Patent Publication Number: US-7716361-B2

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

Description:
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. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become understood with reference to the following description, appended claims and accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  shows an example of a network implementing an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  shows an example functional diagram of a method of providing persistent media across web pages using only browser plug-ins, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a flowchart of an embodiment of the steps of method of providing persistent media across web pages using only browser plug-ins, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     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. 1A  shows a functional architecture of an example network  10 , such as a local network (e.g., home network), embodying aspects of the present invention. As such, the network  10  provides persistent media across Web pages on the Internet  50  using only browser plug-ins, according to the present invention. The network  10  comprises a PC  20 , a media player  21  which may include content, content storage  22 , multimedia device  23 , consumer electronic (CE) devices  30  (e.g., TV, cell phone, PDA, etc.) which may include content, and interconnect  40  that connects the network  10  to the Internet  50 . 
     Referring to the example functional diagram in  FIG. 1B  and the example flowchart  200  in  FIG. 2 , a method of providing persistent media across web pages using only browser plug-ins, according to an embodiment of the present invention, in network  10  is now described. 
     A media playback support system  100  ( 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 component  102  (e.g., running on PC  20  in  FIG. 1A ), which interfaces to a Web browser  104  (e.g., running on PC  20  in  FIG. 1A ) using a communication (connection) process. In  FIG. 1B , an example is shown wherein an instance of the browser component  102  comprises a plug-in  106  for a Web page  108 . In the browser component  102 , any form of interface to the Web browser  104  can be used (e.g., some browsers support ‘extensions’). The browser component  102  interfaces to the Web browser  104  and 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-in  106 . The browser plug-in  106  has a window in the web page  108 . 
     The second functional component comprises a media playback component  110  (e.g., media player  21  in  FIG. 1A ) that communicates with the underlying media software module (e.g., devices  22 ,  23  in  FIG. 1A ). In integrated implementations, the media playback component  110  can 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 channel  112  between the functional components  102  and  110  is further described. 
     The two functional components  102 ,  110  operate as separate components in the system and communicate through a communication channel interface  112 . One example implementation is to operate each of the functional components  102 ,  110  in a separate operating system (OS) process, and setup a communication channel (e.g., UNIX, RTOS Inter-Process Communication (IPC), etc.) between the two functional components  102 ,  110 . 
     As noted, the browser component  102  communicates with the Web browser  104  and 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-in  106 . One example of this is the API that a plug-in  106  can support for a media object plug-in in a Web browser. In the example of  FIG. 1B , in addition to the normal interface APIs such as Play( ), the browser component  102 , instantiated as the plug-in  106 , provides two extra functions with APIs: setPersistent( ) and persistenceTimeout( ). The persistenceTimeout( )function is optional and can be hardwired in the browser component  102 . The setPersistent( ) function allows the web content provider&#39;s Javascript code to inform the Web browser  104  that 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 (step  202 ), the web browser creates an instance of the browser component  102  (i.e., plug-in  106  which has a window in the web page  108 ) for media playback in the web page (step  204 ). Once created, the plug-in  106  connects to the media playback-component  110  which is already running in the background and informs the media playback component  110  of the identify of window into which the media playback component  110  must process (e.g., decode, render, play the media) the media (step  206 ). The communication between the plug-in  106  and the media playback component  110  is performed through the aforementioned communication channel  112 . 
     As the user uses the web page, the plug-in  106  communicates with the media playback component  110  to 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 (step  208 ). This information is kept in the media playback component  110  as a system state  114  (step  210 ). Using this state information the media playback component  110  renders/plays the media into an assigned window  102  and updates the window  102  as the Web page is scrolled (step  212 ). The assigned window is identified in step  208  above by the plug-in  106  which passes the window ID down the channel  112  to the media component  110 . In this example, the ID of the assigned window  102  is passed around the time when the browser component  102  (e.g., plug-in  106 ) and the media playback component  110  connect. 
     If the setPersistent( ) function was specified (i.e., persistentFlag is set) by the author of the web page  108 , when the Web page  108  is changed to a new Web page, the media playback component  110  continues to play the media (step  214 ). Accordingly, when the new Web page is loaded into the Web browser  104 , 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 page  108  for the AV to persist. When the new Web page is created, as before, a new plug-in  106  component re-connects to the media playback component  110  and passes the location information (e.g., window ID, window positions, etc) and said source information, to the media component  110  (step  216 ). 
     Meanwhile, the media playback component  110  waits for a timeout (step  220 ). If the plug-in  106  of the next/new Web page reconnects to the media playback component  110  before the timeout expires, the media playback component  110  continues to play/render the media and synchronizes with the information (e.g., window location, position update, etc.) of the plug-in  106  (step  222 ). 
     If the timeout expires before the reconnect, the media playback component  110  stops 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 (step  226 ). 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 step  214 , if the persistentFlag is not set, when the web page is changed the plug-in  106  sends a stop command to the media playback component  110  as it shuts down during the Web page cleanup phase of the web page transition (step  215 ). 
     An alternate embodiment according to the present invention, is for information such as position information to be communicated back from the media playback component  110  to the plug-in component  106  to display a progress bar on the screen. As such many types of bi-directional information may be communicated between the browser component  102  and the media playback component  110 . 
     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.