PORTABLE DEVICE WITH INTERMITTENT COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20080176540A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MusicGremlin, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Price, Harold E., Axelrod, Jonathan N., Khedouri, Robert K.
• Application Number:
  US12/045,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20080176540A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• 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 portable wireless communications subscriber audio and/or video player apparatus and system and method for selecting, requesting, downloading, and playing audio and/or video data content files from an Internet-based database server. The wireless link is preferably implemented in accordance with the WiFi protocol, which allows connectivity to the Internet by being in proximity with a local base station or WiFi hotspot (i.e., publicly available local wireless access hub connected to the Internet). The portable wireless communications subscriber audio and/or video player apparatus and system preferably include a security means for monitoring and blocking unauthorized use of the player apparatus and system. The player apparatus further preferably has the capability to communicate with other neighboring player apparatus for the purpose of exchanging content data files, playlists and personal messages.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication network, a portable device comprising:

a network interface establishing communication with the network, wherein said communication is not necessarily continuous;

a controller;

a user interface receiving commands from the user and generating requests for incoming data from remote locations and generating outgoing data to remote locations;

wherein said controller monitors the exchange of data over the network interface, and stores temporarily in a local memory, any incomplete incoming and outgoing data resulting from an interruption of said wireless communications until the wireless communication is resumed and the incoming or outgoing data is completed.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said controller performs the manipulation and resuming of the incomplete data transparently to the user.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein in an event the connection is lost before the device completes a download, the device automatically tries to obtain the missing data when a network connection is available again.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the server maintains a record of what data was downloaded to enable the device to resume downloading its data from the position when connection was lost.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said portable device has a battery providing power thereto, and said wireless communication protocol is selected to optimize one of the battery life, bandwidth consumption, network interface usage and processor usage.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said device includes a power management module to reduce use of the wireless function based on demands and anticipated demands of the application.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said portable device includes a plurality of wireless communication protocols and said device automatically selects to use one of said protocols based on certain factors.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said portable device stores a data request in local memory until said selected protocol becomes available.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the device enables searching and browsing of content items via a wireless communication network with limited bandwidth and enables downloading of content over a wireless communication network with greater bandwidth.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the device places one or more limits on the use of said wireless communications during the use of one or more other functions of the device.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said wireless protocol is an 802.X protocol.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein said device stores a list used by the user, said list being updated using information from a remote location.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein as part of said communication, outgoing data is partitioned and stacked in predetermined order to be sent using said wireless protocol.

14. In a wireless communication network, in which several devices exchange Internet messages using a browser protocol, a portable device comprising:

a network interface establishing communication with the network;

a controller;

a user interface receiving commands from the user and generating requests for exchanging data with remote locations;

wherein in response to a request to access the network, generates signals on the network mimicking said browser protocol, whereby the portable device does not need a browser.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein if communication is lost to the network during transmission, the network interface transparently re-establishes said communication.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein said network interface stores information used to mimic said browser protocol.

17. In a network in which network connection is performed involving a browser protocol, a method of accessing said network connection comprising:

providing a first device with a user interface;

generating access signals mimicking the browser protocol without any input from the user; and

establishing a communication path with a second device through said access signals, with said second device communicating with said first device using the browser protocol, with said first device communicating without utilizing a browser for said communication.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein several devices access the network, wherein said first device directly or indirectly shares information regarding the signals mimicking the browser protocol with other devices.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein a server is used to store data about the network connection, said data including data captured and stored by devices and then reported back to the server, which data can be used to generate additional improved information about successfully and automatically achieving such connections, and which information is selectively shared with devices associated with the network.

20. A method for ensuring that security remains intact for transactions on a network

said network including several devices, at least some of the devices including a module that disables one or more of the functions of the respective devices unless the module obtains a valid authentication from the network, said method comprising:

performing a check at the server to determine whether a particular device should be authenticated; and

providing authenticating to the device only if said check results in a determination that said device should be authenticated.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the device reports information to the network, wherein said information is incorporated in said checking step.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said information is checked for inconsistencies with other information stored on the network.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein said device includes a clock that is not resettable by the user and the device validation is in effect for a predetermined period of time set by said clock.

24. A method of acquiring digital media content, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of content selections on a media storage device;

creating a list of available subscriptions to at least one category of content;

enabling users to select a subscription to one or more of said categories;

electronically transmitting a specified updated playlist in accordance with each user'"'"'s category selections, along with the media content files that correspond and are indicated in the updated playlist, and repeating this process periodically; and

enabling users to access and render the playlist and content files on the device.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein users can select a category in said selecting step by making a selection on a portable wireless device and said updated playlists and content are transmitted at least partially over a wireless network to the device at times when the device has a connection to the network.