Wireless music token and cloud

Abstract

A record medium for the storage of media content comprising means for storing digital information, means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy to a media reading device and means for mechanically and logically pairing said device to said media reading device. Also, a media reader, a media player, a method to play media content, a software means, a smartphone and a furniture piece.

Description

[0001] WIRELESS MUSIC TOKEN AND CLOUD

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of music and media records and means and methods for reading and playing the information stored in those records.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Early recording of music, speech and in general sound was achieved through the invention of the phonograph by Thomas A. Edison (e.g. 1877, patent US 200,521). The information there was recorded in analog format by translating the mechanical vibrations produced by sound into a mechanical trace coiled around a cylindrical record medium. Information was later reproduced by engaging a stylus into such trace so that the recorded mechanical variations on the trace were translated back to mechanical vibrations by coupling the moving stylus to a membrane and to a horn. Same principle was applied to later vinyl records in the 1930’s (e.g. first recordings of ‘Prince Igor’ opera), where the record was a flat disc instead of cylinder. All transistor electronic turntable players got popular after World Ward II in the 1950’s, where the stylus had been coupled to a piezoelectric transducer that turned the vibrations caused by the trace into electric current variations. Those current variations (i.e. signals) could be amplified electronically with full transistor made devices, which resulted later into the first High Fidelity systems.

[0006] The new flat, circular format of those disc record medium provided a more convenient way of storing music records in a sort of a library format, saving a significant space with respect to early cylindric record mediums. Despite the vinyl material was significantly strong and reliable, the mechanical trace of those vinyl discs where the information was recorded in an analogous form was progressively deteriorated with use. The more plays, the poorer the reproduced sound was because of the mechanical wearing of the trace caused by the stylus.

[0007] Other alternative analog means for storing and reproducing music and media were developed in the 1930’s, some of the most successful in the form of magnetic tapes wrapped into cylinders compactly packaged into a small cassette (e.g. about 10 x 6.5 x 1 cm), which became a popular alternatives to the 12-inch vinyl records in the 1960’s. Same principle was applied to video tapes recording moving images and sound in the popular VHS and Betamax formats.

[0008] While vinyl discs and cassette tapes became the dominant popular record mediums for music and video in the second half of the XX’s century, they both where inconvenient due to its mechanical nature. Both relied on rotating mechanics, which was difficult to maintain stable and accurate overtime and was unavoidably subject to damage with vibration and transportation of their music players. Also, the mechanic or electro-mechanic means for reading the stored information either in the vinyl disc or in the magnetic tape caused deterioration of the recorded information which used to become progressively worse at every play, resulting every time in a poorer sound quality and user experience.

[0009] The first digitally recorded mediums significantly improved the use experience in terms of sound quality and durability. The invention of the compact disc player (i.e. the CD) completely removed the mechanical contact of the pick-up system with the record medium (see for instance T. KANEKO invention owned by SONY in patent US 4,005,259 first filed in 1974). By storing the information digitally on a CD surface in the form as reflecting and non-reflecting bits etched on the disc surface, the information could be endlessly read without contact with a semiconductor laser head. Such a laser would focus the light into a narrow spot on the disc surface, which would be reflected or not depending on the reflecting or non-reflecting portions of the disc, i.e. the T and ‘0’ bits recorded on its surface. By detecting the reflected light with a photoelectric detector (e.g. a photodiode), the recorded bits would become transduced into a binary electrical signal that would be later transformed to analog sound or video signal by means of a Digital / Analog Converter (DAC).

[0010] The invention of the CD had several advantages: while it mostly kept the popular format of a disc, all the previous problems related to durability and quality of the record medium and its sound respectively were solved. The digital nature of the recording made music and video playing virtually identical at every play. Still, the recording might still get lost or damaged if significant scratches on the surface of the disc would distort the laser light reading the information. In addition, although the information was stored digitally, the reading still required a mechanical rotation of the disc, which made disc players rather bulky and still somewhat sensitive to vibration, mechanical shock, and mechanical wear out.

[0011] Another inconvenient of those records was related to the intimate proportion between surface size and amount of stored information. While the original CD was capable of storing a full music album into a 12 cm disc on a single side (compared to the two-sided 30.5 vinyl discs) and even became available for storing low resolution video media in DVD format, the recording of high- definition video for typical 1 h30’-3h’ video movies in the same form factor was not possible. It wasn’t until the invention of the blue laser diode in the late 1990’s by Shuji Nakamura that storing high- definition videos in the format of a conventional CD with a 12 cm size became possible, setting the ground for the popular format of Blu-ray Disc that started commercialization in 2002.

[0012] CD and Blu-ray records are still commercially distributed inside a plastic, cardboard, or paper package, which helps identifying the music and media artist creating its content and helps the user to store them in a sort of physical library format in a shelf or alike.

[0013] The progress in the fabrication of high-density memory devices, and particularly the development of non-volatile recordable memory chips became a new step forward into the means and devices for storing and reading music and media content. Those, together with the invention of the MP3 and MPEG related standards (see for instance Karl Heinz Brandenburg et. al. patent US 5,040,217) which enable compressing audio and video files by a factor of about 1 / 10 with a minimal perception on quality degradation, resulted in the invention of portable, light weight, small size MP3 players (e.g. the iPod by Apple). Later, those memory chips together with their electronic coders and decoders became embedded into modern Smartphones (e.g. the iPhone by Apple) that made iPods and related specific use MP3 players unnecessary so they have nowadays practically disappeared from the market.

