System and method for controlling media rendering in a network using a mobile device

• US 20100095332A1
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC
• Original Assignee: PacketVideo Corporation (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Zisowsky, Andreas, Gran, Christian, Neff, Ralph, Espelien, Magdalena Leuca
• Granted Patent: US 8,544,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• 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: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A system and a method control media rendering in a network using a mobile device. The system and the method manage, control and/or render media in a home network using remote access and/or a remote user interface. The system and the method enable a user to control media rendering from multiple storage devices and/or multiple servers connected to the home network using the mobile device. The system and the method enable a user to control media rendering on multiple rendering devices connected to the home network using the mobile device. The system and the method have a control element hosted on a fixed, non-mobile device connected directly to the home network or connected to the home network as a stand-alone device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling media rendering in a network wherein a first media rendering device and a first media server are connected to the network and further wherein a first multimedia file is available from the first media server wherein metadata is associated with the first multimedia file, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a first control element to the network;

connecting a first mobile device to the first control element;

transmitting a first message wherein the first message is transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element;

transmitting a second message wherein the second message is transmitted from the first control element to the first mobile device and further wherein the second message corresponds to the first message wherein the second message has the metadata associated with the first multimedia file;

transmitting a third message wherein the third message is transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element;

transmitting a fourth message wherein the fourth message is transmitted from the first control element to the first media rendering device and further wherein the fourth message corresponds to the third message; and

rendering the first multimedia file from the first media server wherein the first media rendering device renders the first multimedia file from the first media server and further wherein receipt of the fourth message by the first media rendering device directs the first media rendering device to render the first multimedia file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mobile device has a web browser and further wherein the first message and the third message originate from the web browser.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message and the third message are Hypertext Transfer Protocol requests.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message and the third message are formatted using Extensible Markup Language.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mobile device has a Flash player and further wherein the first message and the third message originate from the Flash player.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

controlling rendering of the first multimedia file on the first media rendering device wherein the first mobile device controls the rendering of the first multimedia file on the first media rendering device using rendering instructions transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

creating a device queue having the metadata associated with the first multimedia file and metadata associated with a second multimedia file wherein the device queue is rendered by the first media rendering device and further wherein the device queue is managed based on queue management instructions transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the second multimedia file is available from a second media server connected to the network.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

creating a device queue having metadata associated with a second multimedia file and a third multimedia file wherein the first control element selects the second multimedia file and the third multimedia file for inclusion in the device queue based on queue creation instructions sent from the first mobile device to the first control element and further wherein the first mobile device does not have access to the metadata associated with the second multimedia file and the third multimedia file when the second multimedia file and the third multimedia file are selected by the first control element.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

connecting a second mobile device to the first control element wherein the second mobile device controls rendering of the first multimedia file on the first media rendering device using rendering instructions transmitted from the second mobile device to the first control element.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

connecting a second media rendering device to the network wherein the second media rendering device renders a second multimedia file based on instructions transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

connecting a second media rendering device to the network wherein the first mobile device sends rendering device transfer instructions to the first control element wherein the second media rendering device renders the first multimedia content file and the first media rendering device stops rendering the first multimedia file based on the rendering device transfer instructions.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

connecting a second control element to the network wherein the first control element and the second control element determine that one of the first control element and the second control element is a master control element that has superiority over the other control element.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

creating a list of available devices connected to the network wherein the first control element transmits the list to the first mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mobile device is connected to the control element by the Internet.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein connection of the first mobile device to the first control element uses radio waves having a frequency between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mobile device is connected to the first control element by a carrier mobile network and further wherein the carrier mobile network is provided by a mobile phone service provider.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

creating a device queue having the metadata of the first multimedia file and metadata of a second multimedia file wherein the device queue is created based on device queue creation instructions transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element wherein the device queue is rendered by the first media rendering device;

disconnecting the first mobile device from the first control element; and

controlling rendering of the device queue on the first media rendering device wherein the rendering of the device queue is controlled by the first control element while the first mobile device is disconnected from the first control element.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

transmitting an event message from the first control element to the first mobile device wherein the first mobile device disconnects from the first control element and then re-connects to the first control element and further wherein the event message conveys information about an event that occurred while the first mobile device was disconnected from the first control element.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

transmitting an event message from the first control element to the first mobile device wherein transmission of the event message responds to a request transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the first media server accesses the first multimedia file via the Internet.

22. A system for managing media rendering in a network using a first mobile device wherein a first media rendering device is connected to the network and further wherein the first media rendering device renders a first queue of multimedia files wherein a second media rendering device is connected to the network and further wherein the second media rendering device renders a second queue of multimedia files, the system comprising:

a first control interface connected to the first mobile device;

a core component connected to the first control interface wherein the first mobile device transmits first queue rendering instructions to the core component via the first control interface;

a storage component connected to the core component wherein the storage component stores information about the first queue and the second queue; and

a control point component connected to the core component and the network wherein the control point component transmits a first message to the first media rendering device and further wherein the first message is based on the first queue rendering instructions wherein the first media rendering device renders the first queue of multimedia files based on the first message wherein the control point component transmits a second message to the second media rendering device and further wherein the second message is based on the first queue rendering instructions and further wherein the second media rendering device renders the second queue of multimedia content files based on the second message.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the control point component functions as a UPnP AV Control Point.

24. The system of claim 22 further comprising:

a second control interface connected to the core component; and

a second mobile device connected to the second control interface wherein the second mobile device transmits second queue rendering instructions to the core component via the second control interface and further wherein the control point component transmits a third message to the first media rendering device wherein the third message is based on the second queue rendering instructions and further wherein the first media rendering device renders the first queue of multimedia files based on the third message.

25. A method for managing media rendering in a network wherein a first media rendering device and a first media server are connected to the network and further wherein a first multimedia file and a second multimedia file are available from the first media server wherein the first multimedia file is associated with first metadata and the second multimedia file is associated with second metadata, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a control element to the network;

connecting a first mobile device and a second mobile device to the first control element;

transmitting a first message wherein the first message is transmitted from the first mobile device to the control element;

creating a first device queue having the first metadata and the second metadata wherein the first device queue is created based on the first message; and

rendering the first device queue on the first media rendering device wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device control rendering of the first device queue.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of:

transmitting a lock request from the second mobile device wherein the lock request prevents the first mobile device from accessing the first device queue.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of:

creating a second device queue wherein the control element creates the second device queue based on device queue creation instructions transmitted from the second mobile device to the control element.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of:

changing the first device queue to a modified device queue wherein the first device queue and the modified device queue are different and further wherein the control element changes the first device queue to the modified device queue based on a second message wherein the second message is transmitted from the second mobile device to the control element.