Remote access of media items

• US 9,112,921 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Heller, David, Mavrakakis, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US13/895,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 725/82
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

Methods and systems that facilitate the downloading of media items to a first network device from a second network device are disclosed. A plurality of media items are identified Media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. Media item content data associate with a first subset of the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. In this manner, only media item metadata associate with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining, from a first network device, metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library, the metadata at least including a release date of the media item, wherein the release date is a date that the locally-stored episodic media item was initially released by a provider of the plurality of episodic media items;

determining that the client device has remaining unused memory available;

after playing a locally-stored episodic media item;

determining, based on the release date, that an episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the client device and is available in the first network device;

automatically pre-fetching the episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode without downloading all other episodes in the plurality of episodic media items;

storing the episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode as a locally-stored episodic media item; and

deleting the currently playing episode after the currently playing episode coming to an end.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises obtaining a date that the episodic media items were stored on the second network device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

confirming that a user is authorized to access media items on the first network device and the second network device.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a medium configured to store computer-readable instructions thereon; and

the computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processing device cause the processing device to perform a method, comprising;

obtaining, from a first network device, metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library, the metadata at least including a release date of the media item, wherein the release date is a date that the locally-stored episodic media item was initially released by a provider of the plurality of episodic media items;

determining that the client device has remaining unused memory available;

after playing a locally-stored episodic media item;

determining, based on the release date, that an episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the client device and is available in the first network device;

automatically pre-fetching the episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode without downloading all other episodes in the plurality of episodic media items;

enforcing a content caching policy on a client device based on the amount of remaining unused memory, the policy governing automatic downloading, based on the release date of at least one further episodic media item;

downloading, the at least one further episodic media item; and

storing the episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode as a locally-stored episodic media item; and

deleting the currently playing episode after the currently playing episode coming to an end.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein obtaining metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises obtaining a date that the episodic media items were stored on the second network device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, the instructions further causing the processing device to perform the steps of:

confirming that a user is authorized to access media items on the first network device and the second network device.

7. A portable electronic device configured for obtaining media items from a network device, the portable electronic device capable of playing at least one type of media items available in a media item library accessible by the network device, comprising:

a processor being adapted to;

obtain, from a first network device, metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library, the metadata at least including a release date of the media item, wherein the release date is a date that the locally-stored episodic media item was initially released by a provider of the plurality of episodic media items;

determine that the client device has remaining unused memory available;

after playing a locally-stored episodic media item;

determine, based on the release date, that an episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode is not stored locally on the client device and is available in the first network device;

automatically pre-fetch the episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode without downloading all other episodes in the plurality of episodic media items;

store the episode released sequentially after a currently playing episode as a locally-stored episodic media item; and

delete the currently playing episode after the currently playing episode coming to an end.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the metadata associated with a plurality of episodic media items in a media item library comprises a date that the episodic media items were stored on the second network device.