Using multiple media players to insert data items into a media stream of a streaming media

An apparatus comprising:

• a processor programmed to implement a browser;
• a communication interface coupled to the processor and used by the processor to:
• receive, from a thin client system included at a web server, a web page, including a playback page, the playback page including multiple instances of a media player controlled by a thin client system;
• transmit to the thin client system, via the playback page, a request for media content;
• receive, at a Content Playback Instance, a tagged content stream from a radio station;
• and
• receive, at a Spot Caching Instance, an untagged content stream from an advertisement server;
• memory operably associated with the processor, and used by the Spot Caching Instance to cache the untagged content stream;
• the processor further configured to:
• detect, at the Content Playback Instance, one or more tags included in the tagged content stream;
• pass control, as directed by the thin client system, from the Content Playback Instance to an Ad Spot Playback instance in response to detecting the one or more tags;
• playback at least a portion of the untagged content stream cached in the memory using the Ad Spot Playback instance;
• and
• pass control, as directed by the thin client system, from the Ad Spot Playback instance to the Content Playback Instance in response to the at least a portion of the untagged content stream having been played back by the Ad Spot Playback instance.

A mobile communications device including web-browsing capabilities, the mobile communications device comprising:

• a processor and memory, the processor programmed to:
• implement a browser configured to receive a web page from a web server, the web page including a playback page including multiple instances of a media player controlled by the web server, the browser programmed to implement a browser cache in at least a portion of the memory;
• implement multiple instances of a media player embedded in the web page, the multiple instances of the media player including:
• a Spot Caching Instance configured to receive and store in the browser cache an untagged content stream from an advertisement server in accordance with directions received from the web server;
• a Content Playback Instance configured to play back and process a tagged content stream from a radio station in accordance with directions received from the web server;
• and
• and an Ad Spot Playback instance configured to obtain the untagged content stream from cache and play back the untagged content stream in accordance with directions received from the web server;
• the Content Playback Instance further configured to:
• detect one or more tags included in the tagged content stream;
• pass control to the Ad Spot Playback instance in response to detecting the one or more tags, as directed by the web server;
• the Ad Spot Playback instance further configured to:
• determine when playback of the untagged content stream is complete;
• and
• pass control back to the Content Playback Instance in response to playback of the untagged content stream being completed, as directed by the web server.