System and method for sharing multimedia content with synched playback controls

• US 10,778,742 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2016
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Goswami, Nabarun, Sulibhavi, Madhvesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Roumi, Mahran Y Abu
• Application Number:
  US15/289,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20180103078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 709227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

A system and method for data communication is disclosed, which includes a first electronic device configured to receive an input to enable selection of a multimedia content item on the first electronic device. The selected multimedia content item is communicated, by the first electronic device, to a second electronic device along with playback controls. Playback of the selected multimedia content item may be controlled at the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on synching of the communicated playback controls during the playback. The control is performed such that a current playback time of the selected multimedia content item is in sync at the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one circuit in a first electronic device, wherein said at least one circuit is configured to;

receive an input for selection of a first multimedia content item on said first electronic device;

associate said selected first multimedia content item with playback controls;

communicate said selected first multimedia content item to a second electronic device along with said playback controls associated with said selected first multimedia content item, wherein

said selected first multimedia content item is streamed to said second electronic device as a multimedia stream, from a first primary buffer of said first electronic device, and

said selected first multimedia content item is cached at a second primary buffer of said second electronic device, for a continuous synchronization of said playback controls during playback;

dynamically reconfigure, based on a mismatch between a data size of said second primary buffer and a data size of said multimedia stream, said data size of said multimedia stream of said selected first multimedia content item;

pause said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device for a specific time interval, wherein

said playback of said selected first multimedia content item is continued at said second electronic device during said specific time interval, and

said playback of said selected first multimedia content item is paused at a first playback time of said selected first multimedia content item; and

resume said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device after said specific time interval, wherein

said playback is resumed at said first electronic device from a second playback time of said selected first multimedia content item,

said second playback time corresponds to a current playback time of said selected first multimedia content item at said second electronic device, and

said playback is resumed based on synchronization of said playback controls received by said second electronic device with said playback controls associated with said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first electronic device and said second electronic device correspond to one of a smartphone, a tablet device, a wearable device, a speaker system, a camera, a smart glass, a television, a computing device, a multimedia output device, a projector, an augmented-reality device, a virtual-reality device, or an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said selected first multimedia content item is one of an audio or a video.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second electronic device controls said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device based on said playback controls received by said second electronic device from said first electronic device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said communication of said selected first multimedia content item and said synchronization of said playback controls is executed via different communication channels.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said communication of said selected first multimedia content item and said synchronization of said playback controls are executed via a same communication channel.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein

said selected first multimedia content item communicated to said second electronic device is sourced from one of a multimedia streaming server or a local storage device of said first electronic device, and

said synchronization of said communicated playback controls is executed via an Internet-of-Things (IoT) framework.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein

said at least one circuit is further configured to establish a session with a third electronic device to receive a second multimedia content item from said third electronic device while said first multimedia content item is concurrently streamed from said first primary buffer of said first electronic device, and

said second multimedia content item is stored in a secondary buffer of said first electronic device based on said first primary buffer of said first electronic device that is engaged to stream said first multimedia content item.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one circuit is further configured to schedule said communication of said selected first multimedia content item together with said playback controls to said second electronic device from a content streaming server based on at least one of a time of day, a date, or a user-defined trigger mechanism to initiate said communication to said second electronic device.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one circuit is further configured to transfer an ownership right of said selected first multimedia content item to said second electronic device to control communication of said selected first multimedia content item from said second electronic device to a third electronic device.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein

said at least one circuit is further configured to generate an interface on said first electronic device to enable a social interaction with a plurality of electronic devices connected in a session,

said plurality of electronic devices include said first electronic device and said second electronic device, and

said social interaction among said plurality of electronic devices and said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said plurality of electronic devices occur concurrently.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, by at least one circuit in a first electronic device, an input for selection of a first multimedia content item on said first electronic device;

associating, by said at least one circuit, said selected first multimedia content item with playback controls;

communicating, by said at least one circuit, said selected first multimedia content item to a second electronic device along with said playback controls associated with said selected first multimedia content item, wherein

said selected first multimedia content item is streamed to said second electronic device as a multimedia stream, from a first primary buffer of said first electronic device, and

said selected first multimedia content item is cached at a second primary buffer of said second electronic device, for a continuous synchronization of said playback controls during playback;

dynamically reconfiguring by said at least one circuit, based on a mismatch between a data size of said second primary buffer and a data size of said multimedia stream, said data size of said multimedia stream of said selected first multimedia content item;

pausing, by said at least one circuit, said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device for a specific time interval, wherein

said playback of said selected first multimedia content item is continued at said second electronic device during said specific time interval, and

said playback of said selected first multimedia content item is paused at a first playback time of said selected first multimedia content item; and

resuming, by said at least one circuit, said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device after said specific time interval, wherein

said playback is resumed at said first electronic device from a second playback time of said selected first multimedia content item,

said second playback time corresponds to a current playback time of said selected first multimedia content item at said second electronic device, and

said playback is resumed based on synchronization of said playback controls received by said second electronic device with said playback controls associated with said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said second electronic device controls said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said first electronic device based on said playback controls received by said second electronic device from said first electronic device.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein said communication of said selected first multimedia content item and said synchronization of said playback controls is executed via different communication channels.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein said communication of said selected first multimedia content item and said synchronization of said playback controls are executed via a same communication channel.

16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising establishing, by said at least one circuit, a session with a third electronic device to receive a second multimedia content item from said third electronic device while concurrently streaming said first multimedia content item from said first primary buffer of said first electronic device,

wherein said second multimedia content item is stored in a secondary buffer of said first electronic device based on said first primary buffer of said first electronic device being engaged to stream said first multimedia content item.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising scheduling, by said at least one circuit, said communication of said selected first multimedia content item together with said playback controls to said second electronic device from a content streaming server based on at least one of a time of day, a date, or a user-defined trigger mechanism to initiate said communication to said second electronic device.

18. The method according to claim 12, further comprising transferring, by said at least one circuit, an ownership right of said selected first multimedia content item to said second electronic device to control communication of said selected first multimedia content item from said second electronic device to a third electronic device.

19. The method according to claim 12, further comprising generating, by said at least one circuit, an interface on said first electronic device to enable a social interaction with a plurality of electronic devices connected in a session, wherein

said plurality of electronic devices include said first electronic device and said second electronic device, and

said social interaction among said plurality of electronic devices and said playback of said selected first multimedia content item at said plurality of electronic devices occur concurrently.