Remotely controlling playback of content on a stored device

• US 7,627,645 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Manders, Blake, Roslyakov, Konstantin, Sadovsky, Vladimir, Rosenbloom, Oren, Jaisimha, Mysore Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US11/166,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20060293769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208, 709/209, 709/227, 709/228, 709/211, 709/212, 709/216
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-readable media are disclosed for remotely controlling playback of content stored on a device. The system, method, and computer-readable media can transmit state-based commands from a host unit to the device in order to control playback of the content. The host unit can control playback of the content without requiring the device to transfer the content to the host unit. The host unit can also be updated as soon as there is a change in any state of the device.

Claims

1. A system for controlling playback of content stored on a device comprising:

at least one host unit for controlling playback of content stored on the device without requiring the content to be transferred to the host unit, wherein the at least one host unit is notified each time a state of the device has changed,

wherein the host unit is capable of querying the device to determine the state of the device, and

wherein the state of the device is determined by a playback rate and it is indicated by one or more of the playback rate, a playback object, a playback container index, or a playback position; and

at least one state-based controller coupled to the at least one host unit to allow the at least one host unit to remotely control the playback of the content through state-based commands, wherein the at least one state-based controller verifies a type of content stored on the device and verifies the state of the device, and wherein the state-based commands are based on the type of the content stored on the device and the state of the device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is at least one of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player, and wherein the device being at least one of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player includes a hybrid device that is a combination of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the host unit is at least one of an automotive media receiver, set-top box, personal computer, printer, and docking station.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the content includes Digital Rights Management (DRM) protected content.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein installation, drivers, and set-up are not required to enable the host unit to control the playback of the content stored on the device.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one host unit communicates with other host units and devices though Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the state of the device is one or more of a song change, a skip command, or a fast-forward command.

7. A method for remotely controlling playback of content stored on a device comprising:

remotely transmitting state-based commands to a device for controlling playback of content stored on the device, wherein the content is played back without requiring the content to be transferred away from the device, and wherein the state-based commands are based on a current state of the device; and

updating at least one host unit when a state of the device has changed,

wherein installation, drivers, and set-up are not used by the at least one host unit to control the playback of the content stored on the device,

wherein the host unit is capable of querying the device to determine the state of the device, and

wherein the state of the device is determined by a playback rate and it is indicated by one or more of the playback rate, a playback object, a playback container index, or a playback position.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the host unit maintains a record of the current state of the device.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the device is at least one of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player, and wherein the device being at least one of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player includes a hybrid device that is a combination of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the host unit is at least one of an automotive media receiver, set-top box, personal computer, printer, and docking station.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of host units can control the playback of the content stored on the device.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the content includes Digital Rights Management (DRM) protected content.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one state-based controller transmits the state-based commands.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one state-based controller verifies a type of content stored on the device and verifies the state of the device.

13. One or more computer-readable media with instructions for executing a method for remotely controlling playback of content stored

on a device comprising:

determining a current state of the device;

determining a type of content stored on the device;

based on the current state of the device and the type of content stored on the device, remotely transmitting state-based commands to a device for controlling playback of content stored on the device, wherein the content is played back without requiring the content to be transferred away from the device, and wherein the state-based commands are non-interrupt based commands; and

receiving an update to at least one host unit when a state of the device has changed, wherein the at least one host unit is capable of changing the current state of the device based on a previous state, and wherein installation, drivers, and set-up are not used by the at least one host unit to control the playback of the content stored on the device,

wherein the host unit is capable of querying the device to determine the state of the device, and

wherein the state of the device is determined by a playback rate and it is indicated by one or more of the playback rate, a playback object, a playback container index, or a playback position.

14. The computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the device is at least one of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player, and wherein the device being at least one of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player includes a hybrid device that is a combination of an audio player, digital still camera, digital video camera, mobile phone, video player, and media player.

15. The computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the host unit is at least one of an automotive media receiver, set-top box, personal computer, printer, and docking station.

16. The computer-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the content includes Digital Rights Management (DRM) protected content.