METHOD OF WIRELESSLY SHARING CONTENT AMONG DEVICES

• US 20080177860A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• 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. A method of wirelessly sharing content among devices comprising:

providing a first wireless device with a media storage, said first wireless device being capable of rendering downloaded digital media files; and

enabling said device to wirelessly stream said downloaded media content to a second media rendering device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said digital media files comprise audio files and said second device is a wireless audio speaker.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said second device is identical to said first device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first device is portable.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the same wireless interface of said first device is utilized for both receiving and transmitting said media content.

6. A method of providing a digital media service using a network with a controller and a media storage comprising:

providing a device capable of connecting to a wireless network, said device having a non-resettable clock on said device;

connecting said device to said controller and media storage over the network;

securely authenticating said device for a specified period of time; and

enabling the device to render content during said specified period of time, but disabling the rendering of content if said specified period of time is exceeded, based on said non-resettable clock.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein users of said devices are subscribers and are required to pre-pay for said subscription in advance.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein a user may enter credit card information on said device in order to receive a first authentication.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said credit card information is stored at the server, and the user need not reenter said credit card information to make a second purchase, but is required to enter password information on the device to authorize the charge.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said device automatically contacts said controller and media storage periodically and renews its authentication.

11. A method of processing tasks associated with portable user devices comprising:

providing a plurality of portable user devices, each device having a wireless communications interface and a user interface;

allowing users to enter task requests via the respective user interfaces, wherein said task requests involve uploading or downloading content from a network-connected server;

storing said task requests in a specified order in a media storage on the device;

completing the tasks in the specified order only when the device detects a network connection to said server.

12. A method of social networking for portable wireless device users comprising:

providing a first portable device, wherein said device includes a user interface, a media storage, and wherein a user profile is stored in said media storage, and a Wi-Fi communications interface;

providing a similar second portable device;

performing a scan by said first device to scan of said second device to read select profile information stored on said second device; and

presenting to the user of said first portable device information from said second device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said first device includes software that can compare the profiles of other users to desired criteria, and which alerts the user when a second device is found with profile information that matches said desired criteria.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising sending a message from said first device user wirelessly to said second device user.

15. A method of selling goods and services to consumers on a network with a server having a server storage and an authentication device communicating with said server, said method comprising:

providing a portable device having a communication interface for communicating over a wireless network, a media storage, a display, and a user interface for accepting input from a user;

presenting a list of available items to said user on said display, permitting the user to select an item from said list, and storing said selection on said device;

receiving a request by the server from said portable device for a selected item from the list;

authenticating said device using said authentication device after said request is received;

if said device is authenticated, communicating said selected item to said server over said network; and

processing the purchase of said item for said user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said processing step comprises charging a user'"'"'s credit card.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said processing step comprises charging against prepaid credits of said user.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said processing step comprises adding the charges to a recurring bill that is subsequently sent to said user.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the user provides payment information using the user input interface of said device, and said payment information is communicated to said server.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said payment information is stored securely on said device prior to transmitting said information to said server.