US 8230101

Here's a concise summary of US patent 8230101:

Title: Server device for media, method for controlling server for media, and program

Current Assignee: Advanced Coding Technologies LLC (as of 2022-03-24)

Original Assignee: Kenwood KK (filed by)

Inventors: Satoru Sekiguchi, Yoshio Sonoda, Isao Nakamura, Masamichi Furukawa, Yoshihisa Mashita, Tomoaki Yoshida, Masahito Watanabe

Filing Date: 2007-03-02

Issue Date: 2012-07-24

Abstract: The patent describes a server device for media (e.g., an HDD portable player) with a transfer control unit that moves some digital content from an internal storage device to a network storage device. A list information presentation unit provides a unified list to a network player, showing both locally stored and network-stored content as if all were on the server device. A search unit finds where the requested content is stored, and a content data transmission processing unit facilitates stream-delivery directly from the network storage device to the network player if the content is located there. This system aims to provide convenient playback in a network player while handling a large total volume of digital content.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Server device for media): This claim describes a media player acting as a server device. It has an internal storage and can stream content from it to a network player. Crucially, it includes:

  • A transfer control unit that moves part of the digital content from the internal storage to a network storage device. This unit is specifically designed not to transfer content that cannot be recovered if a network failure occurs during the transfer.
  • A list information transmission unit that sends a list to the network player, presenting both internal and network-stored content as a single collection, maintaining the original tree structure of the content.
  • A search unit that finds the current storage location (internal or network) of requested content.
  • A digital contents data transmission processing unit that enables content to be streamed from the network storage device to the network player if the content is found on the network.

• Claim 6 (Server device for media): Similar to Claim 1, this also describes a media player acting as a server device with an internal storage that streams content to a network player. The key distinction from Claim 1 lies in the transfer control unit:

  • Instead of not transferring unrecoverable digital content, this transfer control unit does transfer such content, but only after obtaining permission from the user.
  • The other components (list information transmission unit, search unit, and digital contents data transmission processing unit) function similarly to those in Claim 1, maintaining the unified content list and enabling streaming from the network storage.

• Claim 7 (Method for controlling a server device for media): This claim outlines a method for operating a server device for media (a media player) with an internal storage. The method includes:

  • Responding to data transmission requests from a network player by streaming content.
  • Transferring and storing digital content from the internal storage to a network storage device, but specifically not transferring content that cannot be recovered if a network failure occurs during the transfer.
  • Responding to list presentation requests by transmitting a unified list to the network player, showing both internal and network-stored content while preserving the original content tree structure.
  • Searching for the current storage location of requested content.
  • Allowing the stream-delivery of content from the network storage device to the network player if the content is found on the network.

• Claim 12 (Method for controlling a server device for media): Similar to Claim 7, this method controls a server device for media (a media player) with an internal storage. The main difference is in the content transfer step:

  • It involves transferring and storing digital content from the internal storage to a network storage device, and critically, if the content cannot be recovered in case of a network failure during transfer, the transfer is performed only after obtaining user permission.
  • The remaining steps, such as responding to data and list requests, maintaining the content tree structure, searching, and enabling streaming from the network storage, are consistent with Claim 7.

CAFC 2026 Dockets: As of April 26, 2026, a search of CAFC 2026 dockets did not identify any specific cases related to US patent 8230101.