Automatic sharing and publication of multimedia from a mobile device

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to wireless mobile devices, and more particularly to sharing multimedia from such mobile devices.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE/PERMISSION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever: Copyright© 2006, FullPower, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most current cellular telephones contain a camera. However, the possible delivery locations for the media are limited. Electronic communications and publications, such as e-mail, social networking web sites, RSS feeds, personal blogs, news sites, etc. are increasingly incorporating media such as videos and photos. Camera phones do not currently have the ability to send to all of these heterogeneous delivery locations. Users increasingly wish to send their media to multiple heterogeneous delivery locations and to do so without having to input each delivery location individually.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Multimedia from a mobile device is automatically distributed to multiple and various types of shares specified by a default destination. The mobile device generates a media package from the multimedia and sensor meta data. The media package is transmitted to a server that optimizes the multimedia before distributing the multimedia to the shares. Alternatively, the multimedia may be distributed to shares specified in a different destination that is input through the mobile device. Delivery instructions corresponding to the shares for the different destination are included in the media package. In another aspect, the mobile device sends share identifiers to the server to define the default destination for the user account.

The present invention is described in conjunction with systems, clients, servers, methods, and computer-readable media of varying scope. In addition to the aspects of the present invention described in this summary, further aspects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by reading the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a mobile device operating in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system-level overview of an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3A-B are flowcharts of methods to be performed by a client according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4A-B are flowcharts of methods to be performed by a server according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 5A-B illustrate modules that implement the methods of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device and a computer system suitable for use with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized that logical, mechanical, electrical, functional, and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile device 101, such as a cellular telephone, at various points during execution of one embodiment of an instant sharing client 100. The instant sharing client 100 is invoked when a user performs certain actions on the mobile device. Such actions include pressing a camera button, selecting a capture option from a menu, and similar actions that initiate the capture of multimedia. It will be appreciated that multimedia (also referred to as “media”) includes audio, still images, video, and combinations thereof. The instant sharing client 100 displays two buttons, or soft keys, on the mobile device screen at time T1. An options button 103 causes the display of an options menu that is described further below. A capture button 105 causes the multimedia to be captured, along with related sensor data (also referred to as sensor “meta data”). After multimedia is captured, at time T2, the instant sharing client 100 displays two new buttons on the screen, back button 107, which allows the user to recapture the multimedia, and next button 109. Assuming the user activates the next button 109, at time T3, the instant sharing client 100 displays a destination message 111 on the mobile device. As shown in FIG. 1, the destination message indicates that the captured multimedia will be automatically distributed to various heterogeneous delivery locations that the user has previously specified as a default destination. The default destination may include any number and multiple types of delivery locations. For example, a default destination can include email addresses, mobile phone numbers, personal web blogs (publications), social networking and other Internet web sites, and RSS (really simple syndication) feeds, all of which are referred to herein as shares. At T4, the instant sharing client 100 sends 115 the multimedia to the user-selected shares 117 via a server, and displays a message 113 that the multimedia has been shared.

The instant sharing client 100 also allows the user to override the default destination by pressing any key and inputting different share identifiers using the options button 103. In one embodiment, the destination message 111 prompts the user to select up to ten pre-defined distribution choices, or “speed-shares,” using keys 0 through 9 on the keypad of the phone, such as in speed-dialing. Each of these choices is a destination that can specify multiple heterogeneous shares. In another embodiment, the destination message 111 prompts the user to select from a list of recent shares that are not covered by the default destination or the speed-shares.

Although the mobile device of FIG. 1 has been described with reference to input through key presses, it will be appreciated that the invention is not so limited, and that other input techniques known in the art, such as voice commands and motion gestures, are contemplated as within the scope of the invention.

A system level overview of the operation of a sharing system 200 according to one embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 2. The sharing system comprises a mobile device 201 and one or more servers 203. Mobile device 201 includes the instant sharing client 100 described above, embedded sensors that capture the sensor meta data, and an image optimization client. The instant sharing client 100 generates a media package 209 containing the multimedia 211, user identification 213 for the user of the mobile device 201, delivery instructions 215 if the user overrode the default destination, and the sensor meta data 217, which it sends to the server(s) 203 through a standard mobile carrier network. When the server(s) 203 receives the media package, it optimizes the multimedia based on the sensor meta data. For example, if the mobile device is equipped with an inertial sensor (also known as an accelerometer), meta data from the inertial sensor may be used to remove blur artifacts from the multimedia as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/603,472, assigned to the same assignee as the present application. Individual share identifiers, speed-shares, and destinations input into the mobile device 201 are sent by the instant sharing client 100 to the server(s) 203 as destination options 207. In one embodiment, the destination options 207 are synchronized between the server(s) 203 and the instant sharing client 100 whenever changes are made to the destination options 207 on the mobile device 201 through the instant sharing client 100 or on the server(s) through another device, such as personal computer 205. The synchronization allows the user to change mobile devices 201 while having access to the same destination options 207. In one embodiment, the server(s) 203 only synchronize a subset of all the destination options 207 with the instant sharing client 100, such as the most recent, but maintain a history of all shares specified by the user.

