Method and server for continuously providing contents for mobile user devices based on locations thereof

• US 9,306,984 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Jin Han, Chin, Young Min, Choi, Jung Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US13/225,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Provided are a continuous contents reproduction service providing server, a user device, and a method of providing a continuous contents reproduction service for continuously providing contents to a plurality of devices. The server may include: a device management unit to store identification information of a first device and a second device; a service interruption monitoring unit to determine whether reproducing of contents in the first device is interrupted; a continuous reproduction information message transceiving unit to generate a continuous reproduction information message when the reproducing of the contents is interrupted, and to transmit the generated continuous reproduction information message to the second device; a continuous reproduction management unit to receive a request for a continuous reproduction service and to determine whether to continuously provide the contents to the second device; and a contents providing unit to provide the contents to the second device based on the determination.

Claims

1. A continuous contents reproduction service providing server for continuously providing contents to a plurality of devices, the continuous contents reproduction service providing server comprising:

a device manager configured to store identification information of a first device, among the plurality of devices, and identification information of a second device, among the plurality of devices, associated with the first device;

a processor having a service interruption monitoring unit configured to determine whether a reproducing of contents in the first device is interrupted based on service interruption information received from the first device;

a continuous reproduction information message transceiver configured to, in response to the service interruption monitoring unit determining that the reproducing of contents in the first device is interrupted, determine the second device as another device to which continuous reproduction of the contents is to be suggested and as associated with the first device from the identification information of the second device previously stored by the device manager, generate a continuous reproduction information message of the contents when the service interruption monitoring unit determines that the reproducing of the contents is interrupted, and transmit the generated continuous reproduction information message to the second device determined as another device to which continuous reproduction of the contents is to be suggested and as associated with the first device;

a continuous reproduction manager configured to receive, from the second device in response to the transmitted continuous reproduction information message, a request for a continuous reproduction service of the contents and to determine, in response to the received request, whether to continuously provide the contents to the second device; and

a contents provider configured to provide the contents to the second device based on the determination of the continuous reproduction manager.

2. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 1, wherein the continuous reproduction manager is configured to receive the request for a continuous reproduction service of the contents and determine a point where the reproducing of the contents is interrupted by searching a history of reproducing the contents.

3. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 2, wherein the contents provider is configured to provide the contents from the point where the reproducing of the contents is interrupted.

4. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 1, wherein the contents provider is configured to provide the contents from a reproduction point requested by the second device.

5. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 1, wherein the second device is associated with a user of the first device.

6. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 1, wherein the first device is one of a mobile device and a fixed device, and the second device is the other of the mobile device and the fixed device.

7. A continuous contents reproduction service providing server for continuously providing contents to a plurality of devices, the continuous contents reproduction service providing server comprising:

a device manager configured to store identification information of a first device, among the plurality of devices, and identification information of a second device, among the plurality of devices, associated with the first device;

a continuous reproduction information message transceiver configured to receive, from the first device in which the contents are being reproduced, a continuous reproduction information message that suggests using a continuous reproduction of the contents, and to transmit, to the second device, the continuous reproduction information message;

a processor having a continuous reproduction manager configured to receive, from the second device, a request for a continuous reproduction service of the contents and to determine whether to continuously provide the contents to the second device; and

a contents provider configured to provide the contents to the second device in response to the request from the second device according to the determination of the continuous reproduction manager.

8. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 7, wherein the continuous reproduction information message generated by the first device comprises information indicating the second device as a destination device if a reproducing of the contents is interrupted in the first device.

9. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 7, wherein the continuous reproduction information message generated by the first device comprises information indicating the second device as a destination device.

19. The continuous contents reproduction service providing server of claim 7, wherein the continuous reproduction information message transceiver is configured to, in response to the received continuous reproduction information message, determine the second device as another device associated with the first device from the identification information of the second device previously stored by the device manager.

10. A user device for providing a continuous contents reproduction service, the user device comprising:

a continuous reproduction information message receiving unit configured to receive, from a continuous contents reproduction service providing server or another user device, a first continuous reproduction information message of contents, a reproducing of which is interrupted in the other user device;

a processor having a continuous reproduction determiner configured to determine, based on a distance of the user device to the other user device, whether to suggest using the continuous contents reproduction service, in which the reproducing of the contents is transferred from the other user device to the user device, to the user if the first continuous reproduction information message is received; and

a contents playing unit configured to receive the contents from the continuous contents reproduction service providing server and to reproduce the contents,

wherein the distance of the user device to the other user device is determined by the user device.

11. The user device of claim 10, further comprising:

a message transmission control unit configured to determine, based on the distance to the other user device, which of the other user device and the continuous contents reproduction service providing server to transmit a second continuous reproduction information message if reproducing of contents is interrupted in the user device; and

a continuous reproduction information message transmission unit configured to transmit the second continuous reproduction information message to one of the other user device and the continuous contents reproduction service providing server based on a result of the determination by the message transmission control unit.

20. The user device of claim 10, wherein the continuous reproduction determiner is configured to determine to suggest using the continuous contents reproduction service if the distance from the user device to the other user device is greater than a predetermined amount.

12. A method of providing a continuous contents reproduction service in which contents are continuously provided to a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

determining whether a reproducing of contents is interrupted in a first device, among the plurality of devices;

receiving location information of a second device, among the plurality of devices, from a continuous contents reproduction service providing server;

if the reproducing of contents is interrupted according to the determining, measuring, by the first device, a distance between the first device and the second device, and if the distance is within a predetermined range according to the measuring, transmitting a first continuous reproduction information message to the second device; and

if the determining does not determine that the reproducing of contents is interrupted, determining whether a second continuous reproduction information message is received from the second device, and if the message is received from the second device, suggesting using the continuous contents reproduction service to a user,

wherein the contents are provided from a server distinct from the first device and the second device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first device is one of a mobile device and a fixed device, and the second device is the other of the mobile device and the fixed device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitting the first continuous reproduction information message to the second device comprises:

obtaining, from the first device, location information of the first device;

measuring the distance between the first device and the second device based on the location information of the first device and the location information of the second device; and

if the distance between the first device and the second device is within a predetermined range according to the measuring, transmitting the first continuous reproduction information message to the second device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the suggesting using the continuous contents reproduction service to the user comprises:

determining whether the second continuous reproduction information message is received from the second device;

obtaining, from the first device, location information of the first device;

measuring the distance between the first device and the second device based on the location information of the first device and the location information of the second device; and

if the distance between the two devices is not within a predetermined range according to the measuring, displaying a suggestion of using the continuous contents reproduction service on a screen of the first device.

17. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program executable by a computer for performing the method of claim 12.

16. A method of providing a continuous contents reproduction service in which contents are continuously provided to a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by a user device from another user device, a continuous reproduction information message of contents, a reproducing of which is interrupted in the other user device;

determining, by the user device, a distance from the user device to the other user device; and

receiving the contents from a continuous contents reproduction service providing server if the determined distance to the other user device is greater than a predetermined distance.

18. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program executable by a computer for performing the method of claim 16.