The present invention relates to removable storage devices and, more particularly, to direct access removable media that include writable media.
Audio, video or text content is often stored on removable media that can be moved from one player to another. In many scenarios the user may wish to interrupt consuming a piece of content on one player and resume consumption on another player. For example, one may start listening to a recorded story in his/her car and end listening at home. Similarly, one may wish to view part of a training video at home and see the rest in the office.
Removable media can be categorized into three main groups: tapes, disks (magnetic or optical), and nonvolatile solid state memories. Tapes are sequential by nature, while disks and nonvolatile memories offer random access, i.e. the ability to access directly any segment within the content stored on the medium without passing through other segments. While tape users suffer from the hassle of rewinding and fast-forwarding, they benefit from a unique advantage: when a tape is moved from one player to another, it is positioned exactly at the point of interruption, allowing seamless transition between the first and second sessions. A disk or a solid-state memory, on the other hand, may have the hosting player maintaining the point of interruption as long as it stays in the player, but this point is lost when the medium is removed from the player, thus requiring the user to write down the coordinates of the point of interruption or to browse through the content in order to find this point when the medium is inserted for another session of playback, at same or another player.
There is thus a need to assist users of a random-access removable medium in resuming consumption of content from the point of interruption, even after removal of the medium from the player.
By “content” is meant a digital form of text, audio and/or video data to be “consumed” or “played”, i.e. read, listened to and/or viewed, by a “user”. A “content piece”, also abbreviated a “piece”, is a unit of content that most users desire to consume in its entirety, even if in parts. Examples of a content piece include an electronic book, a movie, an audio story, a symphony, and an educational lecture.
A “segment” is an atomic part of a content piece that can be accessed by its “address”. For example, a video movie or a symphony can be thought of as divided into 1-second segments, addressed by counting the playing time in seconds from the beginning of the piece. Alternative segmentation and addressing paradigms relate to the way the media storage is organized in physical and logical blocks and are well known in the art.
By “playing in parts” or “consuming in parts” is meant consuming a content piece within two or more “sessions”; in the case of playing in parts, content consumption is “interrupted” and later “resumed” from the point of interruption or close to that point. By “bookmark value” is meant a record of the point of interruption. By “bookmark storage” is meant a storage area or storage device for keeping such a record.
By “random access removable medium”, also abbreviated “removable medium” or “medium”, is meant a storage device for non-volatile storage of content, based on magnetic, solid-state, optical or any equivalent storage technology, that allows direct access to selectable segments within the content. Magnetic and optical disks and flash memories are examples of random access removable media, while magnetic tapes are an example of storage that does not support random access and will therefore be excluded from the present discussion.
By “player” is meant a device for inserting removable media therein and employing a user interface for playing the content. Examples include a DVD or CD player, a personal computer, and a portable music or video player that receives a flash memory storage device that is preloaded with content.
The present invention seeks to provide systems and functionalities to allow seamless consumption in parts of a content piece. Thus, a user may insert a random access removable medium containing the content piece into a player, play part of the content, remove the medium from the player, and then insert the medium in the same player or a different player to resume consumption from the point of interruption or close to this point.
Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a storage medium, adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to any one of at least one player of content stored in the storage medium, each of the at least one player including a user interface for starting and stopping the playing of the content, the storage medium including: (a) a content storage portion for storing the content; and (b) a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value of the content in accordance with the stopping of the playing via the user interface.
Furthermore, according to the present invention there is provided a storage medium, adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to a player of content stored in the storage medium, the storage medium including: (a) a content storage portion for storing the content; (b) a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value of the content; and (c) a controller for providing the content to the player in accordance with the bookmark value in response to a request for the content from the player and for storing the bookmark value in response to the player ceasing to play the content.
Furthermore, according to the present invention there is provided a system including: (a) at least one player for playing content, each at least one player including a user interface for starting and stopping the playing; and (b) a storage medium, adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to any one of the at least one player, the storage medium including: (i) a content storage portion for storing the content, and (ii) a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value of the content in accordance with the stopping of the playing via the user interface.
