Abstract:
A digital media device for providing digital media services to a mobile phone is disclosed. In exemplary embodiments, the device includes: a phone memory card that is reversibly deployable to a port of the mobile phone; and a digital media-player application residing on the phone memory card, wherein the combination of the digital media device and the mobile phone is operative to effect a playback of a media file, using the digital media-player application and using at least one of: an operating system; user controls; a visual display system, and an audio system. Optionally, the device further includes: a digital rights-management engine residing on the phone memory card for providing digital rights-management services for at least one media file. Optionally, the device further includes: a media-download engine operative to effect a download of at least one media file into the non-volatile memory.

Description:
[0001]     This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/716,573 filed Sep. 14, 2005, and No. 60/754,421 filed Dec. 29, 2005. 
     
    
     FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for configuring a mobile phone as a portable digital media-player.  
         [0003]     A portable digital media-player (herein referred to as a PDMP) is well-known in the art of consumer electronics, and is typically packaged as a battery-operated portable device. A PDMP typically includes a memory module, audio playback circuitry (for example, including an audio decoder), a communication port, and optionally digital rights-management (DRM) program code.  
         [0004]     A well-known example of such a device is the iPod®, available from Apple® Computer, Inc., Cupertino, Calif. A well-known website for acquiring media for a PDMP is the virtual media store of iTunes®, located at www.apple.com/itunes and managed by Apple® Computer, Inc., Cupertino, Calif.  
         [0005]     A state-of-the-art PDMP, which is typically carried by a user, needs to be charged periodically depending on usage. As most users carry a battery-operated communication device (e.g. a mobile phone) as well, it is useful to have the functionality of a PDMP integrated into a mobile phone. A prior art mobile phone that includes PDMP (e.g. an iPod) functionality is the Rokr E1 phone available from Motorola Inc., Schaumburg, Ill. However, this solution requires the user to have a specific model of a mobile phone, preventing the user from transferring his/her PDMP from one mobile phone to another.  
         [0006]     It would be highly desirable to have a removable PDMP that could be ported (i.e. transferred) from one mobile phone to another. In addition, such a PDMP could employ certain mobile phone resources, for example, the battery, screen, communication functionality, user controls, and audio system.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     According to the present invention, there is provided for the first time a digital media device for providing digital media services to a mobile phone, the device including: (a) a phone memory card that is reversibly deployable to a port of the mobile phone (i.e. to operatively link the memory card to the mobile phone); and (b) a digital media-player application residing on the phone memory card (i.e. an on-board application that is stored in and/or permanently ‘burned’ on read-only non-volatile memory of the memory card), wherein the combination of the digital media device and the mobile phone is operative to effect a playback of a media file, using the digital media-player application (i.e. by executing the digital media-player application) and using at least one of: (i) an operating system of the mobile phone; (ii) user controls of the mobile phone; (iii) a visual display system of the mobile phone, and (iv) an audio system of the mobile phone.  
         [0008]     As used herein, a “portable digital media-player” and “PDMP” refer to a device operative to playback at least audio or video media files. A “combination of the digital media device and the mobile phone” is used herein to refer to a combination in which a phone memory card of a media device is deployed, coupled, or interfaced to the mobile phone via a mobile phone port, for example, a memory slot of the mobile phone. As used herein when an engine (i.e. code engine) or application ‘resides in’ or ‘resides on’ a memory card (or is designated as ‘on-board’), this refers to the case where the engine or application is stored in non-volatile memory of the memory card.  
         [0009]     Although not a requirement, in some embodiments, the residing application or engine (for example, digital media-player application) is stored in read-only non-volatile memory of the memory card. Furthermore, embodiments where the application or engine is stored at least in part in writable (i.e. other than read-only) non-volatile memory are also contemplated by the present inventor.  
         [0010]     The present invention provides systems and methods for using a portable digital media-player in a mobile phone. The present invention teaches a PDMP, with the form factor and functionality of a mobile phone, having a memory card slot and memory card. Mobile phones that are compatible with portable memory cards are well-known in the art. An example is the RS-DV-MMC memory card slot in the Nokia 6680 mobile phone available from Nokia, Finland. Memory cards compatible with this memory card slot are available from M-Systems Ltd., Kefar Saba, Israel.  
