System for providing content, management, and interactivity for thin client devices

• US 7,937,450 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Musicqubed Innovations LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Viviana Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Janik, Craig M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman; Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US10/775,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20040253945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,640 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 709/231, 709/249, 707/1, 725/1, 725/100, 725/110, 715/716, 715/733
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2876 Handling of subscriber policies group policies management H04L41/0893
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 : having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 : external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4143 : embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 : involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4437 : Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] virtual machines in general G06F9/45533
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 : Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 : using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 : comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image

Abstract

A system is provided for delivering Internet and digital content to a variety of thin client devices. A web portal for accessing and selecting content is used in conjunction with graphical user interfaces on a personal computer for setting up and controlling the content channels. The user interfaces, scheduling, and communication management are controlled by a system control software application running on a local server with an Internet connection. A high speed local area network provides for streaming content from the Internet or local server to thin client devices. A digital audio playback device is connected to the local server via the local area network connection and decodes streamed audio files, and converts them into analog audio signals for input into a conventional stereo. Digital content is streamed automatically from the local server to another Internet playback device, based on end user content preferences and schedule selections.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first interface configured to communicate with a wide area network (WAN);

a second interface configured to communicate with a client device via a local area network (LAN); and

a server communicatively part of the LAN and comprising a storage device, wherein the server is coupled to the first interface and the second interface, wherein the server is configured to retrieve user specified content from a facility via the first interface, to store the user specified content, and to deliver the user specified content to the client device via the second interface;

wherein the server further comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to associate the user specified content with the client device and to schedule a future time when the user specified content will be automatically delivered to the associated client device via the LAN, wherein the GUI is further configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of client devices, wherein the GUI is further configured to allow associating the user specified content with the plurality of client devices and scheduling a time when the user specified content is automatically delivered to the associated plurality of client devices via the LAN.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the LAN comprises a wireless network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the GUI is further configured to allow specifying a personal preference for the user specified content to be retrieved from the facility.

5. A method comprising:

downloading user specified content to a server from a facility via a wide area network (WAN);

delivering the user specified content from the server to a client specified device via a local area network (LAN), wherein the server is communicatively part of the LAN, wherein the user specified content is delivered from the server to the client specified device according to a first schedule specified to the server by the user, and wherein the first schedule includes a future time at which the user specified content is to be delivered to the client specified device, and wherein the server is configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility; and

automating the downloading and the delivering of the user specified content.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising downloading the user specified content according to a second schedule specified to the server by the user, wherein the first schedule and the second schedule are different.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising downloading the user specified content based on a personal preference specified by the user.

8. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

downloading user specified content to a server from a facility via a wide area network (WAN);

delivering the user specified content from the server to a client specified device via a local area network (LAN), wherein the server is communicatively part of the LAN, wherein-the user specified content is delivered from the server to the client specified device according to a first schedule specified to the server by the user, wherein the first schedule includes a future time at which the user specified content is to be delivered to the client specified device, and wherein the server is configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility; and

automating the downloading and the delivering of the user specified content.

9. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises downloading the user specified content according to a second schedule specified to the server by the user, wherein the first schedule and the second schedule are different.

10. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises downloading the user specified content based on a personal preference specified by the user.

11. A method for presenting content, the method comprising:

receiving an instruction for selecting a content to be downloaded from a wide area network (WAN) to a local system in response to an input received via a content selection interface of the local system;

downloading the content from the WAN to the local system based on an availability of the content; and

automatically delivering the content from the local system to a client device via a local area network (LAN), wherein the local system is communicatively part of the LAN, at a user specified time using a scheduling interface of the local system, wherein the scheduling interface is configured to receive a user specified schedule of one or more future times at which the content is to be delivered to the client device, wherein the scheduling interface is further configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved via the WAN.

12. An apparatus for viewing content, the apparatus comprising:

a first data processing system configured to communicate with a facility via a wide area network (WAN), wherein the first data processing system comprises a first interface configured to allow selecting a content stored at the facility, and a scheduling mechanism configured to allow scheduling a time of a future transaction for acquiring the selected content from the facility and configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility; and

a second data processing system configured to communicate with the first data processing system via a local area network (LAN), wherein the second data processing system is communicatively part of the LAN, and wherein the second data processing system comprises a second interface configured to schedule an automatic time to deliver the content from the first data processing system to a client device via the LAN.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device configured to communicate with a wide area network (WAN) and configured to communicate with a client device via a local area network (LAN), wherein the computing device is communicatively part of the LAN;

a first user interface executable at the computing device, wherein the first user interface is configured to allow a user to select a content to be downloaded from a facility via the WAN;

a storage device operatively coupled to the computing device, wherein the storage device is configured to store the content; and

a second user interface executable at the client device and configured to select a plurality of client devices to deliver the content and scheduling an automatic delivery of the content at a user-selected future time from the computing device to the plurality of client devices via the LAN, wherein the second user interface is further configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the content is downloaded from the facility periodically.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein periodically downloading the content is performed based on content availability information.

16. A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

downloading to the computing device a content from a facility via a wide area network (WAN) at a first time, wherein the computing device comprises a storage device;

storing the content in the storage device;

presenting a user interface configured to allow selecting a plurality of client devices communicatively coupled to the computing device via a local area network (LAN), wherein the computing device is communicatively part of the LAN, wherein the plurality of client devices are selected to receive a delivery of the content, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow scheduling of a future time to deliver the content to the plurality of client devices, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility; and

automatically activating the delivery of the content from the computing device to the plurality of client devices via the LAN at a second time that is different than the first time.

17. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises downloading the content from the facility periodically.

18. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein periodically downloading the content is based on content availability information.

19. A method comprising:

downloading user specified content to a server from a facility via a wide area network (WAN);

delivering the user specified content from the server to a plurality of client devices via a local area network (LAN) according to an association between the plurality of client devices and the user specified content, wherein the server is communicatively part of the LAN, wherein the association between the plurality of client devices and the user specified content is established through a graphical user interface (GUI) of the server, and wherein the association includes a plurality of scheduled times at which the user specified content is to be delivered to the plurality of client devices, wherein the GUI is further configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility; and

automating the downloading and the delivering of the user specified content.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein delivering the user specified content to the plurality of client devices is based on a schedule established through the GUI.

21. A system for providing content, the system comprising:

a first data processing system configured to communicate with a facility over a wide area network (WAN), wherein the first data processing system comprises a first interface configured to enable selecting a content stored at the facility, and a scheduling mechanism configured to enable scheduling a transaction for acquiring the selected content from the facility; and

a second data processing system configured to communicate with the first data processing system via a local area network (LAN), wherein the second data processing system is communicatively part of the LAN, wherein the second data processing system comprises a second interface configured to schedule a plurality of future times at which to automatically deliver the content from the first data processing system to a client device via the LAN, wherein the second interface is further configured to allow scheduling a time when the user specified content is retrieved from the facility.