Sharing digital content via a packet-switched network

• US 7,600,031 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Toutonghi, Michael J
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US11/414,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20070255853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/230, 709/28, 709/246, 709/247, 709/238, 382/232
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for sharing content. The method is performed by a data acquisition device and comprises upon encountering a content transfer condition, if a size of content is greater than a predefined size threshold then performing a lossy compression operation on the content to reduce the size of the content to produce lossy-compressed content, and transmitting the lossy-compressed content to a predefined destination for routing to a final storage location using a packet-switched networking protocol; and at a later time, performing a synchronization operation wherein the non-lossy compressed content is transmitted to the final storage location.

Claims

1. A method for a data acquisition device, the data acquisition device enabled to communicate over an over-the-air (OTA) network and enabled to communicate over a packet switched network, the method comprising:

the data acquisition device storing content for transmission to a final storage location;

upon encountering a content transfer condition, determining that a size of the content is greater than a predefined size threshold;

upon determining that the size of content is greater than the predefined size threshold, performing a lossy compression operation on the content to reduce the size of the content to produce a lossy-compressed content;

transmitting the lossy-compressed content, using a packet-switched networking protocol and without transmitting the lossy-compressed content over an OTA network, to a predefined destination for routing to a final storage location; and

at a later time, performing a synchronization operation wherein the data acquisition device transmits the content to the final storage location to replace the lossy-compressed content previously transmitted using the packet-switched networking protocol with the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet-switched networking protocol comprises the multimedia messaging protocol (MMS) and the predefined size threshold is a maximum size a carrier allows for an MMS message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting metadata to the predefined destination via the packet-switched networking protocol to facilitate processing of the lossy-compressed content at the predefined location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the metadata is selected from the group consisting of an identifier for the final storage location, category information to facilitate categorization of the lossy-compressed content;

and invitee information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined destination comprises a server for an online content management service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition device performs the synchronization upon detection of a synchronization condition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the synchronization condition comprises the presence of a local OTA network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the synchronization condition comprises the establishment of a non-OTA connection with the final storage location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-OTA connection is selected from the group consisting of a Wi-Fi connection, and a Bluetooth connection.

13. A data acquisition device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor causes the data acquisition device to perform the method of claim 1.

14. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the packet-switched networking protocol comprises the multimedia messaging protocol (MMS) and the predefined size threshold is a maximum size a carrier allows for an MMS message.

15. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises transmitting metadata to the predefined destination to facilitate processing of the lossy-compressed content at the predefined location.

16. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the metadata is selected from the group consisting of an identifier for the final storage location, category information to facilitate categorization of the lossy-compressed content;

and invitee information.

17. The data acquisition device of claim 13, wherein the synchronization is performed upon detection of a synchronization condition.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving lossy-compressed content from a data acquisition device using a packet-switched networking protocol;

receiving metadata associated with the lossy-compressed content from the data acquisition device;

storing the lossy-compressed content;

routing the lossy-compressed content to the lossy-compressed content'"'"'s final storage location based on the metadata;

generating an encrypted link to the stored lossy-compressed content;

transmitting the encrypted link to the lossy-compressed content to selected invitees based on the metadata; and

performing a synchronization operation wherein content corresponding to the lossy-compressed content is received from the data acquisition device to replace the lossy-compressed content and wherein the content is received from the data acquisition device through a transmission protocol different from the packet-switched networking protocol used to receive the lossy-compressed content.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein for the synchronization operation, the content is received using an over-the air data connection with the data acquisition device established when the data acquisition device in within a local network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the synchronization operation comprises sending the content to the final storage location.

18. A server device, comprising

a processor;

and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 10.

19. The server device of claim 18, wherein for the synchronization operation, the content is received using an over-the air data connection with the data acquisition device established when the data acquisition device is within a local network.

20. The server device of claim 19, wherein the synchronization operation comprises sending the content to the final storage location.