         [0011]     According to exemplary embodiments, the presently disclosed memory card digital media device includes storage for media (e.g. image, audio, and video) files, storage for software applications (including DRM and media-player applications configured to run on the processor of a mobile phone), and a DRM key. Furthermore, in exemplary embodiments, the memory card digital media device includes a DRM application or engine configured to communicate with a virtual (i.e. Internet-based) media store, where the DRM application can download media after obtaining authorization using the DRM key. The DRM application is not a required to run, and may be bypassed when downloading media files that do not support DRM (e.g. MP3 files). The media-player application can play media from the storage of the memory card through the audio system of the mobile phone.  
         [0012]     When a user wishes to use the media-player functionality, he/she may, for example, launch the media-player application, which is stored on the memory card, through the existing mobile-phone interface using existing mobile phone controls. Once the user has done so, he/she can operate the application as if he/she was operating a PDMP. For example, in order to play a song, the user browses through a song list, chooses a song to play, and selects the “Play” option through the interface of the mobile-phone operating system using the conventional input methods of the mobile phone. As in the case of a PDMP, the DRM application, in exemplary embodiments, verifies the user&#39;s right to play the song using the DRM key, which is saved on the memory card, and then plays the song.  
         [0013]     When the user moves the PDMP card (i.e. memory card) to another mobile phone, the media-player application becomes available on the operating system of the second mobile phone. Existing operating systems, such as PalmOS® available from PalmSource™, Sunnyvale, Calif., are able to launch the media-player application from the memory card as if the application is stored on the mobile phone&#39;s memory rather than on the memory card. The user&#39;s DRM key is stored on the memory card, and therefore the DRM application is able to validate the user&#39;s right to play media on the second mobile phone. In order to acquire (i.e. buy, rent, or download) a media file, the user connects via the mobile phone, or via a personal computer, to the virtual media store.  
         [0014]     Therefore, according to some embodiments, the digital media-player application is operative to execute under the operating system of the mobile phone when the phone memory card is deployed to the port of the mobile phone.  
         [0015]     According to some embodiments, the digital media-player application is executable by a CPU of the mobile phone when the phone memory card is deployed to the port of the mobile phone.  
         [0016]     According to some embodiments, the port is a mobile phone memory slot.  
         [0017]     According to some embodiments, the memory slot is an MMC memory slot.  
         [0018]     According to some embodiments, the phone memory card is configured to connect to the memory slot using a Secure Digital™ standard.  
         [0019]     According to some embodiments, the combination of the digital media device and the mobile phone is operative to effect an iPOD™ emulation.  
         [0020]     According to some embodiments, the device further includes: (c) a digital rights-management engine (i.e. onboard residing on the memory card) residing on the phone memory card for providing digital rights-management services for at least one media file.  
         [0021]     According to some embodiments, the digital rights-management engine is operative to handle acquisition of digital media rights for at least one media file, wherein the handling includes at least one of: (i) generating a request for digital rights for at least one media file; and (ii) modifying stored digital rights data for at least one media file.  
         [0022]     According to some embodiments, the device further includes: (d) a digital rights by-pass mechanism (i.e. onboard residing on the memory card) invokable upon playback of an unprotected the media file.  
         [0023]     According to some embodiments, the digital media-player application is operative to provide video playback services to the mobile phone so that the playback includes video playback.  
         [0024]     According to some embodiments, the device further includes: (c) a non-volatile memory for storing at least one media file, the non-volatile memory residing on the phone memory card, wherein the digital media-player application is operative to effect the playback of a stored media file stored in the non-volatile memory residing on the phone memory card.  
         [0025]     According to some embodiments, the device further includes: (d) a file-selection user-interface application (i.e. onboard residing on the memory card) residing on the memory card for selecting, using the mobile phone, for playback of at least one of: (i) a local media file stored in the non-volatile memory; and (ii) a remote media file accessible using a communications system of the mobile phone.  
         [0026]     According to some embodiments, the file selection user-interface application is a menu-based application.  
