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

• US 9,716,915 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC
• Inventors: Al-Shaykh, Osama, Schwartz, Rick, Neff, Ralph, Espelien, Magdalena Leuca
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US14/920,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86, 725 93
• 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 the 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;

transcoding the internet multimedia content based on capabilities of the rendering device;

transmitting the internet multimedia content to the rendering device; and

controlling by the first device rendering of the internet multimedia content on the rendering device.

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

displaying controls in the first webpage displayed in the user interface provided by the first device wherein the controls are based on properties of the internet multimedia content and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of at least one of the controls.

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

displaying controls in the first webpage displayed in the user interface provided by the first device wherein the controls are based on capabilities of the rendering device wherein the controls are displayed in the user interface and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of at least one of the controls.

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

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

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

retrieving a restriction associated with the internet multimedia content before transmitting the internet multimedia content to the rendering device wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device if the restriction does not prohibit transmittal to the rendering device.

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

displaying a list of rendering devices that indicates that the rendering device and an additional rendering device are capable of rendering the internet multimedia content wherein the user interface provided by the first device displays the list of rendering devices and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of the rendering device from the list.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising 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.

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

storing the internet multimedia content as a digital multimedia content file on a server connected to the network in response to user input accepted by the user interface provided by the first device.

9. 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 the rendering device.

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

displaying a graphic representation of the rendering device wherein the user interface provided by the first device displays the graphic representation and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of the graphic representation.

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

creating a bookmark for the internet multimedia content using the user interface provided by the first device wherein a default rendering device connected to the network is associated with the bookmark and further wherein selection of the bookmark using the user interface provided by the first device initiates rendering of the internet multimedia content on the default rendering device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the rendering device continues to render the internet multimedia content after the user interface navigates from the first webpage to a second webpage that is a different webpage than the first webpage.

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

transmitting advertising content associated with the internet multimedia content to the rendering device wherein the rendering device renders the advertising content.

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

storing the internet multimedia content and advertising content associated with the internet multimedia content as a digital multimedia content file on a server connected to the network in response to user input accepted by the user interface provided by the first device.

15. 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 the 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 by the first device the internet multimedia content to the rendering device;

controlling by the first device the rendering of the internet multimedia content on the rendering device; and

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

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

displaying controls in the first webpage displayed in the user interface provided by the first device wherein the controls are based on properties of the internet multimedia content and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of at least one of the controls.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

displaying controls in the first webpage displayed in the user interface provided by the first device wherein the controls are based on capabilities of the rendering device wherein the controls are displayed in the user interface and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of at least one of the controls.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

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

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

retrieving a restriction associated with the internet multimedia content before transmitting the internet multimedia content to the rendering device wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device if the restriction does not prohibit transmittal to the rendering device.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

displaying a list of rendering devices that indicates that the rendering device and an additional rendering device are capable of rendering the internet multimedia content wherein the user interface provided by the first device displays the list of rendering devices and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of the rendering device from the list.

21. The method of claim 15 further comprising 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.

22. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

storing the internet multimedia content as a digital multimedia content file on a server connected to the network in response to user input accepted by the user interface provided by the first device.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

displaying a graphic representation of the rendering device wherein the user interface provided by the first device displays the graphic representation and further wherein the internet multimedia content is transmitted to the rendering device in response to selection of the graphic representation.

24. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

creating a bookmark for the internet multimedia content using the user interface provided by the first device wherein a default rendering device connected to the network is associated with the bookmark and further wherein selection of the bookmark using the user interface provided by the first device initiates rendering of the internet multimedia content on the default rendering device.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein the rendering device continues to render the internet multimedia content after the user interface navigates from the first webpage to a second webpage that is a different webpage than the first webpage.

26. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

transmitting advertising content associated with the internet multimedia content to the rendering device wherein the rendering device renders the advertising content.

27. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

storing the internet multimedia content and advertising content associated with the internet multimedia content as a digital multimedia content file on a server connected to the network in response to user input accepted by the user interface provided by the first device.