Nearby Media Device Tracking

• US 20080195620A1
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tedesco, Megan Lesley, Asmi, Yasser, Abanami, Thamer A., Leichtling, Ivan J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• 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: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A media player is adapted to organize and display nearby media device information between communicating media devices before a complete connection is established. A nearby media device receives a message that is either generally or specifically sent from another media device. The nearby device determines whether the sending media device is blocked and whether to accept the message. The nearby device accepts the message if it originates from a compatible source. If the message is accepted, the nearby device sends an acknowledgement message containing a unique device name and a device status to the sending device. The sending device then displays the unique device name and status.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a first media device on a second media device comprising:

sending an announcement message from the second media device, the announcement message including a second media device unique identifier and a second media device status, wherein the second media device status describes a current second media deice activity;

receiving the announcement message at the first media device;

validating the announcement message at the first media device;

sending an acknowledgement message from the first media device to the second media device, the acknowledgement message including a first media device unique identifier and a first media device status, wherein the first media device status describes a current first media device activity;

displaying the first media device unique identifier and the first media device status at the second media device; and

displaying the second media device unique identifier and the second media device status at the first media device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current first and second media device activity is at least one selected from a group comprising available, busy, blocked, listening to music, listening to radio, watching video, viewing pictures, online, or a user defined activity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein busy includes at least one of a group comprising the first or second media device sending a first media object, the first or second media device receiving a second media object, or the first or second media device processing a streaming media object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current first and second media device activity includes at least one of an artist name, a title, or a radio station frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement message includes a communication from a first media device user to a second media device user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the announcement message at the first media device comprises determining if the second media device is blocked by the first media device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if the second media device is blocked by the first media device, at least one of the first media device unique identifier and the first media device status are not displayed at the second media device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining if the second media device is blocked by the first media device comprises comparing the second media device unique identifier with a first media device blocked list including at least one media device unique identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the announcement message at the first media device comprises:

declining the announcement message at the first media device; and

sending a message to the second media device, the message including an indication that the announcement message was declined.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the announcement message at the first media device comprises:

responding to the announcement message at the first media device; and

sending a message to the second media device, the message including a communication from a first media device user to a second media device user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first media device determining second media device characteristics from the announcement message; and

the second media device determining first media device characteristics from the acknowledgement message;

wherein the first and second media device characteristics include at least one of a group comprising data related to media objects stored on the first or second media device, media objects being processed by the first or second media device, streaming media objects at the first or second media device, the first or second media device current activity, media objects that have been previously played by the first or second media device, and statistical data associated with the media objects stored or played on the first or second media device.

12. A method for organizing and displaying nearby media devices within a wireless network comprising:

transmitting a connection message form a sending media device;

receiving the connection message at a nearby media device;

determining a sending media device type;

comparing the sending media device type with a nearby media device type;

validating the connection message at the nearby media device if the sending media device type matches the nearby media device type;

sending a nearby media device identifier and a nearby media device status from the nearby media device to the sending media device; and

displaying the nearby media device identifier and the nearby device status at the sending device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sending media device transmits the connection message to a nearby media device that is displayed at the sending device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising, if the nearby media device status is online, transmitting the connection message form the sending media device to the nearby media device.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving the connection message at a plurality of nearby media devices; and

displaying a plurality of matching nearby media device identifiers and nearby device statuses at the sending device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting information requests between the sending media device and the nearby media device; and

transmitting media object data between the sending media device and the nearby media device in response to the information requests;

wherein the media object data includes at least one of a title, an artist, a name, a media object source, or statistics.

17. A media device for use with bundled media content comprising:

a network card for wirelessly transmitting communications and data from the media device and wirelessly receiving communications and data from another media device;

a memory coupled to the network card for storing the communications and data from the other media device;

a processor coupled to the network card and the memory for determining if the media device and the other media device are the same type and, if the media device and the other media device are the same type, for validating and organizing the communications and data from the other media device.

18. The media device of claim 17, further comprising a processor coupled to the network card and the memory for rejecting the communications and data from the other media device of the other media device is not the same type.

19. The media device of claim 17, further comprising a processor coupled to the network card and the memory for rejecting the communications and data from the other media device if the other media device is blocked.

20. The media device of claim 17, wherein the communications and data from the media device includes media content data stored on the memory and the communications and data form the other media device includes media content data stored on a memory at the other media device.