Communication terminals, systems, methods, and computer program products for publishing, sharing and accessing media files

Abstract

A method for publishing and sharing media files includes: making a published media file available to other wireless communication terminals from a publisher wireless communication terminal; establishing a connection via a wireless communication module of the publisher wireless communication terminal with a requestor wireless communication terminal seeking published media files; sending an identification of the published media file from the publisher wireless communication terminal to the requestor wireless communication terminal; sending a media file request from the requestor wireless communication terminal to the publisher wireless communication terminal requesting the published media file; sending the published media file from the publisher wireless communication terminal to the requestor wireless communication terminal in response to the media file request; and executing playback of the published media file on the requestor wireless communication terminal.

That which is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for publishing and sharing media files, the method comprising:
 pre-selecting a media file from a collection of media files on a publisher communication terminal for publication; thereafter 
 making the selected media file a published media file available to other communication terminals from the publisher communication terminal; thereafter 
 receiving a discovery request issued from a requestor communication terminal seeking published media files; 
 automatically establishing a connection between the publisher communication terminal and the requestor communication terminal in response to the discovery request; 
 sending an identification of the published media file from the publisher communication terminal to the requestor communication terminal; 
 sending a media file request from the requestor communication terminal to the publisher communication terminal requesting the published media file; 
 automatically sending the published media file from the publisher communication terminal to the requestor communication terminal in response to the media file request; 
 executing playback of the published media file on the requestor communication terminal; and 
 prior to receiving the discovery request, placing the publisher communication terminal in a publisher mode and awaiting the discovery request from the requestor communication terminal. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  including:
 establishing a connection between the publisher communication terminal and a plurality of requestor communication terminals seeking published media files; 
 sending identifications of published media files from the publisher communication terminal to each of the requestor communications terminals; 
 sending a media file request from each of the requestor communication terminals to the publisher communication terminal requesting the published media files; 
 sending published media files from the publisher communication terminal to each of the requestor communication terminals in response to the media file requests; and 
 executing playback of the published media files on each of the requestor communication terminals. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  including generating and displaying on the requestor communication terminal a published media file list including the published media file identification. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  including sending the published media file to the requestor communication terminal in response to a media file request by streaming the published media file to the requestor communication terminal. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  wherein the media file identification includes metadata including descriptive information regarding the published media file. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1  wherein the connection between the publisher communication terminal and the requestor communication terminal is a wireless connection. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1  wherein the published media file is a song file. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1  wherein the published media file is a video file. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1  wherein the published media file is a still image file. 
     
     
       10. A communication terminal comprising:
 a communication module that is configured to communicate with other communication terminals; and 
 a controller that is configured to pre-select a media file from a collection of media files on the communication terminal for publication, to thereafter make the selected media file a published media file available to other communication terminals, to thereafter receive a discovery request issued from a requestor communication terminal seeking published media files, to automatically establish a connection between the communication terminal and the requestor communication terminal in response to the discovery request, to send an identification of the published media file to the requestor communication terminal, to receive a media file request from the requestor communication terminal requesting the published media file, to automatically send the published media file to the requestor communication terminal in response to the media file request, and to place the communication terminal in a publisher mode and await the discovery request from the requestor communication terminal prior to receiving the discovery request. 
 
     
     