In one embodiment, the server(s) 203 maintain an account for each user. Initial setup of the account may be performed on the mobile device 201 or through the personal computer 205. The initial setup may include having the user specify the shares for the default destination and the speed-shares, and collecting other information from the user, such as login credentials for shares that require them. In an alternate embodiment, the instant sharing client and server are configured to share multimedia without requiring a user account. In this case, the media package includes share identifiers input by the user since there is no default destination, but the media package does not include the user identification since there is no user account.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate methods to be executed on a mobile device according to one embodiment of the invention. Referring first to FIG. 3A, the acts to be performed by a mobile device executing a client share method 300 are shown. At block 301, the client share method 300 receives a capture command from the mobile device. The client share method 300 captures the multimedia and meta data from any embedded sensors (block 303). In one embodiment, the meta data is used when capturing the multimedia as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/603,472, assigned to the same assignee as the present application. For example, if the mobile device is equipped with an inertial sensor (accelerometer), the inertial sensor data is used to capture multimedia that does not have blur artifacts (blur from moving the mobile device while taking a picture). The inertial sensor data also may be sent in the media package as sensor meta data for further optimization of the multimedia by the server. The client share method 300 outputs the default destination message (block 305) and waits for a pre-determined period of time for user input (block 307). In one embodiment, a prompt message may be part of the default destination message or output as a separate message. If user input is received, at block 309 the client share method 300 stores the user input as delivery instructions. At block 311, the client share method 300 generates the media package that includes the multimedia and the user identification. If the user overrode the default destination at block 307, the delivery information from block 309 is also included in the media package. Data captured from any sensors embedded in the mobile device is included in the media package as sensor meta data. The client share method 300 sends the media package to the server (block 313).

It will be appreciated that the media package may be sent in the background asynchronously so that the mobile device can perform other actions without waiting for confirmation message from the server that the multimedia was successfully distributed. In one embodiment, various confirmation and error messages are sent to the instant sharing client by the server but only messages that require user action are output to the user.

If the initial setup of the user's account is to be performed on the mobile device, the mobile device invokes a client setup method 320 as illustrated in FIG. 3B. The client setup method 320 outputs an account registration form on the mobile device (block 321) and receives the user information input (block 323). The user information is sent to the server at block 323. In one embodiment, the only information required to set up a user account is the share identifiers for the default destination. It will be appreciated that the account registration form may be a set of fields to be filled in or a set of questions to be answered. In addition, one of skill in the art will immediately understand that a similar setup method executes on a personal computer used to setup the user's account.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate server methods that operate in conjunction with the client methods of FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 4A illustrate the acts to be performed by a computer acting as a server executing a server share method 400. The server share method 400 receives the media package from a mobile device (block 401) and determines if it includes delivery instructions (block 403). If it does, the server share method 400 sets the distribution shares to be those specified in the delivery instructions (block 405). If not, the server share method 400 retrieves the default destination associated with the user identified in the media package to determine the distribution shares (block 407). In either case, at block 409 the server share method 400 optimizes the multimedia according to the sensor meta data, if such optimization is necessary and the meta data is available, and distributes it at block 411.

FIG. 4B illustrates the acts performed to setup a user account on the server. At block 421, a server setup method 400 receives user information from a requestor, such as a mobile device, a personal computer, or other networked device. The server setup method 400 creates the user account at block 423, and returns identification information associated with the user account to the requestor at block 425. If the requestor is not a mobile device, the user identification is subsequently transferred to the mobile device using standard data transfer techniques well-known in the art.

