CN101138038A - Wireless Adapter for Content Delivery - Google Patents

Abstract

Described herein are embodiments that wirelessly provide content from a content source to a content player. In one embodiment, there is provided a wireless adaptor that includes a wireless interface operable to receive the content from the content source and a wired interface for a wired connection with the content player to route the content, as received by the wireless interface, for playback by the content player.

Description

Wireless Adapter for Content Delivery

priority

This application claims priority to the following earlier-filed U.S. patent applications: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. US60/651,961, filed February 11, 2005, entitled "SEAMLESS TRANSACTIONS ACROSSDOMAINS AND DEVICES"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. US60/651,963 entitled "WIRELESS AUDIO ADAPTOR FORCAR RADIOS" filed on February 11, 2005; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. US60/651,960 entitled "ZERO INSTALL WIRELESS AUDIOADAPTOR" filed on February 11, 2005 ; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. US60/651,958, filed February 11, 2005, entitled "DAILY SET WITH MULTIPLE CONTENTCHANNELS"; Provisional Patent Application US60/651,959. All of the above-mentioned provisional applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

related application

This application fully incorporates by reference the following U.S. utility patent applications, all of which are assigned to the assignee of this application: "WIRELESSADAPTOR FOR CONTENT TRANSFER" (Attorney Docket No. BCS03802), "GRANTING GREATER RIGHTS TO STORED CONTENT" (lawyer file No. BCS03804), "AUTOMATIC CONTENT UPDATE FOR ATARGET DEVICE" (lawyer file No. BCS03805), and "HOT CONTENTUPDATE FOR A TARGET DEVICE" (lawyer file No. BCS03806), these practical The content of the utility model patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Background technique

Portable content players and other devices capable of playing content, such as media such as music or video, are becoming increasingly popular and are often designed to play a user's personal content. Users tend to use a variety of media devices, such as MP3 digital music players, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal computers, and car audio systems, and many of these devices can act as content players to play the user's personal content . However, currently there is no quick and easy way to transfer content between a user's multiple devices. Furthermore, these devices tend to have different user interfaces, which makes it inconvenient for a user to learn and operate each device to play music or other content. For example, some automobile manufacturers offer connection accessories for connecting portable music players, such as MP3 players, to car audio systems in their vehicles. However, these existing connectivity accessories require the user to wire the portable music player to the docking platform, which must further conventionally be wired to the car audio system within the vehicle. When the portable music player is docked, its own user interface (display and control buttons) is usually disabled and the user must have limited control over the docked portable music player using the control buttons belonging to the vehicle's car audio system. Additionally, the user is typically provided with a limited numerical display to indicate the track being played on the vehicle's dashboard display. Other existing vehicle-connected accessories can adopt portable music player title navigation for display on the vehicle's dashboard to provide users with more detailed content information. However, such connected accessories also require docking of the portable music player, conventional connection of the docking platform to the vehicle, and the player's user interface (display and control buttons) is disabled when the player is docked.

Contents of the invention

Thus, described herein are embodiments in which content is provided wirelessly from a content source to a content player wirelessly. In one embodiment, a wireless adapter is provided that includes a wireless interface operable to receive content from a content source, and a wired interface for wired connection with a content player to transfer the content, wherein the content is wirelessly Received by the interface and replayed by the content player.

Description of drawings

The embodiments are illustrated by way of example, without limitation, in the following figures, in which like reference numerals identify like elements, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for content distribution according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the content distribution system shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an operating environment of a wireless adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 illustrates in more detail a wireless adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 illustrates in more detail a wireless adapter according to another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 illustrates a method for wireless content delivery according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

For purposes of simplicity and illustration, the principles of the embodiments are described primarily by way of example of the embodiments. In the ensuing description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that this embodiment may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the embodiments.

1. System overview

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for content distribution according to the present invention. System 100 includes content provider 110 , content service 120 , network 130 , and target device 140 . Content providers 110 include entities configured to provide content to be played or consumed by users. Content may include: media such as audio, video, text; multimedia including two or more audio, video, and text; or other types of data. Examples of content include, but are not limited to, media files such as MP3 files, other types of audio files, video files, text music playlists, and other types of files. Examples of content providers 110 include, but are not limited to, news providers (eg, local cable news stations), television studios, movie studios, music labels, online music (or other media) providers, and others.

In general, content providers 110 provide content to content services 120 such that content services 120 can provide several functions. One of these functions includes receiving new content from content providers 110 on a substantially regular basis. Another function includes making content received from content provider 110 available to users. In addition, content service 120 may receive content from multiple content providers 110, providing users with relatively more content choices. The user can obtain the content available from the content service 120 through, for example, one or both of the subscription service and the on-demand service.

Content service 120 may also automatically organize content for users and provide users with new content on a continuous basis. In addition, the content service 120 may perform other functions, such as billing, user information tracking, historical data tracking, and the like. The content service 120 may include a server 121 and a database 122 for storing user information and content. The server 121 may facilitate the downloading of content to the target device 140 used by the user. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that, according to the size and complexity of the content service 120, the server 121 may include multiple servers, and the database 122 may include multiple databases. For example, to support more users, multiple servers 121 and databases 122 may be required to obtain content from the content provider 110 and provide the content to users with minimal delay.

