Method and apparatus for transferring digital content from a personal computer to a mobile handset

• US 7,865,571 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mspot (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wai, King Sun, Ho, Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer; Temica M
• Application Number:
  US11/788,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20080165906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/552.1, 455/556.1, 455/557, 709/217, 709/231, 709/233
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A system for synchronizing digital content stored on a user'"'"'s mobile handset with digital content stored on the user'"'"'s personal computer is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for sharing content of a user between a computer and a mobile handset, comprising:

storing, on a computer, a plurality of pieces of content of the user;

displaying, on a mobile handset, one or more pieces of content stored on the mobile handset and the plurality of pieces of content stored on the computer;

requesting, when the user wants to listen to a piece of content stored on the computer that is displayed on the mobile handset, the piece of content from the computer; and

storing the requested piece of content on the mobile handset.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising synchronizing the plurality of pieces of content on the computer with the pieces of the content stored on the mobile handset.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising storing a playlist of two or more pieces of content on the mobile handset and synchronizing the playlist in the mobile handset with the computer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein requesting the piece of content further comprises downloading, over a wireless network, the piece of content from the computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein downloading the piece of content further comprises downloading the piece of content over a cellular telephone network, downloading the piece of content over a WiFi network or downloading the piece of content over a wireless data network.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein requesting the piece of content further comprises downloading, over a link, the piece of content from the computer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein downloading the piece of content further comprises downloading the piece of content over a cable, downloading the piece of content via a docking station, downloading the piece of content using a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile handset or downloading the piece of content over a Bluetooth network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each piece of content further comprises a music piece of content, a video piece of content, a podcast piece of content, a file piece of content or a photo piece of content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each piece of content further comprises a piece of metadata associated with each piece of content and the method further comprises displaying the metadata of a particular piece of content on the mobile handset when the particular piece of content is played on the mobile handset.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the piece of metadata further comprises album art, an artist, a duration or a title of a piece of music content.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying, on the mobile handset, only the pieces of content stored on the mobile handset when the mobile handset does not have any connectivity to a network.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising streaming the requested piece of content to the mobile handset wherein the requested piece of content is downloaded as a plurality of segments.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein streaming the requested piece of content to the mobile handset further comprises downloading a first portion of the plurality of segments into a first buffer;

playing the first portion of the plurality of segments contained in the first buffer; and

downloading, while the first portion of the plurality of segments contained in the first buffer are being played, a second portion of the plurality of segments into a second buffer so that the plurality of segments of the piece of content are streamed to the mobile handset while minimizing silence gaps.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising playing a first piece of content on a mobile handset wherein the first piece of content is being streamed to the mobile handset, downloading, while the first piece of content is being played in the mobile handset, a second piece of content in a list of content into a second buffer, and playing the second piece of content in the second buffer wherein the second piece of content is already downloaded to the mobile handset so that the second piece of content does not have silence gaps during the playing of the second piece of content.

15. A system for sharing content of a user between a computer and a mobile handset, comprising:

a computer having a content store that stores a plurality of pieces of content of the user;

a mobile handset having a mobile handset content store that stores one or more pieces of content, the mobile handset having a display that displays the one or more pieces of content stored on the mobile handset and the plurality of pieces of content stored on the computer;

the mobile handset having an application that requests, when the user wants to listen to a piece of content stored on the computer, the piece of content from the computer and that stores the piece of content on the mobile handset.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer synchronizes the plurality of pieces of content on the computer with the pieces of the content stored on the mobile handset.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile handset content store stores a playlist of two or more pieces of content on the mobile handset and wherein the playlist in the mobile handset is synchronized with the computer content store.

