Method for determining a device to provide with content based on content attribute and electronic device using the same

• US 9,443,032 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Soo-hong, Jeong, Jin-guk, Cho, Hyung-rae, Kim, Sun-ae, Kwahk, Ji-young, Oh, Hyun-joo
• Primary Examiner(s): Elpenord, Candal
• Application Number:
  US12/939,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/219, 370/329, 370/328, 370/338, 370/368, 713/153, 713/168, 713/170, 713/171, 380/273, 380/277, 726/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/20 the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A method for providing content where one device from among a plurality of devices is determined as a device to transmit the content to, based on the attribute of the requested content. Accordingly, device utilization is optimized by providing the content to the device with the highest priority to play back the content based on the attribute of the content.

Claims

1. A method for providing content by a server, the method comprising:

receiving a request for content;

receiving information of a plurality of devices which communicate with the server, the information being related to a type of content which is able to be played back in each of the plurality of devices;

determining one from among the plurality of devices that has highest priority among the plurality of devices as the device to play back the content, based on the information; and

transmitting the content to the device which is determined as the device to play back the content,

wherein determining the device to play back the content comprises, if the device with the highest priority is not able to receive the content, determining the device with the second highest priority as the device to play back the content, based on the information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the content to the device which is determined as the device to play back the content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a type of the content, and the priority is determined according to the type of the content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the type of the requested content comprises at least one of text content, audio content, and video content, and the determining comprises, from among the plurality of devices,

i) if the content is the text content, determining a device whose main function is to play back the text content as the device to transmit the content to,

ii) if the content is the audio content, determining a device whose main function is to play back the audio content as the device to transmit the content to, and

iii) if the content is the video content, determining a device whose main function is to play back the video content as the device to transmit the content to.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the device to transmit the content to comprises determining a device, which is capable of outputting the content to a display suitable for the resolution of the content, as the device to play back the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device to play back the content is determined based on a table in which devices to transmit the content to are set in advance based on the type of the content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the table is constructed by at least one of a server to provide the information of the authenticated device, a server to provide the content, and a device connected communicatively to the server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices corresponding to the information of the authenticated device comprises of devices owned by a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request for content comprises receiving a request for purchase of the content.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an authentication key to the device requesting the content and to other devices,

wherein determining the device to play back the content is performed if the authentication key, provided at the transmitting, is received from the device requesting the content.

11. A method for purchasing content in at least one of a plurality of content playback devices, the method comprising:

receiving content requested for purchase from the at least one of the plurality of content playback devices; and

playing back the received content,

wherein the received content is determined to be playable in one of the at least one content playback devices that has highest priority among the at least one content playback devices based on information related to a type of content that is able to be played back in each of the plurality of content playback devices, and the content is transmitted to the device which is determined as the device to play back the content, and

wherein determining the received content to be playable in one of the at least one content playback devices comprises, if the device with the highest priority is not able to receive the content, determining the device with the second highest priority as the device to play back the content, based on the information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the content comprises receiving the requested content from a server,

wherein the server, when the received content is determined to be playable in the at least one of the content playback devices based on the information, transmits the requested content to the at least one content playback device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the information comprises a type of the requested content.