Network 130 may represent one or more networks. Network 130 may include private networks, public networks such as the Internet, wireless networks such as satellite networks and cellular networks, and wireless local area networks such as Wi-Fi networks or Bluetooth networks, wired networks, local area networks, wide area networks, and any other type of communication network one or more of the .

Content service 120 may provide content to target device 140 via network 130 . Target device 140 may download content from content service 120, may receive content from one or more other target devices, or may be operable to both download content from content service 120 and receive content from other target devices. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, target devices 141 and 142 are operable to download content from content service 120 and operable to receive content from other target devices. As also shown in FIG. 1 , target device 143 is operable to receive content from another device, eg, target device 142 . In this example, target device 142 may download content from content service 120 or receive content from target device 141 , and target device 142 sends the content to target device 143 . Content service 120 and target device 140 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2 . Examples of suitable target devices 140 include, but are not limited to, personal computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, car radios, home stereo systems, set-top boxes, MP3 players, portable video players, and other user terminal equipment.

2. Overview of the functions and advantages of content services

The system 100 provides a user with a media experience without requiring the user to change the state of the environment to use the content service 120 that provides the media experience. For example, the system 100 allows a user to play other audio content on one of several target devices 140 available to a user at any given time (e.g., a car radio in a car, a cell phone while the user is on the road, a personal computer at home, or a home stereo system). Or audio content of her choice, such as music stations, radio discussion broadcasts, personal content, and more. The target device can deliver user-selected content within a set of channels that can be used completely continuously throughout the day on any one of a number of target devices. The system 100 manages this content and ensures that it is automatically replenished as it is consumed. In addition, the same or similar interface as the conventional device interface can be provided on the target device 140, so that the user can play desired content on any target device in a faster and easier manner.

According to one embodiment, content service 120 allows a user to configure one or more sets of channels for one or more of target devices 140 . Content from a content provider or content provided by a user (referred to as user's personal content) exists on each channel. A channel is a data collection of content, which can be a specific type of content. For example, content service 120 may provide users with access to hundreds of content stations or individual pieces of content. Netcast radio and netcast television are some examples of content stations. Content service 120 may offer a user one or more content stations as a subscription service, where one or more stations may be subscribed to by the user, and the content of the stations sent to one or more target devices of the user. In one example, one or more stations provide large or continuous digital millennium copyright act (DMCA) compliant chunks of streaming content. Some examples of pieces of content include individual songs or albums, movies, video clips, and the like. Content service 120 may provide an on-demand service where users can purchase or download individual pieces of content.

Additionally, channels may include specific types of content, such as sports discussion channels, popular music channels, and so on. A user may configure a set of channels, hereinafter referred to as a channel set, for example, by selecting content provided by the content service 120 and content of interest to the user. These channels may include high-quality digital content, and in some cases, may be commercial-free. Channels in a channel collection may also include content from the user's personal collection, for example, audio files stored on the user's personal computer. The channel may broadcast programming according to playlists, genres, or artists or other desired categories or content sets.

Users can configure multiple channel sets, so that users can use different channel sets at different times. For example, a user may create a first set of channels for everyday use, eg, for work commuting. The set of channels may include traffic and news channels, sports discussion radio channels, and other channels. A user may create a second set of channels for long distance travel, which may include, for example, classic rock channels and comedy channels.

Content for a channel may be downloaded from content service 120 to one or more target devices 140 . Content service 120 may also update target devices with new content on a substantially continuous or periodic basis. For example, new content received from the content service 120 may be used after the user consumes content within a channel on the target device (such as after playing the content), or after the content becomes stale (such as after a predetermined period of time has elapsed). Or new content cached in another target device 140 to supplement or replace the content in the channel. Such content updates on target devices can be performed automatically and are beneficial for target devices 140 that have limited storage space to store content (eg, PDAs, phones, or other devices with relatively small storage space).

Additionally, each target device 140 includes an interface similar to or identical to a conventional user interface widely used in at least one current type of end-user device. Therefore, there is no need for the user to learn how to use the interface of the target device. Additionally, a common interface can be provided on several target devices 140 that can be used by one user to play content. For example, a common interface can be provided on a target device such as a user's phone, personal computer, car radio, and so on. Thus, there is no need for the user to learn how to use different interfaces of different target devices 140 .

The user interface of target device 140 may emulate or include the user interface of a traditional radio or music player with channel presets. The interface on the target device 140 may provide for "one-click" channel selection, similar to clicking a channel preset button on a radio. In one example, each channel may include a type or style of music content pre-selected by the user, which allows the user to switch between channels by clicking on them, similar to different radio stations on a radio device. Switching between them is similar. The interface can also allow users to fast forward, rewind or pause content.

A software application installed on a user's personal computer allows the user to manage and configure channel sets and update content on multiple target devices. Additionally, content stored on one target device is also available on at least one other target device. Additionally, the same software application or another software application may be provided on the target device that allows the user to tag songs or other content and add them to a list that the individual wishes to purchase. This feature is described above by reference to US Patent Application (Attorney No. BCS03804) entitled "Granting Greater Rights to Stored Content," which is incorporated herein by reference.

