Universal media player

• US 7,386,784 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Capps, Steve, Noonan, Timothy D
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHAU T
• Application Number:
  US11/083,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20050166136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 715/200, 715/203, 715/716, 715/719, 715/756, 715/783
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof

Abstract

A universal media player designed to improve a user'"'"'s online media experience that is preferably embedded in an Internet browser is disclosed. The universal media player allows a user to navigate between different sources of media without requiring the downloading of the media player associated with the format of the media source. The universal media player includes an interface with user-actuable control buttons, the universal media player determining whether incoming media is playable by the universal media player. If the incoming media is playable by the universal media player, the media is intercepted as the media is downloaded and redirected to the universal media player. Determining if the media is playable is accomplished by identifying the type of incoming media and searching a table of MIME media types.

Claims

1. A computer-based implementable method of playing media designed for playing on various types of media players comprising:

(a) providing two universal media players being synchronized together by a selection of a uniform resource locator media link of one of the two universal media players after the one of the two universal media players being locked to the other of the two universal media players resulting in the two universal media players playing the same media, wherein each of the two universal media players includes a media player interface with user controllable buttons and the media player interface is positioned within the frame of an Internet browser at a portion of the Internet browser that does not change, the universal media players being configured to facilitate navigation between different sources of media without requiring a downloading of a media player associated with a format of a media source;

(b) determining whether incoming media to be played is playable by one of the two universal media players by determining the media type of the incoming media and searching a table of media types including MIME media types to determine whether the media type of the incoming media is playable by one of the two universal media players; and

(i) if the incoming media to be played is playable by one of the two universal media players, intercepting the incoming media and directing the incoming media to one of the two universal media players;

(1) determining whether the incoming media is ready to be played;

(2) determining whether a current media player is playing media;

(3) when the incoming media is ready to be played, if the current media player is playing media, stopping and hiding the current media player and initializing an idle media player;

(4) if the incoming media is ready, determining whether a time to establish connection has timed out;

(5) when incoming media is ready to be played, displaying an activated universal media player;

(6) directing the incoming media to the initialized idle media player;

or

(ii) if the incoming media to be played is not playable by one of the two universal media players, allowing the incoming media to enable a default media player capable of playing the incoming media.

2. The method of claim 1, further including cueing the incoming media if the incoming media is playable on the universal media player.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein cueing the incoming media includes instantiating a media component for the incoming media.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the incoming media is ready to be played;

when the incoming media is ready to be played, initializing an idle media player; and

directing the incoming media to the initialized idle media player.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the universal media player is remotely synchronized with another media player; and

if the universal media player is remotely synchronized with another media player, sending a remote navigation event to the other media player.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a request to change the size of the universal media player interface, changing the size of the universal media player interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a request to pause the incoming media, sending a remote pause event signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, in response to receiving a remote pause event, pausing the playing of the incoming media.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a request to change to a previous track of the incoming media, changing to the previous track of the incoming media.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a request to advance to the next track of the incoming media, sending a remote next event signal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a remote previous event, changing to a previous track of the incoming media.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a request to advance to a next track of the incoming media, advancing to a next track of the incoming media.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, in response to receiving a request to advance to the next track of the incoming media, sending a remote next event signal.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a remote next event, changing to the next track of the incoming media.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a request to stop playing the incoming media, deactivating the media player to stop playing the incoming media.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, in response to receiving a request to stop playing the incoming media, sending a remote stop event signal.