       11. A method for publishing and sharing media files, the method comprising:
 pre-selecting a media file from a collection of media files on a publisher communication terminal for publication; thereafter   making the selected media file a published media file available to other communication terminals from the publisher communication terminal;   establishing a connection between the publisher communication terminal and a requestor wireless communication terminal seeking published media files;   sending an identification of the published media file from the publisher communication terminal to the requestor communication terminal;   generating and displaying on the requestor communication terminal a published media file list including the published media file identification;   ending a media file request from the requestor communication terminal to the publisher communication terminal requesting the published media file;   sending the published media file from the publisher communication terminal to the requestor communication terminal in response to the media file request; and   executing playback of the published media file on the requestor communication terminal.   
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11  including:
 establishing a connection between the publisher communication terminal and a plurality of requestor communication terminals seeking published media files; 
 sending identifications of published media files from the publisher communication terminal to each of the requestor communication terminals; 
 generating and displaying on each of the requestor communication terminals a published media file list including the published media file identification; 
 sending a media file request from each of the requestor communication terminals to the publisher communication terminal requesting the published media files; 
 sending published media files from the publisher communication terminal to each of the requestor communication terminals in response to the media file requests; and 
 executing playback of the published media files on each of the requestor communication terminals. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11  including:
 prior to establishing the connection, placing the publisher communication terminal in a publisher mode; and 
 automatically establishing the connection between the publisher communication terminal and the requestor communication terminal seeking published media files. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11  including sending the published media file to the requestor communication terminal in response to the media file request by streaming the published media file to the requestor communication terminal. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11  wherein the media file identification includes metadata including descriptive information regarding the published media file. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 11  including:
 receiving at the requestor communication terminal a selection of the published media file identification from the published media file list; and 
 automatically sending the media file request from the requestor communication terminal to the publisher communication terminal in response to the selection of the published media file identification. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 11  including:
 displaying at the publisher communication terminal a plurality of media file identifications corresponding to the collection of media files, each media file identification corresponding to a respective media file that is available to be published; 
 wherein pre-selecting the media file comprises selecting one of the displayed identifications. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 11 , including:
 placing a requestor communication terminal in a requestor mode and thereafter:
 establishing the connection between the publisher communication terminal and the requestor communication terminal seeking published media files; and 
 sending the identification of the published media file from the publisher communication terminal to the requestor communication terminal. 
   
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 11  wherein the connection between the publisher communication terminal and the requestor communication terminal is a wireless connection. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 11  wherein the published media file is at least one of a song file, a video file and a still image file. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 11  including:
 pre-selecting a plurality of media files from the collection of media files on the publisher communication terminal for publication; thereafter 
 making the selected media files a plurality of published media files available to other communication terminals from the publisher communication terminal; 
 sending an identification of each of the plurality of published media files from the publisher communication terminal to the requestor communication terminal; 
 generating and displaying on the requestor communication terminal the published media file list including the published media file identifications; 
 receiving at the requestor communication terminal a selection of at least one of the published media file identifications from the published media file list; 
 sending at least one media file request from the requestor communication terminal to the publisher communication terminal requesting the at least one published media file corresponding to the selected at least one of the published media file identifications; 
 sending the at least one published media file from the publisher communication terminal to the requestor communication terminal in response to the at least one media file request; and 
 executing playback of the at least one published media file on the requestor communication terminal. 
 
     
     
       22. A communication device comprising:
 a transceiver circuit configured to communicate with at least one of a wireless network, a wireless router, and one or more wireless communication terminals; and   a data processing circuit configured to:   receive a pre-selection of digital media data from among digital media data accessible to the communication device;   cause an identification of the pre-selected digital media data to be displayed; initiate playback of the pre-selected digital media data; and   place the communication device in at least one of a first mode or a second mode; wherein the data processing circuit is further configured to,   when the communication device is in the first mode, cause pre-selected digital media data to be sent to another a communication device, via the transceiver circuit, and,   when the communication device is in the second mode, cause pre-selected digital media data to be retrieved.    
     
     
       23. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the first mode is a publisher mode and the second mode is a requester mode.  
     
     
       24. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the data processing circuit is further configured to place the communication device in the first mode or the second mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data prior to causing the identification of the pre-selected digital media data to be displayed.  
     
     
       25. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the data processing circuit is further configured to, while the communication device is in one of the first or second modes with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, place the communication device in the other of the first or second modes with respect to another media file.  
     
     
       26. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the data processing circuit is configured to initiate playback of the pre-selected digital media data, when in the first mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, by causing the pre-selected digital media data to be sent to another communication device for playback, and when in the second mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, by causing the pre-selected digital media data to be retrieved for playback.  
     
     
       27. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the data processing circuit is further configured to apply a digital rights management (DRM) scheme to the pre-selected digital media data, using a trusted module.  
     
