Network media device

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.

Description

BACKGROUND

With the increasing capacity and capability of personal computers, as well as improved multimedia interfaces for these computers, it has become popular to use personal computers as a repository for multimedia content, such as songs, movies, etc. Particularly with music, the increased popularity of storing multimedia information on a personal computer has resulted in a variety of products and services to serve this industry. For example, a variety of portable players of encoded multimedia information have been developed, including, for example, the iPod® produced by Apple Computer. Additionally, services have been developed around these devices, which allow consumers to purchase music and other multimedia information in digital form suitable for storage and playback using personal computers, including; for example, the iTunes® music service, also run by Apple Computer. (IPOD and ITUNES are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc).

Services such as iTunes and the substantially unlimited storage space provided by modern personal computer systems has resulted in an environment where many consumers use their personal computer as their primary vehicle for obtaining, storing; and accessing multimedia information. Because consumers may access their multimedia content at virtually any time of the day, however, this implies that one's personal computer system must be powered and operational at all times. Additionally, consumers may prefer to experience certain media content, particularly video content such as movies, using more entertainment-oriented devices; such as home theater systems, which typically include larger screens and higher fidelity audio systems than personal computer systems.

Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a mechanism whereby a consumer could off-load, over a computer network, specified multimedia content to a playback device that could at a later time, send the information to conventional entertainment devices such as stereo equipment, televisions, home theatre systems, etc.

SUMMARY

A network media device is described that receives 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. In some embodiments, the network media device obtains multimedia data using a pull operation. In one embodiment, the pull operation is effected through an Ethernet (wired or wireless) connection. In another embodiment the pull operation is effected through a peripheral connection (e.g., a USB or FireWire interface). Media content may also be pushed to the device using the same interfaces. In yet another embodiment, the network media device may also stream multimedia data from another source; obtained through either a pull or push operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows, in block diagram form, a multimedia system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows, in block diagram form, a network media device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show; in flowchart form; a multimedia data source designation operation in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show, in flowchart form, a multimedia playback operation in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a graphical user interface used to control synchronization between a network media device and a content source in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a graphical user interface used to control synchronization between a network media device and a content source in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention as claimed and is provided in the context of devices and applications compatible with computer systems manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., are illustrative only and should not be considered limiting in any respect. Accordingly, the claims appended hereto are not intended to be limited by the disclosed embodiments, but are to be accorded their widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, illustrative multimedia system 100 is shown as comprising personal computer system 105 coupled to Internet 110 and network media device 115 which, in turn, is coupled to multimedia system 120. Network media device 115 may also be coupled to Internet 110 (see dashed line). Personal computer 105 and network media device 115 may be coupled directly to Internet 110 or indirectly through, for example, a local area network or DSL or cable modem. In general, personal computer system 105 may be any computer system capable of executing a general purpose operating system such as, for example, OSX from Apple Computer or the Windows® or Linux® operating systems, (Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft corporation. LINUX is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.) Multimedia system 120 may comprise any system adapted to receive and play audio (e.g., analog and digital) and/or video (e.g., composite video, S-video, component video, DVI) signals.

Referring to FIG. 2, network media device 115 comprises input interface 200, processor unit 205, memory 210, storage 215 and multimedia interface 220. In one embodiment, input interface 200 includes a network interface and a peripheral interface. A network interface provides wired (e.g., Ethernet) and/or wireless (e.g., I5E 802.11b or 802.11g-“WiFi”) connectivity to a computer network. A peripheral interface may include one or more connectors suitable for linking to another device such as, for example, a USB, I5E 1394 (“Firewire”), RS-232 (serial interface) or I5E 1284 (parallel interface) bus connectors. Referring to FIG. 1, for example, network media device 115 could be connected to computer system 105 through a wired network connection or by a USB bus and to Internet 110 through a wireless Ethernet connection. Processor 205 may be a single computer processor (e.g., a commercially available CICS or RISC processor), a special purpose processor (e.g., a digital signal processor, “DSP”), a plurality of interconnected processors or a custom designed state machine embodied in, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) or field programmable gate array (“FPGA”). Memory 210 represents random access memory (volatile and/or non-volatile), while storage 215 represents long-term non-volatile memory such as, for example, a magnetic or optical disk unit As noted above, multimedia interface 220 comprises connectors suitable for transmitting audio (e.g., analog and digital) and/or video (e.g., composite video, S-video, component video 1 DVI) signals.

