System and methods for preventing interruptions due to battery drain during streaming media sessions between devices

• US 9,665,165 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Das, Sujoy
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/709,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20150261279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1074 for supporting data block transmission mechanisms file transfer H04L67/06

Abstract

A cloud server intermediates in a streaming media session from a source to a receiving device for a media content. Upon determining that time remaining to complete the streaming media session for the media content is greater than time of remaining battery power for the source, the cloud server redirects the streaming media session to the receiving device. The cloud server may detect that the remaining source battery power is below a threshold and obtain a compressed data file, compressing at least a remaining portion of the media content in response to determining that time remaining to complete the streaming media session is greater than time of remaining battery power for the source. The cloud server may send or receive a pointer along with the compressed data file that indicates a position within the media content at which to resume the streaming media session.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by a processor, a duration of remaining battery power for a first electronic device;

determining, by the processor, a duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device;

determining, by the processor, whether the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device; and

in response to determining that the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device, facilitating, by the processor, the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to a second electronic device for playing on the second electronic device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises:

determining, by the processor, a source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

facilitating, by the processor, establishment of a communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein facilitating establishment of the communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device and the second electronic device comprises:

transmitting, by the processor to the second electronic device, a pointer identifying the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises:

obtaining, by the processor, the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

transmitting, by the processor to the second electronic device, the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

compressing, by the processor, the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to provide compressed media content; and

wherein transmitting the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises transmitting the compressed media content.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device comprises at least one of the following:

transmitting, by the processor to the first electronic device, a request for information indicating a battery power level associated with the first electronic device; and

obtaining, by the processor, information indicating the battery power level associated with the first electronic device without sending the request.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device comprises at least one of the following:

transmitting, by the processor to the first electronic device, a request for information indicating the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

obtaining, by the processor, information indicating the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device without sending the request.

8. A computing system comprising:

memory comprising executable instructions; and

a processor operatively connected to the memory, the processor configured to execute the executable instructions in order to effectuate a method comprising;

determining a duration of remaining battery power for a first electronic device;

determining a duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device;

determining whether the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device; and

in response to determining that the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device, facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to a second electronic device for playing on the second electronic device.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises:

determining a source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

facilitating establishment of a communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein facilitating establishment of the communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device and the second electronic device comprises:

transmitting, to the second electronic device, a pointer identifying the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device.

11. The computing system of claim 8, wherein facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises:

obtaining the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

transmitting, to the second electronic device, the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to execute the executable instructions in order to effectuate the method further comprising:

compressing the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to provide compressed media content; and

wherein transmitting the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises transmitting the compressed media content.

13. The computing system of claim 8, wherein determining the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device comprises at least one of the following:

transmitting, to the first electronic device, a request for information indicating a battery power level associated with the first electronic device; and

obtaining information indicating the battery power level associated with the first electronic device without sending the request.

14. The computing system of claim 8, wherein determining the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device comprises at least one of the following:

transmitting, to the first electronic device, a request for information indicating the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

obtaining information indicating the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device without sending the request.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effectuate a method comprising:

determining a duration of remaining battery power for a first electronic device;

determining a duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device;

determining whether the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device; and

in response to determining that the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device, facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to a second electronic device for playing on the second electronic device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises:

determining a source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

facilitating establishment of a communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein facilitating establishment of the communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device and the second electronic device comprises:

transmitting, to the second electronic device, a pointer identifying the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein facilitating the transmission of the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises:

obtaining the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

transmitting, to the second electronic device, the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to effectuate the method further comprising:

compressing the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to provide compressed media content; and

wherein transmitting the remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises transmitting the compressed media content.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device comprises at least one of the following:

transmitting, to the first electronic device, a request for information indicating a battery power level associated with the first electronic device; and

obtaining information indicating the battery power level associated with the first electronic device without sending the request.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device comprises at least one of the following:

transmitting, to the first electronic device, a request for information indicating the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device; and

obtaining information indicating the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played on the first electronic device without sending the request.