Network media device

• US 9,876,830 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B
• Application Number:
  US15/246,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20170054774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 709218, 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/604 Hybrid IP/Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A network media device is described that pulls multimedia data from one or more sources (e.g., a multimedia website or a multimedia server computer) at a first time, stores it to long-term storage within the device and transmits the stored multimedia data to one or more designated multimedia playback devices at a second time.

Claims

1. A method of receiving multimedia content from a content source by a network multimedia device, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are in communication through at least one network, the method comprising:

advertising, by the network multimedia device, one or more services provided by the network multimedia device, wherein the one or more services provided by the network multimedia device are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the one or more services are associated with at least one multimedia playback device coupled to the network multimedia device, and wherein the advertising facilitates discovery of the network multimedia device by the content source;

receiving, by the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; and

initiating playback of the multimedia content by the at least one multimedia playback device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting, at the at least one multimedia playback device, user input to cause the network multimedia device to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; and

configuring the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising accepting, at the at least one multimedia playback device, user input to cause the network multimedia device to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises:

presenting one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises receiving the multimedia content at the content source from a remote source.

10. A method of delivering multimedia content from a content source to a network multimedia device, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are in communication through at least one network, the method comprising:

discovering, by the content source, one or more services provided by the network multimedia device, wherein the one or more services provided by the network multimedia device are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the one or more services are associated with at least one multimedia playback device coupled to the network multimedia device; and

providing, by the content source, the multimedia content to the network multimedia device; and

causing the at least one multimedia playback device to initiate playback of the multimedia content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising accepting, at the content source from the network multimedia device, user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

establishing a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; and

configuring the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising accepting, at the content source from the network multimedia device, user input to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises:

presenting one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises receiving the multimedia content at the content source from a remote source.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a hardware processor to perform a method of receiving multimedia content from a content source by a network multimedia device, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are in communication through at least one network, the method comprising:

advertising, by the network multimedia device, one or more services provided by the network multimedia device, wherein the one or more services provided by the network multimedia device are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the one or more services are associated with at least one multimedia playback device coupled to the network multimedia device, and wherein the advertising facilitates discovery of the network multimedia device by the content source;

receiving, by the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; and

initiating playback of the multimedia content by the at least one multimedia playback device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises accepting, at the at least one multimedia playback device, user input to cause the network multimedia device to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; and

configuring the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises accepting, at the network multimedia device, user input to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises accepting, at the at least one multimedia playback device, user input to cause the network multimedia device to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises:

presenting one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises receiving the multimedia content at the content source from a remote source.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a hardware processor to perform a method of delivering multimedia content from a content source to a network multimedia device, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are in communication through at least one network, the method comprising:

discovering, by the content source, one or more services provided by the network multimedia device, wherein the one or more services provided by the network multimedia device are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the one or more services are associated with at least one multimedia playback device coupled to the network multimedia device;

providing, by the content source, the multimedia content to the network multimedia device; and

causing the at least one multimedia playback device to initiate playback of the multimedia content.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises accepting, at the content source from the network multimedia device, user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source and initiate playback of the multimedia content by the network multimedia device.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; and

configuring the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises accepting, at the content source from the network multimedia device, user input to establish the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises:

presenting one or more multimedia libraries each containing one or more multimedia files that may be transferred to the network multimedia device;

accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia files are to be transferred to the network multimedia device; and

transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein providing the multimedia content comprises receiving the multimedia content at the content source from a remote source.