As used herein a network media device (e.g., device 115) is a physical unit having non-volatile long-term storage (e.g., storage 215) and whose operation is governed by a limited-use operating system. By limited-use, it is meant that the operating system does not support the execution of a general purpose user interface (e.g., a standard windowing environment) and, therefore, the execution of general-purpose applications (e.g., word processors and drawing programs).

As noted above, a function of device 115 is to obtain multimedia files, retain them in storage 215, and then transmit them at a later time to one or more multimedia devices (e.g., a stereo or television). To facilitate these operations, device 115 preferably includes a limited-use operating system that provides a user interface to (1) identify and select multimedia files that should be obtained and (2) identify and select which multimedia files to transmit to a designated multimedia device. In one embodiment, this interface is provided through a stand-alone application executing on a general purpose computer system (e.g., personal computer system 105) through for example, an Ethernet connection or a USB port within input interface 200. In another embodiment, device 115 provides a web interface through a network connection (wired or wireless) within input interface 200. It will be recognized that this latter approach is often provided by other network devices such as, for example, routers and firewalls. In still another embodiment device 115 provides a user interface through a connected multimedia playback device such as, for example, a television display. In this embodiment, device 115 could transmit the visual representation of a user interface through a video output connector within multimedia interface 220.

User interaction could be mediated through a special-purpose control device unique to device 115 or a multimedia-aware remote control unit for the display unit (e.g., television). In any of these implementations, sources of multimedia data files available through input interface 200 (i.e., network and/or peripheral connectors) may be identified. For example, multimedia files or directories located on personal computer system 105 or a server computer system coupled to system 100 via Internet 110 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), may be designated as a “source.” Once identified, network multimedia device 115 may obtain or download the specified file(s) immediately. Alternatively, network multimedia device 115 may be commanded to obtain one or more multimedia files from a designated source location on a periodic basis. During periodic download operations, it is preferable that files already obtained and resident on storage 215 are not downloaded again. It will be recognized that this latter function is often referred to as “synchronization.” Once obtained, the user interface permits a multimedia data file to be transmitted to one or more designated multimedia playback devices. In one embodiment, this action may be performed immediately (that is, as soon as the user designates both a multimedia data file and at least one target multimedia device). In another embodiment, a multimedia data file may be transmitted to one or more designated multimedia devices at a specified time:

In addition to the software-based user interfaces described above/multimedia network device 115 may provide a hardware-based interface for media file playback. For example, a surface of device 115 may include a relatively small display on which the contents of storage 215 are displayed. One illustrative display of this type is presented by the iPod electronic device. In addition, conventional PLAY, PAUSE, STOP, SKIP, FORWARD, REVERSE, REPEAT, SELECT and cursor control buttons may be provided. If the aforementioned display is capable, one or more of the identified control buttons may be “soft” buttons. Through these elements, a user may select one or more multimedia files and one or more target multimedia devices on which to play the selected file(s).

Referring to FIG. 3A, source designation process 300 for identifying one or more multimedia data files is shown. To begin, a user specifies a multimedia data source (block 305). As described above, this may include one or more files on a computer system directly coupled to multimedia device via a network or peripheral bus connector or indirectly through a computer network (e.g., the Internet or a local area network). Once designated, multimedia device 115 retrieves the specified data (block 310) and stores it internally in storage 215 (block 315). Once obtained in this manner, the multimedia data may be transmitted to one or more target devices for playback/display (see discussion below regarding FIG. 4). Additionally, by user selection, playback/display of the multimedia data may begin immediately upon designation before the transfer of the multimedia data from the source is completed.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, download operation 310 is shown in greater detail In the illustrated embodiment, a first check is made to determine if it is the proper time to download the specified file. In one embodiment, a user may specify a time at which a download should occur. In another embodiment, the user may specify an interval after which the specified file may be downloaded. In yet another embodiment, the user may specify a repeating interval wherein one or more files may be downloaded every specified interval (e.g., day or week). It will be appreciated that this latter approach is particularly useful to periodically synchronize storage 215 with one or more other storage locations (e.g. multimedia data servers). If it is not yet time (the “No” prong of block 320), the process waits until the proper time. If it is time (the “Yes” prong of block 320), a second check is made to determine if the specified file is already present in storage 215. If the file is not present (the “No” prong of block 325), the file is downloaded from the specified location (block 330). It win be recognized that some multimedia data sources may stream the specified data to multimedia device 115. In these instances, device 115 may store the data as received (i.e. in a “streaming” format) or it may convert it to a non-streaming format if the file is present (the “Yes” prong of block 325) or at completion of the current download operation (block 330), a third check is made to determine if all of the user-specified files have been obtained. If they have (the “Yes” prong of block 335), processing continues at block 315. if they have not (the “no” prong of block 335), processing continues at block 325.