[0014] Those non-volatile memories also enabled a whole new range of miniature digital data storing devices, such as for instance SD cards, Micro-SD cards, SIM cards and USB dongles to name a few. However, those never succeeded in becoming a commercial physical support for pre-recorded music or media, for several reasons: the cost related to those, together with its relatively large size and inconvenient mechanical connection to the reading device, and its small size and / or elongated format that made the identification of the media inside about indistinguishable and not memorable to the user.

[0015] However, the latest inventions in digital music and media storage and playing means caused a major transformation in the music and media industry. No longer the music and media content are subject to the storage into a physical record medium, but it is stored into a digital computer file either in a smartphone, a computer server or in the cloud (i.e. , the internet). That means that music and media is now mostly distributed and purchased online, with users directly downloading the media content in their playing devices directly from the cloud. Purchasing is done in many ways, either by paying each individual media piece (e.g. buying or renting individual songs, videos and alike in Apple’s iTunes or Amazon Prime stores), or by means of a subscription that enables access to music and media content by paying a flat rate monthly fee. Spotify and Apple Music in the case of music, Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Filmin, Apple TV, in the case of movies, tv programs and alike are examples of those flat rate subscriptions.

[0016] The storage of music and media into computers, smartphones, smart TV sets and alike have provided to the user the capability of storing tens of thousands of songs and tens or hundreds of movies into a smartphone. By using computer indexing and searching algorithms, user can access to a fully owned library or even to a full universe of media with the simple gesture of a click or a voice command to a personal digital assistant (e.g. Siri, Alexa).

[0017] However, such a new way of surfing, selecting, and playing music and media has the inconvenient of having lost almost forever the user experience of touching and storing the content in physical libraries that can be manually searched and organized. While from the efficiency and capacity perspective those old means of storing physically the information could not compete with the modern online platforms for storing, accessing, and playing music and media, they in fact those old style supports had some advantages that the new digital formats do not deliver. Namely, the manual, physical and visual interaction of the user with the media record used to create a feeling of attention and relaxed pace in the enjoyment of the music and media which now is more difficult to attain. By physically surfing a library, the user could search at a slower pace which is more aligned with the processing of emotions in the human brain, particularly those emotions linked to the enjoyment of music and media art. The immediate access to music and media has generated a sort of compulsive and addictive consumption of those as opposed to a slower enjoyment of the art, which is more in tune with human emotions.

[0018] OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0019] It is an object of the present invention to provide a means to get together the benefits of the current digital music and media systems with the emotional enjoyment of the old physical recording means. It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a physical device for storing digital music and media in a physical format that connects to the brain and emotions of the user and helps setting up the mood for the enjoyment of music and media art. While the present invention provides means to store and play music and media content in digital format, the reading system is free of the mechanical wear out of the old vinyl discs, magnetic tapes and even Compact Disc (CD) devices. A reading of the information does not include a high resolution optical storage and reading means, meaning that physical device of the present invention is not necessarily sensitive to scratches, staining or an otherwise degradation of the surface or any other mechanical condition resulting from a normal use of a high resolution optical support (e.g. CD / DVD / Blu-ray discs) in the vast majority of scenarios. A reading system for the present invention requires no particular mechanical interaction with the reader and / or player, meaning that it will be inherently more resistant to shock and vibration as associated with vinyl discs and tapes and even CD / DVD / Blu-ray players.

[0020] It is an object of the present invention to provide a very low cost, small size, lightweight music and media record medium and physical support which enables a high commercial margin to the entity or individual owning the copyrights associated with the media content. At the same time, the format of the present invention is memorable enough so that the user experience easily connects with the artists and the art piece stored in the record medium.

[0021] Another object of the present invention is to provide with a new generation of media players that enable reading and playing the music and media stored in the record medium. Those record medium do not require any optical reading or electromechanical connection to read the information on the record medium as required by vinyl discs, magnetic tapes, or CD / DVD / Blu-ray disc players.

[0022] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide with several apparatus such as a new generation of furniture, shelf, and alike devices to conveniently store multiple record mediums so that they can be physically stored, classified, arranged, and used in an improved user experience.

[0023] A record medium according to the present invention, hereinafter a Wireless Music Token, a Wireless Media Token, a Wireless Music and Media Token or simply a WiMT™ (also WiMT) device, comprises a physical media support, means for storing digital information, including in some embodiments digital media related information, and means for enabling the reading of said digital information. In some embodiments, said means for storing digital media information includes a non- volatile memory chip, and said reading means includes means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy from said chip to a WiMT reading device and means for logically pairing said WiMT to said reading device. In other embodiments of the invention, said means for storing digital media information includes means for optically reading a digital record such as for instance a QR code, a bar code or any other format of two-dimensional or one-dimensional recorded code.

[0024] In some preferred embodiments of the invention, a physical media support for a WiMT device includes a slab of a material which is permeable to electromagnetic fields (including radiofrequency (RF) energy and / or light) such as for instance a dielectric material. Such a dielectric material might include for instance a silicon, a fiber glass or epoxy glass substrate, a ceramic material, a methacrylate ora combination of them. In some embodiments such a material will include a polymer, such as a plastic element, e.g. a thermoplastic such as polypropylene, abs, polyamides / nylon, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyethylene, etc., while in some embodiments such a polymer is a biopolymer and / or a biodegradable polymer, such for instance those based on cellulose, starch, or any other organic component, such as for instance wood. Other examples include elastomers such as rubbers. In some embodiments such a dielectric material will be translucid or transparent and featuring an index of refraction higher than 1 , which will provide a light glow effect when illuminated with a light source, for instance a color light source. The higher the index of refraction, the stronger the edge lighting effect in the perimeter of the disc.

