IP Library Granted Patent US 9,167,419
Granted Patent B2
US 9,167,419 · App. 14/053,620 · Granted Oct 20, 2015

Discovery and launch system and method

Inventor: David Harrison (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: FREE STREAM MEDIA CORP.
H04W8/24G06F15/16G06F21/123G06F21/34G06F21/53H04L12/189H04L29/06455H04L47/806H04L49/201H04L63/10H04L67/125H04L67/141H04L67/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,167,419
App. No.
14/053,620
Granted
Oct 20, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method, apparatus and/or system related to automatic detection of a similar application stored on a networked media device through a multicast capability of an operating system of a mobile device. In one embodiment, a method of a mobile device includes accessing a multicast capability of an operating system through an application of the mobile device, determining if there is a similar application locally stored on a networked media device to the application on the mobile device when a multicast message is broadcast to the networked media device communicatively coupled to the mobile device through a local area network, and automatically launching the similar application on the networked media device based on a communication of the multicast message from the mobile device to the networked media device.

Claims (63)

1. A method comprising:

accessing a multicast capability of an operating system of a client device, the client device being associated with a user;

discovering, through the client device, at least one other data processing device in an active state of reception of data from the client device through a local area network (LAN) based on the multicast capability accessed in the client device;

wirelessly transmitting, through the client device, a request to the at least one other data processing device discovered to be in the active state of reception of the data from the client device through the LAN, the at least one other data processing device being communicatively coupled to the client device through the LAN, and the request being related to identifying an application residing on the at least one other data processing device;

determining, through the client device, that the application residing on the at least one other data processing device is similar to an application residing on the client device configured to render an audio/visual data stream thereon based on a response to the request; and

wirelessly launching, through the client device, the audio/visual data stream on the at least one other data processing device through the similar application residing thereon across the LAN based on the determination of the similarity of the application, the wireless launching enabling the same user associated with the client device view the audio/visual data stream on the at least one other data processing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:

populating a table of the operating system of the client device with a list of applications residing on the at least one other data processing device similar to the application residing on the client device, the applications within the list having identifiers associated therewith; and

presenting the identifiers to the client device to enable a user thereof select an identifier therethrough.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising wirelessly launching the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device based on the populated table of the operating system of the client device comprising the identifier of the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

bookmarking the audio/visual data stream through the application residing on the client device;

storing data related to the bookmarking in at least one of: the client device and a central server communicatively coupled to the client device through at least one of: the LAN and another computer network, the central server being configured to serve the audio/visual data stream to the client device; and

leveraging the stored data related to the bookmarking to launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining whether the audio/visual data stream is being rendered on the application residing on the client device;

storing data related to a currency of the rendering on the client device on at least one of: the client device and a central server communicatively coupled to the client device through at least one of: the LAN and another computer network, the central server being configured to host content related to the audio/visual data stream being rendered on the client device; and

leveraging the stored data related to the currency of the rendering to launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating at least one of: a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and an interpretable content identifier to the application residing on the client device such that the wireless launching of the audio/visual data stream on the similar application of the at least one other data processing device is initiated based on data communicated through a corresponding at least one of: a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the URL and information associated with the interpretable content identifier.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination of the similarity between the application residing on the client device and the application residing on the at least one other data processing device further comprises comparing the application residing on the at least one other data processing device across a registry database residing on at least one of: the client device and a server external thereto to associate the application residing on the at least one other data processing device with the application residing on the client device.

8. A system comprising:

a LAN;

a client device comprising a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, the client device being associated with a user; and

at least one other data processing device communicatively coupled to the client device through the LAN,

wherein the processor of the client device is configured to execute instructions to:

access a multicast capability of an operating system of the client device,

discover that the at least one other data processing device is in an active state of reception of data from the client device through the LAN based on the access of the multicast capability in the client device,

wirelessly transmit a request related to identifying an application residing on the at least one other data processing device discovered to be in the active state of reception of the data from the client device thereto,

determine that the application residing on the at least one other data processing device is similar to an application residing on the client device configured to render an audio/visual data stream thereon based on a response to the request, and

wirelessly launch the audio/visual data stream on the at least one other data processing device through the similar application residing thereon across the LAN based on the determination of the similarity of the application to enable the same user associated with the client device view the audio/visual data stream on the at least one other data processing device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor of the client device is further configured to execute instructions to at least one of:

populate a table of the operating system of the client device with a list of applications residing on the at least one other data processing device similar to the application residing on the client device, the applications within the list having identifiers associated therewith, and

present the identifiers to the client device to enable a user thereof select an identifier therethrough.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor of the device is configured to execute instructions to wirelessly launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device based on the populated table of the operating system of the client device comprising the identifier of the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor of the client device is configured to execute instructions to:

bookmark the audio/visual data stream through the application residing on the client device,