It is noted that multimedia data files may be encoded in accordance with any one of a number of different formats. For example, MPEG-1 (Moving Pictures Experts Group); MPEG-2, MPEG-4 1 MP3® (Motion Picture Expert's Group Layer 3), A3 (Advanced Audio Coding; a/k/a/ MPEG-4 audio), Quicktime@, AVI (Audio Video Interleave), RI6 (Resource Interchange File Format), WMA (Windows IV1edia Audio), Ogg, etc (MP3 is a registered trademark of Thomson Multimedia. QUICKTIME is a registered trademark of Apple computer.) The claimed invention may be used to obtain, store and transmit (to a multimedia playback device) data files using any of these, or other, data formats. It will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that multimedia device 115 will incorporate decoder capability for each file format it is configured to process (e.g., software routines).

Referring to FIG. 4, multimedia data playback operation 400 is shown. To begin, a user specifies a multimedia data file for playback (block 405). Next, the user designates one (or more) multimedia playback units to which the specified data file should be sent (block 410). Multimedia device 115 then transmits the specified file to the designated multimedia playback unit In one embodiment, multiple multimedia files may be selected and sent to one or more playback devices. For example, a music file may be transmitted to a stereo system in a first location while a digital video file may be transmitted to a display device in a second location—at the same time or at different times.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, transmit operation 415 is shown in greater detail. In the illustrated embodiment, a check is made to determine if it is the proper time to transmit the specified file, If it is not yet time (the “No” prong of block 420), the process waits until the proper time. If it is time (the “Yes” prong of block 420), the specified file is retrieved from storage 215 (block 425) and transmitted to the designated multimedia playback device via multimedia interface 220 (block 430). In one embodiment, if the target multimedia playback device supports it, device 115 could determine if the designated playback device is present and/or capable of playing the specified file (e.g., immediately prior to performing the acts of block 430). if the playback device is not available (e.g., not “online”) or not able to play the specified file, an error message could be generated and/or other corrective actions taken.

It should be noted that in the discussion of FIGS. 3 and 4, various buffering, error checking, and other data transfer steps implicit in various forms of digital communications have been omitted. Nonetheless, these steps are preferably present and may be implemented in accordance with a variety of techniques known to those skilled in the art In addition, for security and digital rights management purposes it may be desirable to determine whether networked media device 115 (and/or the user operating same) is authorized to receive the specified multimedia data files. This generally requires some form of authentication, and may be based on a public/private key system.

Because of the potentially rich feature set of network multimedia device 115 and because of the various mechanisms by which the device may interact with other devices, e.g., via network or peripheral interface, etc., the network multimedia device 115 devices preferably includes automated discovery and configuration routines that simplify setup of the device. In one embodiment, for use in a network environment, the network media device 115 may use the Bonjour protocol; developed by Apple computer, to advertise the services it provides on a local network. This allows other devices, such as PC system 105 running Bonjour-compliant software, for example iTunes, to “discover” the network media device 115. Alternatively, the network media device 115 may “discover” services available on the network, such as the aforementioned PC system running iTunes.