[0025] Preferably, the form factor of said physical and media support has a circular shape such as that of a disc, while in some embodiments that shape will have a polygonal contour, such as a quadrilateral, squared, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal contour or a like, preferably those polygons featuring smooth rounded corners as opposed to the sharp ones in Euclidean mathematical polygons.

[0026] Regardless of the circular or otherwise polygonal contour as above, a disc for a physical media support according to the present invention features in some embodiments a preferred diameter equivalent to the shortest side of a standard credit or ID card, such as for instance a CR80, CR79, CR90, CR100 formats (i.e. 54, 51 , 60 and 67 mm respectively) or ID-1 , ID-2 and ID-3 formats (i.e. 54, 74, 88 mm respectively). Such a card size has the advantage of providing a form factor which is common and friendly to the user experience of manual handling, while enabling a convenient storage in commonly available devices (e.g. a credit card holder or wallet). At the same time, said formats provide enough surface such that visual information printed or otherwise fixed on such a surface can help identifying the media content and artist and connecting at the same time with the user experience of touching, feeling, reading, and enjoying the piece of art. For the same purpose, the thickness of said slab of material will preferably be 0.76mm (i.e. 30 mil) or a multiple of that i.e., a multiple of the standard thickness of a credit card, e.g., 1.52 mm, 2.28 mm, 3.04 mm and so. In other embodiments, a preferred thickness of 1 , 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 mm will be preferred for a better stiffness of the physical media and user experience. A non-volatile memory chip for WiMT device according to the present invention might take the form of any low-cost readable and / or writeable memory chip such as those available in RFID tags and contactless cards, in SIM cards, in USB dongles, SD and Micro SD cards and alike.

[0027] A means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy from said chip to a WiMT reading device might include a metal or conductive trace arranged on a layer, surface, or plane within said dielectric material slab. Such a trace might take the form of a coil, a fractal or space-filling antenna shape, a meandering shape or alike. In some embodiments such a trace forms a coil around said memory chip, with the two ends of such a coil connected to a pair of connecting means within the chip. Said pair of connecting means will transfer electromagnetic energy as captured by the coil into the chip, which will deliver the required energy to read / write from / to the chip. In other embodiments such a metal or conductive trace might feature two arms either connected or not at their ends, each arm connected to a dual surface like conductive element forming a capacitor. This way, the inductive nature of the trace is connected in parallel to the capacitor so those together resonate at a given frequency that is directly related to the inductance value (L) and capacitance value (C) of the structure as known from basic electronics theory. An advantage of such a resonant structure is that electromagnetic energy transfer can be tuned to happen at a specific frequency or frequency band or range, maximizing the energy coupling efficiency to the chip while making the system less sensitive to electromagnetic interference at other frequencies beyond the resonant one.

[0028] A means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy within the present invention can be used, beyond energizing the chip for writing or reading information, to transmit and / or receive an electric signal carrying the music or media information stored in the chip or to be written into the chip. Such a transmission and / or reception means might be reusing the same trace to energize the chip or a different one. Using a different one can be beneficial in some embodiments when a higher electromagnetic isolation is desired between the chip energizing means and the transmitter / receiver means. By choosing a different resonant frequency for the two traces (for instance by changing the shape or length of the trace, a surface or conductor gap in a capacitor or a combination of all those), a separate channel of the electromagnetic spectrum can be used for energizing and transfer of information purposes, making the isolation stronger.

[0029] A means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy within a WiMT device comprises in some embodiments, including optionally all the embodiments described here, an energy storing element such as for instance a capacitor. Such an energy storing element is capable of retaining the energy harvested from the reader and deliver it to the electronics within the WiMT devices such as for instance the chip and / or non-volatile memory storing the memory information.

[0030] A means for logically pairing the WiMT device with the WiMT reader might include an electromagnetic means, an electric means, a mechanical means, a software means ora combination of any of set of them. In some embodiments such pairing means includes an electromagnetic sensing of the proximity of the WiMT device to the WiMT reader, so both get ready for starting exchanging information through an electromagnetic signal exchange as described above.

[0031] In an aspect of the present invention according to some preferred embodiment, said paring means automatically triggers the reader to receive the stored media information in the WiMT device and when coupled to a media player system, to automatically start playing the music or media with no further instructions from the user needed.

[0032] In some embodiments, said pairing means includes a magnetic engagement system. This magnetic engagement system might comprise a pair of magnets, one at the WiMT device the other at the WiMT reader; a permanent magnet on one of the two pairing elements (i.e. , the reader or the device) and a conductive element on its counterpart element so that reader and device become physically attached through a magnetic force. In some embodiments the magnetic part is preferably on the reader side, while in other embodiments such a magnetic part is in the WiMT device. In some embodiments, that magnetic part is an electromagnet sort of device that only gets active and generates a magnetic field when energized with an electric current. In those latest embodiments, the electromagnet is preferably embedded in the reader which usually includes a power system capable to energize the electromagnet with electric current. In some embodiments, said magnetic engagement system includes two or more elements, each one either magnetic or conductive, on each of the WiMT device and reader. This is advantageous to provide a way to align the position of the WiMT device onto the reader so that for instance, the user can always read information printed on the surface of the WiMT device. In other embodiments, said magnetic engagement system includes 3, 4, 5 or more elements chosen from the group consisting of: magnet, conductive element.

