SUPER SHARE

• US 20080109852A1
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KRETZ, Martin H., Gajdos, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 9,318,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/412 Distributed storage methods, i.e. the system may autonomously determine for a storage device that provides enough storage capacity for recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sharing media content between electronic equipment includes transferring session data from a first electronic equipment to a second electronic equipment, said session data including a queue of media content executing or executable on the first electronic equipment, and transferring media content identified in the session data to the second electronic equipment.

Claims

1. A method of sharing media content using electronic equipment, comprising:

automatically transferring session data from a first electronic equipment to a second electronic equipment, said session data including a queue of media content executing or executable on the first electronic equipment; and

automatically transferring media content identified in the session data to the second electronic equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the session data is a list that identifies media content to be executed on the first and/or second electronic equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the media content includes at least one of an audio file, a video file, an image file or a text file.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the media content includes a combination of at least two of an audio file, a video file, an image file or a text file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring media content includes transferring media content from the first electronic equipment to the second electronic equipment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring media content includes transferring media content from a server to the second electronic equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring media content includes automatically identifying a secondary source for the media content when a communication link with the first electronic equipment is terminated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring media content includes using at least one of an 802.11x based protocol or a Bluetooth protocol to implement the transfer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing restrictions on obtaining the session data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the media content on the second electronic equipment.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining rights to execute the media content on the electronic equipment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically transferring includes transferring from a plurality of electronic equipment to the second electronic equipment.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically transferring media content includes identifying multiple sources that include the media content and transferring the media content from the multiple sources to the second electronic equipment.

14. A method of sharing media content using electronic equipment, comprising:

automatically establishing a communication session between a first electronic equipment and a second electronic equipment;

automatically transferring session data from the first electronic equipment to the second electronic equipment, said session data indicative of media content executing or queued to execute on the first media content; and

automatically transferring media content identified in the session data to the second electronic equipment.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising executing the media content on the second electronic equipment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein executing includes synchronizing the media content between the first and second electronic equipment such that actions taken on the first electronic equipment are mimicked on the second electronic equipment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the actions are at least one of a play, pause, stop, skip, index forward, or an index reverse command.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the actions are at least one of changing an order of media content in the session data, deleting media content in the session data, or adding media content to the session data.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein executing includes synchronizing the media content between the first and second electronic equipment such that the media content executes substantially simultaneously on the respective electronic equipment.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the session data includes an index or pointer that identifies a current location within the media content to execute.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein establishing a communication link includes uniquely identifying the first and/or second electronic equipment.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein uniquely identifying includes identifying the first and/or second electronic equipment via a user settable password or identification number.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein establishing a communication link includes using rules within a communication protocol to determine if the communication link may be established.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein transferring media content includes transferring media content in the background while previously transferred media content is executed.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the session data is at least one of a play list, library, or location identifier of the media content.

26. An electronic equipment for sharing media content, comprising:

a communication device operative to establish a wireless communications with other electronic equipment; and

a sharing circuit including a session service, a sharing service and a download service, wherein said session service is operative to utilize the communication device to search and find other electronic equipment that can push and/or pull a session to/from the electronic equipment, said session including session data indicative of media content executing or queued to execute on the other electronic equipment.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the sharing service is operative to identify media content as specified in the session data on other electronic equipment, said identification based on a characteristic of the media content.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the download service, under the direction of the sharing service, is operative to control and/or manage transfer of media content to/from the electronic equipment.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the electronic equipment is a mobile phone.

30. A computer program embodied in a computer readable medium for sharing media content between electronic equipment, comprising:

code that establishes a communication session between a first electronic equipment and a second electronic equipment;

code that transfers session data from the first electronic equipment to the second electronic equipment, said session data indicative of media content queued to execute on the first electronic equipment; and

code that transfers media content identified in the session data to the second electronic equipment.