Furthermore, according to the present invention there is provided a player, of content that is stored in a storage medium along with a bookmark value, the player including: (a) a user interface for presenting the content to a user of the player, the user interface supporting at least one user command that defines an ending segment of the content; (b) a medium interface for reversibly operationally connecting the player to the storage medium; and (c) a processor for receiving the content and the bookmark value from the storage medium via the medium interface, for providing the content to the user interface starting at a starting segment of the content selected in accordance with the bookmark value, and for setting the bookmark value in accordance with the ending segment.
Furthermore, according to the present invention there is provided a player, of content that is stored in a storage medium along with a bookmark value and code for playing the content, the player including: (a) a user interface for presenting the content to a user of the player, the user interface supporting at least one user command that defines an ending segment of the content; (b) a medium interface for reversibly operationally connecting the player to the storage medium; and (c) a processor for: (i) receiving the content, the bookmark value and the code from the storage medium via the medium interface, and (ii) executing the code, thereby providing the content to the user interface starting at a starting segment of the content selected in accordance with the bookmark value and setting the bookmark value in accordance with the ending segment.
Furthermore, according to the present invention there is provided a method of playing content, including the steps of: (a) storing the content in a storage medium; (b) reversibly operationally connecting the storage medium to a first player; (c) selecting an ending segment of the content, using the first player; and (d) storing a bookmark value in the storage medium in accordance with the ending segment.
Furthermore, according to the present invention there is provided a method of playing content, including the steps of: (a) storing both the content and a bookmark value in a storage medium; (b) requesting the content, by a player, independently of the bookmark value; (c) selecting a starting segment of the content in accordance with the bookmark value, by the storage medium; and (d) receiving the content, starting from the starting segment, by the player.
One basic storage medium of the present invention is adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to any player from a set of such players for playing content that is stored in the storage medium. Each player has a user interface for starting and stopping the playing of the content. The storage medium includes a content storage portion for storing the content and a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value of the content in accordance with the stopping of the playing via the user interface. Preferably, only the player to which the storage medium is operationally connected, and not the storage medium, is operative to store the bookmark value in the bookmark storage portion of the storage medium.
The content storage portion may be permanent (i.e., read-only, as in a typical CD or DVD), recordable (i.e., a “write once” medium as in a recordable CD-R), or rewritable (as in a flash disk or a CD-RW). The bookmark storage portion preferably is rewritable or recordable.
Preferably, the storage medium includes a code storage portion for storing code that the player to which the storage medium is operationally connected executes to play the content. Most preferably, the code is for playing the content in accordance with the bookmark value.
Preferably, the storage medium includes an interface for reversibly operationally connecting the storage medium to one of the players. Most preferably, the storage medium also includes a controller for providing the content to the interface in accordance with the bookmark value.
Another basic storage medium of the present invention also is adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to a player for playing content that is stored in the storage medium. The storage medium includes a content storage portion for storing content, a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value, and a controller for providing the content to the player in accordance with the bookmark value and in response to a request for the content from the player, and for storing the bookmark value in response to the player ceasing to play the content. Preferably, only the controller, and not the player, stores the bookmark value in the bookmark storage portion of the storage medium, and only the controller, and not the player, reads the bookmark value from the bookmark storage portion of the storage medium.
The scope of the present invention, with regard to the storage media of the present invention, specifically excludes known prior art mp3 players that store both content and bookmarks. Such an mp3 player is operative to be connected e.g. to a stereo system. The content of the mp3 player then is played on the stereo system. Such a mp3 player therefore can be construed as including a storage medium for content that is played on the stereo system. The first basic storage medium of the present invention is distinguished from these prior art mp3 players by the bookmark being set in accordance with an action taken using the user interface of the player, i.e., stopping the playing via the user interface. The second basic storage medium of the present invention also is distinguished from these prior art mp3 players by the bookmark being set in response to an action taken by the player, i.e., the player ceasing to play the content. This is in contrast to these prior art mp3 players, which manage their bookmarks themselves, without direction from the stereo system, and for which the stereo system is a passive recipient of the content.
A system of the present invention includes one or more players of the content, each player with a user interface for starting and stopping the playing, and also the first storage medium of the present invention. Preferably, only the player to which the storage medium is operationally connected is operative to store the bookmark value in the bookmark storage section of the storage medium. Preferably, the storage medium includes a code storage portion for storing code for playing the content and the player includes a processor for executing that code.
