Removable media player for mobile phones

• US 8,855,714 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Edrey, Ayelet
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US11/519,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,946 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.06, 455410-4121, 455/414.1, 455418-420, 455557-559
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

A digital media device for providing digital media services to a mobile phone is disclosed. In exemplary embodiments, the device includes: a phone memory card that is reversibly deployable to a port of the mobile phone; and a digital media-player application residing on the phone memory card, wherein the combination of the digital media device and the mobile phone is operative to effect a playback of a media file, using the digital media-player application and using at least one of: an operating system; user controls; a visual display system, and an audio system. Optionally, the device further includes: a digital rights-management engine residing on the phone memory card for providing digital rights-management services for at least one media file. Optionally, the device further includes: a media-download engine operative to effect a download of at least one media file into the non-volatile memory.

Claims

1. A digital media device for providing digital media services to a mobile phone, the device comprising:

(a) a phone memory card that is reversibly deployable to a port of the mobile phone; and

(b) a digital media-player application residing on said phone memory card, wherein the combination of the digital media device and the mobile phone is operative to effect a playback of a media file, using said digital media-player application and using at least one of;

(i) an operating system of the mobile phone;

(ii) user controls of the mobile phone;

(iii) a visual display system of the mobile phone, and

(iv) an audio system of the mobile phone, wherein the digital media-player application is launched from the mobile phone memory card and executed by a processor of the mobile phone.

2. The media device of claim 1, wherein said digital media-player application is operative to execute under said operating system of the mobile phone when said phone memory card is deployed to said port of the mobile phone.

3. The media device of claim 1, wherein said digital media-player application is executable by a CPU of the mobile phone when said phone memory card is deployed to said port of the mobile phone.

4. The media device of claim 1, wherein said port is a mobile phone memory slot.

5. The media device of claim 4, wherein said memory slot is an MMC memory slot.

6. The media device of claim 4, wherein said phone memory card is configured to connect to said memory slot using a Secure Digital™

standard.

7. The media device of claim 1, wherein said combination of the digital media device and the mobile phone is operative to effect an iPOD™

emulation.

8. The media device of claim 1, the device further comprising:

(c) a digital rights-management engine residing on said phone memory card for providing digital rights-management services for at least one said media file.

9. The media device of claim 8, wherein said digital rights-management engine is operative to handle acquisition of digital media rights for at least one said media file, wherein said handling includes at least one of:

(i) generating a request for digital rights for at least one said media file; and

(ii) modifying stored digital rights data for said at least one media file.

10. The media device of claim 8, the device further comprising:

(d) a digital rights by-pass mechanism invokable upon playback of an unprotected said media file.

11. The media device of claim 1, wherein said digital media-player application is operative to provide video playback services to the mobile phone so that said playback includes video playback.

12. The media device of claim 1, the device further comprising:

(c) a non-volatile memory for storing at least one said media file, said non-volatile memory residing on said phone memory card,

wherein said digital media-player application is operative to effect said playback of a said stored media file stored in said non-volatile memory residing on said phone memory card.

13. The media device of claim 12, the device further comprising:

(d) a file-selection user-interface application residing on said memory card for selecting, using the mobile phone, for playback of at least one of;

(i) a local media file stored in said non-volatile memory; and

(ii) a remote media file accessible using a communications system of the mobile phone.

14. The media device of claim 13, wherein said file selection user-interface application is a menu-based application.

15. The media device of claim 13, wherein said file selection user-interface application is a search-based application.

16. The media device of claim 12, the device further comprising:

(d) a media-download engine operative to effect a download, using a communication system of the mobile phone, of at least one said media file into said non-volatile memory.

17. The media device of claim 16, wherein said user controls are configured to control said download engine upon said deployment.

18. The media device of claim 16, wherein said media-download engine is operative to download digital media-player application code on said phone memory card.

19. The media device of claim 1, wherein said digital media-player application resides in read-only non-volatile memory of said memory card.

20. A method for media playback, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a phone memory card including an on-board digital media-player application; and

(b) reversibly deploying said phone memory card to a first mobile phone to configure said first mobile phone as a digital media player for playback of digital media files using said on-board digital media-player application, wherein the digital media-player application is launched from the mobile, phone memory card and executed by a processor of the mobile phone.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said phone memory card includes an on-board digital rights-management application and said deploying is operative to configure said first mobile phone as a digital right-management-enabled-digital media player.

22. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising the step of:

(c) effecting a playback of a first set of at least one said digital media file stored in said phone memory card, using at least one of;

(i) an operating system of said first mobile phone;

(ii) user controls of said first mobile phone;

(iii) a visual display system of said first mobile phone, and

(iv) an audio system of said first mobile phone.

23. The method of claim 22, the method further comprising the steps of:

(d) disengaging said memory card from said first mobile phone;

(e) deploying said memory card to a second mobile phone different from said first mobile phone; and

(f) effecting a playback of a second set of at least one said digital media file stored in said phone memory card, using at least one of;

(i) an operating system of said second mobile phone;

(ii) user controls of said second mobile phone;

(iii) a visual display system of said second mobile phone; and

(iv) an audio system of said second mobile phone.

24. The method, of claim 22, wherein said first set and said second set are the same set.

25. The method of claim 22, the method further comprising the steps of:

(d) before said effecting of said playback, carrying out at least one of the following;

(i) confirming DRM media rights for digital media playback on said first mobile phone; and

(ii) purchasing said DRM media rights using a DRM;

application residing on said memory card.

26. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising the step of:

(c) effecting a downloading of media files into said phone memory card using a communication system of said first mobile phone and an onboard media-download engine residing on said memory card.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein said phone memory card is reversibly-deployable to a second said mobile phone to configure said second mobile phone as a digital media player for playback of digital media files using said on-board digital media-player application.

28. A system for playing media, the system comprising:

(a) a first mobile phone and a second mobile phone; and

(b) a media-player card having a media-player functionality when operationally connected to said mobile phones, said media-player card configured to be transferred from said first mobile phone to said second mobile phone, thereby enabling the media to play on either said mobile phone, wherein the media-player card includes a digital media-player application launched from the media player card and executed by a processor of the mobile phone to which the media-player card is connected.