Patent Publication Number: US-2007124331-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for the seamless delivery of content

Description:
BACKGROUND  
      The invention relates generally to the “podcasting” of content and more particularly to a method and apparatus for facilitating the seamless delivery of the content.  
      “Podcasting” describes the process of distributing content to user devices such as personal computers, portable computers, personal digital assistants, wireless phones, portable digital audio players or other electronic devices capable of receiving, storing and playing back content. Audio and video content files may be distributed via the Internet to a user device that can then digest the content of the downloaded file. The user may subscribe to receive the downloaded content files. The content file may be in the MP3 audio format or any other format. Most user software enables the user to copy the downloaded content file from the user device that originally receives the content, such as a computer, to a second user device, such as a portable digital audio player, such that the content may be consumed on either device.  
      With current technology, when the content file is copied from a first user device to a second user device, it is copied without any information transmitted from the first user device to the second user device indicating the play back status of the content file. As a result, if the content file is partially consumed on the first user device and then the content file is copied to a second user device, the content must either be displayed from the beginning of the content file or the user must manually attempt to locate the point where the display of the consumption on the first user device was stopped. This may be especially problematic where the content is a recorded program, video or other sequence critical material.  
      Thus an improved podcast technology that allows the user device to mark the content file for facilitating the later seamless play back of the content file is desired.  
     SUMMARY  
      The system of the invention includes the provision of a bookmark associated with the content file such that the bookmark will save the place in the content file where the consumption of the content was stopped. The bookmark can be used when the user desires to access the same content at a later time either on the same or a different user device. The bookmark may be based on a total or percentage of elapsed time or data consumed. In one embodiment the bookmark is contained in a separate bookmark file may be created in the first user device and associated with the content file. When the content file is transferred to a second user device the bookmark file is also transferred with the content file where it can be accessed by the second user device to allow the second user device to begin consuming the content at the point where play back was stopped on the first user device. In an alternate embodiment a bookmark wrapper is provided as part of the content file where the bookmark information is maintained in the wrapper. When the content file is transferred to a second device, the bookmark wrapper is also transferred as part of that content file. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a block schematic diagram of a communications system and devices including functionality in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIGS. 2 and 3  are flow charts illustrating the method of operation of embodiments of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      The following detailed description of preferred embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments of the invention. Other embodiments having different structures and operations do not depart from the scope of the present invention.  
       FIG. 1  is a block schematic diagram of an example operating environment of the system of the invention comprising a first user device  100  including functionality in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The first user device  100  may comprise a personal computer, portable computer, personal digital assistant, wireless phone, portable digital audio player or other electronic device capable of receiving, storing and playing back a content file. “Play back” and “consume” and variations of these terms as used herein refer to the audio and/or video output of the content of the content file on a user device. The illustrated first user device  100  as described in detail herein is a wireless mobile phone and includes a processor and control logic unit  104 . The processor and control logic unit  104  may be a microprocessor or the like. The processor and control logic unit  104  include data structures or software programs  106  including computer-executable or computer-readable instructions to control operation of the communications device  100  and its components. The processor and control logic unit  104  may also include a browser  108 .  
      The first user device  100  may include a user interface  112  to facilitate controlling operation of the first user device  100  including initiating and conducting phone calls and/or other communications. The user interface  112  may include a video monitor or screen  114  to provide a video output and display the content file. The video monitor  114  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like capable of presenting images. The video monitor  114  provides information to a user or operator in the form of images, text, numerals, characters, a graphical user interface (GUI) and the like. The user interface  112  may also include a keypad  116  and function keys or buttons  118  including a point device, such as a joystick or the like. The function buttons may also comprise soft key pop-up menus. The keypad  116 , function buttons and joystick  118  permit the user to communicate commands to the first user device  100  to dial phone numbers, initiate and terminate calls, establish other communications, such as access to the Internet, send and receive email, text messages and the like. The keypad  116 , function buttons and joystick  118  may also be used to control the operation of the first user device  100  to enable the functionality of the invention.  
