Method and system for providing persistent media across web pages using only browser plug-ins

A method and system for providing persistent media across Web pages using only browser plug-ins. Media selected through a Web browser can play in a way that is embedded in the content, but the media can continue to play while Web pages transition. The content providers benefit from the flexibility of content use, while the user can enjoy playing media without interruptions. The media can stop persisting when the content provider so chooses.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to media play back methods, and more particularly, to providing persistent media across web pages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Web browsers pervade computers, including consumer devices. With the proliferation of available content on the Internet, there is increasing need for media access from Web pages.

One conventional approach to media access from Web pages is a fire and forget method. This method provides the media in a Web server and starts a media player when a corresponding link on a Web page is clicked. The media runs in a separate application independent of the Web page. However, this is not a desirable consumer experience because the media being played in the separate application is not integrated and tied to the related information in the Web browser.

Another conventional approach to media access from Web pages is an embedded window method. In this method, the accessed media is embedded in a Web browser window using a plug-in. When the media-related Web page loads, the plug-in creates a window in the Web browser and plays the media in that window. If the user clicks a link to another page, the plug-in and window are removed and the media stops. However, this provides a very poor user experience because the media cannot persist across many similar pages.

Another conventional approach to media access from Web pages involves a framed window method. This method uses the aforementioned embedded window method to play the media, but places it in a separate frame. Since it is in a separate window, the media can continue to play. However, this method is undesirable because it requires reserving an area of the screen (e.g., a corner or top/bottom) for the media playback, and makes it difficult to allocate more than just a corner of the screen.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method and system for providing persistent media across Web pages using only browser plug-ins. Accordingly, media selected through a Web browser can play in a way that is embedded in the content, but the media can continue to play while Web pages transition.

An embodiment of media playback system for providing persistent media across Web pages according to the present invention, comprises: a browser component that interfaces to a Web browser; a media playback component that interfaces to an underlying media module; wherein the browser component communicates media requests from a Web page to the media playback component via a channel, such that the media playback component plays the requested media into an assigned window.

When the Web page changes to a new Web page, the media playback component continues to play the requested media such that media playback persists across two or more Web page changes. The browser component comprises a media object plug-in in the Web browser that connects with the media playback component. The media object plug-in connects with the media playback component and passes the media request and assigned window information to the media playback component. In one example, the browser component comprises a browser plug-in (which has a window in the web page).

When the Web page is changed to a new Web page, the media playback component continues to play the requested media. And, when the new Web page is loaded into the Web browser, the new Web page includes a media object with the same media source as the previous Web page. Further, when the new Web page is loaded into the Web browser, a media object plug-in for the new Web page reconnects to the media playback component and passes the media request and assigned window information to the media playback component.

The media playback component further awaits a timeout, such that if the media object plug-in of the new Web page reconnects to the media playback component before the timeout expires, the media playback component continues to play the requested media. If the media object plug-in of the new Web page does not reconnect to the media playback component before the timeout expires, the media playback component stops the requested media playback. The requested media needs to be the same as the requested media for the previous Web page.

When the Web page changes to a new Web page, the media playback component checks for the persistence flag, such that if the persistence flag is set, the media playback component continues to play the requested media. The media playback component continues to play the requested media across multiple new Web page changes as long as the persistence flag is set for each prior Web page.

As such, the content providers can benefit from the flexibility of content use, while the user can enjoy playing media without interruptions. Lastly, the media can stop persisting when the content provider so chooses, rather than conventional approaches where the application can persist indefinitely.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Conventionally, playing media in a web page only lasts the duration of the web page. However, in the consumer space, media can often play independent of the information on screen. As a result, there has been a need for playing media in Web pages that can persist after a web page has changed.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method and system for providing persistent media across Web pages using only browser plug-ins. Accordingly, media selected through a Web browser can play in a way that is embedded in the content, but the media can continue to play while Web pages transition. In the description herein, content comprises the web page, media is the audio/video playing in the web page. Content is in e.g. HTML, while media is Audio/Visual (A/V) form.

As such, the content providers can benefit from the flexibility of content use, while the user can enjoy playing media without interruptions. Lastly, the media can stop persisting when the content provider so chooses, rather than conventional approaches where the application can persist indefinitely.

FIG. 1Ashows a functional architecture of an example network10, such as a local network (e.g., home network), embodying aspects of the present invention. As such, the network10provides persistent media across Web pages on the Internet50using only browser plug-ins, according to the present invention. The network10comprises a PC20, a media player21which may include content, content storage22, multimedia device23, consumer electronic (CE) devices30(e.g., TV, cell phone, PDA, etc.) which may include content, and interconnect40that connects the network10to the Internet50.

Referring to the example functional diagram inFIG. 1Band the example flowchart200inFIG. 2, a method of providing persistent media across web pages using only browser plug-ins, according to an embodiment of the present invention, in network10is now described.

