Method and system for allowing users to access and/or share media libraries, including multimedia collections of audio and video information

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to network communications and, in particular, to a method and system for allowing users to access and/or share personal media libraries, including multimedia collections of audio and video information, via a wide area network or a group of networks, i.e., the Internet, for example.

One cannot disagree that appreciation of music is enhanced through greater understanding of the performing artists, as well as of the music itself. In most cases, music experts offer invaluable information on a particular music piece, genre or artist, which is not widely known by the public. Based on the music collection owned by an average user, the experts may reveal to the user a different listening experience by arranging the pieces to play in a particular order and by providing a personal commentary accompanying this arrangement.

The average user, however, typically has no access to this tailor-made expert information. Namely, the user may own a number of Compact Disks (CD) with classical music, for example, and he or she listens to these CDs in random order. Although the pieces in the user personal library can be researched individually to determine what every one of them represents, the user typically cannot properly digest and synthesize such a piece-meal information to obtain a collection that transcends the user's random listening. Only with the music experts' help can the user achieve that ultimate listening experience by combining individual pieces from various CDs to form a special playlist: it is as if a unique CD or tape were produced for the user by an expert or group of experts. It is possible to obtain such a unique CD by spending a lot of effort in laboriously writing down the titles of each album and sending them to the experts. Or, the experts may be invited to the user's home for advice and coffee. Both alternatives do not appear to be viable or, at best, easily achievable.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide access to the contents of multimedia information over the wide area network.

It is another object of the present invention to share the contents of multimedia information over the wide area network.

It is a further object of the present invention to transfer multimedia information over the wide area network.

It is still another object of the present invention to control by a first user a multimedia component in an audio/video/data system of a second user remotely located from the first user.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to reproduce information on a multimedia component in the audio/video/data system of the first user according to a playlist compiled by the second user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished by a method and system for accessing, over a wide area network, multimedia equipment for reproducing multimedia information recorded on data storage media. According to the present invention, a list of contents of the multimedia information is generated and modified to include only user selected multimedia information. The modified list of contents is converted to at least one command for controlling the multimedia equipment. The multimedia equipment is then controlled based on this command, wherein the user selected multimedia information is reproduced on the multimedia equipment based on the modified list of contents.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the list of contents is generated by a first user and is transferred via the wide area network to a second user. The second user modifies the list of contents, wherein the modified list of contents is transferred via the wide area network to the first user for reproducing the multimedia information only as selected by the second user.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the list of contents is generated and modified by the first user. The modified list of contents is then transferred via the wide area network to the second user for reproducing the multimedia information only as selected by the first user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system for providing a remote access of multimedia information over the Internet;

FIG. 2 is a functional flowchart for providing remote access of multimedia information over the Internet;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the system for sharing multimedia information between two Internet users in accordance with another aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a functional flowchart for sharing the multimedia information between two Internet users;

FIG. 5 is a functional flowchart for transferring data between two users in accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention.

In all Figures, like reference numerals represent the same or identical components of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As a general overview, the present invention allows the user of any video/audio/data equipment to receive an expert's advice on how to arrange the user personal multimedia library for reproduction of information in multimedia equipment in accordance with the expert's advice. This advice--in a form of an on-line tutorial accompanying the suggested order of the audio/video/data reproduction--is obtained without leaving the confines of the user's living room with the minimum of effort involved.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system for providing a remote access of multimedia information over the Internet. Shown in FIG. 1 is the Internet 10, which is a group of interconnected networks with various servers attached to those networks for providing information to users (clients) on the Internet, as well known to people skilled in the art of the network communications. Via the Internet, users around the world communicate with each other, access various information in databases, receive from those databases (download) information for personal use, etc. The World Wide Web (WWW) is probably the most interesting and widely used section of the Internet containing graphics images in addition to text.

As shown in FIG. 1, connected to the Internet 10 is representative client workstation 26 (hereinbelow referred to as Student). The reason for referring to this workstation as Student will become clear in connection with the explanation of the system operation hereinbelow. Student 26 includes audio/video (A/V) system 22 that may contain one or several interconnected multimedia reproduction devices, such as a CD player, a Video Tape Recorder (VTR), a Digital Video Disk (DVD) player, a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) player, etc.

Further included in Student 26 is a general purpose computer, such as a ubiquitous personal computer (PC), or intelligent audio/video (A/V) receiver 20. Either one of these devices is communicatively coupled to audio/video (A/V) system 22 for controlling the operation thereof.

PC/Intelligent A/V receiver 20 is attached to the Internet via Network Interface Card (NIC)/modem 18. That is, PC/Intelligent A/V receiver 20 establishes a node--via NIC/modem 18--on a particular network, which is a part of the Internet. The NIC serves as the interface for PC/Intelligent A/V receiver 20 by setting up a communications path with users of various networks (via the Internet) in conformance with the Internet protocol. Alternatively, the dial-up modem may be used for logging on to the network by following the proper communications protocol, as well known in the art.

At a geographical location that may be remotely located from Student 26, be it several miles or several thousand miles apart, another client workstation is located. This client workstation is referred to as Expert 24, as shown in FIG. 1. Again, the reason for this terminology will become obvious following the description of the system operation hereinbelow. Expert 24 has a general purpose computer (PC 12) and NIC/modem 14, that are similar to the PC and NIC/modem of the Student configuration. Similar to the above-described setup in Student 26, the Internet connection is achieved via PC 12 and NIC/modem 14.

Further shown in FIG. 1 is Music Web server 16. The server is typically a fast-processing computer (a mid-range, a mainframe, multiprocessors, etc.) having a fast access to a local or remote database. Music Web server 16 maintains a music site on the WWW accessible by such client stations as Student 26 and Expert 24, among others. As known in the art, a Web site may have a title page as well as several additional pages which are optional, along with Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) links to various other Web sites, for example. The music Web site maintained by Music Web server 16 provides the database collection of titles for CDs, video tapes, DVDs, etc. That is, the database stores titles of songs, movies, games, etc. recorded on various data storage media (analog or digital) and reproduced in audio/video/data system, such as A/V system 22, for example.

The system operation will now be described with reference to the sequencing flowchart of FIG. 2. Each step, as summarized in FIG. 2, will be explained in detail, whose understanding might be facilitated by referring to the block diagram of FIG. 1.

In step 200, Student 26 requests a tutorial from the Music Web site. In particular, let it be assumed that the user has in his CD changer (such as a 200 CD changer produced by Assignee of the present invention) of A/V system 22 multiple CDs with various recordings thereon. From his multiple CDs in the CD changer, the user would love to listen to a collection of jazz songs, as compiled by the on-line music expert. Using the personal computer and modem, he logs onto the Internet to obtain such a compilation. The Internet log-on connect