Portable Media Delivery System with a Media Server and Highly Portable Media Client Devices

摘要

A portable media delivery system is disclosed. According to one aspect, the media delivery system comprises a portable media server and at least one client device. The client device is a plug and play apparatus for the server. A processor in the media server controls the operations of the client devices directly or through a processor in the client device when connected. In one of the implementation, the client device is an audio player that lacks of a user interface display and of any visible user input device. Motion sensors that are accelerometers in our preferred embodiment are integrated with earphones. The sensors are used to input user's instructions. An example is for the sound volume adjustment by a user weaving an earphone with an integrated motion sensor. The portability of an audio player is greatly improved. The media assets associated with a playlist selected by a user in the media server is transferred, by a wired or wireless connection, to the audio player along with a selected playing mode from the options of ‘continuous’ and ‘shuffled’. According to another aspect, a detachable client device is an integrated enabling part of a media device. The media assets selected by a user are stored in the cache of the device. The cache containing the selected media assets as a part of the detachable device is separated from the host when a user detaches the client device. The client device can be used independently while the media device ceases to be functional after the client device is removed in such an implementation.