Proximity synchronizing audio gateway device

Abstract

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.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A digital gateway device comprising:
 a system bus;   a microprocessor coupled to said system bus;   one or more storage devices coupled to said system bus;   a wireless communications platform for establishing a communication link with one or more external devices; and   wireless interface for establishing a communication link with external sources of digital content.