APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PLAYING DIGITAL CONTENT AND DISPLAYING SAME

• US 20080160909A1
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Music Gremlin Incorporated
• Inventors: Axelrod, Jonathan, Kraul, Douglas R., Edinger, Mark, Becker, John, Price, Harold, KHEDOURI, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/964,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20080160909A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/134 Distributed indices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system is presented providing content to a plurality of handheld devices (including musical selections). The devices can access a server over the Internet via a WIFI or other similar wireless interconnection and can download songs requested by a user from the server or from other users using, e.g., a P2P protocol. All downloads are governed by applicable DRM rules. Content and playlists may also be pushed by a server from other sources and means including, e.g., podcasting, based on predetermined rules, favorite preferences of users, and other criteria.

Claims

1. -8. (canceled)

9. A digital media content player comprising:

a storage means for digital media content and associated data;

a digital player element rendering the digital media content to a user;

a visual display; and

a processor for selection and processing of the digital media content to be rendered, and for processing any visual information in said digital media content and displaying said visual data on said visual display.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said digital media content and associated data includes art work identifying said media content, said art work being shown on said visual display.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said associated data includes art work and alphanumeric characters, and wherein said processor automatically renders said art work and said alphanumeric characters in sequence.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said processor includes special effects between the art work and the alphanumeric characters.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said processor detects digital information defining said art work in a first size and said processor transforms said digital information and renders in a second size compatible with said visual display.

14. A method for displaying data associated with digital media content on a portable media content player comprising:

selecting digital media content from a storage means for playback;

identifying associated data for selected digital media content;

processing said associated data for visual display; and

displaying visual representation of associated data concurrently with playback of said digital media content.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the companion data is aggregated in multiple sets, each set corresponding to a distinct display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein displays are transitioned from one screen to another at periodic intervals.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said associated data includes cover art and alphanumeric characters, said cover art and said alphanumeric characters being displayed in an alternating order.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising data corresponding to the art work into transformed data representing the art work at a resolution and size compatible with the display of the portable media content player.

19. An apparatus for developing a playlist for a digital media player comprising:

a data storage storing media selections;

a processor for processing media selections from the data storage;

a visual display;

a controller with a user input means; and

a processor generating screens on said visual display;

wherein said controller is used by a user for selecting a playlist from the media selections, by selecting entries from a plurality of screens rendered in sequence by said processor on said screen using said user input means.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each screen includes characters associated with a selection option, said user selecting one of said characters using said user input means.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said user input means is a multi-position switch.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein such user input means is a touch screen.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said screens are displayed in a hierarchical order determined by the frequency in which the screen is used.

24. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said media selections are added to a playlist using the screens, with media selections added last being shown first for adding to the playlist.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said media selections are added to a playlist using the screens, with the playlist added to last being shown first.

26. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein once a playlist has been generated, it can be modified using said processor and said controller by presenting the user with the choice of moving entries in the list with respect to other entries.

27. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein as part of creating the playlist, the catalog is presented to the user and said controller is used to select one or more of the entries in the catalog with said controller, the selected entry having different visual characteristics then non-selected entries.