     
       28. The communication device of claim 22, further comprising a memory communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to store the pre-selected digital media data.  
     
     
       29. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the data processing circuit is configured to receive pre-selected digital media data that is remotely accessible to the communication device.  
     
     
       30. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the data processing circuit is configured to initiate playback of the pre-selected digital media data, while in the first mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, by causing the pre-selected digital media data to be streamed to the other communication device.  
     
     
       31. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the data processing circuit is configured to cause the identification of the pre-selected digital media data to be displayed, while in the first mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, by sending information comprising the identification of the pre-selected digital media data via the wireless communication module.  
     
     
       32. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the transceiver circuit is configured to communicate via at least one of a direct communication interface and an indirect communication interface.  
     
     
       33. A method for digital media management by a communication device, comprising:
 receiving a pre-selection of digital media data from among digital media data accessible to the communication device;   causing an identification of the pre-selected digital media data to be displayed; initiating playback of the pre-selected digital media data; and   selecting at least one of a first mode and a second mode of operation for the communication device,   the first mode being a mode in which pre-selected digital media data is sent to another communication device and the second mode being a mode in which pre-selected digital media data is retrieved by the communication device.    
     
     
       34. The method of claim 33, further comprising, while the communication device is in one of the first or second modes with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, placing the communication device in the other of the first or second modes with respect to another media file.  
     
     
       35. The method of claim 33, wherein initiating playback of the pre-selected digital media data comprises, when the communication device is in the first mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data,
 causing the pre-selected digital media data to be sent to another communication device for playback, and   wherein initiating playback of the pre-selected digital media comprises, when the communication device is in the second mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, causing the pre-selected digital media data to be retrieved for playback.    
     
     
       36. The method of claim 33, wherein initiating playback of the pre-selected digital media data comprises, when the communication device is in the first mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, causing the pre-selected digital media data to be streamed to the other communication device.  
     
     
       37. The method of claim 33, wherein causing the identification of the pre-selected digital media data to be displayed comprises, when the communication device is in the first mode with respect to the pre-selected digital media data, sending information comprising the identification of the pre-selected digital media data via the wireless communication module.  
     
     
       38. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising program code that, when executed by at least one processor of a communication device, causes the at least one processor to perform a digital media management method that comprises:
 receiving a pre-selection of digital media data from among an accessible collection of digital media data;   causing an identification of the pre-selected digital media data to be displayed; initiating playback of the pre-selected digital media data; and selecting at least one of a first mode and a second mode of operation for the communication device, the first mode being a mode in which pre-selected digital media data is sent by the communication device to another communication device, and the second mode being a mode in which pre-selected digital media data is retrieved by the communication device.    
     
     
       39. A communication device comprising:
 transceiver circuitry configured to communicate over a plurality of wireless interfaces using a first protocol and a second protocol,   wherein the second protocol is a wireless local communication protocol and differs from the first protocol; and   a controller configured to:   select digital media data from a collection of one or more digital media data; initiate playback of the selected digital media data, responsive to input received from a user interface; and   initiate streaming of the selected digital media data to another communication device via the second protocol;   wherein the controller is further configured to:   responsive to user input, place the communication device in at least one of a first mode, in which the communication device is operable to stream the selected digital media data to another communication device, using the second protocol, and a second mode, in which the communication device is operable to request digital media data via a router, online, or from another communication device, using the first protocol.    
     
     
       40. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the transceiver circuitry comprises a cellular communication module and one or more of a wireless local-area network module, a direct radio-frequency (RF) communication module, and a direct infrared (IR) module.  
     
     
       41. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the first protocol is a cellular communication protocol.  
     
     
       42. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the communication device is configured so that the first protocol can be any one of the GPRS, EDGE, and wideband-CDMA protocols.  
     
     
       43. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the second protocol is a wireless local-area network (WLAN) protocol.  
     
     
       44. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the second protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.  
     
     
       45. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the plurality of wireless interfaces comprises a direct interface and an indirect interface.  
     