3. Content service

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a content distribution system 100 . FIG. 2 shows that the content service 120 includes a management module 123 , a content distribution module 124 , and an aggregation module 125 in addition to the server 121 and the database 122 described with reference to FIG. 1 . As referred to herein, a module includes one or more software programs, applications, or routines stored on a computer readable medium (CRM) and executed by at least one processor. Embodiments of a CRM include, but are not limited to, electronic, optical, magnetic, or other storage or transmission devices capable of providing computer readable instructions to a processor within a receiver. Other examples of suitable CRMs include, but are limited to, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic disks, memory chips, ROM, RAM, ASICs, configured processors, and optical media, any tape or any other magnetic media, or processing Any other medium from which the computer can read instructions. Additionally, or alternatively, a module may be hardware configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein.

The management module 123 can coordinate information among multiple users. For example, the management module 123 may receive channel configuration information from a plurality of users, and the channel configuration information may include user selections of channel content in one or more channel sets of the plurality of users. The user-selected and user-configured set of channels may be stored in database 122 along with additional channel configuration information added by content service 120 commensurate with the user's selection and configuration (eg, permissions and specific attributes or rules for content consumption). The database 122 is then queried to determine what content to provide to the user. In one embodiment, the management module 123 generates a web-based user interface that allows users to log in to the content service 120, register and set priorities with the content service 120, and configure channel sets.

For example, a user uses a personal computer 141 to connect to content service 120 via network 130 shown in FIG. 1 , which may include Internet 131 and/or other networks shown in FIG. 2 . Users provide information to content service 120 , which is stored in database 122 . The management module 123 can prompt the user for channel configuration information, such as content type selection for each channel. For example, a user may select news, traffic, and weather for channel 1, sports discussion radio stations for channel 2, popular music for channel 3, another music for channel 4, classic rock music for channel 5, classical music. The management module 123 stores the user selections in the database 122 , and using the content distribution module 124 , channels 1-6 are set with content corresponding to the associated user selections, and associated channel configuration information augmented by the content service 120 . It should be readily understood that six channels have been described above for purposes of illustration and not limitation. Accordingly, any reasonably suitable number of channels may be configured without departing from the scope of system 100 .

Alternatively, the management module 123 may prompt the user for user information, and the user may select a channel based on the user information. For example, a user may provide demographic information or a selection of favorite artists. Based on this information, the user can select several channels in the channel set. The user can select some channels as a channel set. A default channel can also be provided. Additionally, multiple channel sets can be configured for each user.

The content distribution module 124 transmits the content of the channel set to one or more target devices 140 . The content distribution module 124 may determine content to send to the target device based on the relevant channel profile information. For example, the content distribution module 124 retrieves channel configuration information for the selected set of channels from the database 122. In addition, the content distribution module 124 may transmit the content of each channel to one or more target devices 140 .

The aggregation module 125 receives, for example, content and playlists from the content provider 110, and stores this information in the database 122, so that the content can be distributed to users when they need it.

4. Personal computer user gateway for content service

A plurality of target devices 140 are shown in FIG. 2 . The target devices 140 shown in FIG. 2 include a personal computer 141 , a cellular phone 142 , a car audio system 143 , and a home appliance 144 . These are examples of some target devices 140 that a user may use. It will be apparent that other target devices 140 may also be used, such as portable content devices (eg, MP3 players), vehicle audio systems, home media servers, and the like.

Some of the target devices 140 shown in FIG. 2 are connected to the content service 120 via a network. For example, personal computer 141 is depicted as being connected to content service 120 via Internet 131 . Cellular telephone 142 is depicted as connecting to content service 120 via cellular network 132 and Internet 131 . In addition, target device 145 is depicted as connecting to content service 120 via a “hot spot” 133 and the Internet 131 . Although not shown, additional target devices 140 may connect to content service 120 using one or more private networks as opposed to a public network, such as the Internet 131, and content service 120 may provide content services that are not web-based. In one embodiment, the content service 120 includes a web service that a user may log into using a personal computer 141 or another target device. In this embodiment, the channel's content may be downloaded to one or more target devices 140 via the Internet 131 .

The personal computer 141 may include an application 170 having a management module 171 , an update agent 161 and a user interface 151 . The management module 171 generally allows the user to determine and send channel configuration information to the content service 120 for configuring the selected set of channels. The channel profile information may include a selection of content to be placed in the selected channel set.

Examples of content that may be selected for a channel set may include genre-oriented music stations, discussion content, user's personal content, and the like. Genre-oriented music content may be selected from a directory listing more stations or from various content provided by the content provider 110 . Alternatively, a music channel can deliver a continuous set of music tracks on the target device. Talking content can also be selected from a directory of talking content channels, which can be updated periodically, for example, hourly, daily, or weekly. Additionally, content from more than one content provider can be placed in a channel collection. The user's personal content may be stored in the personal computer 141 that the management module 171 may discover. In this way, users can categorize various content in various ways, and can move individual content tracks or large blocks of content to channels in the channel collection.

