# US 2014/0156791 A1 · A microprocessor based system for providing a media player with access to remotely-stored digital media content

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- Number: US 2014/0156791 A1
- Document ID: US20140156791A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/008,829
- Filed: 2012-04-02
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2011-04-01
- Assignees: Omnifone Limited
- Inventors: Philip Anthony Sant; Mark Stephen Knight; Simon Black
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156791A1

## CPC

- H04L 41/509: {wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV}
- G06F 16/196: {Specific adaptations of the file system to access devices and non-file objects via standard file system access operations, e.g. pseudo file systems (dedicated interfaces to storage systems G06F3/0601)}
- G06F 16/3346: {using probabilistic model}
- G06F 16/44: Browsing; Visualisation therefor
- G06Q 30/0603: {Catalogue creation or management}
- H04L 65/612: for unicast
- H04N 21/41407: {embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57)}
- H04N 21/4181: {for conditional access}
- H04N 21/4182: {for identification purposes, e.g. storing user identification data, preferences, personal settings or data (restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code in combination with an additional device, e.g. dongle or smart card G06F21/123)}
- H04N 21/4183: {providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding}
- H04N 21/4184: {providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick}
- H04N 21/43615: {Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals (home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805)}
- H04N 21/43637: {involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114)}
- H04N 21/6131: {involving transmission via a mobile phone network (wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006)}
- H04N 21/6181: {involving transmission via a mobile phone network (arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004)}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A microprocessor based system provides a media player with access to remotely-stored digital media content and/or its associated metadata. The system is capable of accessing the content, so that the media player is provided, by the system, with a suitable interface, accessible by that media player, for interacting with the content. The system may be packaged as a USB memory stick and can be inserted into, for example, a PC running a legacy media player with no intrinsic ability to access remotely stored content. The PC can in this way be enabled to access the remote content.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A microprocessor based system for providing a media player with access to remotely-stored digital media content and/or its associated metadata (collectively, the “content”) whereby (a) the system is capable of accessing the content; (b) the media player is provided, by the system, with a suitable interface, accessible by that media player, for interacting with the content.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the media player is connected to a network, the media player is not connected to a network or the media player is intermittently connected to a network.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the suitable interface presented to the media player consists of one or more of the following, or some combination thereof:
a USB connection, and related technologies, such as mini-USB and micro-USB connections of whatever version, whether or not presented as a Mass Storage Interface to the media player;
a Wireless USB connection;
a Secure Digital card connection or similar technology, such as an SDHC card, a MicroSD card, a MiniSD card, a Memory Stick or an SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output) card;
a wireless connection to the media player, utilising WiFi, BlueTooth, a Wireless LAN or other wireless connections;
an Ethernet cable;
an eSATA connection;
a mobile media player connection such as an iPod™ or iPhone™ hub or any other appropriate connection;
a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) capable interface;
a DVI (Digital Video Interface) connection;
a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connection;
an infra-red or other non-visible light based interface;
an IEEE 1394 (“FireWire™”, “i.Link™”, “Lynx™) interface;
a smart card connection, such as an RFID interface or related wired or wireless technologies;
any NFC (Near Field Communication) technologies, such as an RFID interface or related wireless technologies;
any other mechanism which may be used to provide a communications facility between the system and the media player.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the suitable interface presented to the media player includes a coaxial aerial connector or an audio input terminal or any other suitable connection, whether analogue or digital.

### Claim 5

(canceled)

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the selection as to which interface(s) to present to the media player is made automatically based on the capabilities of the media player—whether those capabilities are detected by the system or retrieved via a lookup of the media player's capabilities based on identifying information about the media player, however obtained or retrieved—or by any other suitable criteria.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system accesses the content via one or more of: a direct connection, a wireless connection, such as wifi; a wireless network; a mobile network; an internet connection; 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, EDGE, Wifi, wireless LAN access, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g, LTE (3GPP Long Term Evolution), LTE Advanced or any mechanism which provides communications via any other wired or wireless communications protocol or method.

### Claim 8

(canceled)

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the selection as to which method of connectivity to use by the system to access the content is determined automatically based on connection strength, tariff costs, location, connection speed or by any other suitable criteria.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system houses or otherwise utilises one or more active SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards to permit the system to authenticate to a mobile network and so make use of the MNO's (Mobile Network Operator) data connectivity.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system houses or utilises multiple SIM cards and switches between different mobile network operators, whether that switching is performed manually, at user instigation or automatically, based on location, tariffs or any other considerations.

### Claim 12

(canceled)

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the content is made available via a digital media content subscription service AND the system is capable of registering or logging into that service if required.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system accesses and/or maintains subscription information and/or digital media content entitlements for the user or users of the system with regard to the service or services with which the system is registered and/or connected to.

### Claim at position 15

15-16. (canceled)

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system allows synchronisation, whether manual or automatic, between the user's preferences and/or any other associated metadata on the system and in the digital media catalogue.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the online connectivity provided by the system is made available to the media player and/or to the system for other purposes, such as social networking functions and web browsing, whether generally or only to specifically authorised applications.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system contains a protected and/or encrypted store, used to hold one or more of: DRM licences and keys, system configuration settings, system registration details, system bindings, digital media catalogue licensing or subscription files and any other files which are deemed either to be sensitive as to their content or non-useful to be visible to the end user or which are stored in that protected store for any other reason.

### Claim 20

(canceled)

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system acts as a proxy or a protocol mediation proxy between one or more online digital media collections and the media player to which the system is connected.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein content—including digital media content, any associated metadata, social networking data or any other retrieved data, as required—is cached for future use, whether cached directly on the system or on some suitable alternative, such as Network Attached Storage or the media player.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein cached data is used to provide the system with access to content and/or associated metadata when “offline” (when online connectivity is unavailable), such as when travelling on some planes and underground railways or when connectivity is disabled, whether manually or automatically.

### Claim 24 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system intelligently reclaims storage space by identifying that content which was least-recently accessed/played and/or which the user (or his/her associated community, whether via social network rating or otherwise) has rated as being least popular and then deleting, archiving (moving to a separate storage system) or overwriting such media in order to utilise its storage space for more recently requested metadata or files.

### Claim 25 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the media player communicates with the system via an Application Programming Interface (API) provided by the system to the media player for that purpose.

### Claim at position 25

26-38. (canceled)

### Claim 39 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a portable, personal device.

### Claim 40 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system microprocessor is not dedicated to the system but used by other processes or modules that are unrelated to the system.

### Claim 41 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 which is self-contained in so far as it has own dedicated microprocessor and operating system.

### Claim 42 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 which is adapted to operate with the media player, in which the media player has no intrinsic ability to access remotely stored content.

### Claim 43 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 which is adapted to operate with the media player, in which the media player has no intrinsic ability to access remotely stored content and is a legacy third party media player.

### Claim 44

(canceled)

### Claim 45 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 which is packaged as a USB memory stick.