Method and apparatus for providing multimedia content on a mobile media center

• US 9,210,577 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandra, Nalesh, Small, David
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAHEED, KHALID W
• Application Number:
  US14/543,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20150072655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/418, 455/409, 455/420, 455/414.1, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing multimedia content over a wireless network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request from a customer via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing one or more multimedia content from a multimedia content server of the customer, and performs an authentication for obtaining the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server. The method obtains the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server, and transmits the one or more multimedia content to the data enabled cellular phone.

Claims

1. A method for providing multimedia content, the method comprising:

receiving, via a processor of an application server deployed in a service provider network, a request from a customer wirelessly via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing the multimedia content from a multimedia content server of the customer, where the multimedia content server is located in a customer home or a customer place of business;

performing, by the processor, an authentication for obtaining the multimedia content from the multimedia content server;

obtaining, by the processor, the multimedia content from the multimedia content server; and

transmitting, by the processor, the multimedia content to the data enabled cellular phone to be transmitted from the data enabled cellular phone to a mobile set-top box, wherein the mobile set-top box is deployed in a vehicle, wherein the mobile set-top box interacts with a display installed in the vehicle for displaying the multimedia content, wherein the data enabled cellular phone has a multimedia content previewing capability.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile set-top box is programmable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display installed in the vehicle is part of an entertainment system of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication comprises communicating with an access management system, wherein the access management system manages access to the multimedia content server.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor of an application server deployed in a service provider network, cause the processor to perform operations for providing multimedia content, the operations comprising:

receiving a request from a customer wirelessly via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing the multimedia content from a multimedia content server of the customer, where the multimedia content server is located in a customer home or a customer place of business;

performing an authentication for obtaining the multimedia content from the multimedia content server;

obtaining the multimedia content from the multimedia content server; and

transmitting the multimedia content to the data enabled cellular phone to be transmitted from the data enabled cellular phone to a mobile set-top box, wherein the mobile set-top box is deployed in a vehicle, wherein the mobile set-top box interacts with a display installed in the vehicle for displaying the multimedia content, wherein the data enabled cellular phone has a multimedia content previewing capability.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the mobile set-top box is programmable.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the display installed in the vehicle is part of an entertainment system of the vehicle.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the authentication comprises communicating with an access management system, wherein the access management system manages access to the multimedia content server.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor of an application server deployed in a service provider network; and

a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a request from a customer wirelessly via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing a multimedia content from a multimedia content server of the customer, where the multimedia content server is located in a customer home or a customer place of business;

performing an authentication for obtaining the multimedia content from the multimedia content server;

obtaining the multimedia content from the multimedia content server; and

transmitting the multimedia content to the data enabled cellular phone to be transmitted from the data enabled cellular phone to a mobile set-top box, wherein the mobile set-top box is deployed in a vehicle, wherein the mobile set-top box interacts with a display installed in the vehicle for displaying the multimedia content, wherein the data enabled cellular phone has a multimedia content previewing capability.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mobile set-top box is programmable.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display installed in the vehicle is part of an entertainment system of the vehicle.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the authentication comprises communicating with an access management system, wherein the access management system manages access to the multimedia content server.