Network media device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9448683-B2
Application number	US-201313869238-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2013
Priority date	Jun 4, 2004
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of configuring a network multimedia device to receive multimedia content from a content source, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are coupled via at least one network, method comprising:
at a content source:
discovering one or more services provided by a network multimedia device coupled to the content source through at least one network, wherein the one or more services provided by the network multimedia device are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the one or more services are associated with at least one multimedia playback device coupled to the network multimedia device; and
accepting user input to establish a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source is exclusive.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
presenting 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; and
transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

4. The method of claim further comprising:
presenting one or more multimedia libraries that may be synchronized with the network multimedia device, each multimedia library containing one or more multimedia files;
accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device; and
synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:
accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device further comprises specifying one or more synchronization parameters; and
synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device further comprises communicating with the network multimedia device to copy one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device and delete one or more multimedia files from the network multimedia device according to the specified synchronization parameters.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device comprises automatically synchronizing in response to one or more predetermined events.

7. A non-transitory memory storage device having instructions stored thereon for causing a programmable processor unit to perform a method of configuring a network multimedia device to receive multimedia content from a content source, wherein the network multimedia device and the content source are coupled via at least one network, the method comprising:
at a content source:
discovering one or more services provided by a network multimedia device coupled to the content source through at least one network, wherein the one or more services provided by the network multimedia device are advertised on the at least one network using a predetermined protocol, wherein the one or more services are associated with at least one multimedia playback device coupled to the network multimedia device; and
accepting user input to establish a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the content source.

8. A method of configuring a network multimedia device to receive multimedia content from at least one content source, wherein the network multimedia device and the at least one content source are coupled via at least one network,
the method comprising:
at a network multimedia device:
discovering on at least one network one or more services provided by at least one content source coupled to the network multimedia device through at least one network, wherein the one or more services provided by the at least one content source are advertised on the at least one network by the at least one content source using a predetermined protocol; and
accepting user input at the network multimedia device to establish a paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the at least one content source,
wherein the establishment of the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the at least one content source causes the network multimedia device to stop advertising one or more services provided by the network multimedia device on the at least one network.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the paired relationship between the network multimedia device and the at least one content source is exclusive.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
presenting a representation of each of the at least one content sources, each of the at least one content sources having 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; and
transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein transferring the specified one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device comprises streaming the one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
presenting a representation of each of the at least one content sources, each of the at least one content sources having one or more multimedia libraries that may be synchronized with the network multimedia device, each multimedia library containing one or more multimedia files;
accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device; and
synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:
accepting user input specifying which of the one or more multimedia libraries are to be synchronized with the network multimedia device further comprises specifying one or more synchronization parameters; and
synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device further comprises copying one or more multimedia files to the network multimedia device and deleting one or more multimedia files from the network multimedia device according to the specified synchronization parameters.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein synchronizing between the specified one or more multimedia libraries and the network multimedia device comprises automatically synchronizing in response to one or more predetermined events.

15. A non-transitory memory storage device having instructions stored thereon for causing a programmable processor unit to perform a method of configuring a network multimedia device to receive multimedia content from at least one content source, wherein the network multimedia device and the at least one content source are coupled via at least one network, the method comprising:
at a network multimedia device:
discovering on at least one network one or more services provided by at least one content source coupled to the network multimedia device through at least one network, wherein the one or more services provided by the at least one content source are advertised on the at least one network by the at least

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Robbin Jeffrey L
• Heller David

Classifications

• G06F3/048 Primary

  Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• H04L67/06

  specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP] · CPC title

• H04L65/4092

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L49/604

  Hybrid IP/Ethernet switches · CPC title

• H04L12/66 Primary

  Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways · CPC title