System and method for using an application on a mobile device to transfer internet media content

Abstract

A system and a method use an application on a mobile device to transfer internet media content to a rendering device in a home network. The application may use an HTML rendering engine to display a web page to a user of the mobile device, and the web page may have controls for accessing the internet media content. The application may receive a user interaction signal which may indicate that a user invoked one of the controls for accessing the internet media content. In response, the application may initiate transfer of the internet media content to the rendering device in the home network and/or may queue the internet media content for later playback using the rendering device.

1 . A method for transferring internet media content using an application on a mobile device to transfer internet media content, the method comprising the steps of:
 receiving web content for a web page on the mobile device wherein the web content has original media controls for accessing the internet media content and further wherein each of the original media controls has a corresponding internet media content object;   identifying the original media controls wherein the application on the mobile device processes the web content to identify the original media controls;   modifying the web content to form modified web content having one or more additional media controls wherein the application modifies the web content and further wherein each of the additional media controls corresponds to one of the original media controls;   displaying the modified web content as a rendered web page using an HTML rendering engine;   receiving a user interaction signal which indicates user interaction with the rendered web page wherein the application receives the user interaction signal;   processing the user interaction signal wherein the application processes the user interaction signal to identify one of the additional media controls invoked by the user; and   initiating a media action corresponding to the identified additional media control wherein the media action involves the internet media content object which corresponds to the original media control to which the identified additional media control corresponds.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 the application receiving the web content in response to a content request message sent by the application. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 the HTML rendering engine receiving the web content in response to a content request message sent by the HTML rendering engine. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 the HTML rendering engine generating the user interaction signal in response to user interaction with the rendered web page. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the mobile device has an operating system which provides the HTML rendering engine. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 the application modifying the web content using a structured representation of the web page created by the HTML rendering engine. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein one of the additional media controls is an HTML <a> tag which links to a first URL wherein the user interaction signal conveys the first URL to the application. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein one of the additional media controls is created by a scripting code fragment provided by the application to the HTML rendering engine. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein one of the additional media controls is created by a scripting code fragment retrieved by the application from a database of scripting code fragments wherein each of the scripting code fragments in the database corresponds to a content source. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the database is remote from the mobile device and accessible to the mobile device via the internet. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising the step of:
 the application retrieving the scripting code fragment by querying the database using a content source identifier. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user interaction signal is generated by a scripting code fragment inserted into the web content by the application. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the media action instructs an external rendering device to play the internet media content object. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the media action adds the internet media content object to a playback queue. 
     
     
         15 . A method for transferring internet media content using an application on a mobile device to transfer internet media content, the method comprising the steps of:
 retrieving a web page having media controls for accessing internet media content;   displaying the web page in a user interface of the mobile device;   presenting application controls for selecting a playback mode from a plurality of playback modes;   accepting first user input which selects a first playback mode using the application controls;   accepting second user input which selects a first media control from the media controls of the web page wherein the first media control is for accessing first internet media content; and   playing the first internet media content using the first playback mode.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the first media content is played in response to the first user input. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the first media content is played in response to the second user input. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the first playback mode is one of playback on the mobile device, playback on an external rendering device connected to the mobile device by a local network, and addition to a playback queue. 
     
     
         19 . A method for transferring internet media content using an application on a mobile device to transfer internet media content, the method comprising the steps of:
 retrieving first web content for a web page for display on the mobile device using a first content request having a first requester identification field which specifies one of the mobile device and a mobile device web browser;   creating a rendered web page from the first web content wherein an HTML rendering engine creates the rendered web page and further wherein the rendered web page is displayed to a user of the mobile device;   receiving a user interaction signal generated in response to user input on the mobile device wherein the user input is accepted after display of the rendered web page and further wherein the application receives the user interaction signal;   retrieving second web content for the web page using a second content request having a second requester identification field which is different than the first requester identification field;   analyzing the second web content to determine an alternate version of the internet media content for display on an external rendering device in communication with the mobile device; and   initiating transfer of the alternate version of the internet media content to the external rendering device.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising the steps of:
 analyzing the first web content to identify media controls; and 
 modifying the first web content to insert additional media controls displayed on the mobile device. 
 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the HTML rendering engine generates the user interaction signal. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the second web content is not used to display a web page on the mobile device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the second web content has a set of visual elements necessary for display of the second web content as a web page and further wherein retrieval of the second web content does not retrieve the visual elements. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the application initiates the transfer of the alternate version of the internet media content in response to receiving the user interaction signal. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the second requester identification field specifies a full web browser which the mobile device is not capable of running. 
     
     
         26 . A method for transferring internet media content using an application on a mobile device to transfer internet media content, the method comprising the steps of:
 retrieving web content for a web page wherein the web content is retrieved from a first content source;   querying a database of script code fragments wherein the application queries the database and further wherein the query identifies the first content source wherein the database identifies one or more script code fragments available from the database which correspond to the first content source in response to the query;   receiving a first script code fragment from the database wherein the application receives the first script code fragment from the database wherein the first script code fragment is one of the one or more script code fragments identified by the database in response to the query;   inserting the first script code fragment into the web content to produce modified web content; and   displaying the modified web content as a web page on the mobile device.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the database is remote from the mobile device and accessible to the mobile device via a network. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the first script code fragment identifies one or more original media controls in the web page wherein the one or more original media controls allow a user to access internet media content from the web page. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the first script code fragment adds one or more additional media controls to the web page wherein the one or more additional media controls correspond to media actions which apply to internet media content accessible from the web page. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the first script code fragment directly invokes a function of the application in response to user interaction with the web page. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the database of script code fragments has script code fragments which correspond to each content source of a plurality of content sources wherein the first content source is one of the plurality. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 26  wherein an HTML rendering engine displays the modified web content and further wherein the HTML rendering engine uses a scripting engine to execute the first script code fragment.