Method and apparatus to automatically receive and/or transmit contents

• US 8,296,277 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2008
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jee-hyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Pulliam, Christyann
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khoshnoodi, Fariborz
• Application Number:
  US12/036,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,702 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/705, 707/736, 709/217
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• 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 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus to automatically receive and/or transmit contents in which desired contents are automatically downloaded and streamed by using a rich site summary (RSS) function. The method includes receiving sample contents corresponding to previously set search conditions by connecting to a content server that has been previously linked with the content player when a web network is connected; notifying that the contents are updated when the sample contents are completely received; and receiving original contents corresponding to the sample contents in accordance with the selection of a user when the contents are completely updated.

Claims

1. A method of automatically receiving contents by a content player, the method comprising:

setting search conditions having a rich site summary (RSS) format previous to searching contents stored on a content server;

communicating with a content server having an RSS, and automatically searching the content server using a RSS function of an RSS reader, without using a web browser, based on the previously set search conditions in response to connecting the content player to a web network;

receiving sample contents corresponding to the previously set search conditions without using a web browser by connecting to the content server that has been previously linked with the content player when the web network is connected;

notifying that the contents are updated when the sample contents are completely received;

displaying a message requesting purchase of the contents; and

receiving original contents without using a web browser, the original contents corresponding to the sample contents in accordance with the selection of a user when the contents are completely updated,

wherein the connecting of the web network includes connecting by automatically checking whether the web network is accessible, and automatically transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the web network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting user'"'"'s search conditions in a web site of the content server previously linked with the content player.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting of the web network comprises:

transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the wired/wireless web network is accessible.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting of the web network further comprises accessing the web network in accordance with the selection of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying messages checking whether the user wants to purchase the contents or not using a user interface when the contents are completely updated; and

transmitting a message requesting purchase of the contents to the content server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a message indicating that the contents do not exist if the contents corresponding to the previously set search conditions do not exist.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating of the contents is indicated by using vibration, a message, or a pop-up window for a predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the contents are received by downloading or streaming the contents.

9. A method of automatically transmitting contents to a content player, the method comprising:

setting search conditions having a rich site summary RSS format previous to searching contents stored on a content server;

searching automatically the content server using a RSS function without using a web browser based on the previously set search conditions in response to connecting the content player to a web network;

checking whether contents corresponding to the previously set search conditions exist or not by a predetermined user authentication procedure when an access request is received from the content player;

transmitting sample contents of the checked contents to the content player without using a web browser; and

transmitting original contents corresponding to the sample contents to the content player without using a web browser if a purchase request of the contents is received from the content player; and

displaying a message requesting purchase of the contents,

wherein the connecting of the web network includes connecting by automatically checking whether the web network is accessible, and automatically transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the wired/wireless web network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, if the contents corresponding to the previously set search conditions do not exist, a message indicating that the corresponding contents do not exist is transmitted to the content player.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein user data received from and transmitted to the content player is accumulated so as to generate a history file.

12. A content player comprising:

a communication unit to perform wired and/or wireless bidirectional communication with a content server having an RSS address through an access point;

an input unit to input selection of a user;

an RSS reader module to request the RSS address of the content server without using a web browser and in response to the communication unit detecting the access point, and to receive the RSS address from the content server, and to automatically determine that the content server includes updated content information based on the RSS address; and

a control unit to receive sample contents of the updated content information without using a web browser, the sample contents based on previously set search conditions from the content server corresponding to the RSS address when a web network is connected, to generate notification information to indicate that the sample contents are completely received or downloaded by the communication unit, and to download or stream original content corresponding to the sample contents from the content server without using a web browser in accordance with the selection of the user; and

a display unit to display a message requesting purchase of the contents,

wherein the connecting of the web network includes connecting by automatically checking whether the web network is accessible, and automatically transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the web network.

13. The content player of claim 12, further comprising:

a display unit to display the notification information by using a pop-up window.

