Updating media-location data for media-playing entities

• US 8,131,676 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pettit, Bradley R., Hao, Junmin
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Hanh
• Application Number:
  US12/418,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 707/803, 707/625, 707/716, 725/10, 725/51
• US Class Current: 707/625
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data

Abstract

This document describes tools capable of updating media-location data for media-playing entities. These tools allow a developer of an application to use data binding to update media-location data for the media-playing entities without the need to write custom code.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a change to media-location data having one or more playlists containing one or more media location paths that each address media content, the media-location data located at a data location specified by a data-location path, the data-location path being an internal property of an application, the detecting a change including;

registering the data-location path with an external entity capable of managing data from one or more data locations, the external entity being external to the application and located on a same computing device as the application, the external entity capable of monitoring the media-location data at the data location for changes; and

receiving a notification from the external entity indicating that the media-location data has changed; and

responsive to detecting the change, updating one or more media-playing entities with the media-location data that was changed, the one or more media-playing entities being located within the application and referencing the media-location data located at the data location specified by the data-location path through an internal entity located within the application.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to bind to the media-location data from one of the media-playing entities.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein updating the one or more media-playing entities with the media-location data that was changed comprises:

receiving the media-location data that was changed from the external entity; and

communicating the media-location data that was changed to one or more of the one or more media-playing entities.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising communicating a request to the external entity for the media-location data that was changed.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

informing the media-playing entities of the change to the data; and

receiving a request from one or more of the media-playing entities for the data that was changed.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media-location data is located within the application prior to detecting a change to the media-location data.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media-location data is an eXtensible Markup Language (xml) file.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media-location data is located on a remote computing device accessible through a computer network.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media-playing entities are configured to use the one or more media-location paths to locate media content and play the media content.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a media-playing entity located within an application, media-location data from an internal module also located within the application, the media-location data having been detected as changed by the internal module, the media-location data comprising one or more playlists containing one or more media-location paths that address media content, the media-location data being from a data location specified by a data-location path, the data location path being a property of the internal module, wherein the internal module, from which the media-location data is received, is configured to communicate the media-location data by;

registering the data-location path with an external entity capable of managing data from one or more data locations, the external entity being external to the application and located on a same computing device as the application, the external entity capable of monitoring the media-location data at the data location for changes;

receiving a notification from the external entity indicating that the media-location data has changed; and

receiving the media-location data that was changed from the external entity; and

playing the media content addressed by each of the one or more media-location paths.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein playing the media content further comprises using one of the one or more media-location paths to locate the media content.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising communicating a request to the internal module, the request to bind to the media-location data.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising, responsive to receiving the media-location data, interrupting current play of previously located media content.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the media-location data is located on a remote computing device accessible through a computer network.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

registering a data-location path with an external entity capable of managing data from one or more data locations, the data-location path being an internal property of an application and specifying a data location containing media-location data having one or more playlists containing one or more media location paths that each address media content, the external entity being external to the application and located on a same computing device as the application, the external entity capable of monitoring the media-location data at the data location for changes;

receiving a notification from the external entity indicating that the media-location data has changed;

responsive to receiving the notification of the change, communicating a request for the changed media-location data to the external entity;

receiving the changed media-location data from the external entity; and

responsive to receiving the changed media-location data, communicating at least part of the changed media-location data to one or more media-playing entities located within the application.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the external entity detects a change if the changed media-location data is different than a previous version of the media-location data or if the media-location data has not previously been received.