Method, apparatus, and computer program product for media control for multiple devices

• US 9,479,546 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Palin, Arto, Rantaeskola, Antti, Kiukkonen, Niko, Reunamaki, Jukka
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): STILTNER, WEIWEI YE
• Application Number:
  US14/477,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 709218-219, 725 80- 82
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• 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 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a method includes receiving, by an apparatus, one or more wireless discovery messages over a first wireless communication protocol; determining whether a source device of the one or more wireless discovery messages is a media playback device having required characteristics, based on information obtained from the received wireless discovery messages; transmitting a device information message that includes at least information usable for the source device to access the apparatus using a second wireless communication protocol, in response to determining that the source device is a media playback device having the required characteristics; establishing a wireless connection with the source device over the second wireless communication protocol in response to receiving a connection request from the source device over the second wireless communication protocol; and providing information regarding media content for playback to the source device over the wireless connection via the second wireless communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by an apparatus, one or more wireless discovery messages over a first wireless communication protocol;

receiving, by the apparatus, a first device information message that includes at least information usable to access a first mobile wireless device using a second wireless communication protocol, and an indication of a first source of first media content that the first mobile wireless device requests the apparatus to playback;

receiving, by the apparatus, a second device information message that includes at least information usable to access a second mobile wireless device using the second wireless communication protocol, and an indication of a second source of second media content that the second mobile wireless device requests the apparatus to playback;

selecting, by the apparatus, the first mobile wireless device and transmitting a connection request to the first mobile wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol, and establishing a wireless communication connection with the first wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol;

receiving, by the apparatus, information regarding the first media content for playback over the wireless communication connection via the second wireless communication protocol;

selecting, by the apparatus, the second mobile wireless device and transmitting a connection request to the second mobile wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol, and establishing a wireless communication connection with the second wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol; and

receiving, by the apparatus, information regarding the second media content for playback over the wireless communication connection via the second wireless communication protocol;

wherein the first wireless communication protocol is the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol and the second wireless communication protocol is one of Bluetooth basic rate/enhanced data rate (BR/EDR) protocol or IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

waiting, by the apparatus, to select the second wireless device, while playing back the first media content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the device information message indicates that the first source of the first media content is the first mobile wireless device;

transmitting, by the apparatus, a start streaming command to the first wireless device; and

receiving, by the apparatus, the media content from the first wireless device over the second wireless communications protocol, in response to the start streaming command.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the device information message indicates that the first source of the first media content is a server at an address;

transmitting, by the apparatus, a start streaming command to the server at the address; and

receiving, by the apparatus, the media content from the server, in response to the start streaming command.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining, by the apparatus, a play list from which the apparatus selects the first media content followed by the second media content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device information message indicates that the first source of the first media content is an internet server at an internet address;

transmitting, by the apparatus, a start streaming command to the internet server at the internet address; and

receiving, by the apparatus, the media content from the internet server, in response to the start streaming command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the device information message indicates that the first source of the first media content is an internet server at an internet address;

receiving, by the apparatus, necessary authentication or authorization information for allowing the apparatus to fetch the first media content from the internet server.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

transmit one or more wireless discovery messages over a first wireless communication protocol;

receive a first device information message that includes at least information usable to access a first mobile wireless device using a second wireless communication protocol, and an indication of a first source of first media content that the first mobile wireless device requests the apparatus to playback;

receive a second device information message that includes at least information usable to access a second mobile wireless device using the second wireless communication protocol, and an indication of a second source of second media content that the second mobile wireless device requests the apparatus to playback;

select the first mobile wireless device and transmit a connection request to the first mobile wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol, and establish a wireless communication connection with the first wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol;

receive information regarding the first media content for playback over the wireless communication connection via the second wireless communication protocol;

select the second mobile wireless device and transmit a connection request to the second mobile wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol, and establish a wireless communication connection with the second wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol; and

receive information regarding the second media content for playback over the wireless communication connection via the second wireless communication protocol;

wherein the first wireless communication protocol is the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol and the second wireless communication protocol is one of Bluetooth basic rate/enhanced data rate (BR/EDR) protocol or IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network protocol.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

wait to select the second wireless device, while playing back the first media content.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein the device information message indicates that the first source of the first media content is the first mobile wireless device;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

transmit a start streaming command to the first wireless device; and

receive the media content from the first wireless device over the second wireless communications protocol, in response to the start streaming command.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein the device information message indicates that the first source of the first media content is a server at an address;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

transmit a start streaming command to the server at the address; and

receive the media content from the server, in response to the start streaming command.

12. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable, non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for transmitting, by an apparatus, one or more wireless discovery messages over a first wireless communication protocol;

code for receiving, by the apparatus, a first device information message that includes at least information usable to access a first mobile wireless device using a second wireless communication protocol, and an indication of a first source of first media content that the first mobile wireless device requests the apparatus to playback;

code for receiving, by the apparatus, a second device information message that includes at least information usable to access a second mobile wireless device using the second wireless communication protocol, and an indication of a second source of second media content that the second mobile wireless device requests the apparatus to playback;

code for selecting, by the apparatus, the first mobile wireless device and transmitting a connection request to the first mobile wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol, and establishing a wireless communication connection with the first wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol;

code for receiving, by the apparatus, information regarding the first media content for playback over the wireless communication connection via the second wireless communication protocol;

code for selecting, by the apparatus, the second mobile wireless device and transmitting a connection request to the second mobile wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol, and establishing a wireless communication connection with the second wireless device over the second wireless communication protocol; and

code for receiving, by the apparatus, information regarding the second media content for playback over the wireless communication connection via the second wireless communication protocol;

wherein the first wireless communication protocol is the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol and the second wireless communication protocol is one of Bluetooth basic rate/enhanced data rate (BR/EDR) protocol or IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network protocol.