METHODS AND APPARATUSES OF PROVIDING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT TO A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20080305737A1
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kenagy, Jason, Childress, C. Cullen, Mucci, J. Adam
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations

Abstract

Embodiments include systems and methods of accessing data items, including, for example, data items receivable over a broadcast network. One embodiment includes a method of accessing broadcast data items that includes receiving, on a mobile device over a broadcast wireless network, data identifying a plurality of data items available for reception by the mobile device. The method further includes transmitting, from the mobile device over a wireless network, a request for communication of at least one of the plurality of data items from a content delivery service to a repository device, detecting a connection of the mobile device with the repository device, and in response to said detecting, the mobile device receives at least a portion of the at least one data item from the repository device using the connection. Other embodiments include a mobile device, a repository device, and a content delivery service and related methods.

Claims

1. A method of accessing broadcast programs, comprising:

receiving, on a mobile device over a first wireless network, data identifying a plurality of data items;

transmitting, from the mobile device over a second wireless network, a request for communication of at least one data item from the plurality of data items from a content delivery service to a repository device;

detecting a connection of the mobile device with the repository device; and

in response to said detecting, receiving at least a portion of the at least one requested data item on the mobile device from the repository device using the connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging the mobile device with power received from the repository device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data items are receivable over a broadcast network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first wireless network comprises the broadcast network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises at least one criterion for selecting the data items.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one criterion comprises at least one of a keyword, a channel, a rating, or a ranking.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises information identifying a series of related ones of the data items.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request identifies at least one interrupted broadcast of the at least one of the plurality of data items.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the request is performed in response to identifying the at least one interrupted broadcast.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the at least one interrupted broadcast comprises identifying a broadcast interrupted by at least one of:

an incoming voice call, a loss of network connectivity, a specified portion of the broadcast having a data quality indicator below a threshold, and a battery level falling below a specified threshold.

11. A method of accessing broadcast programs, comprising:

receiving, over a wireless network from a mobile device, a request for at least one of a plurality of data items, an identifier of the data item having been transmitted to the mobile device over a broadcast network;

identifying a repository device associated with the mobile device; and

communicating at least a portion of the at least one of the plurality of data items to the repository device for transmission to the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the communicating the at least portion of the at least one of the plurality of data items to the repository device comprises transmitting the at least portion over a broadband network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the communication link for communicating with the repository device over the broadband network has a higher reliability than the communication link for communicating with the mobile device over the broadcast network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the request for at least one of the plurality of data items comprises at least one criterion for identifying the at least one of the plurality of data items.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the at least one of the data items based on the at least one criterion and communicating at least portion of the at least one of the data items in response to the selecting.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one criterion comprises at least one of a keyword, a channel, a rating, or a ranking.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating the at least one criteria to a persistent device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the request for at least one of the data items comprises a request identifying a series of the at least one of a plurality of broadcasts of programs.

19. A method of accessing data items, comprising:

receiving in a repository device and from a content delivery service at least one data item, the receiving being in response to a mobile device identifying the data item;

storing said at least one data item;

detecting connectivity to the mobile device with the repository device; and

in response to said detecting, transmitting the at least one data item from the repository device to the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising charging the mobile device from the repository device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the at least one data item comprises receiving a broadcast of the at least one data item over a broadcast network.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a request indicative of at least the at least one data item;

selecting at least one broadcast of the at least one data item based on the request identifying the at least one data item.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the request identifying the at least one data item comprises at least one criterion for identifying the at least one data item and the act of selecting is based on the criterion.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one criterion comprises at least one of a keyword, a channel, a rating, or a ranking.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the request identifying the at least one data item comprises a plurality of information identifying a series of a plurality of broadcast of a plurality of data items.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the repository device receiving the at least one data item is performed concurrently with the mobile device receiving the at least one data item.

27. An apparatus for accessing broadcast data items, comprising:

a first network interface configured to receive at least one data item from a content delivery service in response to a mobile device identifying the at least one data item;

a storage configured to store the at least one data item; and

a second network interface configured to detect a connection to the mobile device and, in response to said detecting, transmitting the at least one data item from the storage to the mobile device; and

a power supply configured to provide a charging current to the mobile device in response to said detecting.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said apparatus is unable to decode the at least one data item.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein further comprising a processor configured to receive at least one criterion for selecting the at least one data item and request a data item satisfying the request.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one criterion comprises at least one of a keyword, a channel, a rating, or a ranking.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first network interface configured to receive the at least one data item from the content delivery service comprises a plurality of information identifying a series of the at least one data item.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the plurality of information identifying the at least one data item comprises at least one interrupted broadcast of the at least one data item.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the storage configured to store the at least one data item is performed in response to identifying the at least one interrupted broadcast.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein identifying the at least one interrupted broadcast comprises identifying a broadcast interrupted by at least one of:

an incoming voice call, a loss of network connectivity, a specified portion of the broadcast having a data quality indicator below a threshold, and a battery level falling below a specified threshold.

35. An apparatus for accessing broadcast data items, comprising:

a first network interface configured to receive, over a wireless network from a mobile device, a request identifying at least one of a plurality of data items receivable by the mobile device over a broadcast network;

a second network interface configured to identify a repository device associated with the mobile device; and

communicate at least a portion of the data items to the repository device for transmission to the mobile device.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the second network interface is configured to communicate the at least portion of the at least one of the data items to the repository device comprises transmission of the at least portion over a broadband network.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the second network interface is configured to communicate with the repository device over the broadband network has a higher reliability than communicating with the mobile device over the broadcast network.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the request identifying the at least one of the data items comprises at least one criterion for identifying the at least one of the data items.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising selecting the at least one of the data items based on the at least one criterion and communicating the at least portion of the at least one of the data items in response to the selecting.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the at least one criterion comprises at least one of a keyword, a channel, a rating, or a ranking.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising communicating the at least one criteria to a persistent device.

42. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the request comprises information identifying a related series of the data items.

43. An apparatus of accessing broadcast programs, comprising:

a first network interface configured to receive at least one data item in a repository device and from a content delivery service, in response to a mobile device identifying the data item;

a storage configured to store the at least one data item;

a second interface configured to detect connectivity to the mobile device with the repository device;

in response to said detecting, transmit the at least one data item from the repository device to the mobile device and;

a power supply configured to provide a charging current to the mobile device from the repository device.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the first network interface configured to receive the at least one data item comprises receiving a broadcast of the at least one data item over a broadcast network.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising:

a processor configured to

identify the at least one data item;

identify a plurality of broadcasts of a plurality of data items; and

identify at least one broadcast of the at least one data item.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the request comprises at least one criterion for selecting the at least one of the data items.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the at least one criterion comprises at least one of a keyword, a channel, a rating, or a ranking.

48. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the repository device receiving the at least one program is performed concurrently with the mobile device receiving the at least one program.