[0033] Other embodiments include a mechanical pairing system within the logic pairing means. For instance, such a mechanical pairing system might include a slot where to partially engage the WiMT disc. A click mechanism is used for instance in such embodiment to keep the WiMT device or disc physically engaged with the reader, while activating an electric switch mechanism that electrically and logically engages the device and reader for an automatic reading and / or playing means as described above. Other embodiments include engaging mechanically one or more holes within the WiMT device into some posts or protuberant elements on the reader. Such a mechanical engagement is coupled to a switch means that also is capable to automatically active the transfer of information with the reader and / or the playing of the music or media content by a player coupled to the WiMT reader.

[0034] A WiMT reader according to the present invention includes means for wirelessly reading the information stored in a WiMT device. A WiMT player according to the present invention includes means for playing the music and media information stored in a WiMT. The terms music and media should be interpreted in the broadest possible sense, to include for instance: speech, sound, any kind of music, tune or tone, a podcast, a video clip, a movie, a serial movie, a home video, a surveillance video, a video game, a computer program, any sort of computer file, a graphic material such a set of a slides, an image or set of images, a map or projection of a region of the Earth, a PDF document or alike, a text document such as a book, annotation, paper, article, blog content or alike, any kind of personal information, including financial information such as a bank account number or an electronic wallet ID, the available money in such a bank account or electronic wallet ID, a URL link to a website, or any combination of them. To play means, in its broader sense, any way of conveying the media content and its information to a user of the player, including for instance and without any limiting purpose, reproducing the sound with a sound system, displaying a video, image or graphic, displaying a text or translating its content to a speech sound.

[0035] A WiMT reader and player according to the present invention might be integrated into a single apparatus or become distributed into two or more apparatus; for instance, a WiMT reader might be capable of reading the content of a WiMT device and transmitting the content to one or more player units that are capable of reproducing the content all together. Such a transmission of content is done through a communication module. Such a communication module might include an internal electronic connection in the case of a WiMT R&P device, or through a cable, optical fiber or by means of a wireless connection, including a Bluetooth connection, a WIFI connection, a cellular connection (e.g. 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) or alike. In addition, such a communication module might use any available media connectivity protocol such as for instance AirPlay by Apple or alike.

[0036] For the sake of clarity, hereinafter an apparatus capable of both reading and playing the content of a WiMT device will be designated as a WiMT Reader & Player device or simply a WiMT R&P device. A WiMT R&P device might include other functions, and in some embodiments, the WiMT R&P function will be embedded in other existing apparatus to enhance its features. Some examples of devices that can embed the WiMT R&P function and become a WiMT R&P device are: a smartphone, a tablet, a TV set, a videogame console, a dashboard of a vehicle (a car, a scooter, a truck, an aircraft, a boat, etc.) a headset an active loudspeaker such as for instance a wireless speaker, a HiFi set, a Home Cinema set, a TV cable set or alike.

[0037] A WiMT reader according to the present invention includes an electric power module, a memory module, a digital processor module, a communication module, a user interface module, a reading module and means for logically pairing a WiMT device with a WiMT reader. A reading module includes means for transferring and exchanging electromagnetic energy to and with the WiMT device. Such electromagnetic energy is used in several embodiments to energize the electronics inside the WiMT device, for instance a non-volatile memory chip, and to exchange a wireless digital signal including the information stored in said chip of a WiMT device.

[0038] In some embodiments such a means for exchanging electromagnetic energy with a WiMT device in a reading module of a WiMT reader includes either an antenna, a coil, a sensor, a coupler, or any other means for transferring electromagnetic energy to an external device with no electric contact, for instance an ohmic contact with the WiMT reader. For instance, such a means for transferring electromagnetic energy might include a conductive trace, such as for instance a printed trace on a PCB board or a circuit, a coil wrapped around a magnet, a coiled trace or alike. In some embodiments, such a coil trace is connected to a capacitive element to enhance transmission of electromagnetic energy around a central resonant frequency that matches a resonant frequency of a means for exchanging electromagnetic energy within a WiMT device. In other embodiments, such means for exchanging electromagnetic energy include means for exchanging and detecting light (including nonvisible light such as infrared or ultraviolet light), such as for instance an LED source or a semiconductor laser source, a photodetector, a CCD sensor or otherwise an image forming electronic sensor.

[0039] A logical pairing means of the WiMT device and reader includes in some embodiments a mechanical pairing system for engaging mechanically both. In some preferred embodiments, such a mechanical pairing system includes a magnetic engagement system as described above, and a landing surface on which one or more WiMT device will be put on. Preferably such a surface will include a material permeable to electromagnetic fields so the exchange of information and energy between reader and WiMT device is efficient and effective. Such a permeable material might be for instance a dielectric material including a silicon, a fiber glass or epoxy glass substrate, a ceramic material, a methacrylate ora combination of them. In some embodiments such a material will include a polymer, such as a plastic element, e.g. a thermoplastic such as polypropylene, abs, polyamides / nylon, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyethylene, etc., while in some embodiments such a polymer is a biopolymer and / or a biodegradable polymer, such for instance those based on cellulose, starch, or any other organic component, such as for instance wood. Other examples include elastomers such as rubbers. Preferably, a magnetic engagement system will be arranged underneath said landing surface so that a WiMT device becomes effectively locked on the surface when placed by the user. In some embodiments, a landing surface will be larger than 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more times the surface of a WiMT devices. Such a larger surface enables hosting multiple WiMT devices on its surface to enable reading information from a plurality of them. A reader capable of reading multiple WiMT devices will be also named a multi WiMT reader, or a WiMT multireader.

