System and method for media playback over a network using links that contain control signals and commands

• US 7,281,034 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2000
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bluebonnet Internet Media Services, LLC
• Original Assignee: Friskit
• Inventors: Eyal, Aviv
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US09/562,939
• Time in Patent Office: 2,716 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/207, 709/206, 709/208, 709/219, 709/217, 709/238, 709/245, 709/231, 713/171
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82

Abstract

A method and system to provide media to a terminal coupled to a network, the terminal comprising a media playback component. The method and system provides for programmatically directing the terminal to access a first network site in the plurality of network sites, and causing the media playback component on the terminal to automatically load a first media web resource located at the first network site to playback a first media. The method and system also includes programmatically directing the terminal to access a second network site in the plurality of network sites, and causing the media playback component on the terminal to automatically load a second media web resource located at the second network site to playback a second media.

Claims

1. A system for providing media from over a network to a terminal, the system comprising:

one or more network sites that include at least a first network location and a second network location;

one or more memory mediums that store data corresponding to (i) an identifier for each of a plurality of media resources, (ii) address information, apart from the identifiers, for locating on the network at least a portion of each of the plurality of media resources, and (iii) metadata information for each of the plurality of media resources;

a media playback component installed on the terminal, wherein at least one of the first network location or the second network location is remote to the terminal; and

a network server module that communicates with the media playback component over the network, the network server module signaling (i) a first link that includes an identifier of a first media resource provided at least in part at the first network location and (ii) a second link that includes an identifier of a second media resource provided at least in part at the second network location, wherein the network server module is configured to signal the first link and the second link for the media playback component with one or more control signals;

wherein at least one of the first link or second link includes two or more commands as part of the control signals;

wherein the media playback component is configured to use the identifier of the first media resource to connect to the first network location to receive streaming data corresponding to at least a portion of the first media resource, and to use the identifier of the second media resource to connect to the second network location to receive streaming data corresponding to at least a portion of the second media resource; and

wherein the media playback component (i) uses the streaming data from the first network location to playback the first media resource, (ii) uses the streaming data from the second network location to play back the second media resource; and

wherein the media playback component is configured to use at least one of the two or more commands of the control signals provided with at least one of the first link or the second link to identify a play-list and control when to automatically playback the second media resource relative to playback of the first media resource by determining to add at least one of the first media resource and the second media resource to the play-list; and

wherein media, resulting from the media playback component playing back the first media resource and the second media resource, is provided on the terminal on which the media playback component is installed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server module signals the corresponding identifiers of the first media resource and of the second media resource to the terminal with the control signals to cause the media playback component to initiate playback of the first media resource and then to automatically initiate playback of the second media resource on the terminal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server module selects the first media resource and the second media resource from the one or more memory mediums using a search criteria that is entered by a user.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more of the memory mediums are coupleable to the user terminal through the network.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more of the memory mediums stores metadata about each of the media resources, and wherein the network server module selects the first media resource and the second media resource by comparing the search criteria to the metadata associated with the corresponding identifier of the first media resource and the second media resource.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the network server module identifies the first and second media resources by matching the search criteria to the metadata associated with the corresponding identifier of the first media resource and the second media resource.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first media resource and the second media resource each include a combination of music and/or video.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server module and the media playback component are part of a shared platform.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sites are part of a service that is included in the shared platform.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the platform includes a search interface to enable the user to enter a search request for the one or more sites, and wherein one or more processes provided with the one or more sites process the search request to identify at least one of the first media resource and second media resource.

22. The system of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 8, 9, or 10, wherein the media playback component is installed on a device that uses wireless communications to communicate with a network on which the network server module is provided.

11. A media playback system for the Internet, the system comprising:

a media playback component installed on a terminal; and

a network server module connected to the terminal over the Internet, having access to a plurality of network locations including a first network location and a second network location, each of the plurality of network locations including data for enabling playback of one or more media resources, wherein the network server module is configured to signal to the media playback component a first link to a first media resource provided at least in part at the first network location and a second link to a second media resource provided at least in part at the second network location, the network server module structuring at least one of the first link or second link to contain control signals that include one or more commands; and

one or more memory mediums that store (i) an identifier for each of a plurality of media resources, and (ii) address information, apart from the identifiers, for locating on the network at least a portion of each of the plurality of media resources, wherein the network server module is configured to signal the first link and the second link using the identifier of the first media resource and the identifier of the second media resource; and

wherein the media playback component is configured to respond to receiving the control signals by using the first link and the second link to connect to the first network location and to the second network location respectively, and to receive (i) streaming data from the first network location to playback the first media resource, and (ii) streaming data from the second network location to playback the second media resource;

wherein the media playback component is configured to use the one or more commands included in the control signals contained in the first link or the second link to identify a play-list and control when to automatically playback the second media resource relative to playback of the first media resource by determining to add at least one of the first media resource and the second media resource to the play-list; and

wherein media, resulting from the media playback component connecting to the first network location and the second network location, is provided on the terminal on which the media playback component is installed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the network server module identifies the first link by using metadata associated with the first media resource, and the network server module identifies the second link by using metadata associated with the second media resource.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the network server module is configured to identify at least the first link by matching a search criteria, signaled from the terminal, to the metadata about the first media resource.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the network server module signals the media playback component to access another media resource automatically if an accessed media resource is unavailable, wherein the other media resource is located on one of the first network location, the second network location, or a third network location.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the system includes a search interface to enable a user-specified search criteria to be entered, and wherein the network sever module selects the first network location and the second network location based at least in part on the criteria.

