Apple Inc.

David Heller

Jeffrey L Robbin

Thomas E Dowdy

Greg Marriott

Christopher R Wysocki

Jeff Miller

Amandeep S Jawa

Thomas M Alsina

Jesse William Boettcher

Patrice Olivier Gautier

Mike Wiese

Anne Jones

Steve P Jobs

Timothy Benjamin Martin

Timothy E Wasko

Thomas C Mavrakakis

Craig Alan Marciniak

Elizabeth Caroline Cranfill

William Martin Bachman

Joe Randall Howard

Alan Cannistraro

Gordon J Freedman

Matt Evans

Guy Leslie Tribble

Max Muller

Ellis Marshall Verosub

Robert H Kondrk

Stephen Anderson Davis

Robert Dale Newberry, Jr

Sandeep Kumar Gupta

Rainer Brodersen

Charles John Pisula

John Wesley Archibald

David Lawrence Neumann

Eddy Cue

Gregory S Robbin

Alejandro A Rodriguez

David Allan Shayer

Jeffrey S Miller

Garrick McFarlane

Justin Henzie

Joseph A Tyson

Max Sprauer

Shannon E Wells

Zhiyuan Zhao

Philip F Kearney, Iii

James M Costello

Raymond Neil Walsh, Ii

Kenneth C Barry

Scott James Forstall

Dallas Blake De Atley

Mihnea Calin Pacurariu

Arvind S Shenoy

Payam Mirrashidi

Andrew M Wadycki

David Makower

Gordie Freedman

Philip F Kearney

Bruno Posokhow

Oliver Krevet

Juan Carlos Jimenez

Robert Newberry

Timothy Wasko

Aaron Braunstein

Christopher R Wysock

Mihnee Calin Pacurariu

Robert Dale Newberry

Robert Kondrk

Philip F Iii Kearney

Thomas Dowdy

Improved techniques and apparatus for managing data between a host device (e.g., host computer) and a client device. The data being managed can, for example, pertain to portable computer programs, such as widgets. The managing of the data thus can involve transfer of portable computer programs (e.g., widgets) between the host device and the client device. In one embodiment, the transfer of portable computer programs between a host device and a client device can be referred to as synchronization.

Widget synchronization in accordance with synchronization preferences

Improved techniques to utilize and manage a group of media items (or media assets) on a computing device are disclosed. The group of media items can be utilized and managed at a host computer for the host computer as well as a media device (e.g., media player) that can couple to the host computer. One popular example of a group of media items is known as a playlist, which can pertain to a group of audio tracks. One aspect pertains to providing a persistent media device playlist at a host computer. Another aspect pertains to imposing capacity limits to a playlist, such as a media device playlist. Still another aspect pertains to a graphical user interface that enables a user to trade-off storage capacity of a media device between media asset storage and data storage. Yet still another aspect pertains to a graphical user interface that assists a user with selecting media items to fill a group of media items.

Persistent group of media items for a media device

This application relates to a client-server architecture that enables user accounts registered with a service to be discoverable to other users of the service. A discovery protocol includes accessing personal information data stored in an address book of a client device, obfuscating the personal information data, transmitting a request to a service to determine if the obfuscated personal information data matches any potential contacts that have registered as discoverable with the service, and comparing information related to the potential contacts with the contacts included in the address book to determine if the contacts in the address book match any of the potential contacts.

Contact discovery service with privacy aspect

Methods and systems that facilitate the downloading of media items to a first network device from a second network device are disclosed. A plurality of media items are identified Media item metadata associated with the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. Media item content data associate with a first subset of the plurality of media items is obtained from the second network device and stored on the first network device. In this manner, only media item metadata associate with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device.

Remote access of media items

In some implementations, a computing system can manage access to media sources associated with a user's media account. For example, the system can coordinate access to a user's media account between local and network devices such that when access to the user's media account is granted to an application on a user device, the application can access both local and network media sources associated with the user's media account. Similarly, when access to the user's media account is revoked from an application at a user device or at a network device, the application is prevented from accessing both local and network media sources associated with the user's media account.

Managing access to media accounts

Methods and systems for publishing a playlist are disclosed. A user generates or selects a playlist, which is then provided (e.g., uploaded) for publishing. A playlist identifying at least one of one or more tracks and one or more albums is received. The playlist may then be published such that the playlist is viewable by one or more individuals. A user may then purchase one or more tracks/albums identified in the playlist via an online store.

Method and system for sharing playlists

Improved techniques to utilize and manage a group of media items (or media assets) on a computing device are disclosed. The group of media items can be utilized and managed at a host computer for the host computer as well as a media device (e.g., media player) that can couple to the host computer. One popular example of a group of media items is know as a playlist, which can pertain to a group of audio tracks. One aspect pertains to providing a persistent media device playlist at a host computer. Another aspect pertains to imposing capacity limits to a playlist, such as a media device playlist. Still another aspect pertains to a graphical user interface that enables a user to trade-off storage capacity of a media device between media asset storage and data storage. Yet still another aspect pertains to a graphical user interface that assists a user with selecting media items to fill a group of media items.

A network media device is described that pulls multimedia data from one or more sources (e.g., a multimedia website or a multimedia server computer) at a first time, stores it to long-term storage within the device and transmits the stored multimedia data to one or more designated multimedia playback devices at a second time.

Network media device

Improved techniques for interacting with media content so as to provide a unified experience of media content across different client devices in a client-server environment are disclosed. Media content may be displayed on first display of a first client device. Using a server computer, a status of the media content may be communicated from the first client device to a second client device. The media content may be displayed on a second display of the second client device, in accordance with the status of the media content from the first client device.

Unified playback position

Information is presented to a user by accessing a library of electronic publications that includes a first publication, generating a representation of the first publication in an electronic bookshelf, determining a state for the first publication and modifying the representation of the first publication to reflect the state of the first publication.

Electronic text manipulation and display

A method and system for network-based distribution of content are disclosed. The distribution of content is not only secure but also controlled. The security restricts access to content within media files during downloads as well as while stored at a server or client. In one embodiment, each media file is encrypted with a different, randomly generated key. The control over the distribution of the media file can serve to limit the subsequent distribution of media files from clients to other clients. In another embodiment, the control can permit media files to be shared on a limited number of different clients affiliated with the same user. The clients can vary with application but generally are computing devices that have memory storage. Often, the clients are personal computers or other computing devices that are capable of storing and presenting content to their users.

Method and system for secure network-based distribution of content

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

David Heller