[0040] A multi WiMT reader will include, in some embodiments, a plurality of magnetic engagement systems to pair multiple WiMT devices. Preferably, in some embodiments such a plurality of magnetic systems underneath a landing surface will be arranged in an array. Such an array is a regular matrix of periodically spaced elements to enable a physical organization of the WiMT devices. Those multi WiMT readers include in some embodiments a means for reading individually the information on each of the paired WiMT devices and a logic sequence to automatically and sequentially reproduce all the media content in all the hosted WiMT devices in the form of a playlist. Such a logic sequence is determined in some embodiments by a logic physical arrangement of the WiMT devices on the landing surface such as for instance, reproducing the media of the WiMT from left to right, of from right to left in the case of linear horizontal arrays, from top to down or down to top in a vertically arranged linear array, or from top-left to right and down as in the reading of a Western language text, or as in any logical sequence as usual in other languages (e.g. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, etc.). In some multi WiMT readers, such a sequence can be changed and configured by the user through a user interface module modifying a software stored in a memory module and executed by a digital processor module comprised in said reader.

[0041] A user interface module might include a physical mechanical interface, a biometric interface, a software interface, or a combination of them. Such a mechanical interface might include buttons, sliding switches, a rotating knob, a sliding knob, a touch sensitive element, a multitouch display or a combination of them. A biometric interface might include a voice recognition system, a gesture recognition system, a facial recognition system, a brain wave recognition system, or a combination of them. A software interface might include an app interface operable through a multitouch screen or remotely through a smartphone, tablet, computer, remote control, or any kind of computing device.

[0042] Means for storing digital media information include in some embodiments a non-volatile memory chip for a WiMT device will include one or more memory registers. In some other embodiments, one or more memory registers will be recorded optically on an optical digital record such as QR code, bar code or alike. In some embodiments, a memory register will include a unique WiMT identification code, hereinafter a WiMT ID. Such a unique WiMT ID would identify uniquely any existing WiMT device, so that no two produced WiMT devices would share the same WiMT ID. In some embodiments of the present invention, the music and media content of a unique WiMT device is not physically stored in said WiMT device but on a server and / or cloud system. In those embodiments, the WiMT reader or R&P reads the WiMT ID and uses a communication module to download said music and media content from said server and / or cloud system which stores said media associated with a WiMT ID. Those embodiments provide multiple benefits compared to others that store physically the media information in the memory of the WiMT device, namely: the memory is advantageously very small, e.g. below 1Mb, 100Kb, 10Kb, 1 Kb, 0.1 Kb, 0.01 Kb or below, so that the manufacturing cost of the whole WiMT device is minimized. In addition, a small amount of information means a higher reading speed, which might be effectively perceived as an instantaneous reading by the user. Moreover, less information to store and to read means less energy to be exchanged between reader and WiMT device, enabling low power readers and autonomous portable readers with a low energetic consumption and overall, a minimum carbon footprint and overall environmental impact of the reader.

[0043] In other embodiments, a memory chip for a WiMT might include a plurality of memory registers storing a plurality of media IDs. A media ID is a unique code identifying a unique media piece, such as for instance a song, a podcast, a video-clip, a movie, a video episode, a paper, an e- book or alike. In some embodiments, a WiMT device will advantageously store only said media IDs and the associated media content will be physically stored in a server and / or cloud system. A WiMT reader, when reading the media IDs on the WiMT device, uses in some embodiments a communication module to download said the music and media content associated with said plurality of media ID from said server or cloud. By storing a collection of media IDs as opposed to the full media content, those embodiments save energy, cost, and provide a faster reading experience to the user.

[0044] An aspect of the present invention includes a business method to distribute media and content. In such a business method, the commercial prize of a WiMT device includes a right to access to the media content associated with the IDs stored in the WiMT device from one or more media content suppliers or platforms. Examples of media content suppliers might be for instance Apple TV or Apple iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, HBO, Filmin, Disney+, Sony Music or alike. In such a method, a content supplier is compensated with a fee included in the selling price of the WiMT, so that access is provided to the user of the token with no need of a monthly subscription to be paid by the WiMT owner. This provides flexibility to a user that does not need to pay for an access to millions of media content elements he will never access, but to pay just for the music he / she wants to own.

[0045] In some embodiments, a memory chip within said WiMT device includes enough memory to physically store one or more media content elements so that no access to a server or cloud system is needed.

[0046] LIST OF FIGURES

[0047] To complete the description and in order to provide for a better understanding of the disclosure, a set of drawings is provided. Said drawings form an integral part of the description and illustrate embodiments of the disclosure, which should not be interpreted as restricting the scope of the disclosure, but just as examples of how the disclosure can be carried out. The drawings comprise the following figures:

[0048] Fig.1 - Shows a Wireless Music or Media Token (WiMT) device.

[0049] Fig.2 - Shows a a WiMT device featuring a size equal or smaller to a standard size of credit card or business card.

