Storage and playback of media files

• US 7,831,663 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Inventors: Lauwers, J. Chris, Burns, Emmett R., Ludwig, Lester F., Lantz, Keith A., Burnett, Gerald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US11/669,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206, 709217-219, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A client device is in communication with a first storage device over a wide area network. The first storage device is of multiple storage devices in a networking system and stores media files. The client device can access a media file at the first storage device and the media file includes at least a reference to a video portion and at least a hyperlink that references a second media file.

Claims

1. A networked storage system comprising:

a first storage device configured to store at least a first and second multimedia document, both multimedia documents having a universal format that defines the multimedia document as a collection of media components, and with a structure that captures the relationship among the components including spatial layout, and

configured to provide access to the first and second multimedia documents to respective users of first and second client devices, the first client device being in communication with the first storage device, and being separated from the first storage device by a wide area network, and

the second client device being in communication with the first storage device, the second client device being separated from the first client device and the first storage device by a wide area network,

wherein the networked storage system is configured to;

enable respective users of the first and second client devices to cause storage of the first and second multimedia documents, respectively, at the first storage device, the first and second multimedia documents each including at least a reference to a video portion and at least a hyperlink referencing at least one other multimedia document;

enable respective users of the first and second client devices to each add content to the first and second multimedia documents by using the respective first and second client devices; and

enable the users of the first and second client devices to each access and view the first and second multimedia documents to which content has been added.

2. The networked storage system of claim 1, further configured to enable playback of media associated with at least one of the first and second multimedia documents at the first and second client devices, and to enable operations on the played back media using at least one operation from a group consisting of start, stop, and pause-operations.

3. The networked storage system of claim 1, wherein the respective users of the first and second devices are further enabled to:

(i) access the first and second multimedia documents stored at the first storage device;

(ii) playback media associated with at least one of the first and second multimedia documents accessed from the first storage device; and

(iii) operate on the played back media using at least one operation from a group consisting of start, stop, and pause operations.

4. The networked storage system of claim 1, further configured to:

(i) enable simultaneous multiple access at the first and second devices to a plurality of multimedia documents stored at the first storage device; and

(ii) cause multiple playbacks of media associated with the plurality of multimedia documents accessed from the first storage device.

5. The networked storage system of claim 1, wherein the networked storage system is further configured to enable at the first and second client device to:

(a) receive a multimedia document from a multimedia resource over the wide area network; and

(b) playback of media associated with the received multimedia document.

6. The networked storage system of claim 1, further configured for wireless communication.

7. The networked storage system of claim 1, further configured to enable the first client device to communicate with the second client device using at least one communication type selected from a group consisting of video conferencing, and video mail.

8. The networked storage system of claim 1, wherein the first and second multimedia documents further include one or more pointers to corresponding multimedia documents in a plurality of file systems.

9. The networked storage system of claim 1, further configured to cause buffering of a flow of data associated with a respective multimedia document accessed from the first storage device.

10. The networked storage system of claim 1, wherein at least one multimedia document stored at the first storage device includes time-sensitive media and time-insensitive media, and wherein the multimedia document includes at least three different media.

11. The networked storage system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the multimedia documents referenced by a hyperlink is stored in a second storage device.

12. The networked storage system of claim 1, further configured to enable the first storage device to transfer multimedia documents to a second storage device in the networked storage system.

13. The networked storage system of claim 1, wherein the third multimedia document referenced by the at least one hyperlink includes audio.

14. A method comprising:

enabling storing, by respective users of first and second client devices, of at least first and second multimedia documents at a first storage device in a networked storage system, each of the first and second multimedia documents having a universal format that defines the multimedia document as a collection of media components and with a structure that captures the relationship among the components including spatial layout; and

enabling respective users of the first and second client devices that are in communication with the first storage device over a wide area network to each access both the first and second multimedia documents stored at the first storage device, the first and second multimedia documents each including at least a reference to a video portion and at least a hyperlink referencing at least one other multimedia document;

enabling respective users of the first and second client devices to communicate with the first storage device, the first and second client devices being separated from each other and the first storage device by a wide area network;

enabling respective users of the first and second client devices to add content to the first and second multimedia documents by using the first and second client devices; and

enabling respective users of the first and second client devices to access and view the first and second multimedia documents to which content has been added.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one other multimedia document referenced by the hyperlink is stored in a second storage device.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising enabling transferring of multimedia documents from the first storage device to a second storage device, and wherein at least one multimedia document includes at least three different media.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one other multimedia document referenced by the hyperlink includes audio.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising enabling the respective users of the first and second client devices to cause playback of media associated with the first multimedia document, and to operate on the play back of the media using at least one operation from a group consisting of start, stop, and pause operations.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising enabling the respective users of the first and second client devices to:

(i) access the first and second multimedia documents stored at the first storage device;

(ii) playback media associated with at least one of the first and second multimedia documents accessed from the first storage device; and

(iii) operate on the play back of the media using at least one operation from a group consisting of start, stop, and pause operations.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

(i) enabling simultaneous multiple access to a plurality of multimedia documents stored at the first storage device; and

(ii) causing multiple playbacks of media associated with the plurality of multimedia documents accessed from the first storage device.