Update agent 161 may generally receive content from content service 120 and may periodically update content 180 stored on personal computer 141 . For example, update agent 161 caches content 180 on personal computer 141 . Content 180 may include content received from content distribution module 124 of content service 120 .

Update agent 161 also controls the transfer of content 180 to other target devices 140 . For example, when cellular telephone 142 is connected to or interfaced with personal computer 141 , the content of one or more selected channel sets may be transmitted to cellular telephone 142 . In one example, when the cellular telephone 142 is connected to the personal computer 141, the transfer of the content 180 can be performed as a substantially automatic feature without the user needing to issue a transfer command. Update agent 161 can control the transfer of content 180 to cell phone 142 so that the new content can be experienced from one or more playlists.

In addition, update agent 161 may control the delivery of content 180, generally such that new content is stored on cell phone 142 while remaining within the limits of the cell phone's 142 storage capabilities. As such, at least a portion of content 180 may be stored on cellular telephone 142 , indicated as content 181 . Similarly, a home appliance 144 , such as a home stereo or set-top box, may also receive content 180 from the personal computer 141 . Instead of personal computer 141 , a server or other device such as a home media server may also be used to receive and cache content 180 from content service 120 without departing from the scope of system 200 .

The personal computer 141 may also include a user interface 151 that provides "one-click" selection for channels and emulates a traditional interface. In one embodiment, the user interface 151 includes a GUI interface, and the user can click on the GUI interface to control playback and select a channel. Additionally, or alternatively, user interface 151 may include hardware such as buttons, wheels, keys, and the like.

5. Portable Content Devices

Portable content devices such as cell phones 142 , PDAs, MP3 players, etc. may include applications 174 having management modules 172 , update agents 162 , and user interfaces 152 . In a manner similar to that described above with respect to management module 171 of personal computer 141 , management module 172 generally allows a user to determine channel configuration information for configuring a selected set of channels and to send this information to content service 120 . In some cases, management module 171 may be considered optional for applications 174 because management of applications 174 may be performed by personal computer 141 .

The update agent 162 of the cellular phone 142 generally controls the updating of the content 181, which may include content received from the content service 120 via the cellular network 132, the Internet 131, a wireless short-range network such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (802.11), or any combination thereof. New content transmitted or received from the content service 120 via the personal computer 141 . For example, content 181 may include new cached content received from content service 120 over Internet 131 and cellular network routes as shown in FIG. 2 . In another example, content 181 may include new cached content received from personal computer 141 via a wired connection or a wireless short-range network.

The update agent 162 of the cellular phone 142 may also manage the receipt of content from one or both of the content service 120 and the personal computer. More specifically, for example, update agent 162 may control the receipt of one type of content from content service 120 and the receipt of another type of content from personal computer 141 . For example, the update agent 162 can control the reception of content, so that the content that needs to be updated more frequently (hot content) such as traffic information is received from the cellular network 132 . In another example, update agent 162 may control the receipt of content such that popular content is received from personal computer 141 (not via cellular network 132 or any other wireless telecommunications network) before it expires. In addition, the update agent 162 may control the receipt of cold content, which is content that is updated less frequently, from the personal computer 141 . In this example, personal computer 141 may download unpopular content from content service 120 . Additionally, cold content can be updated on the cell phone 142 when the cell phone 142 is connected to or interfaced with the personal computer. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that less popular content, such as music, can also be downloaded to the cellular phone 142 via the cellular network 132 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , cellular telephone 142 is also depicted as including a wireless interface 148 that may be used to connect to content service 120 via hotspot 133 , personal computer 141 , other target device 140 , or the like. The cellular telephone 142 also includes a wireless interface 150 that can be used to transfer content 181 to the car audio system 143 . Alternatively, wireless interfaces 148 and 150 may be combined into one wireless interface that performs all of the functions of wireless interfaces 148 and 150 .

Playing of content 181 may be controlled through user interface 152 of cellular telephone 142 . For example, the user interface 152 may include controls to initiate preset channel selection, rewind, fast forward, pause, play, and the like.

Although not shown, cellular telephone 142 may include a device configured to provide the functionality of multiple devices. For example, cellular telephone 142 may include an MP3 player, PDA, camera, video player, and the like.

6. Content player and wireless adapter

A portable content device (eg, cell phone 142 ) may transmit content via wireless interface 150 of cell phone 142 to a content player (eg, car audio system 143 ). Additionally, a wireless adapter 173 may be used to enable communication between the cellular phone 142 and the car audio system 143 for receiving content and controlling playback of the content. The wireless adapter 173 may be part of the car audio system 143 or separate from the car audio system 143 . Additionally, or alternatively, a wired interface may be used to enable communication between the cellular telephone 142 and the car audio system 143 .

Figure 3 illustrates an operating environment for wireless adapter 173, according to one embodiment. Wireless adapter 173 allows a suitably activated portable content device to interface wirelessly with available radios in the content player. Although FIG. 3 and the following description refer to the portable content device as cellular telephone 142, it should be understood that cellular telephone 142 is used by way of example only and any other portable content device may be used instead. Examples of other portable content devices include, but are not limited to, digital music players and PDAs. Also, while FIG. 3 and the following description refer to available radio components in the car audio system 143, it should be understood that any other content player with available radio components may be used instead. Examples of other content players include, but are not limited to, a marine audio system on a boat, a home audio system, or any other audio device with radio components.

