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

• US 7,937,451 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2010
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• 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:
  US12/761,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20100198944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/552.1, 455/556.1, 455/557, 709/231, 709/233
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 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 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/4825 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 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

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 system for sharing content of a user between a computing cloud having one or more computers and one or more storage units and a device, comprising:

the computing cloud having a content store that stores a plurality of pieces of digital content of the user;

a device having a device content store that stores one or more pieces of digital content, the device having a display that displays the one or more pieces of digital content stored on the device and the plurality of pieces of digital content stored on the computing cloud;

the device having an application that requests, when the user wants to listen to a piece of digital content stored in the computing cloud, the piece of digital content from the computing cloud and that stores the piece of digital content on the device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing cloud synchronizes the plurality of pieces of digital content on the computing cloud with the pieces of the digital content stored on the device.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of devices, wherein each device has an application that requests, when the user wants to listen to a piece of digital content stored in the computing cloud, the piece of digital content from the computing cloud and that stores the piece of digital content on the device, and wherein the computing cloud synchronizes the plurality of pieces of digital content on the computing cloud with each of the plurality of devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each device of the plurality of devices are selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a PDA, a wireless email device, an MP3 player, smart phones, mobile phones, personal computer, laptop, set-top box, television, in car digital content system and game consoles.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the application of each device of the plurality of devices further comprises a transfer module that allows pieces of digital content to be directly transferred between the plurality of devices.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a wireless network that wirelessly connects the device with the computing cloud so that the piece of digital content from the computer are accessible to the device over the wireless network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless network further comprises a cellular telephone network, a WiFi network or a wireless data network.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a link that connects the device with the computer so that the piece of content from the computer is downloaded over the link.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the link further comprises a cable, a docking station, a memory card that can be inserted into the device or a Bluetooth network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each piece of digital content further comprises a piece of metadata associated with each piece of digital content, and wherein the computing cloud further comprises a recommender unit that recommends one of a piece of digital content and a playlist of digital content based on the metadata associated with the plurality of pieces of digital content of the user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each piece of digital content further comprises a piece of metadata associated with each piece of digital content, and wherein the computing cloud further comprises a recommender unit that recommends one of a piece of digital content and a playlist of digital content based on the metadata associated with the plurality of pieces of digital content of the user and the metadata associated with all pieces of digital content stored in the computing cloud.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each piece of digital content further comprises a piece of metadata associated with each piece of digital content, and wherein the computing cloud further comprises a community unit that introduces a first user to a second user based on the plurality of pieces of digital content of the first and second users.

13. A device for downloading and interacting with pieces of digital content wherein the pieces of digital content are stored in a computing cloud having one or more computers and one or more storage units wherein the computing cloud has a content store that stores a plurality of pieces of digital content of the user, the device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a device content store, stored in the memory, that stores one or more pieces of digital content;

a display that displays the one or more pieces of digital content stored on the device and the plurality of pieces of digital content stored in the computing cloud;

an application, stored in the memory and executed by the processor, that requests, when the user wants to listen to a piece of digital content stored in the computing cloud, the piece of digital content from the computing cloud and that stores the piece of digital content on the device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pieces of the digital content stored on the device are synchronized with the plurality of pieces of digital content on the computing cloud.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the application further comprises a transfer module that allows pieces of digital content to be directly transferred to a second device.

15. The apparatus of 13, wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a PDA, a wireless email device, an MP3 player, smart phones, mobile phones, personal computer, laptop, set-top box, television, in car digital content system and game consoles.

17. A method for sharing content of a user between a computing cloud having one or more computers and one or more storage units wherein the computing cloud having a content store that stores a plurality of pieces of digital content of the user and a device that stores one or more pieces of digital content and is capable of displaying the one or more pieces of digital content stored on the device and the plurality of pieces of digital content stored on the computing cloud, the method comprising:

requesting, by an application of the device, when the user wants to listen to a piece of digital content stored in the computing cloud, the piece of digital content from the computing cloud;

storing stores the piece of digital content from the computing cloud on the device; and

playing the piece of digital content on the device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising synchronizing the plurality of pieces of digital content on the computing cloud with the pieces of the digital content stored on the device.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising synchronizing the plurality of pieces of digital content on the computing cloud with each of a plurality of devices.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising directly transferring, between the devices, a piece of digital content.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising wirelessly connecting the device with the computing cloud so that the piece of digital content from the computer are accessible to the device over the wireless network.

22. The method of claim 17 further comprising recommending one of a piece of digital content and a playlist of digital content to the user of the device based on a set of metadata associated with the plurality of pieces of digital content of the user.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising recommending one of a piece of digital content and a playlist of digital content to the user of the device based on a set of metadata associated with the plurality of pieces of digital content of the user and the metadata associated with all pieces of digital content stored in the computing cloud.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising introducing a user of a first device to a user of a second device based on the plurality of pieces of digital content of the first and second users.