Proximity synchronization of audio content among multiple playback and storage devices

• US 7,620,363 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Andrews, Hoyet Harrison III, Gladwin, Stephen Christopher, Spurgat, Jeffrey Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US09/858,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20020173273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,107 Days
• Field of Search: 455/66.1, 455 411- 412, 455 301- 306, 455418-420, 455/500, 455/502, 455517-519, 4554141-4142, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 709/208, 709/211, 709/213, 709/216, 709/231, 709/248
• US Class Current: 455/3.05
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/68 Systems specially adapted for using specific information, e.g. geographical or meteorological information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/88 which are wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• 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 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams

Abstract

A wireless communication system and in particular to a wireless communication system for digital audio players that provides for increased functionality, such as communication, interaction and synchronization between a computing platform and various mobile, portable or fixed digital audio players, as well as providing a communication link between the various digital audio players themselves. The computing platform may act, for example, through a wireless network or wireless communication platform, to control the digital audio players; to act as a cache of digital audio data for the digital audio players; as well as provide a gateway to the Internet to enable the digital audio players to access additional digital audio content and other information. The computing platform may also be used to automatically update digital audio content on the digital audio players; synchronize digital audio content and playlists between digital audio players; and automatically continue a particular playlist as the user moves from one digital audio player to another.

Claims

1. A local wireless communication network for digital content players, the network comprising:

one or more content hosts, at least one of said one or more content hosts including a wireless gateway for establishing a communication link with one or more mobile digital content players, said one or more content hosts including a storage device for storing digital content defining host digital content and a digital content handler system for determining the digital content stored in at least one of said mobile digital content players defining mobile digital content and comparing said host digital content with said mobile digital content and automatically updating said mobile digital content so that it is the same as said host digital content when said at least one mobile digital content player is in range of said wireless gateway;

a plurality of mobile digital content players, separate from said one or more content hosts, wherein each mobile digital content player includes a wireless communication platform for establishing a communication link with at least one of said one or more content hosts when said mobile digital content player is in range of at least one of said content hosts, each digital content player including a player storage device for storing said mobile digital content, said wireless communication platform configured to automatically enable said digital content handler system in said content host to ascertain the mobile digital content stored in said player storage device and receive digital content from at least one of said one or more content hosts when said digital content handler system determines that said mobile digital content differs from the host digital content when at least one of said digital content players is in range of said wireless gateway.

2. The communication network as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said one or more content hosts is a personal computing platform.

3. The network as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said one or more content hosts is a set top box.

4. The network as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said one or more content hosts is a stand alone audio gateway.