In one embodiment, wireless adapter 173 establishes wireless communication link 310 with cellular telephone 142 using a wireless short-range network. As mentioned herein, a wireless short-range network refers to any wireless network capable of providing a short-range wireless communication link among networked devices. Examples of wireless short-range networks include, but are not limited to, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11). Therefore, a distinction should be made between wireless short-range networks and long-range wireless networks (eg, cellular and satellite communication networks for cellular and mobile telephony). Additionally, wireless adapter 173 establishes a one-way wireless communication link with available radio components within car audio system 143 at 320 .

In one embodiment, cellular telephone 142 is suitably activated to wirelessly transmit encoded or unencoded content and command/control signals to wireless adapter 173 via the above-mentioned wireless short-range network. In turn, wireless adapter 173 maintains a wireless communication link 310 with cellular telephone 142 in accordance with the command/control signals it receives from cellular telephone 142 . The wireless adapter 173 also provides any required signal conversion or decoding of the received content for forwarding the received content to the car audio system 143 . Thus, wireless adapter 173 provides an interface that allows cellular phone 142 to send its stored content to car audio system 143 for playback of the content by the car radio.

FIG. 4 further details wireless adapter 173 according to one embodiment. The wireless adapter 173 includes an operating system (OS) kernel 410 that manages the operation of the device hardware and software, a wireless proximity network application protocol stack 420 that provides a wireless communication link between the car audio system 143 and the cellular phone 142 via the wireless adapter 173, A decoder 440 having a content decoder 446 that decodes content received from the cell phone 142 and an optional metadata decoder 442 that decodes any metadata (e.g., music titles) for the content , artist life, playlist) for display on the car audio system 143. In one embodiment, content decoder 446 and metadata decoder 442 are implemented as program code encoded on the CRM. As such, the specific display format may be included in the program code of the metadata decoder 442 to activate the display of the content metadata on the car audio system 143 . Wireless adapter 173 also includes hardware (not shown) for a baseband controller and a radio for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals from cellular phone 142 and converting the signals to digital signals for processing by application protocol stack 420 . Accordingly, RF hardware and application protocol stack 420 provides wireless adapter 173 with a wireless interface for wireless communication with cellular telephone 142 .

Once the content and associated metadata are decoded, they are forwarded to the car audio system via a frequency modulation (FM) transmitter 450, which may be part of the wireless adapter 173 as shown in FIG. The wireless adapter 173 is wired to separate the transmitter. FM transmitter 450 provides signaling to car radio components within car audio system 143 to activate one-way wireless communication link 320 from wireless adapter 173 to car audio system 143 . In one embodiment, the FM transmitter 450 is operable to transmit content to the car audio system 143 over any one of a number of predetermined frequencies, and the transmission frequency may be selected by the user via the command translation module 490 described later . FM transmitter 450 also includes radio data system (RDS) functionality that enables FM transmitter 450 to receive content metadata from cellular phone 142 decoded by metadata decoder 442 and frequency modulate the content metadata onto the subcarriers transmitted on the primary transmit frequency on which the content is transmitted from the cellular telephone 142 . Thus, the FM transmitter 450 provides the car audio system 153 with information about what is being broadcast over the air by the RDS-enabled radio station for use in the conventional display of radio station logos, song titles, and artist names via its car radio components. displayed in a similar manner. The FM transmitter 450 also enables the wireless adapter 173 to be used with a variety of car audio systems from different manufacturers, since content delivery to the car audio system is via frequency modulation, which can be read by any radio available within the car audio system. Part received. Therefore, no usual interface is required for the communication link between the wireless adapter 173 and the car audio system.

In one embodiment, wireless adapter 173 optionally includes an infrared (IR), radio frequency (RF), or IR and RF command module 460 to activate remote control 405 to wireless adapter 173, cellular phone 142, or both. remote control. The wireless adapter 173 may also include a voice command module 470 to activate control of the wireless adapter 173, the cellular phone 142, or both via voice commands through the connected microphone 407. The IR/RF command module 460 and the voice command module 470 are operable to replace each other or to work in conjunction with each other. Furthermore, each is operable to work in place of or in conjunction with application protocol stack 173 and network manager 430 . When the user uses the remote control 405 to control the playback of content from the cell phone 142 through the car audio system 143, the IR/RF command module 460 receives the IR/RF control signal. IR/RF command module 460 converts the IR/RF control signals into corresponding electrical signals and forwards the electrical signals to command translation module 490, which translates such electrical signals to control wireless adapter 173, cellular phone 142, or both. By. Likewise, the voice command module 470 enables the user to give voice commands through the connected microphone 407 to control the playback of content from the cell phone 142 through the car audio system 143 . The voice command module 470 converts the voice commands into electrical signals for forwarding to the command translation module 490, which then translates such electrical signals to control the wireless adapter 173, the cell phone, or both. Using the remote control 405 or voice commands through the microphone 407 to control content playback instead of the cell phone 142 can provide an added sense of security for the user who is driving with the cell phone 142, wireless adapter 173 and car audio system 173 in the car, Because the use of remote control 405 or voice commands can distract the user's attention less.