      The user interface  112  may also include a microphone  120  and a speaker  121 . The microphone  120  may receive audio or acoustic signals from a user or from another acoustic source. The microphone  120  converts the audio or acoustic signals to electrical signals. The microphone  120  is connected to the processor and logic unit  104  wherein the processor and logic unit  104  converts the electrical signals to baseband communication signals. The processor and control logic unit  104  is connected to a transmitter  122  that converts baseband signals from the main processor and control logic unit  104  to radio frequency (RF) signals. The transmitter  122  may be connected to an antenna assembly  124  for transmission of the RF signals to a communication medium or system  126 .  
      The antenna assembly  124  receives RF signals over the air and transfers the RF signals to a receiver  128 . The, receiver  128  converts the RF signals to baseband signals. The baseband signals are applied to the processor and control logic unit  104  which converts the baseband signals to electrical signals. The processor and control unit  104  may send the electrical signals to speaker  121 , which converts the electrical signals to audio signals. The speaker  121  as also used to play back the content file.  
      A power source  130  is connected to the processor and control logic unit  104  to provide power for operation of the communications device  100 . The power source  130  may be a rechargeable battery or the like. The communications device  100  also includes at least one data storage device  132 . The data storage device  132  may store the content file  140  downloaded from a content server  146  and the bookmark file  142  created by processor and control logic unit  104  and/or a content file  148  and bookmark wrapper  148   a , as will hereinafter be described. Examples of the content server may include a music library, video library, radio program library or the like. The data storage device  132  may be a computer-readable medium to store computer-executable or computer-usable instructions or data structures, such as data structures  106 , to perform special operations or functions such as those described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.  
      The first user device  100  may be operable in association with a communications system or medium  126  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The communications system or medium  126  may be a mobile, wireless, cellular communications system or similar system. The communications system  126  may couple the first user device  100  to another communication network  134  or to a public switched telephone network  136 . The wireless terminal may communicate using any communication standard, such as Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-AMPS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or the like. The layout and design illustrated in  FIG. 1  is for purposes of explaining the present invention and the present invention is not limited to any particular design. While the first user device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1  is a mobile terminal, the present invention may also be applicable to wired or hard wired communication devices and systems.  
      A second user device  200  including functionality in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is also shown and may comprise a personal computer, portable computer, personal digital assistant, wireless phone, portable digital audio player or other electronic devices. The illustrated second user device  200  is described as a computer and may include a processor and control logic unit  204 . The processor and control logic unit  204  may be a microprocessor or the like. The processor and control logic unit  204  includes data structures or software programs  206  including computer-executable or computer-readable instructions to control operation of the second user device and its components. The processor and control logic unit  204  may also include a browser  208 .  
      The second user device  200  may include an operator or user interface  212  to facilitate controlling operation of the communications device  200 . The user interface  212  may include a video monitor or screen  214  to provide video output and play back the content file. The video monitor  214  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like capable of presenting images. The display  214  provides information to a user or operator in the form of images, text, numerals, characters, a graphical user interface (GUI) and the like. A speaker  221  is also provided for outputting audio signals including play back of the content file. The user interface  212  may also include a keyboard  216  and function keys or buttons  218  including a point device, such as a mouse or the like. The second user device  200  may also be provided with wireless communication functionality such as provided by a Wi-Fi transceiver  224 . The keypad  216 , function buttons and mouse  218  are used to control the operation of the communications device  200 .  
      A power source  230  may be connected to the processor and control logic unit  104  to provide power for operation of the device  200 . The power source  130  may be a rechargeable battery or the like in the case of a lap top computer or portable digital audio player. The power source may also comprise an external power supply. The second user device  200  also includes at least one data storage device  232 . The data storage device  232  may be a computer-readable medium to store computer-executable or computer-usable instructions or data structures, such as data structures  206 , to perform special operations or functions such as those described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The data storage device  232  may store the content file  240  downloaded from a content server  146  and the bookmark file  242  created by process and control logic unit  204  or received from another user device and/or a content file  248  and bookmark wrapper  248   a  as will hereinafter be described.  