[0050] Fig.3 - Shows examples of form factors of a WiMT device beyond a circular form factor.

[0051] Fig.4 - WiMT devices including means for engaging mechanically and or logically a WiMT device, such as holes, inset, conductive or magnetic means.

[0052] Fig.5 - A WiMT device including media or user related information on an edge of said device.

[0053] Fig.6 - A system diagram of an example of a WiMT device, and a circuit / hardware version of such a system.

[0054] Fig.7 - A WiMT device including a chip, such as for instance an RFID chip.

[0055] Fig.8. - A WiMT device including a resonant circuit element such as a coil and a capacitor.

[0056] Fig. 9 - Top view of a WiMT reader / player and a WiMT device engaging on it

[0057] Fig. 10 - A perspective of a WiMT reader / player.

[0058] Fig. 11 - Examples of a WiMT device and a diversity of mechanically engaging means. Fig. 12 - A system diagram of a WiMT system including a Token that connects to a reader, a reader connecting to a player. Reader and Player might be embedded physically into the same unit or might be distributed in two or more units.

[0059] Fig. 13 - Shows a system and a method for reproducing media content, including detecting that a WiMT is engaged to a reader, such detection triggering the reading and eventually playing of the media content within the WiMT.

[0060] Fig.14 - Shows a means for configuring the content and information structure of a WiMT device, including a software app in a computing device.

[0061] Fig. 15 - System and method for configuring a WiMT, including for instance an app wherein a user decides whether to activate the self-playing feature of a WiMT device, and several permissions on transferring electronic cash from or to a token and other tokens or apps.

[0062] Fig. 16 - A system and method for exchanging information between a WiMT token, a WiMT device and the cloud (internet). A WiMT includes one or more media ID that is linked to a URL where the player can find and download the media content.

[0063] Fig. 17 - An example of a logical structure of the memory files in a WiMT device, including for instance a Token ID, a set of media IDs, and a set of median content.

[0064] Fig.18 - An example of the memory content of WiMT device including electronic money information. Fig.19 - A WiMT reader and / or player connecting to one or more media players, including eventually a simultaneous connection.

[0065] Fig.20 - A WiMT device engaging on a surface of loudspeaker. In some embodiments this engaging activates the self-playing of the media content.

[0066] Fig.21 - A WiMT device engaging on a surface of a handheld portable device such as for instance a smartphone. Preferably such engagement is done through a magnetic means such as for instance a MagSafe interface or analogous.

[0067] Fig.22 - A WiMT multireader / multiplayer device including means for reading multiple WiMT devices and a physical path to arrange a cue for sequentially playing a plurality of said WiMT devices.

[0068] Fig. 23 - A WiMT device engaged on the earpiece of a headset, and a TV set including a WIMT multireader.

[0069] Fig.24 - A dashboard of a motor vehicle including a WiMT reader or player, for instance a multireader / player.

[0070] Fig.25 - A WiMT user carrying a WiMT playing device, such as for instance a smartphone, in its pocket.

[0071] Fig.26 - A WiMT device engaged in a wearable device, for instance a key ring and a necklace, but similarly to any other wearable device.

[0072] Fig.27 - A booklet for storing, showcasing and complement a WiMT device and its content. Also, a packaging for a WiMT device.

[0073] Fig.28 - A container capable of storing and / or reading / playing a stack of WiMT devices. Fig. 29 - A furniture piece, such as a panel or board, for storing, displaying, and eventually reading one or more WiMT devices.

[0074] DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0075] FIG.1 illustrates an example of a WiMT device 100 according to the present invention. In this particular embodiment the shape of the WiMT device is circular, such as that of a disk, and might include in some cases a center hole or inset 101. Such a center hole or inset might be used to mechanically engage a WIMT or into a packaging and / or storing means. In addition, a WiMT 101 includes one or more offset (i.e. off-center) engaging elements 102, those engaging elements including for instance a hole, an inset, a conductive element a magnetic element or alike, or even a removable and reusable adhesive material such as those used in 3M Post-it® sticker notes. Those offset elements help aligning the WiMT according to a preferred direction to enable a preferred display mode and watching and reading angle from the WiMT user when the WiMT is engaged into a reading device. In some embodiments, a WiMT includes two, three, four or more offset engaging elements. In some embodiments, a WiMT includes preferably three radially distributed elongated offset engaging elements 102 as shown in element 100. Those three engaging elements feature substantially the same form and are evenly distributed through a substantially equal 120° angular spacing, while in other embodiments, one or more of those engaging elements feature a different form and are not regularly distributed. Such a three engaging element configuration provides the advantage of both conveying visually an image of media record to a user and engaging and aligning a WiMT with a reader at the same time. In some embodiments, those engaging elements are magnetic or conductive and are embedded into the WiMT dielectric material support, so they cannot be readily seen by the user outside.

