Multimedia distribution using a near field communication capable wireless communication device

• US 7,756,467 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bent, David, Camp, William O. Jr., Bloebaum, Leland Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US11/565,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20080132167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.03, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455418-420, 455/3.04, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.16, 340/539.17, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/568.1, 340/568.5, 340/568.8
• US Class Current: 455/3.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A wireless communication device includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface, a transceiver, and a controller. The NFC interface receives data related to multimedia content from an external NFC tag responsive to establishing an NFC link with the NFC tag. Based on the received data, the controller establishes a communication link with a multimedia server via a wireless communication network, and controls the multimedia server to download information associated with the multimedia content to a user-specified destination device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface configured to receive data related to multimedia content from an external NFC tag responsive to establishing a first NFC link with the NFC tag;

a transceiver configured to communicate with a multimedia server via a communication network; and

a controller configured to;

establish a communication link with the multimedia server based on the received data, and to control the multimedia server to download information associated with the multimedia content to a user-specified destination device.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 further comprising a display, and wherein the controller is configured to parse the received data, and display the parsed data to the user.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2 wherein the parsed data includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the multimedia server, and wherein the controller is configured to establish the communication link with the multimedia server based on the URL.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 2 wherein the parsed data includes a sample of the multimedia content, and wherein the controller is configured to render the sample to the user.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the user-specified device comprises a home entertainment system connected to the multimedia server via the Internet.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the user-specified destination device comprises the wireless communication device, and wherein the NFC interface is further configured to establish a second NFC link with an external NFC reader associated with a home entertainment system.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 6 wherein the controller is configured to download the information associated with the multimedia content to the home entertainment system over the second NFC link.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the information associated with the multimedia content comprises the multimedia content.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the information associated with the multimedia content comprises a license to render the multimedia content.

10. A method of distributing multimedia content using a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

establishing a first Near Field Communication (NFC) link between an NFC interface in a wireless communication device and an external NFC tag associated with multimedia content;

receiving data related to the multimedia content from the NFC tag responsive to establishing the first NFC link;

establishing a communication link between the wireless communication device and a multimedia server; and

controlling the multimedia server to download information associated with the multimedia content to a user-specified destination device based on the data received from the NFC tag.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising parsing the received data and displaying the parsed to the user.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein establishing the communication link comprises connecting to the multimedia server based on a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) included with the received data.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising rendering a portion of the multimedia content to the user based on a digitized sample of the multimedia content included with the received data.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the user-specified destination device comprises a home entertainment system communicatively connected to the multimedia server.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the user-specified destination device comprises the wireless communication device, and further comprising establishing a second NFC link with an external NFC reader associated with a home entertainment system.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the controller is configured to download the information associated with the multimedia content to the home entertainment system over the second NFC link.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the information associated with the multimedia content comprises the multimedia content.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the information associated with the multimedia content comprises a license to render the multimedia content.

19. A multimedia distribution system comprising:

a Near Field Communication (NEC) capable media display comprising one or more images, each image being associated with multimedia content; and

a wireless communication device comprising;

an NFC interface configured to establish an NFC link with the NFC capable media display and to receive data regarding the multimedia content associated with a selected image; and

a controller configured to communicate with a multimedia server via a communication network based on the received data, and to download information associated with the multimedia content from the multimedia server to a user-specified destination device.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein each image comprises an NFC tag that stores the data representing the multimedia content associated with that image.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the first NFC link is established responsive to the NFC interface being placed in close physical proximity to the NFC tag.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the user-specified destination device comprises a home entertainment system communicatively connected to the multimedia server.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the user-specified destination device comprises the wireless communication device.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein the NFC interface is further configured to establish a second NFC link with an external NFC reader communicatively connected to a home entertainment system.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the NFC interface is further configured to transfer the information associated with the multimedia content to the NFC reader over the second NFC link.