18. The system of claim 15 further comprising a wireless network that wireless connects the mobile handset with the computer so that the piece of content from the computer is downloaded over the wireless network.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the wireless network further comprises a cellular telephone network, a WiFi network or a wireless data network.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising a link that connects the mobile handset with the computer so that the piece of content from the computer is downloaded over the link.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the link further comprises a cable, a docking station, a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile handset or a Bluetooth network.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein each piece of content further comprises a music piece of content, a video piece of content, a podcast piece of content, a file piece of content or a photo piece of content.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein each piece of content further comprises a piece of metadata associated with each piece of content wherein the metadata of a particular piece of content is displayed on the mobile handset when the particular piece of content is played on the mobile handset.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the piece of metadata further comprises album art, an artist, a duration or a title of a piece of music content.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile handset displays only the pieces of content stored on the mobile handset when the mobile handset does not have any connectivity to a network.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile handset has a first buffer and a second buffer wherein the requested piece of content is streamed to the mobile handset as a plurality of segments into the first and second buffers.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein a first portion of the plurality of segments is downloaded into a first buffer, the first portion of the plurality of segments contained in the first buffer are played, and, while the first portion of the plurality of segments contained in the first buffer are being played, a second portion of the plurality of segments is downloaded into a second buffer so that the plurality of segments of the piece of content are streamed to the mobile handset while minimizing silence gaps.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein a first piece of content on a mobile handset is played from the first buffer, a second piece of content, while the first piece of content is being played in the mobile handset, is downloaded into a second buffer, and playing the second piece of content in the second buffer wherein the second piece of content is already downloaded to the mobile handset so that the second piece of content does not have silence gaps during the playing of the second piece of content.

29. The system of claim 16 further comprises a plurality of mobile handsets and a plurality of computers wherein the plurality of mobile handsets and the plurality of computers synchronize pieces of content with each other.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the content store for each mobile handset further comprises an identification code for each mobile handset and wherein the computer content store stores the content for each mobile handset based on the identification code for each mobile handset.

31. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile handset further comprises a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a PDA or a wireless email device.

32. An apparatus for streaming content to a mobile handset that does not support progressive downloading, the apparatus comprising:

a mobile handset having a first buffer and a second buffer wherein a piece of content is played on the mobile handset from one of the first and second buffers;

the mobile handset having an application that streams a piece of content from a remote source as a plurality of segments and plays the piece of content as the piece of content is being streamed to the mobile handset as a plurality of segments; and

wherein a first portion of the plurality of segments of the piece of content are downloaded into the first buffer, the first portion of the plurality of segments of the piece of content are played from the first buffer and, while the first portion of the plurality of segments contained in the first buffer are being played, a second portion of the plurality of segments are downloaded into the second buffer so that the plurality of segments of the piece of content are streamed to the mobile handset while minimizing silence gaps.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the application plays the second portion of the plurality of segments contained in the second buffer and, while the second portion of the plurality of segments contained in the second buffer are being played, a third portion of the plurality of segments are downloaded into the first buffer so that the playing of the plurality of segments of the piece of content ping-pongs between the first and second buffers.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the mobile handset further comprises a third buffer wherein each segment of the plurality of segments of the piece of content are stored in the third buffer as it is downloaded.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the mobile handset further comprises a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a PDA or a wireless email device.

36. A method for streaming content to a mobile handset that does not support progressive downloading, the method comprising:

providing a piece of content divided into a plurality of segments;

downloading a first portion of the plurality of segments into a first buffer;

playing the first portion of the plurality of segments contained in the first buffer; and

downloading, while the first portion of the plurality of segments contained in the first buffer are being played, a second portion of the plurality of segments into a second buffer so that the plurality of segments of the piece of content are streamed to the mobile handset while minimizing silence gaps.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising playing the second portion of the plurality of segments contained in the second buffer and downloading, while the second portion of the plurality of segments contained in the second buffer are being played, a third portion of the plurality of segments into the first buffer so that the playing of the plurality of segments of the piece of content ping-pongs between the first and second buffers.

38. The method of claim 36 further comprising storing each segment of the piece of content as it is downloaded into a third buffer.

39. A system for downloading two or more pieces of content in a list, the system comprising:

a mobile handset having a first buffer and a second buffer wherein a piece of content is played on the mobile handset from one of the first and second buffers;

the mobile handset having an application that stores a list of a first piece of content and a second piece of content and that plays the first and second pieces of content; and

wherein the first piece of content is downloaded and played from the first buffer, the second piece of content is downloaded into the second buffer while the first piece of content is being played in the first buffer and the second piece of content is played from the second buffer.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the pieces of content further comprises a piece of music, a video, a podcast and a file.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the mobile handset further comprises a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a PDA or a wireless email device.

42. A method for downloading two or more pieces of content in a list, the method comprising:

playing a first piece of content on a mobile handset wherein the first piece of content is being streamed to the mobile handset into a first buffer;

downloading, while the first piece of content is being played in the mobile handset, a second piece of content in a list of content into a second buffer; and

playing the second piece of content in the second buffer wherein the second piece of content is already downloaded to the mobile handset so that the second piece of content does not have silence gaps during the playing of the second piece of content.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the pieces of content further comprises a piece of music, a video, a podcast and a file.