Media search engine for a personal media network
View Patent ↗A system providing search functionality supporting the exchange and consumption of media is disclosed. The searching of media on storage belonging to any of a pre-defined group of users of a personal media network is provided. In addition, media stored on designated servers may also be included in a search. The media stored may include audio, still images, video, and data. A user may search the stored media using a number of criteria including the time period of the media, the type of device, and the type of media. The system also provides support for the search of one or more media peripherals, which may be searched when the media peripherals are communicatively coupled to the system.
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of code sections, each code section comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor for searching media storage, the method comprising:
causing display of a graphical user interface on a first display device of a system of a first member of the group of users, at a first location, the graphical user interface having at least one view and comprising a representation of criteria for searching media storage of systems of one or more other members of a group of users at one or more second locations, systems of the members of the group of users being geographically dispersed, having respective network protocol addresses, and having membership administered by at least one group member;
communicating a search request to search software, the search request comprising one or more search criteria defined by the first member of the group of users to cause searching of media storage at systems of the one or more other members of the group of users; and
presenting, to the first member of the group of users via the first display device, results of the search, the results comprising information identifying media content available to the first member of the group of users from the media storage of the systems of the one or more other members of the group of users.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the media content comprises one or more of audio, a still image, video, and/or data.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein members of the group communicatively couple via a communication network that comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3 , wherein the communication network is the Internet.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises consuming media by one or more of playing digitized audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the search criteria comprises one or more of a time period, a device type, a specific media, a media type, a specific media channel, and/or a media channel type.
7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
causing display of one or more media channels as part of the graphical user interface, wherein each of the one or more media channels comprise a graphical representation of a member selected and time scheduled sequence of two or more items of media content.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the information identifying media content identifies media stored on at least one media peripheral operably coupled to a system of the one or more other members of the group of users, the identified media content matching the user defined search criteria.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the at least one media peripheral comprises a digital camera.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the digital camera comprises a digital camcorder.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the at least one media peripheral comprises a television, a personal computer, a CD player, a home juke-box, a multi-media gateway device, a multi-media personal digital assistant, a DVD player, a tape player, and/or a MP3 player.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
retrieving media content from systems of one or more other members of the group of users according to the results of the search.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the search criteria enables searching of media storage of one or more of a 3rd party media provider, a 3rd party storage vendor, and/or a broadband network head end.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the first display device is a television.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the first member of the group of users sends media content to a second display device of a system of a second member of the group of users.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the second display device is a television.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
sending media content to a system of a second member of the group of users according to a time schedule of a user-defined media channel, the user-defined media channel comprising a sequence of items of media content selected and time scheduled by the first member of the group of users.
18. A method for searching media storage comprising:
causing display of a graphical user interface on a first display device of a system of a first member of the group of users, at a first location, the graphical user interface comprising a representation of criteria for searching the media storage of systems of one or more other members of the group of users, the systems of the one or more other members of the group of users being geographically dispersed, having respective network protocol addresses, and having membership administered by at least one group member;
communicating a search request to search software, the search request comprising one or more search criteria defined by the first member of the group of users to cause searching of media storage at systems of the one or more other members of the group of users; and
presenting, to the first member of the group of users via the first display device, results of the search, the results comprising information identifying media content available to the first member of the group of users from the media storage of the systems of the one or more other members of the group of users.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the media content comprises one or more of audio, a still image, video, and/or data.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein members of the group communicatively couple via a communication network that comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the communication network is the Internet.
22. The method of claim 18 , further comprises consuming media content by one or more of playing digitized audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data.
23. The method of claim 18 , wherein the search criteria comprises one or more of a time period, a device type, a specific media, a media type, a specific media channel, and/or a media channel type.
24. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
causing display of one or more media channels as part of the graphical user interface, wherein each of the one or more media channels comprise a graphical representation of a member selected and time scheduled sequence of two or more items of media content.
25. The method of claim 18 , wherein the information identifying media content identifies media stored on at least one media peripheral operably coupled to a system of the one or more other members of the group of users, the identified media content matching the user defined search criteria.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the at least one media peripheral comprises a digital camera.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the digital camera comprises a digital camcorder.
28. The method of claim 25 , wherein the at least one media peripheral comprises a television, a personal computer, a CD player, a home juke-box, a multi-media gateway device, a multi-media personal digital assistant, a DVD player, a tape player, and/or a MP3 player.
29. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
retrieving media content from the system of each of the one or more other members of the group of users according to the results of the search.
30. The method of claim 18 , wherein the search criteria enables searching of media storage of one or more of a 3rd party media provider, a 3rd party storage vendor, and/or a broadband network head end.
31. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first display device is a television.
32. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first member of the group of users sends media content to a second display device of a system of a second member of the group of users.
33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the second display device is a television.
34. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
sending media content to a system of a second member of the group of users according to a time schedule of a user-defined media channel, the user-defined media channel comprising a sequence of items of media content selected and time scheduled by the first member of the group of users.
35. A system for searching media storage comprising:
one or more processors that enable display of a graphical user interface on a first display device of a system of a first member of the group of users, at a first location, the graphical user interface having at least one view and comprising a representation of criteria for searching the media storage of systems of one or more other members of a group of users at one or more second locations, systems of the members of the group of users being geographically dispersed, having respective network protocol addresses, and having membership administered by at least one group member
the one or more processors enable communicating a search request to search software, the search request comprising one or more search criteria defined by the first member of the group of users to cause searching of media storage at systems of the one or more other members of the group of users; and
the one or more processors enable presenting, to the first member of the group of users via the first display device, results of the search, the results comprising information identifying media content available to the first member of the group of users from the media storage of the systems of the one or more other members of the group of users.
36. The system of claim 35 , wherein the media content comprises one or more of audio, a still image, video, and/or data.
37. The system of claim 35 , wherein members of the group communicatively couple via a communication network that comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
38. The system of claim 37 , wherein the communication network is the Internet.
39. The system of claim 35 , wherein the one or more processors enable consumption by one or more of playing digitized audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data.