A media playback support system100(FIG. 1B) for a particular device, (e.g., a Digital TV, PDA, mobile tablet, etc.) comprises two functional components. The first functional component comprises a browser component102(e.g., running on PC20inFIG. 1A), which interfaces to a Web browser104(e.g., running on PC20inFIG. 1A) using a communication (connection) process. InFIG. 1B, an example is shown wherein an instance of the browser component102comprises a plug-in106for a Web page108. In the browser component102, any form of interface to the Web browser104can be used (e.g., some browsers support ‘extensions’). The browser component102interfaces to the Web browser104and provides a means for a script language (e.g., Javascript) to run in the web page to call functions of a Javascript object representing the media in HTML which is an instance of the plug-in106. The browser plug-in106has a window in the web page108.

The second functional component comprises a media playback component110(e.g., media player21inFIG. 1A) that communicates with the underlying media software module (e.g., devices22,23inFIG. 1A). In integrated implementations, the media playback component110can comprise the underlying media codecs/drivers, etc. There media playback component uses underlying libraries, codecs, to achieve and control AV playback.

In the following, the establishment and re-establishment of the communication channel112between the functional components102and110is further described.

The two functional components102,110operate as separate components in the system and communicate through a communication channel interface112. One example implementation is to operate each of the functional components102,110in a separate operating system (OS) process, and setup a communication channel (e.g., UNIX, RTOS Inter-Process Communication (IPC), etc.) between the two functional components102,110.

As noted, the browser component102communicates with the Web browser104and provides a means for a script language (e.g., Javascript) to run in the web page to call functions of Javascript object representing the media in HTML which is an instance of the plug-in106. One example of this is the API that a plug-in106can support for a media object plug-in in a Web browser. In the example ofFIG. 1B, in addition to the normal interface APIs such as Play( ), the browser component102, instantiated as the plug-in106, provides two extra functions with APIs: setPersistent( ) and persistenceTimeout( ). The persistenceTimeout( )function is optional and can be hardwired in the browser component102. The setPersistent( ) function allows the web content provider's Javascript code to inform the Web browser104that the media running in the embedded media object should persist when the web page (i.e., content), is changed (e.g., after a user clicks on a link).

When a first web page containing media content is created by a user browsing (step202), the web browser creates an instance of the browser component102(i.e., plug-in106which has a window in the web page108) for media playback in the web page (step204). Once created, the plug-in106connects to the media playback-component110which is already running in the background and informs the media playback component110of the identify of window into which the media playback component110must process (e.g., decode, render, play the media) the media (step206). The communication between the plug-in106and the media playback component110is performed through the aforementioned communication channel112.

As the user uses the web page, the plug-in106communicates with the media playback component110to pass on information on what media to play and what location on the screen the media object (e.g., Javascript object in the HTML representing the A/V) is currently located to e.g. allow for scrolling through a page (step208). This information is kept in the media playback component110as a system state114(step210). Using this state information the media playback component110renders/plays the media into an assigned window102and updates the window102as the Web page is scrolled (step212). The assigned window is identified in step208above by the plug-in106which passes the window ID down the channel112to the media component110. In this example, the ID of the assigned window102is passed around the time when the browser component102(e.g., plug-in106) and the media playback component110connect.

If the setPersistent( ) function was specified (i.e., persistentFlag is set) by the author of the web page108, when the Web page108is changed to a new Web page, the media playback component110continues to play the media (step214). Accordingly, when the new Web page is loaded into the Web browser104, that new Web page also contains a media object with the same media source information (i.e., the URL in the HTML that indicates the URL to pull on for the AV) as the previous Web page108for the AV to persist. When the new Web page is created, as before, a new plug-in106component re-connects to the media playback component110and passes the location information (e.g., window ID, window positions, etc) and said source information, to the media component110(step216).

Meanwhile, the media playback component110waits for a timeout (step220). If the plug-in106of the next/new Web page reconnects to the media playback component110before the timeout expires, the media playback component110continues to play/render the media and synchronizes with the information (e.g., window location, position update, etc.) of the plug-in106(step222).

If the timeout expires before the reconnect, the media playback component110stops the media playback since it is assumed that the next/new Web page failed for some reason, or a programming error on the web page left the persistent flag active (i.e., persistentFlag is set), but went to a page containing different or no media (step226). Note that the setPersistent( ) call is best used by the Javascript when a link is clicked by a user. For example, when a link is clicked, this causes the Javascript to call setPersistent( ), whereby media playback is only persistent when the user navigates in certain directions.

Media playback may persist across multiple Web page changes, as long as the persistentFlag is set for each prior web page.

Back in step214, if the persistentFlag is not set, when the web page is changed the plug-in106sends a stop command to the media playback component110as it shuts down during the Web page cleanup phase of the web page transition (step215).

An alternate embodiment according to the present invention, is for information such as position information to be communicated back from the media playback component110to the plug-in component106to display a progress bar on the screen. As such many types of bi-directional information may be communicated between the browser component102and the media playback component110.

The present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof; however, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.