System and method for managing and/or rendering internet multimedia content in a network

• US 9,195,775 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Al-Shaykh, Osama, Schwartz, Rick, Neff, Ralph, Espelien, Magdalena Leuca, Sherwood, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US12/459,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,342 Days
• Field of Search: 725/86, 725/93
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and a method render internet multimedia content in a network using an application to render the internet multimedia content and/or locally stored multimedia content on one or more rendering devices in the network. The application may provide web browser functions, such as, for example, receiving, processing, decoding and/or rendering the internet multimedia content. The application may have an enhanced user interface which may enable a user to select the internet multimedia content and a rendering device in the network, send the internet multimedia content to the rendering device and/or control rendering of the internet multimedia content on the rendering device.

Claims

1. A method for rendering internet multimedia content in a network connected to the internet wherein a rendering device is connected to the network, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving a first webpage from a remote content source via the internet wherein a first device connected to the network retrieves the first webpage from the remote content source and further wherein the first device is a different device than the rendering device;

displaying the first webpage in a user interface provided by the first device wherein the first webpage provides access to the internet multimedia content;

retrieving the internet multimedia content from the internet using network wherein the internet multimedia content is retrieved from the internet based on user input accepted by the user interface provided by the first device;

transmitting the internet multimedia content to the rendering device;

transcoding the internet multimedia content before transmitting the internet multimedia content to the rendering device wherein transcoding of the internet multimedia content is based on capabilities of the rendering device; and

rendering the internet multimedia content on the rendering device wherein rendering by the rendering device is controlled by the first device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

rendering the internet multimedia content in the user interface in substantial synchronization with rendering of the internet multimedia content by rendering device.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instructions for rendering internet multimedia content in a network connected to the internet wherein a rendering device is connected to the network wherein execution of the program instruction by a first device connected to the network causes the first device to perform the steps of:

detecting that the rendering device is connected to the network;

determining capabilities of the rendering device;

displaying a webpage associated with the internet multimedia content wherein a user interface on the first device displays the webpage and further wherein the user interface presents control options for the internet multimedia content in the webpage wherein the internet multimedia content is selected using the webpage and further wherein the control options are based on properties of the internet multimedia content and the capabilities of the rendering device and further wherein the user interface accepts user input selecting at least one of the control options;

transcoding the internet multimedia content to generate transcoded internet multimedia content in response to the user input wherein the transcoded internet multimedia content is based on the capabilities of the rendering device; and

transmitting the transcoded internet multimedia content to the rendering device.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instructions for the first device to perform the step of:

installing a plug-in application that connects to a primary application executed by the first device and further wherein the primary application provides a web browser used to retrieve the webpage wherein execution of the plug-in application enables the first device to detect that the rendering device is connected to the network, determine the capabilities of the rendering device, display the control options, transcode the internet multimedia content, and transmit the transcoded internet multimedia content to the rendering device.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instructions for the first device to perform the step of:

providing a web browser used to retrieve the webpage from a remote content source via the internet.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instructions for the first device to perform the step of:

rendering the internet multimedia content on the first device.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instructions for the first device to perform the step of:

determining a restriction for the internet multimedia content wherein a server accessible using the internet provides the restriction and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device if transmittal to the rendering device complies with the restriction.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instructions for the first device to perform the step of:

indicating availability of the internet multimedia content to a second device connected to the network that is a different device than the first device.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instruction for the first device to perform the step of:

creating a playlist that has the internet multimedia content and multimedia content files stored in a server connected to the network wherein the internet multimedia content and the multimedia content files stored in the server are rendered in response to selection of the playlist.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instructions for the first device to perform the step of:

generating the transcoded internet multimedia content to conform to a digital rights management protection associated with the internet multimedia content.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising instructions for the first device to perform the step of:

transmitting a first message to the first rendering device in response to the user input and further wherein the first rendering device transmits a second message to the first device in response to the first message further wherein the second message requests transmittal of the transcoded Internet multimedia content to the first rendering device.