Command translation module 490 includes program code encoded on the CRM adapted to translate the aforementioned control signals from IR/RF command module 460 and voice command module 470 . The command translation module 490 may also include program code encoded on the CRM adapted to translate command/control signals received at 310 from the cellular phone 310 . For example, a user may select a desired transmission frequency from a user interface of the cell phone 143 for playback of content through the car radio of the car audio system 143 . Cell phone 143 then sends this user selection as a command/control signal to wireless adapter 143, which receives command/control signals issued by application protocol stack 420 and converts such command/control signals to FM transmitter 450 understandable format.

To manage the communication links 310 and 320 for wirelessly transferring content from the cellular phone 142 to the car radio system 143, the wireless adapter 173 also includes a short-range wireless network manager 430 that runs an application protocol stack 420 to establish and control Wireless communication link 310, interfaces with decoder 440 to decode content and content metadata, and interfaces with command translation module 490 to enable transmission of decoded content and content metadata to car radio system 143 at 320 via FM transmitter 450 data. In one embodiment, network manager 430 includes program code encoded on the CRM for performing the aforementioned functions.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an application protocol stack 420 with multiple Bluetooth protocols to coordinate content delivery from the cellular phone 142 to the car audio system 143 via the wireless adapter 13 and between the cellular phone 142 and the wireless adapter 173. Transmission of command/control signals between. In one embodiment, the application protocol stack 420 is implemented as program code encoded on the CRM. Examples of Bluetooth protocols that may be used within application protocol stack 420 include, but are not limited to, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), Audio Video Remote Control Protocol (AVRCP), Serial Port Protocol (SPP), Hands Free Profile (HFP), Extensible Service Discovery Protocol (ESDP), and Personal Area Network Protocol (PAN). In order for the wireless adapter 173 and the cellular phone to work together via Bluetooth transmission, the cellular phone 142 will include the same protocol found in the wireless adapter 173, although FIG. 4 and the description herein refer to the use of the Bluetooth protocol, it should be understood that the used The protocol depends only on the content of the wireless short-range network used to provide the communication link between the cellular phone 142 and the car audio system 143 .

When the wireless adapter 173 is working, the A2DP therein activates the wireless adapter 173, and transmits content such as audio content stored in the cellular phone 142 to the car audio system 143 as a source for stereo audio playback through the car audio system 143. Streaming audio. Stored content is placed within various channels of the cellular telephone 142 as previously described. The network manager 430 also controls the content decoder to decode the streaming audio into a format understood by the FM transmitter 450 for frequency modulation and wireless transmission, and then received by the car audio system 143 via its car radio for playback. SPP provides each of the cellular phone 142 and the car audio system 143 with a virtual serial port for wireless connection between devices (instead of using a real serial cable) by simulating RS-232 control signal communication to form a wireless Proximity network. Thus, SPP can be used in place of A2DP to: a) transfer content from the cell phone 142 to the car audio system 143; use; and c) remote control use of the wireless adapter 173 provided by the cellular phone 142 . Additionally, HFP may be included to allow the car audio system 143 to handle incoming calls to the cell phone 142 . AVRCP can also be used instead of SPP for wireless connections to ensure operability of command/control signals between cell phone 142 and wireless adapter 173 for content access and playback via FM transmission to car audio system 143 . As mentioned herein, a function control part of a device is a control part capable of controlling the functions of such a device. Thus, both SPP and ACRCP enable: a) remote control of cell phone 142 by remote control 405 or by voice commands through microphone 407; or b) remote control of wireless adapter 173 by cell phone 142 via a wireless short-range network. For example, SPP or AVRCP enables remote control 405 to act as a controller that sends audio command/control signals to cell phone 142 to play an audio stream. Examples of command/control signals include playback, stop, channel selection, or display model. In one embodiment, the wireless adapter 173 includes a switch that provides the user with the option to maintain or disable the user interface on the cellular phone 142 for controlling the cellular phone 142 based on the establishment of a wireless short-range network Wireless communication link with wireless adapter 173. Thus, cell phone 142 may be controlled by function controls on its own user interface, function controls on remote control 405, or both.

The PAN protocol allows the involved Bluetooth devices to participate in a Personal Area Network for communicating with each other among nearby devices. In this case, the Bluetooth devices involved are a car audio system 143 capable of supporting Bluetooth via a wireless adapter 173 and a Bluetooth-enabled cellular phone 142 in the vicinity of the wireless adapter 172 (e.g., the car audio system 143 is installed in the same car) ). Thus, the PAN protocol allows wireless adapter 173 to send its own status and identification information to cellular telephone 142 in order to establish a communication link with cellular telephone 142 . The PAN protocol can also be used to transfer content from the cellular phone 142 to the car audio system 143 via the wireless adapter 173 .