      The device  200  may be operable in association with communication network  134  or to a public switched telephone network  136  via a wireless connection, cable modem, dial-up connection or the like. While user devices  100  and  200  have been described with respect to the embodiments disclosed herein it is to be understood that the user devices could have other configurations.  
      In one embodiment each of the user devices  100  and  200  that operate the system of the invention include decoders  110  and  210 , respectively, that are capable of receiving and decoding the standard format of the content file, such as MP3, received from the content server to produce an uncompressed output of audio and/or video that can be played back to the user on a video screen or via speakers or the like. The decoders act on the content files  140 ,  240 ,  148  and  248 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , when the user desires to obtain podcast content, a content file is transmitted from the content server  146  to the first user device  100  over network  134  and/or communications system  126 . The transmission of the content file may be initiated by the user or may automatically initiated such as through a subscription service. The downloaded content file  140  is received and stored in data storage  132  (block  301 ). A separate bookmark file  142  is created that is associated with that particular content file (block  302 ). In one embodiment the bookmark file may be created by the first user device upon receipt of the content file. Alternatively, the bookmark file may be created by the server  146  and downloaded to the first user device  100  as a separate file when the content file is downloaded. Where more than one content file is saved in data storage  132 , each of the content files will have a separate bookmark file created and associated therewith. When the content in the content file  140  is consumed (block  303 ) the bookmark file  142  is accessed (block  304 ) and a record of the content consumed is maintained in the bookmark file  142  (block  305 ). The amount of content consumed by the user device is referred to herein as content consumed data. The content consumed data can be maintained as a running time in for example minutes and seconds, a data consumed tally in for example the number of bytes consumed or a percentage of running time or data consumed or other measure of content consumed. The bookmark file  142  captures and saves this content consumed data to create a record of the content consumed (block  306 ). The bookmark file  142  may save the content consumed data when the user closes the content file or it may save the data automatically, for example, the bookmark file may be updated every minute. When the content file  140  is reopened (block  307 ) the associated bookmark file  142  is automatically accessed. The bookmark file  142  is accessed by the system to determine where in the content file play back of content should begin (block  308 ). The processor and control logic unit determines the time elapsed or data consumed as stored in the bookmark file  142  and initiates the next session at the first undisplayed byte after the last displayed byte. Content is delivered from the content file  140  starting at the point indicated in the bookmark file  142  (block  309 ). Thus, the system can immediately begin seamless play back of the content to the user in the second session from the point where the first session was terminated. A user control function may also be provided such as by providing a user cuing input on interface  112  such as fast forward/rewind/restart to allow manual control of the content.  
      The system of the invention has particular applicability where the content file is copied and transferred from a first user device to a second user device after consuming a portion of the content on the first user device. For example, the user may initiate the podcast to mobile terminal  100  where content from a content provider  146  is transmitted to the first user device  100  via network  134  and communications system  126 . The first user device  100  saves the content file  140  in data storage  132  and creates a bookmark file  142  associated with the content file  140  as previously described (blocks  301  and  302 ). When the first user device consumes the content from the content file  140 , the bookmark file  142  captures and saves the content consumed data as previously described (blocks  303  through  306 ).  
      When the user wants to transfer the content from the first user device  100  to a second user device  200 , the user copies the content file  140  from the first user device to the second user device to create a second content file  240  (block  401 ). When the content file is copied, the bookmark file  142  is also copied from the first user device to the second user device to create a second bookmark file  242  (block  402 ). When the content file  240  is subsequently opened on the second user device  200  (block  403 ), the bookmark file  242  is accessed and the saved content consumed data is retrieved to identify where in the content file  240  the last session stopped play back of the content (block  404 ). The second device  200  automatically initiates play back of the content from content file  240  from the point identified in the bookmark file  242  (block  405 ) such that the play back of content can seamlessly continue without the need to manually locate a desired starting point and without having more or less content consumed and displayed than is necessary.  
