Playing media content on a media player while streaming the retrieved parts of the media content to other devices

• US 7,590,752 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nonend Inventions, N.V.
• Original Assignee: Nonend Inventions, N.V.
• Inventors: Gnirrep, Martijn, van Oldenborgh, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B
• Application Number:
  US11/613,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/231, 709238-241
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems and apparatus are provided for distributing media content from a first media player to other media players that include a second media player. In one implementation, a system is provided in which a first media player receives a first play-back request for an item of media content from a component of the first media player, and in response to the first play-back request, initiates a first process to retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from at least one device selected from the group consisting of the first media player and one or more further devices. The first media player is further configured to output at least part of the item of media content retrieved as a result of the first process to a first stream target to provide streaming of media content, and receive, from a plurality of the other media players, a plurality of further requests for the item of media content that are sent in an uncoordinated order with respect to one another from the plurality of other media players to the first media player. In addition, the first media player may reply to the further requests for the item of media content, by transmitting one or more parts of the item of media content, retrieved as a result of the first process, to the requesting other media players. Moreover, the first media player may output at least a part of the media content to the first stream target while the second media player outputs at least a part of the media content to a second stream target.

Claims

1. A system for distributing media content from a first media player to other media players that include a second media player, comprising:

the first media player configured to;

receive a first play-back request for an item of media content from a component of the first media player, wherein the first media player includes a first stream target,

in response to the first play-back request, initiate a first process to retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from at least one device selected from the group consisting of the first media player and one or more further devices,

output at least said part of the item of media content retrieved as a result of said first process to the first stream target to provide streaming of media content,

receive, from a plurality of the other media players, a plurality of further requests for the item of media content that are sent in an uncoordinated order with respect to one another from the plurality of other media players to the first media player, the further requests being received by the first media player after receiving the first play-back request, and

in reply to the further requests for the item of media content, transmit one or more parts of the item of media content, retrieved as a result of said first process, to the requesting other media players; and

the second media player configured to;

receive a second play-back request for the item of media content from a component of the second media player, wherein the second media player includes a second stream target,

in response to the second play-back request, initiate a second process to retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from the first media player, the second process including sending a request for at least said part of the item of media content to the first media player,

receive at least said part of the item of media content retrieved as a result of said second process, and

output at least said part of the received media content to the second stream target to provide streaming of media content;

wherein the first media player is adapted to output at least a part of the media content to the first stream target while the second media player outputs at least a part of the media content to the second stream target.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein furthermore the first media player is connected through a wireless connection to at least one of said plurality of other media players.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first media player includes a plurality of output managers for receiving the plurality of further requests.

4. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for sharing streaming media content comprising data packages, from a first media player playing the media content to a plurality of other media players requesting at least a part of the media content, said computer executable instructions when running on the first media player comprising instructions that cause the first media player to:

receive a play-back request for an item of media content from a component of the first media player, wherein the first media player includes a stream target,

in response to the play-back request, initiate a first process to retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from at least one device selected from the group consisting of the first media player and one or more further devices,

retrieve at least said part of the item of said media content,

pass at least said part of the retrieved media content to the stream target in reply to the play-back request for the item of media content,

after the first media player has received the play-back request, receive from the plurality of other media players a plurality of further requests for the item of media content that are sent in an uncoordinated order with respect to one another from the plurality of other media players to the first media player, and

in reply to each of the plurality of further requests for the item of media content, transmit from the first media player to a corresponding requesting other media player one or more parts of the item of media content retrieved at the first media player in response to the play-back request, wherein the one or more parts of the item of media content are transmitted from the first media player to the corresponding requesting other media player while the first media player passes at least said part of the retrieved media content to the stream target to provide streaming of media content.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein said instructions further cause the first media player to stream at least said part of the item of media content to at least one of the plurality of other media players using at least one of a plurality of connections, each connection corresponding to one media player of the plurality of other media players.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the first media player to receive the plurality of further requests at a plurality of respective output managers.