In practice, the methods 300, 320, 400 and 420 may constitute one or more programs made up of machine-executable instructions. Describing the method with reference to the flowchart in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B enables one skilled in the art to develop such programs, including such instructions to carry out the operations (acts) represented by the logical blocks on suitably configured machines (the processor of the machine executing the instructions from machine-readable media). The machine-executable instructions may be written in a computer programming language or may be embodied in firmware logic or in hardware circuitry. If written in a programming language conforming to a recognized standard, such instructions can be executed on a variety of hardware platforms and for interface to a variety of operating systems. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the invention as described herein. Furthermore, it is common in the art to speak of software, in one form or another (e.g., program, procedure, process, application, module, logic . . . ), as taking an action or causing a result. Such expressions are merely a shorthand way of saying that execution of the software by a machine causes the processor of the machine to perform an action or produce a result. It will be further appreciated that more or fewer processes may be incorporated into the methods illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B without departing from the scope of the invention and that no particular order is implied by the arrangement of blocks shown and described herein.

Particular implementations of the methods are now described with reference to modules illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. In FIG. 5A, a set of modules 500 for a mobile device include a capture module 501, a media package generation module 505, and a setup module 507. The capture module 501 comprises computer instructions that capture the multimedia and the sensor meta data. The media package generation module 505 comprises instructions that combine the multimedia, any user identification, sensor meta data, and any delivery instruction into the media package for transmission to the server. In addition, the media generation module 505 comprises instructions that creates a network message containing the media package in accordance with the protocols of the network connecting the mobile device and the server. The setup module 507 comprises instructions that create an account registration form and format the received user information for transmission to the server.

In FIG. 5B, a set of modules 510 for a server include an optimization module 511, a distribution package generation module 515, and a user account module 517. The optimization module 511 comprises instructions that optimize the multimedia based on any sensor meta data in a media package. The distribution package generation module 515 comprises instructions that determine a destination for the multimedia in the media package and generate a distribution package for the multimedia in accordance with the requirements of each share specified by the destination. In addition, the distribution package generation module 515 creates a network message containing the distribution package in accordance with the protocols of the network connecting the server and the corresponding share. The user account module 217 comprises instructions that create an account for a user and retrieve the default destination from a user's account.

The following description of FIG. 6 is intended to provide an overview of hardware and other operating components suitable for performing the methods of the invention described above, but is not intended to limit the applicable environments. As shown in FIG. 6, a mobile device 601 is connected to a server 603 through a wireless network 605. The mobile device 601 contains a processor 611, memory 613, and an input/output component 616 coupled to a bus 617. The memory 613 is configured to store instructions which, when executed by the processor 611, perform the methods described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. In addition, the memory 613 stores the modules illustrated in FIG. 5A and the mobile device data described above. The input/output component includes a display and a key pad, and a network interface.

Similarly, the server 603 contains a processor 621, memory 623, and an input/output component 625 coupled to a bus 627. The memory 623 is configured to store instructions which, when executed by the processor 621, perform the methods described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. In addition, the memory 623 stores the modules illustrated in FIG. 5B and the server data described above. The input/output component 625 includes a network interface for connecting to the mobile device 601. In addition, the input/output component 625 includes a network interface for connecting to the networks on which the shares reside.

The input/output components 615, 625 also encompass various types of computer readable media, including any type of storage device that is accessible by the processors 611, 621. One of skill in the art will immediately recognize that the term “computer readable medium/media” further encompasses a carrier wave that encodes a data signal. It will also be appreciated that the mobile device 601 and the computer 603 are controlled by operating system software executing from their respective memories. The input/output components and related media store the computer-executable instructions for the operating system and methods of the present invention as well as data.

One of skill in the art will immediately appreciate that the invention can be practiced with other system configurations, including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.

The term “Internet” as used herein refers to a network of networks which uses certain protocols, such as the TCP/IP protocol, and possibly other protocols such as the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) for hypertext markup language (HTML) documents that make up the World Wide Web (web). The physical connections of the Internet and the protocols and communication procedures of the Internet are well known to those of skill in the art.

The automatic and instant distribution of multimedia from a mobile device to multiple heterogeneous delivery locations, such as such as e-mail addresses, RSS feeds, social networking sites, and web blogs, has been described. Users configure a default destination to specify the desired delivery locations, and the multimedia is automatically and instantly sent to these delivery locations without any additional configuration. For example, a user may configure their primary default destination list to include their personal web ‘blog’, certain e-mail addresses, certain phone numbers, a social networking sites, and an RSS feed or any subset thereof. When the user subsequently captures multimedia with their mobile device, it is instantly shared to these delivery locations without any further input being required. Additionally, the media may be enhanced on the server before delivery to remove motion-blurring using meta data taken from sensors on the mobile device.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.