store data related to the bookmarking in at least one of: the client device and a central server communicatively coupled to the client device through at least one of: the LAN and another computer network, the central server being configured to serve the audio/visual data stream to the client device, and

leverage the stored data related to the bookmarking to launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor of the client device is configured to execute instructions to:

determine whether the audio/visual data stream is being rendered on the application residing on the client device,

store data related to a currency of the rendering on the client device on at least one of: the client device and a central server communicatively coupled to the client device through at least one of: the LAN and another computer network, the central server being configured to host content related to the audio/visual data stream being rendered on the client device, and

leverage the stored data related to the currency of the rendering to launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor of the client device is further configured to execute instructions to communicate at least one of: a URL and an interpretable content identifier to the application residing on the client device such that the wireless launching of the audio/visual data stream on the similar application of the at least one other data processing device is initiated based on data communicated through a corresponding at least one of: a destination IP address associated with the URL and information associated with the interpretable content identifier.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor of the client device is configured to execute instructions to determine the similarity between the application residing on the client device and the application residing on the at least one other data processing device based on comparing the application residing on the at least one other data processing device across a registry database residing on at least one of: the client device and a server external thereto to associate the application residing on the at least one other data processing device with the application residing on the client device.

15. A non-transitory medium, readable through a client device associated with a user and comprising instructions embodied therein that are executable through the client device, comprising:

instructions to access a multicast capability of an operating system of the client device;

instructions to discover, through the client device, at least one other data processing device in an active state of reception of data from the client device through a LAN based on the multicast capability accessed in the client device;

instructions to wirelessly transmit, through the client device, a request to the at least one other data processing device discovered to be in the active state of reception of the data from the client device through the LAN, the at least one other data processing device being communicatively coupled to the client device through the LAN, and the request being related to identifying an application residing on the at least one other data processing device;

instructions to determine, through the client device, that the application residing on the at least one other data processing device is similar to an application residing on the client device configured to render an audio/visual data stream thereon based on a response to the request; and

instructions to wirelessly launch, through the client device, the audio/visual data stream on the at least one other data processing device through the similar application residing thereon across the LAN based on the determination of the similarity of the application to enable the same user associated with the client device view the audio/visual data stream on the at least one other data processing device.

16. The non-transitory medium of claim 15 , further comprising instructions to at least one of:

populate a table of the operating system of the client device with a list of applications residing on the at least one other data processing device similar to the application residing on the client device, the applications within the list having identifiers associated therewith; and

present the identifiers to the client device to enable a user thereof select an identifier therethrough.

17. The non-transitory medium of claim 16 , comprising instructions to wirelessly launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device based on the populated table of the operating system of the client device comprising the identifier of the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

18. The non-transitory medium of claim 15 , comprising instructions to:

bookmark the audio/visual data stream through the application residing on the client device;

store data related to the bookmarking in at least one of: the client device and a central server communicatively coupled to the client device through at least one of: the LAN and another computer network, the central server being configured to serve the audio/visual data stream to the client device; and

leverage the stored data related to the bookmarking to launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

19. The non-transitory medium of claim 15 , comprising instructions to:

determine whether the audio/visual data stream is being rendered on the application residing on the client device;

store data related to a currency of the rendering on the client device on at least one of: the client device and a central server communicatively coupled to the client device through at least one of: the LAN and another computer network, the central server being configured to host content related to the audio/visual data stream being rendered on the client device; and

leverage the stored data related to the currency of the rendering to launch the audio/visual data stream on the similar application residing on the at least one other data processing device.

20. The non-transitory medium of claim 15 , further comprising instructions to communicate at least one of: a URL and an interpretable content identifier to the application residing on the client device such that the wireless launching of the audio/visual data stream on the similar application of the at least one other data processing device is initiated based on data communicated through a corresponding at least one of: a destination IP address associated with the URL and information associated with the interpretable content identifier.

Assignments (5)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2025
From: SAMBA TV, INC.
To: HORIZON TECHNOLOGY FINANCE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 073562/0068 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 8, 2025
From: FPP FINANCE LLC
To: SAMBA TV, INC., PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS FREE STREAM MEDIA CORP.
Reel/Frame 072515/0816 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 17, 2024
From: FREE STREAM MEDIA CORP.
To: SAMBA TV, INC.
Reel/Frame 066342/0506 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2020
From: FREE STREAM MEDIA CORP.
To: FPP FINANCE LLC
Reel/Frame 051478/0837 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 17, 2013
From: HARRISON, DAVID
To: FREE STREAM MEDIA CORP.
Reel/Frame 031421/0660 →
Continuity (7)
Continuation 13736031 · Jan 7, 2013
Continuation 13470814 · May 14, 2012
Continuation 12592377 · Nov 23, 2009
Provisional Application 61118286 · Nov 26, 2008
Provisional Application 61696711 · Sep 4, 2012
Provisional Application 61584168 · Jan 6, 2012
Related Publication 20140195649A1 · Jul 10, 2014