ESDP uses a detection protocol that allows a bluetooth device to discover any other bluetooth devices in the vicinity of the wireless adapter 173, and thus the car audio system, and establish a communication link with the nearby bluetooth devices over a network with a network protocol (e.g. PAN protocol) road. Accordingly, wireless adapter 173 supports a detection protocol that enables a target device (e.g., car audio system 143) to dynamically detect a portable content device (e.g., cell phone 142) and automatically interface with cell phone 142 so that audio flows therefrom. , without user intervention. For example, a user with a powered cellular phone 142 in a pocket, briefcase, purse, or toolbox in a car equipped with the car audio system 143 and FM wireless adapter 173 does not need to retrieve the cellular phone 142 and activate the audio streaming functionality. Alternatively, the car wireless adapter 173 automatically detects the presence of the cell phone 142 and initiates audio flow from the cell phone 142 to the car audio system 143, however, if the car audio system 143 is on and set to radio mode on the selected transmission channel, the user can listen to the audio stream flowing through the car audio system 143 . Thus, from the perspective of the cellular phone 142 and the user, it does not matter which target device is receiving the FM transmission from the wireless adapter 173 due to the seamless convergence and standardization of the functionality provided by the wireless adapter 173.

Thus, the wireless adapter 173 enables content to be played from the cellular telephone 142 with minimal user intervention on any target device capable of receiving FM transmissions from the wireless adapter 173 on the selected channel. Wireless adapter 173 also enables content to be played from cellular phone 142 and controlled by remote control 405 . For example, remote control 405 may include buttons and controls for accessing the various content channels available in cellular phone 142, and for fast-forwarding or rewinding a particular content channel content if the content includes controls that can be controlled in this manner. User Content or individual content blocks. In another example, user voice commands received through the microphone are operable to control play, forward, rewind functions, to access content in the cell phone 142, if the content includes user content or individual content that can be controlled in this way. content block.

Figure 5 illustrates a wireless adapter 573 according to another embodiment. Like wireless adapter 173 , wireless adapter 573 includes OS kernel 410 , network manager 430 , decoder 440 with metadata decoder 442 and content decoder 446 , command translation module 490 , and FM transmitter 450 . However, wireless adapter 573 includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub and host 510 instead of application protocol stack 420 .

The USB hub and host 510 activates the connection of the transceiver for the short-range wireless network. The transceiver includes the functionality of the application protocol stack 420 previously described for the wireless adapter 173 in FIG. 4 . For example, a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi USB key is operable to connect to a USB hub and host 510, as previously described, to establish wireless communication between the cellular phone 142 and the car audio system via the wireless adapter 573. Although Figure 5 illustrates a USB connection, it should be noted that other types of connections may also be used. For example, an optional connection is FireWire (IEEE1394).

The USB storage manager 520 manages the reproduction and delivery of content and content metadata stored on any USB storage key to the car audio system 143 as streaming audio for stereo audio playback and display of the metadata through the car audio system 143 , wherein the storage key is connected to the wireless adapter 573 through the USB hub and the host 510 . Thus, the USB hub and host 510 acts as a wired interface allowing the content storage device to connect to the wireless adapter 573 for content transfer. As with the transfer of content from the cellular phone 142 , the content from the USB memory key and the content source data are respectively decoded by the decoder 440 for playback and display by the car audio system 143 .

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for wirelessly providing content stored in a content source (eg, cell phone 142 ) to a content player (eg, car audio system 143 ). The method 600 is described by way of non-limiting example with reference to FIGS. 1-5 . Therefore, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the method 600 may also be performed using systems and devices other than those described in FIGS. 1-5 .

Referring now to FIG. 6, at 610, the wireless adapter 173 (or 573) establishes a wireless communication link with the content player (e.g., the car audio system 143) by FM transmitting on a selected frequency to available radio components within the content player. road. At 620, the wireless adapter 173 (or 573 with a connected transceiver) detects the presence of a content source in the vicinity or proximity of the wireless adapter 173 (or 573). At 630, the wireless adapter 173 (or 573) also establishes a wireless communication link with a nearby content source, such as the cell phone 142, via a wireless short-range network (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi network) to access content stored on the cell phone 142. The content stored in the cellular phone 142 may have been previously downloaded from the content service 120 via the Internet 131, the cellular network 132, and optionally via the personal computer 141, as previously described. In the case of wireless adapter 173, the wireless short-range network is implemented by the application protocol stack 420, or in the case of wireless adapter 573, by a transceiver such as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi USB key that can be connected to the wireless adapter. Proximity network.

At 640, the wireless adapter 173 (573) receives content, eg, audio content, from a content source via the wireless communication link established by the wireless short-range network. At 650, the wireless adapter 173 (573) transmits the content from the content source to the content player for playback of the content. The wireless adapter 173 can also use the RDS broadcast performed by the FM transmitter 450 to transmit information about the content to the content player for display on the content player as well.

According to one embodiment, wireless adapters 173 and 573 in FIGS. 4 and 5 include both hardware and software. In one embodiment, each of wireless adapters 173 and 573 is implemented as a system-on-chip (SoC) solution having one or more computer chips, each including one or more processors (e.g., microprocessor or digital signal processor) and one or more CRMs, CRM includes for implementing application protocol stack 420, network manager 430, command translation module 490, I/O manager 495, decoder 440, IR/RF command module 470 , and the program code of the voice command module 470.

