Method and apparatus for creating and using electronic content bookmarks

• US 20070156627A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: D'Alicandro, John
• Application Number:
  US11/304,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156627A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management

Abstract

An electronic bookmark that includes certain information that enables a bookmarked portion of a content file to be located, sent to the device that activated the bookmark, and executed, run or rendered by a tool or program running on the device that activated the bookmark. The bookmark identifies a portion of a content file. The bookmark may be transferred electronically without the content file, and the user may use the bookmark to automatically link to the bookmarked portion of the content file and to cause the bookmarked portion to be downloaded or streamed to the device that activated the bookmark.

Claims

1. A method for creating an electronic bookmark, the method comprising:

receiving user information describing information to be included in an electronic bookmark; and

constructing the bookmark in accordance with the received user information to include at least information identifying a content file location, a content file name, a content location bookmark start mark, and a content location bookmark end mark, the content file location identifying a location where a content file is stored, the content file name identifying a name of the content file, the content location bookmark start mark identifying a start location in the content file, the content location bookmark end mark identifying an end location in the content file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying a type of content of the content file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of content of the content file is one of an audio/video (A/V) file, an audio file, a video file, a text file and an image file.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the bookmark.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the content file.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering content identified by the content location bookmark start mark and the content location bookmark end mark.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving content identified by the content location bookmark start mark and the content location bookmark end mark.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the bookmark without the content file.

9. A method for using an electronic bookmark comprising:

receiving an electronic bookmark;

decoding the electronic bookmark in a user device, the decoded electronic bookmark at least including information identifying a content file location, a content file name, a content location bookmark start mark, and a content location bookmark end mark, the content file location identifying a location where a content file is stored, the content file name identifying a name of the content file, the content location bookmark start mark identifying a start location in the content file, the content location bookmark end mark identifying an end location in the content file; and

receiving a portion of the content file identified by the content location bookmark start mark and the content location bookmark end mark in the user device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

prior to receiving said portion of the content file, sending a request that includes the bookmark to a device on which the content file resides.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

rendering said portion of the content file on a rendering device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying a type of content of the content file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the type of content of the content file is one of an audio/video (A/V) file, an audio file, a video file, a text file and an image file.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the bookmark.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the content file.

16. A computer program for creating an electronic bookmark, the program being embodied in a computer-readable medium and including instructions for execution by a computer, the program comprising:

instructions for receiving user information describing information to be included in an electronic bookmark; and

instructions for constructing the bookmark in accordance with the received user information to include at least information identifying a content file location, a content file name, a content location bookmark start mark, and a content location bookmark end mark, the content file location identifying a location where a content file is stored, the content file name identifying a name of the content file, the content location bookmark start mark identifying a start location in the content file, the content location bookmark end mark identifying an end location in the content file.

17. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying a type of content of the content file.

18. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the type of content of the content file is one of an audio/video (A/V) file, an audio file, a video file, a text file and an image file.

19. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the bookmark.

20. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the content file.

21. The computer program of claim 16, further comprising:

rendering content identified by the content location bookmark start mark and the content location bookmark end mark.

22. The computer program of claim 16, further comprising:

saving content identified by the content location bookmark start mark and the content location bookmark end mark.

23. The computer program of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting the bookmark without the content file.

24. A computer program for using an electronic bookmark, the program being embodied in a computer-readable medium and including instructions for execution by a computer, the program comprising:

instructions for receiving an electronic bookmark;

instructions for decoding the electronic bookmark in a user device, the decoded electronic bookmark at least including information identifying a content file location, a content file name, a content location bookmark start mark, and a content location bookmark end mark, the content file location identifying a location where a content file is stored, the content file name identifying a name of the content file, the content location bookmark start mark identifying a start location in the content file, the content location bookmark end mark identifying an end location in the content file; and

instructions for receiving a portion of the content file identified by the content location bookmark start mark and the content location bookmark end mark in the user device.

25. The computer program of claim 24, further comprising:

instructions for sending a request that includes the bookmark to a device on which the content file resides.

26. The computer program of claim 24, further comprising:

instructions for rendering said portion of the content file on a rendering device.

27. The computer program of claim 26, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying a type of content of the content file.

28. The computer program of claim 27, wherein the type of content of the content file is one of an audio/video (A/V) file, an audio file, a video file, a text file and an image file.

29. The computer program of claim 26, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the bookmark.

30. The computer program of claim 26, wherein the bookmark further includes information identifying users who have access to the content file.