14. A content player comprising:

a communication unit to communicate with a content server having an RSS address without using a web browser;

an RSS reader module to request the RSS address without using a web browser from the content server in response to connecting the content player to a web network to receive the RSS address from the content server and to automatically determine a content server having updated content information based on the RSS address; and

a control unit to control the communication unit to receive a sample content of the updated content information without using a web browser, the sample content based on previously set search conditions from the content server corresponding to the RSS address and to receive a content corresponding to the sample content without using a web browser when RSS reader module determines the content server corresponding to the received RSS address has updated content; and

a display unit to display a message requesting purchase of the contents,

wherein the connecting of the web network includes connecting by automatically checking whether the web network is accessible, and automatically transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the web network.

15. The content player of claim 14, wherein:

when the communication unit is connected to the content server through the web browser, the control unit sets a search condition of the content; and

when the communication unit is connected to the content server without using the web browser, the control units transmits the search condition to the content server to receive the sample content to according to the search condition.

16. The content player of claim 14, wherein:

when the communication unit is connected to the content server through an external computer using the web browser, the control unit sets a search condition of the content; and

when the communication unit is connected to the content server without using the web browser of the external computer, the control units transmits the search condition to the content server to receive the sample content to according to the search condition.

17. The content player of claim 14, wherein:

when the communication unit is indirectly connected to the content server through an external computer, the control unit sets a search condition of the content; and

when the communication unit is disconnected from the external computer and directly connected to the content server, the control units transmits the search condition to the content server to receive the sample content to according to the search condition.

18. The content player of claim 14, wherein the control unit stores a previously set search condition, and controls the communication unit to communicate with the content server using the previously set search condition to receive the sample content.

19. A method of a content player, the method comprising:

requesting an RSS address from the content server using an RSS reader without using a web browser in response to the content player connecting to a wireless network, and receiving the RSS address corresponding to the content server and automatically determining whether the content server has updated content information based on the RSS address;

communicating with the content server corresponding to the RSS address without using a web browser in a communicating unit; and

controlling the communication unit to receive a sample content of the updated content without using a web browser, the sample content corresponding to previously set search conditions having a rich site summary (RSS) format from the content server and to receive the updated content corresponding to the sample content without using a web browser; and

displaying a message requesting purchase of the contents,

wherein the connecting of the web network includes connecting by automatically checking whether the web network is accessible, and automatically transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the web network.

20. A computer-readable medium to contain computer-readable codes as a program to execute a method of a content player, the method comprising:

requesting an RSS address from the content server using an RSS reader without using a web browser in response to the content player connecting to a wireless network, and receiving the RSS address corresponding to the content server and automatically determining the content server has updated content information based on the RSS address;

communicating with the content server corresponding to the RSS address without using a web browser in a communicating unit; and

controlling the communication unit to receive a sample content of the updated content without using a web browser, the sample content corresponding to previously set search conditions having a rich site summary (RSS) format from the content server and to receive the updated content corresponding to the sample content without using a web browser; and

displaying a message requesting purchase of the contents,

wherein the connecting of the web network includes connecting by automatically checking whether the web network is accessible, and automatically transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the web network.

21. A content player comprising:

an RSS reader module to request the RSS address of the content server without using a web browser and in response to the communication unit detecting the access point, and to automatically determine when a content server having an RSS address includes updated content information in response to receiving the RSS address;

a communication unit to communicate with the content server corresponding to the RSS address through an external computer, and to communicate with the content server corresponding to the RSS address without using the external computer; and

a control unit to store a previously set search condition corresponding with content stored on a content server set when the communication unit communicates with the content server through the external computer and to receive a sample content of the content stored on the content server without using a web browser, the sample contents based on the previously set search condition from the content server when the RSS reader module determines the content server corresponding to the received RSS address includes updated content; and

displaying a message requesting purchase of the contents,

wherein the connecting of the web network includes connecting by automatically checking whether the web network is accessible, and automatically transmitting an access request to the content server in response to accessing the web network.