         [0027]     According to some embodiments, the file selection user-interface application is a search-based application.  
         [0028]     According to some embodiments, the device further includes: a media-download engine (i.e. onboard download engine) operative to effect a download, using a communication system of the mobile phone, of at least one media file into the non-volatile memory.  
         [0029]     According to some embodiments, the user controls are configured to control the download engine upon the deployment.  
         [0030]     According to some embodiments, the media-download engine is operative to download digital media-player application code on the phone memory card.  
         [0031]     According to some embodiments, the digital media-player application resides in read-only non-volatile memory of the memory card.  
         [0032]     According to the present invention, there is provided for the first time a method for media playback, the method including the steps of: (a) providing a phone memory card including an on-board digital media-player application; and (b) reversibly deploying the phone memory card to a first mobile phone to configure the first mobile phone as a digital media player for playback of digital media files using the on-board digital media-player application.  
         [0033]     According to some embodiments, the phone memory card includes an on-board digital rights-management application and the deploying is operative to configure the first mobile phone as a digital right-management-enabled-digital media player.  
         [0034]     According to some embodiments, the method further includes the step of: (c) effecting a playback of a first set of at least the digital media file stored in the phone memory card, using at least one of: (i) an operating system of the first mobile phone; (ii) user controls of the first mobile phone; (iii) a visual display system of the first mobile phone, and (iv) an audio system of the first mobile phone.  
         [0035]     According to some embodiments, the method further includes the steps of: (d) disengaging the memory card from the first mobile phone; (e) deploying the memory card to a second mobile phone different from the first mobile phone; and (f) effecting a playback of a second set of at least one the digital media file stored in the phone memory card, using at least one of: (i) an operating system of the second mobile phone; (ii) user controls of the second mobile phone; (iii) a visual display system of the second mobile phone; and (iv) an audio system of the second mobile phone.  
         [0036]     According to some embodiments, the first set and the second set are the same set.  
         [0037]     According to some embodiments, the method further includes the steps of: (d) before the effecting of the playback, carrying out at least one of the following: (i) confirming DRM media rights for digital media playback on the first mobile phone; and (ii) purchasing the DRM media rights using a DRM application residing on the memory card.  
         [0038]     According to some embodiments, the method further includes the step of: (c) effecting a downloading of media files into the phone memory card using a communication system of the first mobile phone and an on-board media-download engine residing on the memory card.  
         [0039]     According to some embodiments, the phone memory card is reversibly-deployable to a second mobile phone to configure the second mobile phone as a digital media player for playback of digital media files using the on-board digital media-player application.  
         [0040]     According to the present invention, there is provided for the first time a system for playing media, the system including: (a) a first mobile phone and a second mobile phone; and (b) a media-player card having a media-player functionality when operationally connected to the mobile phones, the media-player card configured to be transferred from the first mobile phone to the second mobile phone, thereby enabling the media to play on either the mobile phone.  
         [0041]     These and further embodiments will be apparent from the detailed description and examples that follow.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0042]     The present invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0043]      FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram of a PDMP card and the components that the card communicates with, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0044]      FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram of the PDMP card of  FIG. 1  and the components for downloading content into the PDMP card via a personal computer, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0045]      FIG. 3  shows a simplified block diagram of the PDMP card of  FIG. 1  being ported from one mobile phone to another mobile phone, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0046]      FIG. 4  shows a simplified block diagram of the PDMP card of  FIG. 1  obtaining a new media file, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0047]      FIG. 5  is a simplified flowchart showing the process flow for using the PDMP card of  FIG. 1 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0048]     The present invention relates to systems and methods for using a portable digital media-player in a mobile phone. The principles and operation for using a portable digital media-player in a mobile phone, according to the present invention, may be better understood with reference to the accompanying description and the drawings.  
         [0049]     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram of a PDMP card and the components that the card communicates with, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A PDMP card  20 , having a media-download engine  21  and a connector  22 , which connects to a mobile phone  24  (for example, a cellular telephone) via a socket  26  are shown. Connector  22  and socket  26  are configured according to one of the standards for connecting memory cards to mobile phones such as the SD™ (Secure Digital™) standard, defmed by the SD Card Association, San Ramon, Calif.  