      Use of a separate bookmark file is useful where a standardized format does not exist for the content file that provides the bookmark functionality as part of the content file. Because the content files are standardized to allow their use between and across different manufacturers&#39; equipment, the format of the content file cannot be changed absent industry wide acceptance. The use of a separate bookmark file avoids this problem because the bookmark file does not alter the standard format of the content file. For the equipment that recognizes the bookmark file, the system will operate as described above. For equipment that does not recognize the bookmark file, the content file can still be displayed but the bookmark functionality of the invention is not available.  
      One mechanism for providing a standardized method for transferring the bookmark information without using a separate file would be to create a metadata wrapper or tag similar to the DRM (Digital Rights Management) wrapper currently used with MP3 files to transfer encryption and header information such as title of content, artist identification or the like. Alternatively a portion of an existing wrapper could be used to carry the display data. It will be appreciated that content formats such as MP3 are standardized such that any properly configured user device can receive, decode and display any data received in that format irrespective of source. Thus, it is important that any metadata not corrupt or interfere with the standardized data formats. Thus wrappers or tags are used that are part of the content file but that do not interfere with the standardized content format.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , the content file with a bookmark wrapper is transmitted from the content server  146  to the user device  100 . When the content file  148  is received at the user device, the bookmark wrapper  148   a  is also received as part of that content file (block  501 ). The content file  148  including bookmark wrapper  148   a  are stored in storage device  132  (block  501 ). When the content file is consumed (block  502 ) a record of the content consumed data is maintained in the bookmark wrapper  148   a  (block  503 ). The amount of content consumed data can be maintained as a running time in for example minutes and seconds, a data consumed tally in for example the number of bytes consumed or a percentage of running time or data consumed or other measure of content consumed. The bookmark wrapper  148   a  captures and saves this data to create a record of the content consumed (block  504 ). The bookmark wrapper  148   a  may save the content consumed data when the user closes the content file or it may save the data automatically, for example, the bookmark file may be updated every minute.  
      When the content file  148  is again opened (block  505 ) the content consumed data is accessed from the bookmark wrapper  148   a  (block  506 ). The processor and control logic unit determines the time elapsed or data consumed as stored in the wrapper and initiates the next session at the first unconsumed byte after the last consumed byte to display the content from the point indicated in the bookmark wrapper  148   a  (block  507 ). Thus, the system can immediately begin play back of the content to the user in the second session from the point where the first session was terminated. A user control function may also be provided such as by providing a user cuing input on interface  112  such as fast forward/rewind/restart to allow manual control of the content.  
      The use of the wrapper also has applicability where the content file is copied and transferred from a first device to a second device after consuming a portion of the content on the first user device as previously described. The content consumed data saved in the bookmark wrapper  148   a  may be the same as the content consumed data collected in the separate bookmark file  142  and may be used in the same manner to allow a user to bookmark a location in the content file. However, a separate data file would not have to maintained, copied and transferred.  
      When the user wants to transfer the content from the first user device  100  to a second user device  200 , the user copies the content file  148  and wrapper  148   a  from the first user device to the second user device to create a second content file  248  with bookmark wrapper  248   a  (block  601 ). When the content file  248  is subsequently opened on the second user device  200  (block  602 ), the bookmark wrapper  248   a  is accessed and the saved content consumed data is retrieved to identify where in the content file  248  the last session stopped consuming content (block  603 ). The second device  200  automatically initiates play back of the content from content file  248  from the point identified in the bookmark wrapper  248   a  (block  604 ) such that the play back of content can seamlessly continue without the need to manually locate a desired starting point and without having more or less content consumed than is necessary.  
      Specific embodiments of an invention are disclosed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention has other applications in other environments. Many embodiments are possible. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described above.