     
       46. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the plurality of wireless interfaces comprises a plurality of indirect interfaces.  
     
     
       47. The communication device of claim 39, further comprising a memory configured to store said collection of one or more digital media data.  
     
     
       48. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the controller is further configured to display a user interface component for controlling playback operation of the selected media data.  
     
     
       49. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the controller is further configured to display an identification of the selected digital media data and metadata associated with the selected digital media data.  
     
     
       50. The communication device of claim 49, wherein said metadata comprises an artist name.  
     
     
       51. The communication device of claim 39, wherein said communication device is configured to deliver said selected digital media data to said another communication device by streaming the selected digital media data from the communication device to said another communication device.  
     
     
       52. The communication device of claim 39, further comprising a camera module configured to generate a still image and/or video data stream based on incident light.  
     
     
       53. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the controller is configured to apply a digital rights management (DRM) scheme to the selected digital media data, using a trusted module.  
     
     
       54. The communication device of claim 39, wherein said controller is further configured to place the communication device in the first mode and the second mode at the same time.  
     
     
       55. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the selected digital media data comprises one or more of the following media types: audio, still image, and video.  
     
     
       56. The communication device of claim 39, wherein the selected digital media data comprises a digital media file.  
     
     
       57. A method for digital media management by a communication device comprising transceiver circuitry configured to communicate over a plurality of wireless interfaces using a first protocol and a second protocol, wherein the second protocol is a wireless local communication protocol and differs from the first protocol, the method comprising:
 selecting digital media data from a collection of one or more digital media data: initiating playback of the selected digital media data, responsive to input received from a user interface; and   initiating streaming of the selected digital media data to another communication device via the second protocol; and   placing the communication device in at least one of a first mode and a second mode; wherein the method further comprises:   in the first mode, causing the selected digital media data to be streamed to another device; and   in the second mode, causing the selected digital media data to be retrieved.    
     
     
       58. The method of claim 57, wherein the first protocol is a cellular communication protocol.  
     
     
       59. The method of claim 57, wherein the second protocol is a wireless local-area network (WLAN) protocol.  
     
     
       60. The method of claim 57, wherein the second protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.  
     
     
       61. The method of claim 57, further comprising displaying a user interface component for controlling playback operation of the selected media data.  
     
     
       62. The method of claim 57, further comprising displaying an identification of the selected digital media data and metadata associated with the selected digital media data.  
     
     
       63. The communication device of claim 62, wherein said metadata comprises an artist name.  
     
     
       64. The method of claim 57, comprising delivering said selected digital media data to said another communication device by streaming the selected digital media data from the communication device to said another communication device.  
     
     
       65. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising program code that, when executed by at least one processor in a communication device comprising transceiver circuitry configured to communicate over a plurality of wireless interfaces using a first protocol and a second protocol, wherein the second protocol is a wireless local communication protocol and differs from the first protocol, causes the at least one processor to perform a digital media management method that comprises:
 selecting digital media data from a collection of one or more digital media data; initiating playback of the selected digital media data, responsive to input received from a user interface; and   initiating streaming of the selected digital media data to another communication device via the second protocol; and   placing the communication device in at least one of in at least one of a first mode, in which the communication device is operable to stream the selected digital media data to another communication device, using the second protocol, and a second mode, in which the communication device is operable to request digital media data via a router, online, or from another communication device, using the first protocol.    
     
     
       66. A controller circuit configured for use in a communication device having transceiver circuitry configured to communicate over a plurality of wireless interfaces using a first protocol and a second protocol, wherein the second protocol is a wireless local communication protocol and differs from the first protocol, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to: select digital media data from a collection of one or more digital media data: initiate playback of the selected digital media data, responsive to input received from a user interface; and
 initiate streaming of the selected digital media data to another communication device via the second protocol:   and wherein the controller is further configured to:   responsive to user input, place the communication device in at least one of a first mode, in which the communication device is operable to stream the selected digital media data to another communication device, using the second protocol, and a second mode, in which the communication device is operable to request digital media data via a router, online, or from another communication device, using the first protocol.