Upon discovery of one or more services available on the network, a user interface provided by network multimedia device 115 may present a variety of options to the user. For example; the network multimedia device may present a list of multimedia libraries on the local network to which the network multimedia device may connect. This list of multimedia libraries may include libraries stored on different machines or may include different libraries stored on the same machine. Different libraries stored on the same machine may include libraries belonging to multiple users; e.g., iTunes libraries for multiple people, or may include different types of libraries, such as an iTunes library, an iPhoto® library, etc. (IPHOTO is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.). Within a given library, content may further be divided into different categories. For example, an iTunes library may include video content (television programs, movies, etc.) and audio content (music; audiobooks; Podcasts, etc.). The user may then select one or more of these shared libraries with which to connect and may further specify specific multimedia content (e.g., files) within the libraries that should be transferred to the device in accordance with one or more of the techniques described herein.

Alternatively; a user interacting with PC system 105 may also discover the services provided by network multimedia device 115. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, such a device may, for example, show up as a destination 501, 601 for multimedia content in the user interface 500, 600 of a multimedia application. The user interface provided also preferably provides the user a variety of options for which multimedia content will be transferred to the device 502, 602.

In either of the above cases, it may be desirable to “pair,” i.e., uniquely associate, a network multimedia device 115 with a particular PC system 105 or a particular library or media application thereon. Upon pairing, the network multimedia device 115 preferably ceases to advertise available services on the local network, as these services are now within the exclusive control of a particular PC system or a particular library/media application thereon. This cessation of advertising services would cause the representation 501, 601 of network multimedia device 115 to “disappear” from the user interface 500, 600 of the media applications running on other PC systems on the network. Additionally, the user interface presented by network multimedia device 115 may cease to display libraries not associated with the paired computer upon establishing a pairing.

The establishment of a pairing permits network multimedia device 115 and PC system 105 to synchronize data between them. A variety of synchronization techniques have been developed in the art and may find use in conjunction with the systems described herein. Some particularly advantageous synchronization techniques are described in U.S. Patent Publication 2003/0167318, entitled “Intelligent Synchronization of Media Player with Host Computer”; U.S. Patent Publication 2003/0079038, entitled “Intelligent Interaction Between Media Player and Host Computer”; U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0168351, entitled “Wireless Synchronization Between Media Player and Host Device”; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/324,863 entitled “Remote Content Updates for Portable Media Devices”; each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

A wide variety of synchronization parameters may preferably be specified by the user. For example; a user may choose to synchronize certain playlists. Alternatively, a user may choose to synchronize media of a particular type (e.g., video content or audio content) or a particular sub-type (e.g., video content including television programs but not movies) 503, 603. Content to be synchronized may also be specified based on a variety of other parameters 504, 604 associated with the media content. Such parameters may include: content that has not yet been played, purchased content, locally created content, newly downloaded content, content of a certain genre, content that has not been played recently, content that is played frequently, etc. For content that comes in the form of multiple episodes, e.g., television programs, Podcasts, etc., a user may also specify how many episodes should be synchronized (for example; an episodes, unplayed episodes, or a fixed number of episodes).

The synchronization features also preferably include a mechanism for specifying content that will be automatically removed from the network multimedia device 115. For example, because of the relatively high storage requirements of storing video data, it may be desirable to remove video content from the network multimedia device once it has been viewed. Alternatively, time specific content that is sufficiently old that its value has decreased substantially, e.g., week-old news broadcasts, may be automatically removed even if they have not been viewed. Of course these concepts need not be limited to video content and may equally apply to audio content.

It may also be desirable to automatically pass changes made on one device to another without waiting for a user-initiated synchronization. Such synchronization may, for example, be event based, Thus when content is played back on the network multimedia device, its status is updated on the PC system. Similarly, if a particular media file is viewed on the PC system, it may be automatically removed from the network multimedia device. In general, it may be desirable to synchronize any change, whether adding or deleting a file, viewing a file reclassifying a file, etc. upon the occurrence of the event without waiting for a user-initiated or time-based synchronization.

