Methods, apparatuses and computer programs for media content distribution

• US 8,229,488 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Siotis, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US12/512,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20110028083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 455517-520, 455/553.1, 455/90.2, 455/78, 455/79, 455/500, 455/426.1, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/416, 455/420, 370/352, 370/389, 370/338, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• 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: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

Methods for distributing media content between portable electronic devices enabled for media acquisition and wireless communication are disclosed. The methods comprises forming of a group of the portable electronic devices being present at a common context, providing a piece of media content to other members of the group, and collecting a piece of media content from other members of the group, respectively. Apparatuses, i.e. portable electronic devices, suitable for such media content distribution, as computer programs for implementing the media content distribution on such apparatuses, are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for distributing media content between portable electronic devices enabled for media acquisition and wireless communication, the method comprising

joining, by a first portable electronic device, a group of the portable electronic devices being present at a common context;

identifying a piece of media content acquired by the first portable electronic device within the common context and not yet distributed within the group;

establishing a connection between the first portable electronic device and at least one other portable electronic device of the portable electronic devices of the group via a wireless communication channel;

transferring the piece of media content via the connection to the at least one other portable electronic device of the portable electronic devices of the group; and

defining a set of distribution effort criteria comprising at least one distribution effort criterion including any of a group comprising;

a maximum time period until successful distribution to distribute to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group,

a maximum proximity value to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group defined by number of relaying steps,

a maximum proximity value to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group based on geographical information, and

a maximum number of attempts until successful distribution to distribute to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group,

wherein distribution efforts are ended if the distribution effort criteria set is exceeded.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the common context is defined by at least one of a common event and a common time period.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, excluding one of the portable electronic device of the group from the group when that portable electronic device fails to share the common context.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, when joining the group, exchanging an access code within the group, wherein the first portable electronic device is included in the group upon provision of the correct access code.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the piece of media content comprises any of a photo taken by the first portable electronic device and a video clip recorded by the first portable electronic device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying of the piece of media content further comprises identifying a piece of media content collected by the first portable electronic device from another portable electronic apparatus of the group such that the collected piece of media content is re-distributed within the group by the establishing of a connection and the transferring.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing of the connection comprises any of direct wireless contact to at least one of the portable electronic devices of the group and relaying within the portable electronic devices of the group.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the establishing of the connection comprises only direct wireless contact to the portable electronic devices of the group.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising holding an information field associated with each piece of media content, the information field comprising information on which of the portable devices of the group the piece of media content has been distributed to.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein distribution efforts are ended if one of the at least one distribution effort criterion of the distribution effort criteria set is exceeded.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a sharing awareness indication to a user of the first portable electronic device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the sharing awareness indication includes a symbol presented on a display of the first portable electronic device.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the sharing awareness indication includes providing a question to the user of the first portable electronic device whether a piece of media content should be shared, and if a received answer is affirmative, sharing the piece of media content, or if the received answer is negative, excluding the piece of media content from sharing.

23. A computer readable medium comprising program code with instructions arranged to be executed by a processor of a portable electronic device, wherein the instructions cause the portable electronic device to perform the method according to claim 1.

24. A portable electronic device enabled for multimedia acquisition and wireless communication, arranged to perform the method according to claim 1.

14. A method for collecting media content among portable electronic devices being present at a common context and being enabled for multimedia acquisition and wireless communication, the method comprising

joining, by a first portable electronic device, the group of the portable electronic devices;

receiving, by the first portable electronic device, a request for connection from one of the portable electronic devices of the group, the request being related to offering a piece of media content;

establishing the connection between the first portable electronic device and the one of the portable electronic devices of the portable electronic devices of the group via a wireless communication channel;

receiving, by the first portable electronic device, the piece of media content from the one of the portable electronic devices of the group; and

defining a set of distribution effort criteria comprising at least one distribution effort criterion including any of a group comprising;

a maximum time period until successful distribution to distribute to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group,

a maximum proximity value to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group defined by number of relaying steps,

a maximum proximity value to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group based on geographical information, and

a maximum number of attempts until successful distribution to distribute to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group,

wherein distribution efforts are ended if the distribution effort criteria set is exceeded.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the common context is defined by at least one of a common event and a common time period.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising adding meta data to the received piece of media content, the meta data including information about at least one of the portable electronic devices and a portable electronic device having acquired the piece of media content.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising, when joining the group, exchanging an access code within the group, wherein the first portable electronic device is included in the group upon provision of the correct access code.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the piece of media content comprises any of a photo taken by any of the portable electronic devices of the group, and a video clip recorded by any of the portable electronic devices of the group.

19. A method for setting up a group of portable electronic devices present at a common context for distributing media content between the portable electronic devices which are enabled for media acquisition and wireless communication, the method comprising

generating, by a first portable electronic device, an access code to be provided to possible participants of the group;

establishing a wireless connection between the first portable electronic device and another portable electronic device joining the group;

requesting via the wireless connection the access code from the another portable electronic device joining the group;

receiving a code via the wireless connection from the another portable electronic device joining the group;

including the another portable electronic device in the group if the received code coincides with the access code;

enable distribution of the content by any of the portable devices of the group by identifying a piece of media content acquired within the common context and not yet distributed within the group, establishing connection with the portable electronic devices of the group via a wireless communication channel, and transferring the piece of media content to the connected portable electronic devices via the wireless communication channel; and

defining a set of distribution effort criteria comprising at least one distribution effort criterion including any of a group comprising;

a maximum time period until successful distribution to distribute to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group,

a maximum proximity value to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group defined by number of relaying steps,

a maximum proximity value to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group based on geographical information, and

a maximum number of attempts until successful distribution to distribute to a receiving party among the portable electronic devices of the group,

wherein distribution efforts are ended if the distribution effort criteria set is exceeded.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising distributing information to the portable electronic devices of the group including a list of the members of the group.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising excluding one of the portable electronic devices of the group from the group when the one of the portable electronic devices fails to share the common context.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising keeping a record of distributed pieces of media content within the group, the record comprising information, for each piece of media content, which of the portable electronic devices the piece of media content has been distributed to.