing of the received music file includes storing the requested music file in a flash memory array disposed at the first automobile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is disposed at a second automobile.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second remote device is disposed at a third automobile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving at least a portion of the requested music file through a Bluetooth™

communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving at least a portion of the requested music file through a cellular communication.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless peer-to-peer communication paths are established on an ad-hoc basis between the transceiver and the remote devices.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a transceiver, or a transmitter and a receiver;

a controller coupled to the transceiver or the transmitter and receiver to control the transceiver or transmitter to establish a first peer-to-peer wireless communication path with a first remote device to transmit a request to the first remote device to provide for the apparatus a music file, the request to provide to be made to the first remote device without a priori knowledge of whether the music file is available from the first remote device, and to control the transceiver or receiver to establish a second peer-to-peer wireless communication path with a second remote device to receive from the second remote device the requested music file, the second remote device being informed of the request by the first remote device as a result of the first remote device not having the requested music file, whereas the second remote device has the requested music file; and

a storage medium, coupled with the receiver or transceiver, to store the requested music file received via the second peer-to-peer wireless communication path;

wherein the transceiver or the transmitter and receiver, the controller, and the storage medium are adapted for disposition in a first automobile.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein one or more of the transmitter, receiver or transceiver are adapted to operate in Bluetooth™

communication.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the storage medium comprises flash memory.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus further comprises a media player adapted to plays the requested music file.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first and second remote devices are disposed at a second and a third automobile, respectively.

14. A method comprising:

receiving at a device a request, from an automobile remotely disposed from the device via a transmitter associated with the automobile, to provide a media player disposed in the automobile a music file the request being received through a first wireless peer-to-peer communication path, and transmitted from the automobile without a priori knowledge of whether the music file is available from the device; and

forwarding the request to another device, also remotely disposed from the device, as a result of the device not having the requested music file, to attempt to have the other device to provide the requested music file to the media player through a second wireless peer-to-peer communication path, if the other device has the requested music file.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the music file from the device to the media player of the automobile if the device has the requested music file.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the device is disposed in a second automobile.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the other device is disposed in a third automobile.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein either the first or the second wireless peer-to-peer communication comprises Bluetooth™

communication.

19. A system comprising:

one or more omnidirectional antenna(s);

a transceiver, or a transmitter and a receiver coupled to the antenna(s);

a controller coupled to the transceiver or the transmitter and receiver, to control the transceiver or receiver to establish a first peer-to-peer wireless communication path with a remote transceiver disposed at a first automobile to receive a request to provide a music file to a media player disposed at the first automobile, the request being made from the remote transceiver without a priori knowledge of whether the music file is available from the system, and to control the transceiver or transmitter to forward the request to another system to attempt to have the other system to provide the requested music file to the media player of the first automobile through a second wireless peer-to-peer communication path between the remote transceiver and the other system;

wherein the antenna(s), the transceiver or the transmitter and receiver, and the controller are adapted for disposition in a second automobile.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein one or more of the transceiver, transmitter or receiver are adapted to operate in Bluetooth™

communication.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the other system is disposed in a third automobile.