         [0050]     Media content can be downloaded to PDMP card  20 , via media-download engine  21 , in several different ways. One way is to connect mobile phone  24  to, and download media content from, a personal computer  28  via known methods such as infra-red or USB cable. A second way is to download content from an MNO  30  (i.e. mobile network operator). MNO  30  may obtain the content in various ways, which includes downloading the content from a private virtual media store  32  or a public virtual media store  34 . A third way is to connect mobile phone  24  to an internet  36  (e.g. the Internet) (either via MNO  30  or directly through communication methods such as Wi-Fi), and download content from public virtual media stores  34 . A PDMP application  37  serves as a fully-functional media player. Media-download engine  21  can also be configured to check for updates of PDMP application  37 , and download such updates to PDMP card  20 .  
         [0051]     When the user inserts PDMP card  20  into mobile phone  24 , PDMP application  37  is visible to the phone&#39;s operating system and the phone&#39;s operating system can enable the user to launch PDMP application  37  that resides on the media-player card  20 . As mentioned above, operating systems, such as PalmOS®, are able to launch PDMP application  37  from PDMP card  20  as if it was stored on the memory of mobile phone  24  rather than on PDMP card  20 . If the user activates PDMP application  37 , the operating system of mobile phone  24  runs PDMP application  37  from PDMP card  20  on the CPU of mobile phone  24 . PDMP application  37 , like any conventional PDMP, offers the user the options to select an item from the local library on PDMP card  20 , or to select an item from virtual media stores  32  or  34  via the communication system of mobile phone  24 , or search for a musical item using conventional search engines.  
         [0052]     Once a song that is not resident on PDMP card  20  is selected, mobile phone  24  connects to the location of that musical item, typically a music store or a peer-to-peer file exchange system, and downloads the musical item to mobile phone  24  or to PDMP card  20 . If this downloading requires clearing DRM rights, PDMP application  37  optionally supports the transaction. In order to playback the musical item, which is now in PDMP card  20  (i.e. stored in non-volatile memory), PDMP application  37  (for example, stored in non-volatile memory of the card  20 ) plays the music from the file on PDMP card  20 . By the same method, a video item can be downloaded and played. If the musical item is protected by a DRM, the protection rules apply, and PDMP application  37  will not play the music beyond the limitation of the license.  
         [0053]     In exemplary embodiments, PDMP Card  20  (and code residing on PDMP card  20 , such as PDMP application  37 ) offers the user (i.e. via an interface of the mobile phone  24 ) basic means for managing the stored multimedia files, such as storing in folders, deleting, renaming etc. In exemplary embodiments, all features traditionally found in PDMPs reside on PDMP card  20 .  
         [0054]     Another method for download media content into PDMP card  20  is shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram of the PDMP card of  FIG. 1  and the components for downloading content into the PDMP card via a personal computer, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, personal computer  28  includes a memory card slot  40  for connecting PDMP card  20  via connector  22 . Once PDMP card  20  is inserted into card slot  40 , content can be downloaded onto PDMP card  20  directly from personal computer  28 , or through various media content sources such as a media player  42  or virtual media stores  32  and  34 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 3  shows a simplified block diagram of the PDMP card of  FIG. 1  being ported from one mobile phone to another mobile phone, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A mobile phone  24 A, having a CPU  44 A and an operating system  46 A, is shown with running applications  48 A that are saved on a memory card inside mobile phone  24 A. PDMP card  20  is inserted into mobile phone  24 A via connector  22  with a socket  26 A of mobile phone  24 A. Operating system  46 A of mobile phone  24 A recognizes the presence of PDMP card  20 , and enables CPU  44 A to select and run applications (namely, PDMP application  37  and a DRM engine  52 ) that reside on PDMP card  20 . In addition, the exemplary PDMP card  20  contains non-volatile storage (for example, flash memory) for storing media files  54  and/or media rights files.  56 .  
