System to communicate media

• US 9,444,868 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Affinity Labs of Texas, LLC
• Inventors: White, Russell W., Imes, Kevin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US14/747,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20150312309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/02 with automatic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 : for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 : for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 : file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 : using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system for communicating media is disclosed. Such a system may include, for example, a media broken into a plurality of independent segment files that may represent sequential portions of the media. One of the segment files can be encoded to have a format that is different than the encoded format of another one of the segment files. The formats may be chosen to allow outputting of information in the segments at different rates. A list may include network addresses for the segment files, and a content delivery system may be deployed to distribute media content to remotely located requesting devices by sending the segment files in response to requests for the segment files.

Claims

1. A media system, comprising:

a plurality of independent segment files, wherein a given segment file of the plurality of independent segment files has a given format and a different segment of the plurality of independent segment files has a different format, further wherein the given format facilitates an outputting of information in the given segment file at a given rate that is different than a rate associated with the different format;

a playlist that comprises a list, and the list includes a first URL for the given segment file and a different URL for the different segment file;

a network-based communication system operable;

to distribute media content to a remotely located requesting device;

to receive an HTTP communication from the remotely located requesting device that indicates a desire to access the available media;

to send information representing the playlist to the remotely located requesting device;

to send information representing the given segment file to the remotely located requesting device; and

, to send information representing the different segment file to the remotely located requesting device; and

a plurality of remote devices configured to request media, wherein each of the plurality of remote devices comprises;

(1) an internal memory system;

(2) a collection of instructions stored in the internal memory system that is operable when executed to utilize information representing the playlist, to request a streaming delivery of the information representing the given segment file, and to request a streaming delivery of the information representing the different segment file; and

(3) a buffer configured to output the information representing the given segment file at the given rate and to output information representing the different segment file at the rate, which is different than the given rate.

2. The media system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of remote devices is a portable handheld device having a display, and the available media is a video.

3. The media system of claim 1, wherein the network-based communication system is configured to send the given segment file via a streaming delivery.

4. The media system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of independent segment files comprise serial component parts of the available media and segmenting the available media into the plurality of independent segment files facilitates the delivery of the available media to the remotely located requesting device via Internet-based communications.

5. The media system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of remote devices is a component of a home entertainment system, and the available media is a video.

6. The media system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of independent segment files comprise serial component parts of the available media and a formatting of the given segment into the given format encodes the given segment to facilitate an outputting of the given segment at the given rate, further wherein the formatting occurs prior to sending information representing the given segment file to the remotely located requesting device.

7. A media system, comprising:

a plurality of independent segment files that represent an available media, wherein a given segment file of the plurality of independent segment files has a given compression format and a different segment file of the plurality of independent segment files has a different compression format, further wherein the given compression format facilitates an outputting of information in the given segment file at a first rate that is different than a second rate associated with the different compression format;

a list including a given address for the given segment file and a different address for the different segment file;

a content delivering system comprising an electronic device operable as a communication device and a plurality of memory devices operable to store information, the content delivering system configured to receive an HTTP communication from a remote requesting device that indicates a desire to access the available media, to send the list in response to receiving the HTTP communication, to receive an HTTP communication that indicates a request for the given segment file, to stream data representing the given segment file, to receive an HTTP communication that indicates a request for the different segment file, and to stream data representing the different segment file; and

the electronic device comprising a housing component at least partially defining an enclosure, a transceiver communicatively coupled to a communications network, and a processor located within the enclosure.

8. The media system of claim 7, wherein the available media comprises a video, further wherein the transceiver is communicatively coupled to the communications network via a wire line connection, the system further comprising:

(1) an engine that divides the available media into the plurality of independent segment files and encodes the plurality of independent segment files into an appropriate format to facilitate a delivery of the available media to a requesting device; and

(2) the remote requesting device.

9. The media system of claim 7, further comprising the remote requesting device, wherein the remote requesting device is a cellular telephone that comprises a display and an application that is configured, when executed at the cellular telephone, to facilitate presentation of a video component of the available media on the display.

10. The media system of claim 7, further comprising an application stored in a memory, the application configured for execution by a wireless enabled device, wherein the application when executed by the wireless enabled device facilitates the wireless enabled device acting as the remote requesting device.

11. The media system of claim 7, further comprising:

a digital engine in the content delivering system that is configured to maintain the list; and

a communication engine in the content delivering system that is configured to facilitate a receipt of requests and a communication of information in response to the receipt of requests.

12. The media system of claim 7, wherein the content delivering system is communicatively coupled to a wireless network and is configured to send the given segment via a streaming delivery that comprises at least one wireless link.

13. The media system of claim 10, wherein a collection of instructions included in the application are further operable to cause the wireless enabled device to consider an amount of buffer fill within an internal buffer before requesting the different segment file.

14. A media system, comprising:

an electronic device comprising a display, a buffering component, a transceiver, and a memory system, wherein the electronic device is configured to utilize HTTP in connection with receiving a streaming delivery of an available media;

a collection of instructions stored in the memory system and operable when executed to allow the electronic device;

(1) to utilize HTTP to request a file comprising a listing of URLs for a plurality of media segment files associated with the available media;

(2) to utilize the listing of URLs to request a given one of the plurality of media segment files;

(3) to receive information representing the given one of the plurality of media segment files;

(4) to utilize the listing of URLs to request another one of the plurality of media segment files, wherein the given one has a given compression format and the other one has a different compression format; and

the buffering component of the electronic device configured;

to output information in the given one of the plurality of media segment files at a given rate, and to output information in the another one of the plurality of media segment files at a rate that is different than the given rate.

15. The media system of claim 14, further comprising:

a housing component for the electronic device that at least partially defines an enclosure in which the memory system and the buffering component are secured, wherein the buffering component comprises a buffer; and

a local area wireless communication module secured within the enclosure.

16. The media system of claim 15, wherein the buffer facilitates presentation of a video media on the display, further wherein an amount of buffer fill in the buffer is considered in connection with determining which of an additional ones of the plurality of media segment files to request.

17. The media system of claim 14, wherein the electronic device further comprises an internal rechargeable battery and a non-circular physical interface, wherein the non-circular physical interface includes at least a first contact to allow an external power source to recharge the internal rechargeable battery and a second contact to allow a communication of data.

18. The media system of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is selected from a group consisting of a cellular telephone device, a computer device, a home media device, and a personal digital assistant device.

19. The media system of claim 14, wherein the file is written in XML, further wherein the collection of instructions at least partially defines a web browser, further wherein the buffering component comprises a buffer, and further wherein the rate and the given rate are measured in bits per second.

20. The media system of claim 14, further comprising another collection of instructions stored in the memory system and operable when executed to communicate information representing a graphical interface presented on the display to a different electronic device to allow the different electronic device to present the graphical interface on a display associated with the different electronic device.