One basic player of the present invention, for playing content that is stored in a storage medium along with a bookmark value, includes a user interface for presenting the content (e.g., visually and/or aurally) to a user, a medium interface for reversibly operationally connecting the player to the storage medium, and a processor that receives the content and the bookmark value from the storage medium via the medium interface and provides the content to the user interface starting at a starting segment that is selected in accordance with the bookmark value. The user interface supports at least one user command that define(s) an ending segment of the content. The processor then is operative to set the bookmark value in accordance with the ending segment. Usually, the user command(s) that define the ending segment of the content has/have (a) different primary purpose(s). Typical such user commands include a “stop play” command entered by pressing a “stop” button on the user interface, a “pause play” command entered by pressing a “pause” button on the user interface, and/or an “eject storage medium” command entered by pressing an “eject” button on the user interface.
Preferably, the player also includes a memory for storing code that the processor executes to provide the content to the user interface starting at the starting segment.
Another basic player of the present invention, for playing content that is stored in a storage medium along with a bookmark value and code for playing the content, includes a user interface for presenting the content to a user, a medium interface for reversibly operationally connecting the player to the storage medium, and a processor that receives the content, the bookmark value and the code from the storage medium via the medium interface and that executes the code to present the content to the user interface starting at a starting segment that is selected in accordance with the bookmark value. As in the case of the first basic player of the present invention, the user interface supports at least one user command that define(s) an ending segment of the content. The processor executes the code to set the bookmark value in accordance with the ending segment.
According to one basic method of the present invention, for playing content, the content is stored in a storage medium. The storage medium is reversibly operationally connected to a first player. An ending segment of the content is selected, using the first player. A bookmark value then is stored in the storage medium in accordance with the ending segment.
Typically, the first player plays the content, preferably only until the ending segment is played. Preferably, code that is executed by the first player to play the content also is stored in the storage medium. Most preferably, the execution of the code is initiated by the reversible operational connection of the storage medium to the first player.
Preferably, the storing of the bookmark value sets the bookmark value so that subsequent playing of the content starts from the segment that is related to the ending segment, for example from the segment immediately following the ending segment or from a segment that precedes the ending segment in a predetermined manner. In this context, the segments are assumed to be ordered cyclically, so that if the ending segment is the last segment of the content, then the bookmark value is set so that subsequent playing of the content starts from the first segment of the content.
Also preferably, the storage medium is operationally disconnected from the first player and then reversibly operationally connected, either back to the first player or to a second player. A starting segment of the content is selected in accordance with the bookmark value, and the content is played by the player to which the storage medium now is operationally connected, starting from the starting segment.
According to another basic method of the present invention, for playing content, the content is stored along with a bookmark value in a storage medium. A player requests the content from the storage medium, independently of the bookmark value. That the request for the content is “independent” of the bookmark value means that the player is ignorant of the bookmark value and is merely requesting from the storage medium whatever content the storage medium is adapted to provide. The storage medium selects a starting segment of the content in accordance with the bookmark value and then provides the content to the player starting from the starting segment. Preferably, the player then plays the content starting from the starting segment.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention is of a random access storage medium that provides for bookmarking the content stored thereon, a method of its use, and an associated system. Specifically, the present invention can be used to interrupt consumption of content stored on a random access medium and to resume consumption from the point of interruption.
The principles and operation of a storage medium according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.
Reference is made to
It will be appreciated that when player 130 receives medium 110, user commands that relate to or affect bookmark storage portion 120, such as start or stop playing, respectively, are entered at user interface 145.
As is described below, the bookmark value in bookmark storage portion 120 of
Reference is made to
The procedures illustrated in
It will be appreciated that step 254 of
It will be appreciated that flash memories are inherently not structured as conventional mass storage devices, and require a programmed controller in order to emulate a common mass storage device. Such programming is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,485 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,168, both to Ban, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,354 to Ban et al., all incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, U.S. patent application publication 2004/0073727 by Moran et al., filed on 11 Oct. 2002 and incorporated herein by reference, describes how the programmed controller of a flash memory is further enhanced to serve as a file system interface, i.e., to understand and manage a standard file system with respect to the files stored within that flash memory. The teachings of the above patents, as well as knowledge common in the art with respect to the design of players for accessing data files stored on mass storage devices, support the design of controller 322 to perform the procedure of
Reference is now made to
It will be appreciated that under the procedure of
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/537,675, filed Jan. 15, 2004.
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