16. A media playback system for the Internet, the system comprising:

a media playback component installed on a terminal;

a user-interface coupled to the media playback component;

a network server module having access to one or more memory mediums that store (i) an identifier for each of a plurality of media resources, (ii) address information, apart from the identifiers, for locating on the network at least a portion of each of the plurality of media resources, and (iii) metadata information for each of the plurality of media resources, wherein the network server module is configured to signal, over the Internet, a plurality of links for the media playback component, wherein each signaled link includes one of the plurality of identifiers and contains control signals that include one or more commands;

wherein the commands included in the control signals cause the media playback component to (i) access and receive streaming data corresponding to at least a portion of individual media resources stored at the one or more network locations, (ii) identify a play-list and control when to automatically playback the second media resource relative to playback of the first media resource by determining to add the first media resource and the second media resource to a play-list;

wherein the user-interface enables a user to enter one or more inputs, and wherein the network server module is configured to signal the plurality of links to the terminal in response to and based on the one or more inputs;

wherein the media playback component and network server module are part of a shared platform.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the network server module is configured to select at least some of the plurality of links by matching a search criteria signaled from a user of the terminal through the user-interface to metadata information stored in a memory medium.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the network server module randomly selects at least some of the plurality of links.

19. A method for providing media to a terminal using the Internet, the method comprising:

accessing a memory medium that stores data corresponding to (i) an identifier for each of a plurality of media resources, (ii) address information, apart from the identifiers, for locating on the network at least a portion of each of the plurality of media resources, and (iii) metadata information for each of the plurality of media resources;

signaling a first link containing a first identifier of a first media resource using data stored in the memory medium, the first link being selectable to use the first identifier in order to access a first network location at which at least a portion the first media resource is provided;

signaling a second link containing a second identifier of a second media resource using data stored in the memory medium, the second link being selectable to use the second identifier in order to access a second network location at which a second media resource is provided;

wherein the first link and the second link are signaled, over the Internet, to one or more components on the terminal, the one or more components including a media playback component;

wherein at least one of the first link or the second link is signaled with control information containing two or more commands;

in response to receiving the at least one of the commands contained in the control information, identifying a play-list and adding at least one of the first media resource or the second media resource to the play-list;

using the play-list to control automatic playback of the second media resource relative to the first media resource by (i) connecting to the first network location in order to playback the first media resource using streaming data from the first network location, and then (ii)

connecting to the second network location in order to playback the second media resource using streaming data from the second network location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the first and second links using the metadata information about the plurality of links.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting whether one of the first media resource or the second media resource fails to playback, and then signaling the media playback component for another link identified from the memory medium which is used to load the one of the first media resource and the second media resource that failed to playback.

23. A system for providing media from a network to a terminal, the system comprising:

a network server module;

a media playback component installed on the terminal to communicate with the network server module, the media playback component including a user-interface that is operable to (i) display information identifying a plurality of media resources, and (ii) receive user-input that indicates a selection of two or more media resources from the plurality of media resources;

wherein the media playback component communicates data corresponding to the selection of the two or more media resources to the network server module;

wherein the network server module is configured to communicate over the network with the media playback component in order to provide the media playback component with data corresponding to;

(i) one or more links corresponding to at least some of the plurality of media resources identified by the information displayed by the user-interface, the one or more links including a link for each of the two or more media resources of the selection; and

(ii) control information that is provided with the one or more links, wherein the control information enables each of the links to be used to locate the corresponding one of the two more media resources without including an address in that link;

wherein the media playback component uses the link for each of the two or more media resources to play back the first media resource and the second media resource, wherein the playback of the first media resource and of the second media resource occurs at the terminal on which the media playback component is installed;

wherein the media playback component uses the control information to automatically transition from playing back the first media resource to playing back the second media resource; and

wherein at least some of the information displayed by the user-interface of the media playback component is based on data transmitted over the network to the media playback component from the network server module.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the user interface is operable to receive user-input that identifies or creates a network-side play-list, the play-list comprising a plurality of media resource identifiers, and wherein the information displayed by the user-interface includes at least a partial display of the network-side play-list.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the user-interface is operable to retrieve and display at least a portion of a network-side play-list that is displayed or made available on a network site that is accessible to the media playback component, wherein the information displayed by the user-interface identifies at least a portion of the network-side play-list.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the media playback component or the network server module includes a search interface to receive one or more search criteria, and wherein the system further comprises a search module that is in communication with at least one of the media playback component or the network server module to receive the search criteria and to identify at least some of the plurality of media resources identified by the information displayed on the user-interface of the media playback component.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the media playback component and at least one of the search module or the network server module are part of a shared platform.

24. The system of 23, wherein the media playback component displays the information that identifies at least each of the two or more media resources without having, at least for a time that is prior to the user providing the selection, an address or locator to enable the media playback component to programmatically locate that media resource on a corresponding location on the network.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the network server module communicates data corresponding to the one or more links in response to receiving the user-selection.

26. The system of 23, wherein the user-interface is operable so that at least some of the links in the plurality of links are individually selectable by user-interaction of the user-interface of the media playback component to cause the network server module to locate for the media playback component a corresponding media resource.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein each link displayed as part of the information and being for at least each of the two or more media resources indicated by the selection, when displayed on the user-interface as part of the information, is inoperative by the media playback component to locate the corresponding media resource independent of either the network server module or the control information.

28. The system of 23, wherein the control information is embedded in at least one of the link for the first media resource or the link for the second media resource.

33. The system of 23, wherein the media playback component uses the link for the first media resource to playback the first media resource by streaming data from a network location where the first media resource is stored, and wherein the media playback component uses the link for the second media resource to playback the second media resource by streaming data from a network location where the second media resource is stored, and wherein the control information causes the media playback component to automatically transition from receiving the stream from the network location of the first media resource to receiving the stream from the network location of the second media resource.