7. A media player for playing streaming media content comprising data packages and transmitting at least a part of the media content to a plurality of other devices, comprising:

a data processing unit that executes software having;

a routine for;

(i) receiving a play-back request for an item of media content from a component of the media player, wherein the media player includes a stream target, and (ii) in response to the play-back request, initiate a first process to retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from at least one device selected from the group consisting of the media player and one or more further devices,

a retrieving routine for retrieving said item of media content,

a management routine for managing retrieved media content,

a routine for making at least a part of the retrieved media content ready for play-back and providing the media content made ready for play-back to the stream target,

a request handling routine for handling, after receiving the play-back request, a plurality of further requests for at least a part of the item of media content, wherein the plurality of further requests are sent from a plurality of other devices in an uncoordinated order with respect to one another to the media player, and

a transmitting routine for streaming at least a part of the item of media content to each of the plurality of other devices

wherein the media player includes software that, when running on the media player allows the media player to;

receive at least the play-back request for the item of media content from the component of the media player;

in response to the play-back request, initiate the first process to retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from at least one device selected from the group consisting of the media player and the one or more further devices;

retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from at least one device selected of the group consisting of the media player and the one or more further devices;

manage the retrieved media content;

make the retrieved media content ready for play-back;

provide at least a part of the retrieved media content made ready for play-back to the stream target;

receive, from the plurality of other devices in any order, a plurality of requests for the item of media content after having retrieved at least a part of the item of media content at the media player;

in reply to a request for the item of media content from a first of the plurality of other devices, stream from the media player to the first device at least a part of the item of media content retrieved at the media player in response to the request from the component of the media player for the media content while the media player is providing media content made ready for playback to the stream target.

8. The media player of claim 7, wherein the software, when running on the media player, further allows the media player to stream one or more data packages to the plurality of other devices, using a plurality of connections, each connection corresponding to one of the plurality of other devices.

9. The media player of claim 7, wherein the plurality of requests received from the plurality of other devices for at least a part of the item of media content further comprise a plurality of specific requests received from the plurality of other devices for at least a part of the item of media content.

10. The media player of claim 7, wherein said retrieving of said item of media content by said processing unit and streaming from the media player to the first device at least a part of the item of media content occur simultaneously.

11. The media player of claim 7, wherein the media player is part of mobile communication equipment.

12. The media player of claim 7, wherein the media player is part of a pocket computer.

13. The media player of claim 7, wherein the streaming comprises wireless streaming.

14. The media player of claim 7, wherein the management routine places the media content retrieved in a buffer from which at least a part of the item of media content is being transmitted to at least one of the plurality of other devices.

15. The media player of claim 7, wherein the request handling routine further includes a routine for handling the plurality of further requests at a plurality of respective output managers.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for sharing streaming media content comprising data packages, from a first media player playing the media content to a plurality of other media players requesting at least a part of the media content, said computer executable instructions when running on the first media player comprising instructions that cause the first media player to:

receive a play-back request for an item of media content from a component of the first media player, wherein the first media player includes a stream target,

in response to the play-back request, initiate a first process to retrieve at least a part of the item of media content from at least one stream source selected from the group consisting of the first media player and one or more further devices,

retrieve at least said part of the item of said media content from the stream source,

manage the retrieved media content by using a buffer,

get a part of the retrieved media content from the buffer and make that part ready for play-back and pass it to the stream target in reply to the play-back request for the item of media content from the stream target, to provide streaming of media content,

after the first media player has received the playback request, receive from-the a plurality of other media players, a plurality of further requests, sent in an uncoordinated order with respect to one another, for the item of media content at one or more output managers, each output manager corresponding to one of the plurality of media players,

in reply to each of the plurality of further requests for the item of media content, transmit from the corresponding output manager one or more parts of the item of media content,

wherein the buffer is both used by the first media player to make a part of the retrieved media content ready for play-back and by at least one output manager to get a section of the retrieved media content in order to transmit the section of the retrieved media content to the corresponding requesting other media player.