         [0056]     In exemplary embodiments, when a user selects a media item to play (i.e. when the code of PDMP application  37  is executed, for example, by CPU  44 ), mobile phone operating system  46 A launches DRM engine  52 , which verifies the DRM rights (via DRM rights files  56 ) of PDMP card  20  based on the media item selected, a card ID  58 , the time/date (obtained from mobile phone  24 A), and the communication method of mobile phone  24 A. In some implementations, if the DRM rights are verified, operating system  46 A then launches PDMP application  37  to play the media, and to update DRM usage data (not shown). The user can, at any time, extract PDMP card  20  from mobile phone  24 A, and connect PDMP card  20  to another mobile phone  24 B (having a CPU  44 B and an operating system  46 B, and configured to run applications  48 B) via connector  22  with a socket  26 B of mobile phone  24 B. Mobile phone  24 B can be any type of mobile phone that is compatible with PDMP card  20 . The system will then behave in the same way, as all files and relevant applications reside on PDMP card  20 . It is noted that if the user selects media files that do not support DRM (e.g. MP3 files), then DRM engine  52  is bypassed.  
         [0057]      FIG. 4  shows a simplified block diagram of the PDMP card of  FIG. 1  obtaining a new media file, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. PDMP card  20  is connected to mobile phone  24  (having a CPU  44  and an operating system  46 , and configured to run applications  48 ) via connector  22  with socket  26 . The user launches a mode for purchasing new media in DRM engine  52  on PDMP card  20 . DRM engine  52  then connects mobile phone  24  via MNO  30  to private virtual media store  32  (that is accessible only through MNO  30 ), or connects mobile phone  24  via MNO  30  or via internet  36  to a public media store  34 , where the user can select, purchase rights to use, and download new media. As mentioned above, DRM engine  52  only runs when DRM-supported media are selected.  
         [0058]      FIG. 5  is a simplified flowchart showing the process flow for using the PDMP card of  FIG. 1 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A user deploys the PDMP card  20  to mobile phone  24  (e.g. inserts PDMP card  20  into mobile phone  24 ) (Step  60 ), and mobile phone  24  detects the presence of PDMP card  20  (Step  62 ). The user then uses the phone interface to browse through the files and applications residing on PDMP card  20 . The user can launch any application from PDMP card  20  detected with mobile phone  24  that is compatible with mobile phone  24  (Step  64 ). The user then selects whether he/she wants to run PDMP application  37  (Step  66 ).  
         [0059]     In one example, if the user does not run PDMP application  37 , he/she can choose between purchasing new media files from a media store (Step  68 ), managing the existing media files (e.g. delete, rename, move into a different directory) (Step  70 ). If the user chooses to purchase new media, media-download engine  21  and DRM engine  52  launch (Step  72 ). If the user chooses to manage the existing media files, a file-selection user-interface application launches (Step  74 ). If the user does not choose either of these options, the process ends (Step  76 ). If the user selects to play media files after running PDMP application  37  (Step  78 ), a menu of available media items is presented to the user so he/she can choose which media files to play (Step  80 ).  
         [0060]     As illustrated in the flowchart, for each media file selected (Step  82 ), the DRM rights of the media files are checked by PDMP application  37  (Step  84 ), confirmed, and if necessary, updated (Step  86 ). If there are no DRM rights to play the media file, the user can choose another file (Step  80 ), or select to purchase rights to this (or other) media (Step  68 ), or exit the system (Step  76 ). Once the DRM rights have been established (Step  86 ), the media file can be played (Step  88 ), after which the user can choose to exit PDMP application  37  (Step  90 ). As mentioned above, if media files that do not support DRM are selected, then the checking and updating of DRM rights are skipped (Steps  84  and  86 ).  
         [0061]     According to the examples described above, all applications are running from PDMP card  20  on CPU  44  of mobile phone  24 , with the screen and keypad (both not shown) of mobile phone  24  serving as the user interface. When the use of the PDMP functionality is terminated, PDMP card  20  stores any updated media files  54  and DRM rights files  56 . Thus, if the user is transferring PDMP card  20  to another compatible phone, the use of the files and applications can be resumed.  
         [0062]     While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications, and other applications of the invention may be made.