Wireless portable device for sharing digital content items

• US 8,160,495 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Khedouri, Robert K., Axelrod, Jonathan N., Price, Harold E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US12/045,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20080305738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/3.06, 455/412.1, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/566, 455/3.01, 455/3.04, 455/414.1, 709/229, 709/219, 709/231, 709/232, 709/217, 707/100, 713/168, 713/155
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A portable wireless communications subscriber audio and/or video player apparatus and system and method for selecting, requesting, downloading, and playing audio and/or video data content files from an Internet-based database server. The wireless link is preferably implemented in accordance with the WiFi protocol, which allows connectivity to the Internet by being in proximity with a local base station or WiFi hotspot (i.e., publicly available local wireless access hub connected to the Internet). The portable wireless communications subscriber audio and/or video player apparatus and system preferably include a security means for monitoring and blocking unauthorized use of the player apparatus and system. The player apparatus further preferably has the capability to communicate with other neighboring player apparatus for the purpose of exchanging content data files, playlists and personal messages.

Claims

1. A wireless portable device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is operative to;

detect other wireless portable devices that are available to wirelessly communicate with the wireless portable device and are not set to avoid such detection;

display a list of one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

receive a selection of one of the one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

identify digital content items stored on the selected wireless portable devices;

transmit one or more requests for one or more digital content item(s) stored on the selected wireless portable device;

receive the requested digital content item(s); and

store the received digital content item(s) in the memory, wherein the received digital content item(s) are accessible by the wireless portable device even when a wireless connection is unavailable.

2. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to identify the digital content items stored on the selected wireless portable device by sending a request for such information to the selected wireless portable device.

3. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to display an integrated list of all the digital content items stored on the one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s).

4. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to display a plurality of lists, each list representing the digital content items stored on a respective one of the one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s).

5. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to transmit the one or more requests for the one or more digital content item(s) to the wireless portable device(s) that store the digital content item(s).

6. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to:

store the one or more requests for the digital content item(s);

search for an available connection to a network; and

after a connection to the network is available, transmit the one or more requests to one or more Internet-based servers in the network.

7. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the digital content items stored on the selected wireless portable device comprise digital media files.

8. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the digital content items stored on the selected wireless portable device comprise playlists of digital media files.

9. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the digital content items stored on the selected wireless portable device comprise one or more of the following:

audio files, video files, auto-executable files, text files, and software files.

10. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the digital content items stored on the selected wireless portable device are digital rights management (DRM) protected.

11. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein a wireless portable device is set to avoid detection if it is in privacy mode.

12. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to allow a user to place the wireless portable device in privacy mode.

13. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the wireless portable device is configured to operate as a standalone device that can communicate with the other wireless portable devices without use of an intervening desktop or laptop computer.

14. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to communicate with the other wireless portable devices without using a browser.

15. A wireless portable device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is operative to;

detect other wireless portable devices that are available to wirelessly communicate with the wireless portable device and are not set to avoid such detection;

display a list of one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

receive a selection of one of the one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

receive a request to share a digital content item stored in the memory of the wireless portable device with the selected wireless portable device; and

transmit the requested digital content item to the selected wireless portable device.

16. The wireless portable device of claim 15, wherein the digital content item comprises a digital media files.

17. The wireless portable device of claim 15, wherein the digital content item comprises a playlist of digital media files.

18. The wireless portable device of claim 15, wherein the digital content item comprises one of the following:

an audio file, a video file, an auto-executable file, a text file, and a software file.

19. The wireless portable device of claim 15, wherein the digital content item is digital rights management (DRM) protected.

20. The wireless portable device of claim 15, wherein the processor is operative to allow a user to place the wireless portable device in privacy mode, and wherein the other wireless portable devices are able to see that the wireless portable device stores the digital content item only if the wireless portable device is not in privacy mode.

21. The wireless portable device of claim 15, wherein the wireless portable device is configured to operate as a standalone device that can communicate with the other wireless portable devices without use of an intervening desktop or laptop computer.

22. The wireless portable device of claim 15, wherein the processor is operative to communicate with the other wireless portable devices without using a browser.

23. A wireless portable device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a display;

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the wireless transceiver, the display, and the memory, wherein the processor is operative to;

detect other wireless portable devices that are available to wirelessly communicate with the wireless portable device and are not set to avoid such detection, each wireless portable device having a respective identifier;

display identifier(s) of one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

receive a selection of one of the one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

establish a connection with the selected wireless portable device using an ad hoc mode of Wi-Fi;

receive a selection of a digital content item stored in the selected wireless portable device; and

receive the selected digital content item via the ad hoc Wi-Fi connection.

24. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operative to display a name of a song current playing in one of the wireless portable devices.

25. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operative to display a listing of digital content items stored on an identified wireless portable device.

26. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operative to use digital rights management to limit free sharing of digital content items.

27. The wireless portable device of claim 26 wherein the limit permits certain users to play digital content items a maximum of three times.

28. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operative to allow a user to stream digital content items from another wireless portable device.

29. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein multiple users can be seen and interact simultaneously.

30. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein the digital content items comprise one or more of the following:

audio files, video files, auto-executable files, text files, and software files.

31. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operative to receive a sample of a digital content item.

32. The wireless portable device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operative to receive a digital content item sent by another user.

33. A wireless portable device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is operative to;

detect other wireless portable devices that are available to wirelessly communicate with the wireless portable device and are not set to avoid such detection;

display a list of one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

receive a selection of one of the one or more of the detected wireless portable device(s);

receive a request to share a digital content item stored in the memory of the wireless portable device with the selected wireless portable device; and

transmit an identifier of the requested digital content item to the selected wireless portable device, wherein the selected wireless portable device is operative to use the identifier to request downloading of the requested digital content item from a server.

34. The wireless portable device of claim 33, wherein the digital content item comprises a digital media file.

35. The wireless portable device of claim 33, wherein the digital content item comprises a playlist of digital media files.

36. The wireless portable device of claim 33, wherein the digital content item comprises one of the following:

an audio file, a video file, an auto-executable file, a text file, and a software file.

37. The wireless portable device of claim 33, wherein the digital content item is digital rights management (DRM) protected.

38. The wireless portable device of claim 33, wherein the processor is operative to allow a user to place the wireless portable device in privacy mode, and wherein the other wireless portable devices are able to see that the wireless portable device stores the digital content item only if the wireless portable device is not in privacy mode.

39. The wireless portable device of claim 33, wherein the wireless portable device is configured to operate as a standalone device that can communicate with the other wireless portable devices without use of an intervening desktop or laptop computer.

40. The wireless portable device of claim 33, wherein the processor is operative to communicate with the other wireless portable devices without using a browser.