Streaming media search and playback system

• US 7,469,283 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2004
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Friskit
• Original Assignee: Friskit
• Inventors: Eyal, Aviv, Aposporos, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US10/828,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/231, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method is provided for playing back media from a network. The method includes receiving a search criteria from a network enabled device. The method further includes accessing a database comprising a plurality of network addresses, where the database associates each address with one or more classes of information. The addresses in the database each access a media network resource. The method further includes selecting at least one address in the database using the search criteria, and signaling the selected address to the network enabled device. The method also includes controlling the network enabled device so as to automatically access and play back the media resource of the selected address.

Claims

1. A system for playing back media from a network on a network enabled device, wherein the network enabled device has access to one or more memory components on which a plurality of addresses are stored, and wherein each address identifies a location of a media resource on the network, the system comprising:

a user-interface provided on the network enabled device to enable a user to enter a search request;

a network server module that is coupleable to the user-interface and to the one or more memory components, wherein the network server module uses the search request to identify one or more addresses that are stored in the one or more memory components and which match the search request; and

a media playback component provided at least in part on the network enabled device and coupled to the network server module, wherein in response to the user terminating a first playback of a first media resource having a first location identified by a first address, the media playback component is configured to be programmatically controllable by the network server module to automatically and continuously initiate a second playback of a second media resource, wherein the second media resource has a second location identified by a second address;

wherein each of the first address and the second address are one of the plurality of addresses that match the search request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to provide one or more features to enable the user to control the media playback component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more features includes a first feature to enable the user to manually request a third media resource to be played back by the media playback component.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the third media resource is provided to the media playback component from a third location on the network, wherein the third location is identified by a third address that is one of the plurality of addresses that match the search request.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more features includes a second feature to enable the user to manually repeat any portion of either the first or second playback.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more features includes a second feature to enable the user to pause the first or second playback.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user-interface is provided at least in part by a web browser.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the network server module resides on the network enabled device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server module includes a network interface for the network enabled device to communicate the search request to the network server module.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the network server module is configured to cause the web browser to display a web page during the second playback, wherein the web page has previously been associated with one or more of the second media resource, the second location, or the second address.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location identified by the first address and the second location identified by the second address are located on a common machine.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location identified by the first address and the second location identified by the second address are located on a common domain.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server module programmatically controls the media playback component to load the second media resource using a uniform resource locator corresponding to the second location.

14. A network enabled device configured to play back media from a network, wherein the network enabled device has access to one or more memory components on which a plurality of addresses are stored, and wherein each address is associated with a media resource on the network, the network enabled device comprising:

a user-interface including a plurality of user-interactive features, wherein a first user-interactive feature in the plurality of user-interactive features is provided to enable the user to enter a search request;

a network interface that forwards a criteria of the search request to a network server module upon the search request being entered, the network interface being communicatable with the network server module to receive one or more addresses stored in the one or more memory components that match the search request, wherein each of the one or more addresses locate a media resource; and

wherein in response to the user terminating a first playback of a first media resource having a first location identified by a first address, the media playback component is configured to be programmatically controllable by the network server module to automatically and continuously initiate a second playback of a second media resource, wherein the second media resource has a second location identified by a second address;

wherein the media playback component is controllable by instructions from the user entered through use of the one or more of the plurality of user-interactive features of the user-interface; and

wherein each of the first address and the second address are one of the plurality of addresses that match the search request.

15. The network enabled device of claim 14, wherein a user-interactive feature in the user-interface is selected from a group consisting of a selectable icon, a text-entry field, and a menu item.

16. The network enabled device of claim 14, wherein the one or more user-interactive features includes a group of selectable icons, wherein one or more of the selectable icons have a corresponding function in which selection of that icon causes the media playback component to perform at least one of the following (i) skip to a next address for a playback of a next media resource associated with the next address after a playback of a given media resource;

(ii) pause the playback of the given media resource before the playback is completed;

(iii) repeat the playback of the given media resource after a first instance of the playback being completed; and

(iv) stopping the playback of the given media resource.

17. The network enabled device of claim 14, wherein the user-interface includes at least a second user-interactive features to select a characteristic of a given playback by the media playback component.

18. The network enabled device of claim 14, wherein the user-interface includes at least a second user-interactive features to select a genre, an artist, or a title of a network media resource for playback.

19. The network enabled device of claim 14, wherein the first location identified by the first address and the second location identified by the second address are located on a common machine.

20. The network enabled device of claim 14, wherein the first location identified by the first address and the second location identified by the second address are located on a common domain.