System having an apparatus that uses a resource on an external device

• US 20060288040A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanes, David H., Boerger, Paul, Walker, Philip M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/10 Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements G11B15/04, G11B19/04, G11B27/34, G11B27/36 take precedence

Abstract

A system comprises a media player adapted to receive a removable medium. The media player is adapted to couple to a display device. A device external to and communicatively coupled to the media player comprises storage. The media player stores information on the external device'"'"'s storage. Such information is used by the media player when rendering on said display.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a media player adapted to receive a removable medium, said media player adapted to couple to a display device; and

a device external to and communicatively coupled to said media player, said external device comprising storage;

wherein said media player causes information to be stored on said external device'"'"'s storage, said information used by said media player when playing content from said removable medium.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said external device comprises a device selected from a group consisting of a computer, a storage device, and a set top box.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said content comprises video and/or audio.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said information is encrypted before being stored on said external device'"'"'s storage.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said information is decrypted before being used by said media player.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said media player comprises a file system that maps a request for access to a file to said storage of the external device.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said media player comprises local storage and a file system, said file system copies a first removable medium'"'"'s information from said local storage to said storage in said external device so that said local storage can be used for information pertaining to a second removable medium.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said media player comprises local storage and said removable medium contains an application that runs on said media player, said application causing information currently stored in said local storage to be copied to said external device'"'"'s storage to free said local storage to store information pertaining to contents of said removable medium.

9. A system, comprising:

a media player adapted to receive a removable medium, said media player adapted to couple to a display device; and

a device external to and communicatively coupled to said media player, said external device comprising storage;

wherein said media player uses information stored on said external device storage when playing content from said removable medium.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said media player stores information on said external device'"'"'s storage, said information used by said media player when playing content from said removable medium.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said media player transfers said information in its entirety from said external device storage to local storage in said media player and uses said information from said local storage.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said media player uses said information from said external device storage without first causing said information to be transferred in its entirety to said media player.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said external device comprises a network interface and said media player causes said external device to download information via said external device'"'"'s network interface for use by said media player.

14. A system, comprising:

a media player adapted to receive a removable medium, said media player adapted to couple to a display device; and

a device external to and communicatively coupled to said media player, said external device comprising storage;

wherein, upon receiving a removable medium, said media player determines whether any information is present on said external device storage that the media player is to use when playing content on said removable medium.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said external device comprises a network interface and wherein said media player causes said external device to facilitate determining whether an update to said information is available through said network interface.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein if an update is available, said media player causes said external device to download said update to said external device storage.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein said removable medium receiving into said media player comprises an application and said application causes access by said media player to said external device to be enabled.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein said removable medium receiving into said media player comprises an application and said application causes access by said media player to said external device to be disabled.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein said media player comprises local storage and said media player deletes information on said local storage upon receiving said removable medium.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein said media player comprises local storage and said media player copies information on said local storage to said external device storage upon receiving said removable medium.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a playback control engine adapted to play media data from a removable disc loaded into said apparatus; and

logic that accesses information stored in a device external to said apparatus on behalf of said playback control engine when playing said media data.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said logic comprises a file system.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said logic causes said information to be transferred to said apparatus in its entirety before said playback control engine uses said information.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said logic causes the external device to download said information from a network.

25. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising local storage and wherein said logic determines whether available free space on said local storage is sufficient to store information pertaining to the removable disc, and if said available free space is not sufficient, said logic is adapted to cause contents of said local storage to be copied to storage external to said apparatus so that said local storage can be used to store said information.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

local storage;

a playback control engine coupled to said local storage and adapted to play media data from a removable disc loaded into said apparatus; and

logic adapted to determine whether available free space on said local storage is sufficient to store information pertaining to a removable disc loaded into said apparatus, and if said available free space is not sufficient, said logic is adapted to cause contents of said local storage to be altered so that said local storage can be used to store said information.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said logic comprises an application stored on said removable disc.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said logic comprises a file system.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising an interface to an external device that has a network connection and wherein the apparatus permits a user of said apparatus to cause information to be downloaded from a network to the external device via the external'"'"'s device'"'"'s network connection.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising a file system that updates itself when said information is downloaded.

31. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said logic alters said contents by deleting at least some of said contents.

32. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said logic alters said contents by copying at least some of said contents and designating that portion of said local storage that comprised the copied contents as available to be overwritten.

33. An apparatus, comprising:

a playback control engine adapted to play media data from a removable disc loaded into said apparatus; and

logic that causes a device external to said apparatus to download information from a network, said information being usable by said playback control engine.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said logic provides access to said information once stored in said external device.

35. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein, upon receiving removable disc, said logic causes the external device to facilitate determining whether an update is available on the network for said information.

36. A storage medium containing software that when executed by an apparatus causes said apparatus to:

report whether an device external to said apparatus is connected to said apparatus; and

report, if said external device is so connected, capacity of remote storage associated with said external device.

37. The storage medium of claim 36 wherein said software causes said apparatus to enable access to at least one resource provided by the external device.

38. The storage medium of claim 36 wherein said software causes said apparatus to disable access to at least one resource provided by the external device.

39. The storage medium of claim 36 wherein said software determines whether local storage in said apparatus has sufficient capacity for storing information pertaining to a media disc.

40. The storage medium of claim 39 wherein said software copies contents of said local storage to said remote storage if the capacity of the local storage is insufficient.

41. A method, comprising:

determining whether a computer is connected to a media player;

the media player enabling access by said media player to said computer; and

the media player using a resource in said computer.

42. The method claim 41 wherein the media player using the resource comprises the media player using storage in said computer.

43. The method of claim 41 wherein the media player using the resource comprises the media player using a network interface in said computer.

44. The method of claim 41 further comprising the media player disabling said access.

45. The method of claim 41 wherein the media player further causing the computer to download an update to information already stored in the computer, the information used by the media player during its operation.