[0076] Fig.2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention where a WiMT device 201 has a polygonal contour, such as for instance a circular contour, with a diameter D similar or equal to the shorter side of a credit or ID card form factor (202). That form factor makes easier the handling, use and storing of the WiMT by a user, who might conveniently store it in a wallet or wallet like storing device. Examples of credit / ID card form factors are: CR80, CR79, CR90, CR100 formats (i.e. 54, 51 , 60 and 67 mm respectively) or ID-1 , ID-2, and ID-3 formats (i.e. 54, 74, 88 mm respectively). For the same purpose, the thickness of said slab of material will preferably be 0.76mm (i.e. 30 mil) or a multiple of that i.e., a multiple of the standard thickness of a credit card, e.g., 1.52 mm, 2.28 mm, 3.04 mm and so. In other embodiments, a preferred thickness of 1 , 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 mm will be preferred for a better stiffness of the physical media and user experience. Another advantage of said form factor is that a WiMT can share a manufacturing method and means with credit cards and IDs, including electronic cards and alike which include a SMD chip and card or similar. A simple method for manufacturing a WiMT includes a method and a machine to die-cast or otherwise die-cut an electronic card into a round or polygonal shape for a WiMT device. Other preferred sizes for a WiMT devices are those of a vinyl disc (album, EP or single), a CD, a coin size (e.g. a 1 USD dollar coin, a 50 c USD coin, a 2€ or 1€ coin or alike).

[0077] Fig.3 illustrates other possible form factors that might be advantageous for a WiMT device beyond the disc format. A polygonal contour such as a triangle, quadrilateral (including rectangle, square, trapezoid, rhombi), pentagon, hexagon or even an irregular rounded shape can be used in any embodiment of a WiMT device according to the present invention. As illustrated in Fig.3, regardless of the particular shape for the contour, those WiMT form factors might feature a similar size as an ID card, such as for instance a maximum size equal to the shorted edge of such a card, and such as for instance any of the sizes as described in the context of Fig.2.

[0078] Fig.4 illustrates alternative means for mechanically and / or logically engaging and paring a WiMT device. While embodiment 401 includes a central hole, inset, conductive or magnetic element 403, embodiment 402 includes two or more engaging elements such as holes, inset, conductive or magnetic elements. In this particular example two engaging elements featuring for instance of a substantially round shape are shown, at least one of those engaging elements being place off-center. When those elements are conductive or magnetic and become paired with equivalent magnetic or conductive elements on a reader, they provide means for guiding the user of the WiMT into a convenient alignment of said WiMT on a reader, as such an off-center one or more engaging elements provide an aligning means with a preferred direction of use.

[0079] Fig.5 illustrates a WiMT device 501 , 502 wherein some information (hereinafter edge-info) regarding the WiMT device is displayed (i.e. printed, etched or alike) on an edge of said WiMT device. Such an edge-info might for instance include artist name, album or movie title, director, etc. and even a WiMT ID. Such a WiMT ID might be displayed for instance in a set of readable characters (e.g. numbers or letters), in a bar code format or a combination of both. In some embodiments such edge includes a metal band or a metal coating such as for instance an aluminum band, an inox band or alike.

[0080] Fig.6 shows an embodiment of a WiMT and its system diagram 601 and one particular way of implementing it 602 among the many other possible ones within the scope of the present invention. A WiMT includes means for exchanging electromagnetic energy between the WiMT device and an external WiMT reader. Electromagnetic energy includes for instance electric and magnetic fields and waves, such as RF energy, but also optical / light base energy. RF energy includes energy at 100 KHz and above, preferably at the NFC standard frequency bands such as around 13.56 MHz, but also any other common RF bands for RFID applications such as 868 MHz, 915 MHz, 433 MHz and alike. Optical / light energy according to the present invention includes infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, i.e., beyond the visible spectrum in some embodiments. In this embodiment, said means for exchanging electromagnetic energy includes for instance a near field sensor, or an antenna. Such a near field sensor or antenna preferably takes the form of a resonant structure, including a coiling, meandering, fractal like or space-filling conductive trace with a circuital inductive behavior and a capacitive element. The combination of the inductive and capacitive element makes the antenna or sensor to be resonant at an RF frequency suitable for exchanging energy and information, such as for instance any of the RF frequencies for NFC or RFID systems as described above, or equivalent. Making the sensor or antenna resonant enhances the efficiency of the energy transfer system while making the system more immune to interference from other radioelectric sources working at different frequency bands (e.g. WIFI, mobile / cellular phones and alike).

[0081] A WiMT includes in some embodiments as in Fig.6 an energy storage system, such as for instance a capacitor or battery 603, so that the energy received by said antenna or sensor remains stored and available for energizing a set of elements within the system including one or more of the following: a means for storing digital information in the WiMT, a means for reading said digital information, a means for transmitting and receiving wirelessly an electric signal. In some embodiment a means for storing digital information includes a memory chip, such as for instance a readable and writeable or otherwise non-volatile memory chip, such as for instance a Flash memory, a ferroelectric random-access memory, a FRAM memory chip, an EEPROM memory or alike. In one or more embodiments, a means for storing digital information and means for reading and or writing onto said digital information storage are embedded into a single electronic chip, such as an RFID or NFC chip. In some embodiments including that on Fig.6, means for transmitting and / or receiving wirelessly an electrical signal includes an electronic transmitter, an electronic receiver or both, a transponder, or an alike electronic element.

[0082] Fig.7 shows an embodiment of a WiMT including a dielectric substrate 701 , such as for instance a PVC material, and an integrated circuit or chip 702. Said chip might be in some embodiments that of an RFID tag, a contactless card or of an SIM card. In those embodiments where said chip is of the SIM form, a means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy includes a set of contacting pads or contacting means.

