Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting

• US 7,686,215 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2005
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Anne, Dowdy, Thomas, Davis, Stephen, Wiese, Mike, Robbin, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech; Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US11/166,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,739 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/382
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Improved podcasts and techniques that facilitate their use are disclosed. The improved techniques can pertain to creating, publishing, hosting, accessing, subscribing, managing, transferring, and/or playing podcasts. According to one aspect, a client application can subscribe to podcasts and then automatically monitor the podcasts for updates to be downloaded. In the event that user interest in a podcast becomes inadequate, downloading of further updates can be restricted. According to another aspect, a podcast can be subscribed to through use of a portable subscription file. According to still another aspect, podcast feeds can be enhanced to include segment elements and other metadata.

Claims

1. A method for subscribing to a podcast said method comprising:

at a client device in communication with a host device arranged to store the podcast,

receiving a portable subscription file that is used to facilitate subscribing to the podcast;

accessing the portable subscription file to obtain podcast information; and

subscribing to the podcast using the podcast information, wherein the portable subscription file includes an application identifier, and a network address for a podcast feed, wherein the portable subscription file is used to pass subscription information through a data network from the client device to at least another client device without interaction with the host device thereby allowing the another client device to subscribe to the podcast associated with the podcast feed.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said accessing is performed once a user opens the portable subscription file.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein once the portable subscription file is accessed, the subscription to the podcast is automatic.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said accessing is initiated by a double-clicking action with respect to a user input device.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable subscription file is an XML document including at least a podcast feed URL.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein double-clicking on a displayed representation of the portable subscription file causes the accessing and said subscribing to be automatically performed.

7. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein said accessing and said subscribing are performed on a client application operating on the client device.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the client application is a media management application.

9. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for subscribing to a podcast, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving a user selection of a portable subscription file that is used to facilitate subscribing to the podcast;

computer program code for launching a media management application in response to the user selection;

computer program code for parsing the portable subscription file to obtain podcast information; and

computer program code for subscribing to the podcast via the media management application using the podcast information, wherein the computer readable medium is stored on a client device and wherein the podcast is stored on a host device in communication with the client device.

10. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 9, wherein the media management application is located on the client device.

11. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 9, wherein said accessing is performed once the portable subscription file is opened.

12. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 9, wherein once the portable subscription file is accessed, the subscription to the podcast is automatic.

13. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 9, wherein the portable subscription file is an XML document including at least a podcast feed URL.

14. A portable subscription file used for subscribing to a podcast comprising:

an application identifier; and

a network address for a podcast feed,

wherein the portable subscription file is used to pass subscription information through a data network from a first client device to at least a second client device without interaction with a host device, thereby allowing the second client device to subscribe to the podcast associated with the podcast feed.

15. A portable subscription file as recited in claim 14, wherein said portable subscription file is not a podcast feed.

16. A portable subscription file as recited in claim 14, wherein an application identified by the application identifier is a media management application.

17. A portable subscription file as recited in claim 14, wherein the portable subscription file has a markup language format.

18. A portable subscription file as recited in claim 14, wherein the markup language format is an XML format.

19. A method for acquiring podcast information at a client application, the podcast information being acquired from a podcast hosting server via a network, said method comprises the acts of:

(a) accessing a podcast feed from the podcast hosting server via the network to acquire episode information for the podcast;

(b) determining one or more new episodes based on the acquired episode information;

(c) automatically determining whether the podcast is still active at the client application; and

(d) receiving, at the client application, the one or more new episodes from the podcast hosting server over the network so long as said determining (c) determines that the podcast is still active at the client application.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the episode information includes identification information for a plurality of episodes for the podcast, and wherein the one or more new episodes are those of the episodes that are not already known to the client application.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the episode information includes identification information for a plurality of episodes for the podcast, and wherein the one or more new episodes are those of the episodes that are more recent in time than other episodes already known to the client application.

22. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said determining (c) comprises:

(c1) maintaining one or more activity variables for the podcast at the client application; and

(c2) determining whether the podcast is still active based on the one or more activity variables.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the one or more activity variables include an episode download count for the podcast.

24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the one or more activity variables include a duration since a date of initial episode download or the date itself.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein the duration is a number of days.

26. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said determining (c) of whether the podcast is still active at the client application is based on whether a user of the client application has signaled interest in the podcast.

27. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said determining (c) of whether the podcast is still active at the client application is based on whether a user of the client application has shown adequate interest in the podcast.

28. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the client application has previously subscribed to the podcast for the user.

29. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for acquiring digital multimedia asset information at a client application, the digital multimedia asset information being acquired from a digital multimedia asset hosting server via a network, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for accessing a digital multimedia asset feed from the digital multimedia asset hosting server via the network to acquire episode information for the digital multimedia asset;

computer program code for determining one or more new episodes based on the acquired episode information;

computer program code for automatically determining whether the client application or a user thereof has shown adequate interest in the digital multimedia asset; and

computer program code for receiving, at the client application, the one or more new episodes from the digital multimedia asset hosting server over the network so long as it is determined that the client application or a user thereof has shown adequate interest in the digital multimedia asset.

30. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the episode information includes identification information for a plurality of episodes for the podcast, and wherein the one or more new episodes are those of the episodes that are not already known to the client application.

31. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 29, wherein said determining whether the client application or a user thereof has shown adequate interest comprises:

maintaining one or more activity variables for the podcast at the client application; and

determining whether the client application or user thereof has shown adequate interest based on the one or more activity variables.

32. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more activity variables include an episode download count for the podcast.

33. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more activity variables include a duration since a date of initial episode download or the date itself.

34. A portable electronic consumer product, comprising:

a communication interface;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein the processor subscribes to a podcast stored in a host device by using the communication interface to establish a communication channel between the host device and the portable electronic consumer product, wherein once the communication channel is established, the processor accesses a portable subscription file stored in the memory to obtain podcast information that is used to subscribe to the podcast.

35. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 34, wherein said accessing is performed once a user opens the portable subscription file.

36. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 34, wherein once the portable subscription file is accessed, the subscription to the podcast is automatic.

37. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 34, wherein said accessing is initiated by a double-clicking action with respect to a user input device and wherein the portable subscription file is an XML document including at least a podcast feed URL.

38. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 37, wherein double-clicking on a displayed representation of the portable subscription file causes the accessing and said subscribing to be automatically performed.

39. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 37,

wherein said accessing and said subscribing are performed on a client application operating on the client device.