Facebook, Inc.

Digimarc Corporation

Aol Inc.

Crowleyjones, L.p.

Hoyet Harrison Andrews, Iii

Jeffrey Jonathan Spurgat

Stephen Christopher Gladwin

Tony F Rodriguez

Stuart Filip Rosove

Kenneth Lee Levy

Philip Leveridge

Terry G Jones

Joel R Meyer

Christian Okonsky Gerard

James M Warren

A digital audio gateway device for use in a wireless network of digital audio playback devices. The gateway device is wirelessly linked to one or more digital audio playback devices to provide a gateway to the Internet for the digital audio playback devices. In addition to functioning as a gateway, the device provides additional functionality and may act as a cache of digital audio data for the various digital audio players connected in the wireless network and may also act to automatically update digital audio content on the audio players, synchronize digital audio content and playlists between the digital audio players and continue automatically or upon user request a particular playlist as the user moves from one digital audio player to another.

Proximity synchronizing audio gateway device

A wireless communication system and in particular to a wireless communication system for digital audio players that provides for increased functionality, such as communication, interaction and synchronization between a computing platform and various mobile, portable or fixed digital audio players, as well as providing a communication link between the various digital audio players themselves. The computing platform may act, for example, through a wireless network or wireless communication platform, to control the digital audio players; to act as a cache of digital audio data for the digital audio players; as well as provide a gateway to the Internet to enable the digital audio players to access additional digital audio content and other information. The computing platform may also be used to automatically update digital audio content on the digital audio players; synchronize digital audio content and playlists between digital audio players; and automatically continue a particular playlist as the user moves from one digital audio player to another.

Proximity synchronization of audio content among multiple playback and storage devices

Continuous digital content presentation across multiple devices

The disclosure relates generally to geographic-based signal detection. One claim recites an apparatus comprising: an input for receiving a signal from a cell phone; an electronic processor for determining, based at least in part on the signal, whether the cell phone is physically located in a predetermined home area; and upon a condition of not being in the predetermined home area, communicating a machine-readable code detector to the cell phone for use as its primary machine-readable code detector to detect machine-readable code while outside of its predetermined home area. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided as well.

Geographic-based signal detection

Synchronization among multiple playback and storage devices

The disclosure relates generally to geographic-based signal detection. One claims recites a method including: receiving information indicating a geographical area; with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a geographical area, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector that corresponds to the information indicating a geographical area; using a programmed processor, processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and carrying out an action using the plural-bit message. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided as well.

A digital audio playback device that includes a wireless communication link to enable it to interact and synchronize with computing platforms as well as other mobile digital audio players and fixed digital audio players. A digital audio playback device is configured such that the computing platform may automatically or upon user request copy, add or remove digital audio content or other information, such as playlists. In addition, digital content on the digital audio playback device can be synchronized with a computing platform. In one embodiment of the invention, the digital audio playback device is configured to enable wireless communication among other digital playback devices and/or a computing platform to allow synchronization and control.

Proximity synchronizing audio playback device

A wireless communication system and in particular a wireless communication system for digital audio players that provides for increased functionality, such as communication, interaction and synchronization between a computing platform and various mobile, portable or fixed digital audio players, as well as providing a communication link between the various digital audio players themselves. The computing platform may act, for example, through a wireless network or wireless communication platform, to control the digital audio players; to act as a cache of digital audio data for the digital audio players; as well as provide a gateway to the Internet to enable the digital audio players to access additional digital audio content and other information.

Sharing digital content among multiple devices

Synchronization of digital content among multiple devices

The present disclosure relates to processing media content (e.g., video or audio signals). One claim recites a method including: receiving first content comprising a video portion or an audio portion, the first content being received over a network from a user; utilizing a multi-purpose electronic processor programmed as a content identifier module, deriving identifying data from data representing picture portions of the video portion or from data representing audible portions of the audio portion of the first content; with reference to a computerized database or computerized repository, determining a first promotional opportunity associated with the identifying data, in which the first proportional opportunity comprises an opportunity to purchase second content, the second content being related to&#x2014;but different than&#x2014;the first content, and determining a second, different promotional opportunity associated with the identifying data if another instance of the identifying data is thereafter received; and providing information regarding the first promotional opportunity or the second, different promotional opportunity. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided too.

Systems and methods using digital watermarking and identifier extraction to provide promotional opportunities

The present invention relates generally to signal processing and cell phones. One claim recites a method comprising: receiving a signal from a cell phone; determining, based at least in part on the signal, whether the cell phone is physically located in a predetermined home area; and if not in the predetermined home area, communicating a machine-readable code detector to the cell phone for use as its primary machine-readable code detector to detect machine-readable code while outside of its predetermined home area. Of course, other claims are provided too.

Geographic-based detection keys

The disclosure relates generally to digital watermarking and steganography, e.g., for use with cell phones and signal processing. One claim recites a method including, in a cell phone, determining a current geographic are of the cell phone; selecting a first digital watermark detector that is associated with the current geographic area, a selected first digital watermark detector being selected from a plurality of different digital watermark detectors; and controlling the cell phone to employ the selected first digital watermark detector to analyze a signal to obtain a digital watermark message there from, wherein the selected first digital watermark detector corresponds to a particular digital watermark embedder that is uniquely assigned to the geographic area. Other claims and combinations are provided too.

Growing community of inventors

San Antonio, TX, United States of America

Hoyet Harrison Andrews, Iii