Methods and systems for playing media

• US 20060282544A1
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Two-Way Media Ltd
• Original Assignee: Two-Way Media Ltd
• Inventors: Butterworth, James F., Monteiro, Antonio M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,539,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5626 Network management, e.g. Intelligent nets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5642 Multicast/broadcast/point-multipoint, e.g. VOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

The user interface is configured for playing media and includes (i) a media control interface for controlling functions related to playing the media, and (ii) a display object for displaying in an integrated web browser information related to the media. The user interface is configured to communicate with a communications network.

Claims

1. A user interface for playing media, the user interface comprising:

a media control interface for controlling functions related to playing the media; and

a display object for displaying in an integrated web browser information related to the media;

wherein the user interface is configured to communicate with a communications network.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the media is received from the communications network, and is comprised of (i) audio, (ii) video, (iii) streaming audio, (iv) streaming video, or (v) any combination thereof.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the communications network is (i) the Internet, (ii) a private network connected to the Internet, (iii) a packet switched network, (iv) a cable network, (v) a satellite network, or (vi) any combination thereof.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the media control interface is configured to (i) play the media, (ii) stop the media, (iii) mute the media, (iv) open the media, (v) close the media, or (vi) any combination thereof.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises (i) an object that lists the media available for playing, (ii) an object arranged hierarchically that lists the media available for playing, (iii) a program guide that provides information pertaining to the media selected for playing, (iv) an object for placing an order to purchase the media, (v) an object for initiating a chat session related to the media, (vi) an object for user registration, (vii) an object for user login, (viii) an object for user logout, (ix) an object for displaying advertising, (x) an object for displaying an album cover, (xi) an object for displaying artist information, (xii) an object for displaying song lyrics, (xiii) an object for displaying tour dates, or (xiv) any combination thereof.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises a web browser that displays information via a series of tabbed sections.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to (i) decompress the media, (ii) incorporate advertising into the media, or (iii) any combination thereof.

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to (i) communicate via the communications network with a server, (ii) request via the communications network a list of other servers from a server, (iii) respond via the communications network to a ping request from a server, or (iv) any combination thereof.

9. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to communicate via the communications network with a server, the server configured for (i) registering users, (ii) authenticating users, (iii) compressing the media, (iv) incorporating advertising into the media, (v) delivering the media via the communications network to the user interface, (vi) monitoring delivery of the media to the user interface, (vii) logging information related to the delivery of the media to the user interface, (viii) determining the operational status of the user interface, and (ix) any combination thereof.

10. A computer program product for playing media, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for communicating with a communications network;

instructions for controlling functions related to playing the media;

instructions for receiving via the communications network information related to the media;

instructions for generating a user interface comprising;

a media control interface for controlling the functions related to playing the media; and

a display object configured for displaying the information related to the media.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising instructions for receiving the media via the communications network, wherein the media is comprised of (i) audio, (ii) video, (iii) streaming audio, (iv) streaming video, or (v) any combination thereof.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the communications network is (i) the Internet, (ii) a private network connected to the Internet, (iii) a packet switched network, (iv) a cable network, (v) a satellite network, or (vi) any combination thereof.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the media control interface is configured to (i) play the media, (ii) stop the media, (iii) mute the media, (iv) open the media, (v) close the media, or (vi) any combination thereof.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the user interface includes further instructions for generating (i) an object that lists the media available for playing, (ii) an object arranged hierarchically that lists the media available for playing, (iii) a program guide that provides information pertaining to the media selected for playing, (iv), an object for placing an order to purchase the media, (v) an object for initiating a chat session related to the media, (vi) an object for user registration, (vii) an object for user login, (viii) an object for user logout, (ix) an object for displaying advertising, (x) an object for displaying an album cover, (xi) an object for displaying artist information, (xii) an object for displaying song lyrics, (xiii) an object for displaying tour dates, or (xiv) any combination thereof.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the user interface further includes instructions for generating a web browser that displays information via a series of tabbed sections.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising instructions for (i) decompressing the media, (ii) incorporating advertising into the media, or (iii) any combination thereof.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising instructions for (i) communicating via the communications network with a server, (ii) requesting via the communications network a list of other servers from a server, (iii) responding via the communications network to a ping request from a server, or (iv) any combination thereof.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising instructions for communicating via the communications network with a server, the server configured for (i) registering users, (ii) authenticating users, (iii) compressing the media, (iv) incorporating advertising into the media, (v) delivering the media via the communications network to the computer program product, (vi) monitoring delivery of the media to the computer program product, (vii) logging information related to the delivery of the media to the computer program product, (viii) determining the operational status of the computer program product, and (ix) any combination thereof.

19. A method for playing media on a computing device comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface on the computing device, the user interface comprising;

a list of media available for playing;

a media control interface for controlling functions related to playing the media; and

a display object;

receiving a selection of media to play;

playing the media on the computing device;

receiving via the Internet information related to the selected media; and

displaying the information in a web browser integrated into the display object.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the media is received from the Internet and is comprised of (i) audio, (ii) video, (iii) streaming audio, (iv) streaming video, or (v) any combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the media control interface is configured to (i) play the media, (ii) stop the media, (iii) mute the media, (iv) open the media, (v) close the media, or (vi) any combination thereof.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the user interface on the computing device is configured to display (i) an object arranged hierarchically that lists the media available for playing, (ii) a program guide that provides information pertaining to the media selected for playing, (iii) an object for placing an order to purchase the media, (iv) an object for initiating a chat session related to the media, (v) an object for user registration, (vi) an object for user login, (vii) an object for user logout, (viii) an object for displaying advertising, (ix) an object for displaying an album cover, (x) an object for displaying artist information, (xi) an object for displaying song lyrics, (xii) an object for displaying tour dates, or (xiii) any combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the user interface on the computing device is configured to display a web browser that displays information via a series of tabbed sections.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the computing device is configured to (i) decompress the media, (ii) incorporate advertising into the media, or (iii) any combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step selected from a group consisting of (i) communicating via the communications network with a server, (ii) requesting via the communications network a list of other servers from a server, (iii) responding via the communications network to a ping request from a server, and (iv) any combination thereof.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the computing device is configured to communicate via the communications network with a server, the server configured for (i) registering users, (ii) authenticating users, (iii) compressing the media, (iv) incorporating advertising into the media, (v) delivering the media via the communications network to the computing device, (vi) monitoring delivery of the media to the computing device, (vii) logging information related to the delivery of the media to the computing device, (viii) determining the operational status of the computing device, and (xi) any combination thereof.