Automated transition of content consumption across devices

• US 8,880,648 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Arora, Ajay, Goldstein, Douglas S., Hwang, Douglas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US13/535,274
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-229
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Features are disclosed for transferring the presentation or playback of content from device to device. The content may include, but is not limited to, aural, video, and multimedia content. A personal device may be detected playing content. A current play position of the content can be obtained, and playback can be halted. The play position can be transferred to a media device wherein playback is automatically resumed. Additionally, the playing of content may be transferred between two or more media devices, for example in response to the movement of a user. Personal device movements and content operations may be monitored in order to determine improvements to the automatic transfer of content consumption from device to device.

Claims

1. A system for transferring content execution, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable memory; and

a management component residing in the computer-readable memory and executed by the one or more processors, the management component configured to at least;

detect a mobile device within a wireless communication range of the management component;

determine that the mobile device is playing an audio program;

cause the mobile device, without user intervention, to stop playing the audio program;

identify a stop position associated with the audio program on the mobile device; and

automatically initiate, without user intervention, playing of the audio program on a media device,

wherein the media device is different than the mobile device, and wherein the playing on the media device begins at a position substantially near the stop position on the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the mobile device comprises establishing a connection with the mobile device over a wireless local area network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the mobile device comprises establishing a near-field wireless connection with the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein playing the audio program on the media device comprises streaming at least a portion of the audio program from a remote service.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein playing the audio program on the media device comprises loading a copy of at least a portion of the audio program from a local storage component.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the playing of the audio program on the media device begins within a predetermined time from the stopping of playing of the audio program on the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a mobile phone, tablet computer, media player, or laptop computer, and wherein the media device comprises one of a television, set-top box, stereo, audio device, computing device, or mobile device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the playing of the audio program on the media device comprises displaying visual images on a display of the media device related to the audio program in addition to generating audio from the audio program from the media device.

9. A computer-implemented method for transferring content execution, the computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing devices configured with specific computer-executable instructions,

obtaining data indicating the presence of a mobile device within a wireless communication range of a management component;

determining that the mobile device is presenting a content item, wherein the content item includes an audio component or a visual component;

determining whether a first media device is available to present the content item; and

in response to determining that the first media device is available;

obtaining data indicating a presentation position of the content item being presented on the mobile device;

causing the mobile device, without user intervention, to stop presenting the content item; and

causing the first media device, without user intervention, to automatically initiate presentation of the content item, wherein the presentation begins at substantially the obtained presentation position.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the content item comprises an audio book file, a music file, a video file, a video game file, or a multimedia file.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining a user profile of a user of the mobile device; and

selecting, from a plurality of media devices, the first media device, wherein the first media device is associated with the user profile.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining a device profile for the first media device,

wherein initiating presentation of the content item on the first media device comprises configuring the first media device according to the device profile.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the device profile comprises data regarding a volume at which the media device should be operated.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising:

in response to determining that the first media device is not available, determining whether a second media device is available; and

in response to determining that the second media device is available, initiating, on the second media device, presentation of the content item, wherein presentation begins at substantially the obtained presentation position.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the first media device is not available, determining whether a user of the mobile device is associated with priority access to the first media device; and

in response to determining that the user is associated with priority access, initiating presentation of the content item on the first media device.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to determining that the user is not associated with priority access;

determining whether a second media device is available; and

in response to determining that the second media device is available, providing a notification that the second media device is available.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein obtaining data indicating the presence of the mobile device comprises establishing a connection with the mobile device over a wireless local area network.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein obtaining data indicating the presence of the mobile device comprises establishing a near-field wireless connection with the mobile device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein initiating presentation of the content item comprises streaming at least a portion of the content item from a remote service.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein initiating presentation of the content item comprises loading at least a portion of a copy of the content item from a local storage component.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable code that, when executed by a processor, causes a computing device to perform a process comprising:

obtaining data indicating the presence of a mobile device within a wireless communication range of the management component

determining that the mobile device is presenting a content item, wherein the content item includes an audio component or an image component;

determining whether a first media device is available to present the content item; and

in response to determining that the first media device is available;

obtaining data indicating a presentation position of the content item being presented on the mobile device;

causing the mobile device, without user intervention, to stop presenting the content item; and

causing the first media device, without user intervention, to automatically initiate presentation of the content item, wherein the presentation begins at substantially the obtained presentation position.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the process further comprises:

obtaining a device profile for the first media device,

wherein initiating presentation of the content item on the first media device comprises configuring the first media device according to the device profile.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein obtaining data indicating the presence of the mobile device comprises establishing a wireless communication connection with the mobile device.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein initiating presentation of the content item comprises streaming at least a portion of the content item from a remote service.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the process further comprises:

in response to determining that the first media device is not available, determining whether a second media device is available; and

in response to determining that the second media device is available, initiating, on the second media device, presentation of the content item, wherein presentation begins at substantially the obtained presentation position.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the process further comprises:

in response to determining that the first media device is not available, determining whether a user of the mobile device is associated with priority access to the first media device; and

in response to determining that the user is associated with priority access, initiating presentation of the content item on the first media device.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26 wherein the process further comprises:

in response to determining that the user is not associated with priority access;

determining whether a second media device is available; and

in response to determining that the second media device is available, providing a notification that the second media device is available.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the process further comprises:

obtaining a content rating associated with the content item;

determining whether a person is within a range of the first media device, wherein the person is not a user of the mobile device; and

in response to determining that the person is within the range of the first media device, determining whether to present the content item based at least in part on whether the person is associated with permission to be exposed to content items associated with the content rating.