{
  "patent_number": "US 6990497",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How to Play Any Media Playlist by Converting it to a Standard Format",
  "original_title": "Dynamic streaming media management",
  "summary": "This patent describes a system that takes media playlists in various formats, converts them into a single standard format, and then streams the referenced content, even allowing for dynamic changes during playback.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent details a method for managing and streaming media content by first handling different playlist formats. A computing device accesses a \"first playlist\" that uses a \"non-canonical data format\" (Claim 1). It then uses one of several \"translators\" to convert this first playlist into a \"canonical playlist format,\" creating a \"second playlist\" (Claim 1). Once in this standard format, the system can retrieve and stream the media content referenced by the second playlist (Claim 1, 2). For example, a server could receive a playlist from a user's old media player, convert it to a standard web format, and then stream those songs to their phone. The system can even dynamically interrupt a media item being streamed to insert another one or change the playlist order (Claim 13, 14, 15).",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover systems that only use a single, proprietary playlist format from creation to playback without any translation step.",
    "Does not cover media players that simply play different media file formats without translating the underlying playlist structure.",
    "Does not cover managing media content that is not referenced by a playlist, such as playing individual files directly.",
    "Does not cover systems where playlist modifications cannot happen dynamically while content is actively streaming to a client.",
    "Does not cover the conversion of the media content itself, only the playlist that references the content."
  ],
  "filed": "2001-06-26",
  "granted": "2006-01-24",
  "expires": "2021-06-26",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Microsoft Corp",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/microsoft-corp",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Dawson F. Dean",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/dawson-f-dean"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bret P. O'Rourke",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bret-p-orourke"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 92,
  "tags": [
    "software",
    "telecommunications",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": "The described subject matter provides for managing and streaming media content. A server/client component accesses a first playlist that is in a native data format. A translator component translates the first playlist into a canonical data format, forming a second playlist in the canonical format. The content referenced by the second playlist is streamed.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6990497/dynamic-streaming-media-management",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6990497/dynamic-streaming-media-management/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US6990497",
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}