Techniques and systems for supporting podcasting

• US 9,923,962 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Anne, Dowdy, Thomas, Robbin, Jeffrey, Wiese, Mike, Davis, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US15/238,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20170006090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 235380, 235382, 235375, 23547201, 23547202, 23547203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Improved podcasts and techniques that facilitate their use are disclosed. The improved techniques can pertain to creating, publishing, hosting, accessing, subscribing, managing, transferring, and/or playing podcasts. According to one aspect, a client application can subscribe to podcasts and then automatically monitor the podcasts for updates to be downloaded. In the event that user interest in a podcast becomes inadequate, downloading of further updates can be restricted. According to another aspect, a podcast can be subscribed to through use of a portable subscription file. According to still another aspect, podcast feeds can be enhanced to include segment elements and other metadata.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

transmitting data that causes a first computing device to provide a user interface that invokes a text entry portion to receive a registration of a podcast;

receiving, at a second computing device, an identifier of a source of the podcast;

verifying the identifier; and

in response to a request for the podcast, causing transmission of the podcast to the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying the identifier comprises causing a verification email message to be sent to an email address associated with the source of the podcast and receiving a confirmation email in response to the verification email message.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast via the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast by invocation of one or more screen item selections.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast by invocation of one or more screen item selections; and

causing transmission of content of the subscribed podcast to the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising

receiving an indication a podcast is marked as including explicit content;

and

storing an association of explicit content for the podcast marked as including explicit content.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising

causing the first computing device to display an indication of whether the podcast is downloaded.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

transmitting to the first computing device instructions to cause display podcasts titles arranged according to an order, the order selected from;

category, length, date published.

9. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, that when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

transmitting data that causes a first computing device to provide a user interface that invokes a text entry portion to receive a registration of a podcast;

receiving, at a second computing device, an identifier of a source of the podcast;

verifying the identifier; and

in response to a request for the podcast, causing transmission of the podcast to the second computing device.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein verifying the identifier comprising causing a verification email message to be sent to an email address associated with the source of the podcast and receiving a confirmation email in response to the verification email message.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast via the user interface.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast by invocation of one or more screen item selections.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast by invocation of one or more screen item selections; and

causing transmission of content of the subscribed podcast to the first computing device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations comprising

receiving an indication a podcast is marked as including explicit content;

and

storing an association of explicit content for the podcast marked as including explicit content.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations comprising

causing the first computing device to display an indication of whether the podcast is downloaded.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations comprising:

transmitting to the first computing device instructions to cause display podcasts titles arranged according to an order, the order selected from;

category, length, date published.

17. A system comprising:

at least one memory;

one or more processors;

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

transmitting data that causes a first computing device to provide a user interface that invokes a text entry portion to receive a registration of a podcast;

receiving, at a second computing device, an identifier of a source of the podcast;

verifying the identifier; and

in response to a request for the podcast, causing transmission of the podcast to the second computing device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein verifying the identifier comprising causing a verification email message to be sent to an email address associated with the source of the podcast and receiving a confirmation email in response to the verification email message.

19. The system of claim 17, the operations comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast via the user interface.

20. The system of claim 17, the operations comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast by invocation of one or more screen item selections.

21. The system of claim 17, the operations comprising:

providing an option to subscribe to a podcast by invocation of one or more screen item selections; and

causing transmission of content of the subscribed podcast to the first computing device.

22. The system of claim 17, the operations comprising

receiving an indication a podcast is marked as including explicit content;

and

storing an association of explicit content for the podcast marked as including explicit content.

23. The system of claim 17, the operations comprising

causing the first computing device to display an indication of whether the podcast is downloaded.

24. The system of claim 17, the operations comprising:

transmitting to the first computing device instructions to cause display podcasts titles arranged according to an order, the order selected from;

category, length, date published.