Media content for a mobile media device

• US 7,933,974 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shum, Albert Y. S., Andrews, Anton O. A., Harris, Jonathan R., Fong, Jeffrey C., Lauby, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ibrahim; Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/125,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20090293091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/227, 709/229, 725/86, 725/100
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

Various embodiments enable a user of a mobile media device to select one or more channels to load onto the device. Each channel comprises a collection of media content files, such as video content, audio content, and so on. Each collection of media content files can be associated with a particular genre (or genres) of media content. A channel can be managed such that its collection of media content can be rearranged, augmented, and/or otherwise edited to produce a refreshed version of the channel. The refreshed version of the channel can be provided to the mobile media device for playback. Thus, a channel associated with a particular genre of media content can provide a user with a dynamic user experience without requiring the user to manipulate specific media content files.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a content request from a mobile device, the content request generated responsive to the mobile device being directly connected to an external device;

responsive to receiving the content request, presenting a plurality of channels, each of the channels comprising a collection of content files associated with a content genre;

receiving a selection of one of the channels;

loading a first instance of the selected channel onto the mobile device, wherein loading the first instance of the selected channel comprises loading a first collection of content files associated with the first instance of the selected channel onto the mobile device;

receiving an indication of a change to the first instance of the selected channel; and

replacing on the mobile device the first instance of the selected channel with a second instance of the selected channel, the second instance of the selected channel comprising a second collection of content files that differs from the first collection of content files, wherein replacing the first instance of the selected channel with the second instance of the selected channel comprises loading content files from the second collection of content files that are not in the first collection of content files onto the mobile device and removing content files from the first collection of content files that are not in the second collection of content files from the mobile device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected channel includes a metafile that comprises channel description information and pointers to each of the content files comprised by the selected channel.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of channels is retrieved from a Web-based channel management service.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the change comprises one or more of:

an addition of one or more content files;

or

a deletion of one or more content files.

5. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a connection of a mobile device for a current mobile device connectivity session;

identifying on the mobile device a first instance of a channel that was loaded during a previous mobile device connectivity session, the identifying being performed in response to receiving the indication of the connection of the mobile device, the first instance of the channel comprising a first collection of content files associated with a content genre, the first instance of the channel further comprising a channel metafile that includes channel description information and pointers to the first collection of content files included in the channel, the channel description information including at least the content genre;

determining that between the previous mobile device connectivity session and the current mobile device connectivity session that there has been a change to the channel, the change to the channel representing a difference between the first collection of content files of the first instance of the channel and a second collection of content files of a second instance of the channel, the second collection of content files associated with said content genre and the second instance not stored on the mobile device; and

responsive to determining that the change has occurred, replacing the first instance of the channel with the second instance of the channel based on the change between the first instance and the second instance, wherein replacing the first instance of the channel with the second instance of the channel comprises loading content files from the second collection of content files that are not in the first collection of content files onto the mobile device and removing content files from the first collection of content files that are not in the second collection of content files from the mobile device.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the change comprises one or more of:

an addition of one or more content files to the first collection of content files;

or

a deletion of one or more content files from the first collection of content files.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein collections of content files comprised by the channel change on a periodic basis.

8. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the first instance of the channel and the second instance of the channel are assembled by a web-based channel management service.

9. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the act of determining comprises querying a web-based channel management service for an indication of the change.

10. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

presenting a channel user interface;

receiving, via the channel user interface, a manipulation of a channel configuration of the mobile device; and

responsive to receiving the manipulation, altering the second collection of content files based on the manipulation.

15. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the channel description information further includes at least an entity that created the channel.

11. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media coupled to the one or more processors;

computer-executable instructions stored on the computer-readable storage media that, when executed by the one or more processors, implement a method comprising;

loading a first instance of a channel onto the mobile device, the first instance of the channel comprising a first collection of content files associated with a content genre, the first instance of the channel further comprising a channel metafile that includes channel profile information and pointers to each of the content files in the first collection of content files, the channel profile information including at least the content genre; and

replacing the first instance of the channel with a second instance of the channel on the mobile device in response to;

the mobile device being connected to a host device; and

a change in the first collection of content files that comprise the first instance of the channel;

wherein the second instance of the channel comprises a second collection of content files associated with the content genre, and wherein replacing the first instance of the channel with a second instance of the channel comprises loading content files from the second collection of content files that are not in the first collection of content files onto the mobile device and removing content files from the first collection of content files that are not in the second collection of content files from the mobile device.

12. A mobile device as recited in claim 11, wherein loading the first instance of the channel onto the mobile device occurs in response to receipt of a user selection of the channel from a plurality of available channels.

13. A mobile device as recited in claim 11, wherein the change in the first collection of content files that comprise the first instance of the channel comprises one or more of:

an addition of one or more content files to the channel;

or

a deletion of one or more content files from the channel.

14. A mobile device as recited in claim 11, wherein the mobile device further comprises:

a plurality of channels stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media; and

a plurality of channel icons displayed on the mobile device, each of the plurality of channel icons being associated with one of the plurality of channels and selectable to initiate performance of one or more content files that are included in one of the plurality of channels.

16. A mobile device as recited in claim 11, wherein the channel profile information further includes at least an entity that created the channel.