It is not necessary that the network multimedia device 115 only play back content that has been transferred via synchronization with another device, particularly one with which it is paired. For example, in addition to the synchronization techniques described herein, the network multimedia device 115 may also stream content that has not been synchronized. Such content may be either non-synchronized content located on the paired device or may be content located on a non-paired device. The user interface of network multimedia device 115 may present various indications to the user as to what content is stored locally, i.e., that which as been synchronized or otherwise transferred from another device, and that which must be streamed. Such indications may take the form of highlighting, different colors, different screen windows or panes, icons, etc Additionally, while streaming content, it may be advantageous to transfer content faster than it is played back and cache the not yet needed content on the network multimedia device. This will, in many cases, allow the transfer to be completed long before the transfer would be completed in a classic streaming context. In this way there will be no negative effect if the device from which media is being streamed is taken off line during playback of the media.

One benefit of network multimedia device 115 in accordance with the invention is that relatively large quantities of multimedia data may be obtained via a computer network and stored on the device, whereafter they may be replayed without the need for the original source to be “on-line.” In contrast, prior art multimedia devices typically “stream” data so that the data source must be accessible during playback operations.

The network multimedia device 115 may also incorporate instant play technology as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/131,800 entitled “Media Player with Instant Play Capability,” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Various changes in the materials, components, circuit elements, as well as in the details of the illustrated operational methods are possible without departing from the scope of the following claims. For instance, multimedia device 115 may include a status light to provide an indication of the device's operational state. In one embodiment, a status light could be a light emitting diode (LED) or a combination of LEDs integrated into a single package to allow illumination in different colors, e.g. 1 green, red, and/or amber/yellow. For example, the status light may be off to indicate that the device is not powered; the light may flash in a particular color, e.g., green, to indicate that it is powering up and/or going through a startup/self-diagnostic routine; the light may illuminate in a solid color, e.g., green to indicate that it is on and functioning properly; the light may also illuminate or flash in a first color, e.g., yellow; to indicate that a download is in progress and illuminate or flash in a second color, e.g., orange, to indicate a playback transmission is in progress; and the light may illuminate or flash in yet another color, e.g., red, to indicate a problem exists, such as no playback devices in range or no network signal. Further, and as wen be recognized by one or ordinary skill in the art, computer program instructions for implementing the described functionality (e.g., FIGS. 3 and 4) may be organized into routines or modules and stored in memory 210 and/or storage 215.

Claims

1. A method of retrieving 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: receiving, by the network multimedia device, an advertisement of one or more services provided by the content source, wherein the one or more services provided by the content source are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the advertisement facilitates discovery of the content source by the network multimedia device;accessing, based upon the advertisement, by the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; andinitiating playback of the multimedia content by 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; andconfiguring 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 accessing the multimedia content comprises: accessing 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; andretrieving the specified one or more multimedia files from the content source by the network multimedia device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the multimedia content comprises retrieving the multimedia content via the content source, from a remote source.

10. A network multimedia device, comprising: communications circuitry that communicatively couples the network multimedia device to a content source that hosts multimedia content, via a network;one or more processors, configured to: discover one or more services provided by the content source, wherein the one or more services provided by the content source are advertised over the network using a predetermined protocol;access, using the one or more services, via the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; andcause at least one multimedia playback device to initiate playback of the multimedia content.

11. The network multimedia device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to access the multimedia content based upon a user input to obtain the multimedia content from the content source.

12. The network multimedia device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: establish a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source; andconfigure the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source, based at least in part upon the one or more services.

13. The network multimedia device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: request establishment of the paired relationship, via the network multimedia device, based upon a user input to establish the paired relationship.

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

15. The network multimedia device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to access the multimedia content by: accessing 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; andretrieving the specified one or more multimedia files from the content source by the network multimedia device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing one or more hardware processors 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: receiving, by the network multimedia device, an advertisement of one or more services provided by the content source, wherein the one or more services provided by the content source are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the advertisement facilitates discovery of the content source by the network multimedia device;accessing, based upon the advertisement, by the network multimedia device, the multimedia content from the content source; andinitiating playback of the multimedia content by at least one multimedia playback device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, 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 based upon the user input.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: establishing a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source, based upon the one or more services; andconfiguring the network multimedia device to receive the multimedia content from the content source via the one or more services.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, 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; andestablishing, via the network multimedia device, the paired relationship based upon the user input.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein accessing the multimedia content comprises: accessing 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; andretrieving the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.