Various embodiments and some variations thereof have been described herein. The terms, descriptions and drawings used herein are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims and their equivalents, and all terms are given their broadest reasonable meaning unless otherwise indicated. meaning.

Claims (27)

1. A method of providing content wirelessly, comprising the steps of: wirelessly receiving content from a content source over a first wireless connection enabled by a wireless short-range network; and The wirelessly received content is transmitted to a content player via a second wireless connection different from the first wireless connection for playback of the received content. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless short-range network is one of a Bluetooth network and a Wi-Fi network, and the content includes audio content. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting the content to the content player via the second wireless connection comprises the step of: Provide frequency modulation (FM) of the content; and Based on the frequency modulation, the content is transmitted wirelessly as a radio frequency (RF) signal. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content source is a portable device that stores the content and is capable of wirelessly transmitting the content over a wireless short range network. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the portable device is one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, and a digital music player. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content player is a car audio system. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: wirelessly receiving metadata for the content from the content source over the first wireless connection; The metadata received wirelessly is communicated to the content player via the second wireless connection for display on the content player. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of transmitting the metadata to the content player via the second wireless connection comprises the step of: providing frequency modulation (FM) of said metadata; and The metadata is transmitted wirelessly as a radio frequency (RF) signal based on the frequency modulation and via a Radio Data System (RDS) broadcast. 9. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of: establishing said wireless short-range network with said portable device prior to the step of wirelessly receiving said content via said first wireless connection; providing a user of the portable device or the content player with the choice of one of maintaining a user interface on the portable device for access by the user and disabling the user interface on the user device to prevent user access . 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of establishing said wireless short-range network comprises the steps of: automatically detecting the presence of the portable device in the vicinity of the content player; and The wireless short-range network is automatically established based on the automatic detection of the presence of the portable device. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: receiving voice commands for functional control of said content source; and The content source is automatically operated according to function control from the voice command. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving remote commands for functional control of the content source from a remote source different from the content source; The content source is automatically operated according to functional control from said remote command. 13. A computer readable medium having encoded program code on the computer readable medium, the program code comprising: program code for establishing a first wireless connection with a content source via a wireless short-range network; program code for receiving content from said content source over said first wireless connection, wherein the content includes audio content; program code for decoding received content for transmission to the content player over the second wireless connection for playback on said content player; program code for receiving metadata for said content from said content source over said first wireless connection; and program code for decoding said metadata received for transmission to said content player over said second wireless connection for display on said content player. 14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising: Program code for receiving commands from a content source at a selected radio frequency to send the content and metadata to the content player. 15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising: program code for receiving voice commands for content source function control from a source other than the content source; and program code for converting said voice command into a command for the content source to perform said function control. 16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising: program code for receiving wireless remote commands for content source function control from a source other than the content source; and program code for translating said wireless remote commands into commands for the content source to perform said function control. 17. A wireless adapter for wirelessly providing content to a content player, comprising: a first wireless interface operable to form a wireless short-range network with a content source to wirelessly receive content from said content source; and A second wireless interface providing a wireless connection to the content player for transmitting content received by the first wireless interface for playback by the content player. 18. The wireless adapter of claim 17 , wherein the first wireless interface is further operable to receive metadata for the content, and the second wireless interface is further operable to transfer the content via the wireless connection. The metadata is transmitted to the content player so that the metadata is displayed on the content player. 19. The wireless adapter of claim 17, wherein the first wireless interface is separate from the wireless adapter and operable for a wired connection to the wireless adapter. 20. The wireless adapter of claim 18, further comprising: a content decoder module that decodes the content and the metadata received over the first wireless interface for transmission to the content player over the second wireless interface. 21. The wireless adapter of claim 17, further comprising: a command translation module operable to receive commands for functional control of said content source, and translate the commands for execution by said content player. 22. The wireless adapter of claim 21, further comprising: A remote command module operable to receive wireless commands from a remote source other than the content source and convert the wireless commands into commands for function control received by said command translation module. 23. The wireless adapter of claim 21 , further comprising: A voice command module operable to receive voice commands from a source other than the content source and convert the voice commands into commands for function control received by said command translation module. 24. The wireless adapter of claim 17, wherein the wireless interface comprises: an application stack module operable to automatically detect the presence of a content source in the vicinity of the wireless adapter, transfer content from the content source to the second wireless interface, and enable the content source to communicate with the second wireless interface associated with the second wireless interface. Control of wireless adapters. 25. The wireless adapter of claim 17, wherein the content comprises multimedia content. 26. The wireless adapter of claim 17, further comprising: A content interface operable to provide a connection of another content source to said wireless adapter to receive content stored in the other content source for playback by said content player. 27. The wireless adapter of claim 19, further comprising: a content interface operable to provide a connection of another content source to said wireless adapter for receiving content stored in the other content source for playback by the content player, wherein the separate wireless interface is in The content interface is wired to the wireless adapter.

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