Symmetric and continuous media stream from multiple sources

• US 9,942,294 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Jose Chiriyankandath, Cipson
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): HURST, ANDREA L
• Application Number:
  US14/673,544
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams

Abstract

A data storage device may comprise a network interface configured to couple to a computer network; a memory configured to store at least one of a first, second and third media file, at least two of the first to third media files being configured differently from one another; and a processor coupled to the memory and to the network interface. The processor may be configured to generate a media stream by at least sequentially applying at least one filter to one or more of the first to third media files; sequentially reformatting one or more of the first to third media files such that each or some substantially conforms to a common format; ordering the filtered and/or reformatted media files according to a selectable metric; aggregating the media files together to generate the media stream; and making the media stream accessible to the computer network over the network interface.

Claims

1. A network attached storage device, comprising:

a network interface configured to couple to a computer network;

a memory configured to store at least one of a first media file, a second media file, and a third media file, wherein at least two of the first to third media files are configured differently from one another; and

a processor coupled to the memory and to the network interface, the processor being configured to generate a single media stream by at least;

sequentially applying at least one filter to at least one of the first to third media files;

sequentially reformatting at least one of the first to third media files such that each of the first to third media files substantially conforms to a common format;

ordering the first to third media files according to a selectable metric;

aggregating the first to third media files together to generate the single media stream, wherein the first to third media files substantially conform to the common format;

accessing fourth to n^th media files for potential inclusion in the single media stream;

omitting any of the first to n^th media files from the single media stream that are determined to be at least one of too dark, too light, or too blurry, according to predetermined respective thresholds; and

making the single media stream accessible to the computer network over the network interface.

2. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the at least two of the first to third media files are configured differently from one another with respect to at least one of size, file format, file type, length, resolution, orientation, color depth, brightness, and color palette.

3. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to access at least one of the fourth to n^th media files over the computer network.

4. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to access at least one of the fourth to n^th media files from the memory.

5. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to store any of the filtered or reformatted files of the first to third media files in the memory.

6. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the aggregated first to third media files to transition smoothly from one of the first to third media files to a next one of the first to third media files in the single media stream.

7. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the selectable metric includes at least one of:

creation time, theme, subject, predominant colors, and media file metadata.

8. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the first to third media files is a video file;

at least one other one of the first to third media files is a photo file; and

the processor is configured to generate the single media stream to comprise at least the video file and the photo file.

9. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to download, via the network interface, at least one of the first to third media files from a remote site on the computer network.

10. The network attached storage device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the single media stream independently of any request from a user of the network attached storage device.

11. A method implemented by a network attached storage device comprising memory configured to store at least one of a first media file, a second media file, and a third media file, wherein at least two of which are configured differently from one another, the method comprising:

sequentially applying at least one filter to at least one of the first to third media files;

sequentially reformatting at least one of the first to third media files such that each of the first to third media files substantially conforms to a common format;

ordering at least each of the first to third media files according to a selectable metric;

aggregating at least the ordered first to third media files together to generate a single media stream;

accessing fourth to n^th media files for potential inclusion in the single media stream;

omitting any of the first to n^th media files from inclusion in the single media stream that are determined to be at least one of too dark, too light, or too blurry, according to predetermined respective thresholds; and

making the single media stream accessible to a computer network over a network interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least two of the first to third media files are configured differently from one another with respect to at least one of size, file format, file type, length, resolution, orientation, color depth, brightness, and color palette.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein aggregating together comprises causing the aggregated first to third media files to transition smoothly from one of the first to third media files to a next one of the first to third media files in the single media stream.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the selectable metric comprises at least one of creation time, theme, subject, predominant colors, and media file metadata.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

at least one of the first to third media files is a video file;

at least one other one of the first to third media files is a photo file; and

generating comprises including the video file and the photo file in the single media stream.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the single media stream comprises generating the single media stream independently of any request from a user of the network attached storage device.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a network interface configured to couple to a computer network; and

a processor coupled to the network interface, the processor being further configured to couple to a memory, the memory being configured to store at least one of a first media file, a second media file, and a third media file, wherein at least two of the first to third media files are configured differently from one another;

wherein the processor is further configured to generate a single media stream by at least;

accessing at least one of the first to third media files from the memory;

sequentially applying at least one filter to at least one of the first to third media files;

sequentially reformatting at least one of the first to third media files such that each of the first to third media files substantially conforms to a common format;

ordering each of the first to third media files according to a selectable metric;

aggregating at least the ordered first to third media files together to generate the single media stream;

accessing fourth to n^th media files for potential inclusion in the single media stream;

omitting any of the first to n^th media files from inclusion in the single media stream that are determined to be at least one of too dark, too light, or too blurry, according to predetermined respective thresholds; and

making the single media stream accessible to the computer network over the network interface.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the electronic device comprises the memory.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein:

the memory is coupled to the computer network; and

the processor is configured to use the network interface to access the memory over the computer network.