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

• US 9,811,151 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Das, Sujoy
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/606,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20170262039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 165 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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:

responsive to determining, by a processor, that a duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played back by a first electronic device exceeds a duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device, transmitting, to a second electronic device, a peer-to-peer context handoff request; and

responsive to receiving, by the processor and from the second electronic device, an indication that the second electronic device has accepted the peer-to-peer context handoff request, transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device to be played back by the second electronic device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

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

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

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising determining, by the processor, whether the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, by the processor and to a remote server, a context activity update.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the processor transmits the context activity update over a first connection, the method further comprising broadcasting, by the processor, over a second connection, the context activity update.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first connection is a wireless connection to a wide area network and the second connection is a wireless connection to a personal area network.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device to be played back by the second electronic device comprises:

determining, by the processor, a source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by 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 back by the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein facilitating establishment of the communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by 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 back by the first electronic device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the remaining media content is located on the first electronic device, and wherein transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device to be played back by the second electronic device comprises:

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

transmitting, to the second electronic device, the compressed media content.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the processor and from the second electronic device, over a first connection, a context activity update; and

updating, by the processor, a local database to reflect the context activity update.

11. 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;

responsive to determining that a duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system exceeds a duration of remaining battery power for the computing system, transmitting, to an electronic device in communication with the computing system, a peer-to-peer context handoff request; and

responsive to receiving, by the computing system and from the electronic device, an indication that the electronic device has accepted the peer-to-peer context handoff request, transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system to be played back by the electronic device.

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

determining a duration of remaining battery power for the computing system; and

determining a duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system.

13. The computing system of claim 12, the processor further configured to execute the executable instructions in order to effectuate the method further comprising determining whether the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the computing system.

14. The computing system of claim 11, the processor further configured to execute the executable instructions in order to effectuate the method further comprising transmitting, by the computing system and to a remote server, a context activity update.

15. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the computing system transmits the context activity update over a first connection, the processor further configured to execute the executable instructions in order to effectuate the method further comprising broadcasting, by the computing system, over a second connection, the context activity update.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the first connection is a wireless connection to a wide area network and the second connection is a wireless connection to a personal area network.

17. The computing system of claim 11, wherein transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system to be played back by the electronic device comprises:

determining a source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system; and

facilitating establishment of a communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system and the electronic device.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein facilitating establishment of the communication pathway between the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system and the electronic device comprises transmitting, to the electronic device, a pointer identifying the source of the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system.

19. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the remaining media content is located on the computing system, and wherein transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system to be played back by the electronic device comprises:

compressing, by the computing system, the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the computing system to provide compressed media content; and

transmitting, to the electronic device, the compressed media content.

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

receiving, by the computing system and from the electronic device, over a first connection, a context activity update; and

updating, by the computing system, a local database to reflect the context activity update.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a first electronic device, cause the processor to effectuate a method comprising:

responsive to determining that a duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device exceeds a duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device, transmitting, to a second electronic device, a peer-to-peer context handoff request; and

responsive to receiving, by the processor and from the second electronic device, an indication that the second electronic device has accepted the peer-to-peer context handoff request, transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device to be played back by the second electronic device.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 further storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor of the first electronic device, cause the processor to effectuate the method further comprising:

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

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

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22 further storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor of the first electronic device, cause the processor to effectuate the method further comprising determining, by the processor, whether the duration of remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device exceeds the duration of remaining battery power for the first electronic device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 further storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to effectuate the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the processor and to a remote server, over a wireless connection to a wide area network, a context activity update; and

broadcasting, by the processor, over a wireless connection to a personal area network.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the remaining media content is located on the first electronic device, and wherein transmitting an instruction configured to cause the remaining media content scheduled to be played back by the first electronic device to be played back by the second electronic device comprises:

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

transmitting, to the second electronic device, the compressed media content.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 further storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to effectuate the method further comprising:

receiving, by the processor and from the second electronic device, over a first connection, a context activity update; and

updating, by the processor, a local database to reflect the context activity update.