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US 7,496,647 B2Granted
Personal inter-home media exchange network
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorsJeyhan Karaoguz, James D. Bennett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method support the exchange of media between friends, family members, and 3rd party media providers over a closed and secure media exchange network. The media may include, for example, digital video, digital audio, digital images, digital data, or any form of digital information.
Claims31
A system supporting exchange of media, said system comprising:
- a first television in a first home;
- a first storage in the first home that stores the media;
- the first storage supporting consumption of the media by the first television in the first home, and having a first network address with respect to a first user in the first home;
- a user interface displayed on the first television in the first home, the user interface having at least one view comprising a representation of media available for consumption, the user interface supporting delivery of the media to a second home;
- a second television in the second home;
- a second storage supporting consumption of the media by the second television in the second home, and having a second network address with respect to a second user in the second home, wherein the second user is known to the first user;
- a communication network;
- and
- server software that maintains a user defined association of the first and second network addresses and that receives a request that identifies one of the associated first and second network addresses and responds by identifying the other of the associated first and second network addresses to support delivery via the communication network of the media from the first storage to the second home for consumption by the second television.
6 more elements
A system supporting exchange of media, said system comprising:
- a first storage in a first home that stores the media, and having a first protocol address with respect to a first user in the first home;
- a user interface in the first home, the user interface having at least one view comprising a representation of media available for consumption, the user interface supporting delivery of the media from the first storage in the first home to a second home;
- a television in the second home, and having a second protocol address with respect to a second user in the second home, wherein the second user is known to the first user;
- set top box circuitry, in the first home, communicatively coupled to deliver the media from the first storage to the television for consumption;
- a communication network;
- and
- server software that maintains a user defined association of the first and second protocol addresses and that receives a request that identifies one of the associated first and second protocol addresses and responds by identifying the other of the associated first and second protocol addresses to support delivery via the communication network of the media from the first storage to the second television for consumption.
4 more elements
A system supporting exchange of media, said system comprising:
- a first storage in a first home that stores the media;
- a user interface in the first home, the user interface having at least one view comprising a representation of media available for consumption, the user interface supporting delivery of the media from the first storage in the first home to a second home;
- a television in the second home;
- set top box circuitry, in the first home, communicatively coupled to deliver the media from the first storage to the second home for consumption by the television;
- a closed and secure communication network, wherein the media is delivered from the first storage to the second home for consumption by the television via the closed and secure communication network;
- and
- server software that coordinates delivery of the media from the first storage to the set top box circuitry, the server software maintaining a user defined association of first and second network addresses with respect to first and second users, respectively, in the first and second homes, respectively.
4 more elements
A system supporting exchange of media, said system comprising:
- a user interface in a first home, the user interface having at least one view comprising a representation of media available for consumption, the user interface supporting delivery of media from a first storage in the first home to a second home;
- set top box circuitry, in the first home, communicatively coupled to deliver the media from the first storage at the first home, to the second home for consumption by a television;
- and
- software that maintains a user defined association of first and second network addresses with respect to first and second users, respectively, in the first and second homes, respectively, wherein the first and second users know one another, the software receives a request that identifies one of the associated first or second network addresses and responds by identifying the other of the associated first or second network addresses to support delivery via a communication network of media from the first storage in the first home to the second home, for consumption by the television.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.