[0083] Fig.8 describes an example of a means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy according to the present invention. In this example, said means is an electromagnetic sensor or an antenna including a conductive inductive trace 801 and a capacitive element 802 including a dielectric gap 805. Said conductive trace in some embodiments forms a continuous closed loop, which is a preferred configuration for frequencies below the UHF frequency band. For connectivity within the UHF band or above, said conductive trace in some embodiments takes the form of an electrically balanced structure including two open arms, each one with an open circuit end, while in others the two ends of said two open arms are connected together to form a folded dipole structure. Conductive trace 801 might be printed on a single surface of a dielectric support for the WiMT device or might run a first portion of the trace on a first surface and a second portion 806 on a second surface, being said first and second portions interconnected in some embodiments through a via hole. In some configurations, as for instance that shown in Fig.7, the inductance of the dipole arms or coiled loop trace is compensated by a capacitive element 802. Said capacitive elements include two conductive elements separated by a gap 805. Said two conductive elements might be co-planar or placed over two different surfaces or layers of the dielectric support for the WiMT device. Having the two elements place in two opposite and separate surfaces is useful in some embodiments to make the capacitance of the capacitive element. By adjusting the length and pattern of the trace and the gap between and / or surface of the capacitive element, the resulting inductance (L) and capacitance (C) of the trace and capacitor respectively. By selecting the interconnection of the coil trace or arm ends and the capacitive element a series or parallel LC resonant structure is formed. This way, a resonant frequency for the antenna or sensor is selected to match the frequency in which WiMT device and reader will exchange information. A resonant system is advantageously used in some embodiments to maximize the efficiency of energy transfer between the reader and the WiMT device, to minimize the energy consumption of the set, to maximize the reading range or a combination of one or more of said factors. Also, a resonant set makes the communication and energy transfer more robust against electromagnetic noise and interference from neighboring electronic devices or electric sources or engines.

[0084] Fig.8 also includes a display of the equivalent electric resonant circuit to elements 801 and 802, such an equivalent circuit including an inductor 803 connected in parallel to capacitor 804.

[0085] Fig. 9 and 10 show a top view and a perspective view of a WiMT device, a WiMT reader / player and means for logically pairing and / or engaging a WiMT device onto said reader. As shown in Fig.10, reader 1001 includes a bottom 1002 and a top surface 1003 where the WiMT device is placed. By bottom we mean the surface which is in contact to the support where said reader can be placed or engaged, such as for instance a furniture piece such as a table, a shelf, the floor, a wall a ceiling or alike, while the top is the surface in contact with a WiMT device. While Fig.10 shows a parallel arrangement of said top and bottom surface, those are not parallel in some other embodiments where due to aesthetic or functional or ergonomics reasons (or a combination of all of them) there is an angle other than a flat angle between the planes including said bottom and top surfaces.

[0086] A WiMT 1005 device can be mechanically engaged with a WiMT reader 1001 in multiple ways, including all means used to conventionally engage vinyl discs, CDs, electronic cards and alike. For instance, a WiMT device 1005 might feature a center hole 1004 that is engaged on a mechanical post protruding out of surface 1003 of the reader. As shown in Fig.9, a WiMT device 905 can be mechanically engaged on a platform 905 on a top surface 903 of a WiMT reader 901. Such a platform might feature a contour shape that matches that of a WiMT device, such as for instance a circular one as shown in Fig.9. Said platform might protrude out of surface 903 to visually guide the user or operator on how to place said WiMT on it or might in some embodiments become an inset so that a WiMT device mechanically engages into said inset. In other embodiments, said platform 905 is just visually indicated with a color, texture, material or a combination of them to guide the user on where to place the WiMT device. While in still some other embodiments such a platform 905 is non-visible and forms a continuum with surface 903. In those later embodiments, a magnetic means is preferably used to guide the engaging of a WiMT device onto the reader. For instance, such a magnetic means might include a pair of magnetic sets, or a set of magnetic elements in one device, for instance the WiMT reader and a set of conductive elements on the WiMT device, or vice versa. As shown in Fig.9, element 906 is an example of a set of those conductive or magnetics sets that match equivalent magnetic or conductive sets embedded into the reader. Those magnetic or conductive sets embedded onto the reader might be coplanar with surface 903 and located in an apparent or non- visible platform region 905, or might be hidden underneath surface 903 so that they are not visually apparent from the outside. A combination of a pair of magnetic and / or conductive sets on both a WiMT device and reader provide the advantage of mechanically guiding the user hand when placing a WiMT device over the reader while making the surface of the reader 903 completely clean and neat, which is visually pleasant while providing an easier and lower cost manufacturing piece, enabling a broader use of materials (plastic, methacrylate or alike), while making it more resistant to mechanical worn and easier to clean compared to other mechanical means including protruding elements or insets.

[0087] Means for mechanically engaging or pairing a WiMT device and a WiMT reader are included in some embodiments in a means and / or method for logically pairing said WiMT device and reader. Logically pairing includes providing access to the reader into the digital media information stored in said WiMT device. In some embodiments said logically pairing includes identifying the presence of a WiMT is near a reader, such a close proximity being close enough (and including for instance physical contact) to enable an exchange of electromagnetic energy to effectively read into said WiMT device. In some embodiments, said logically pairing means and method includes reading a unique WiMT identification code or WiMT ID. In some embodiments, said logic pairing includes identifying and selecting which of the multiple WiMT devices in the proximity of the reader is ready for media content reproduction. Such a selection can be done for instance through a combination of logical pairing with a mechanical engagement detection means, for instance through physical electrical contact, through capacitive contact or alike between said WiMT reader and WiMT device.

[0088] Fig.11 illustrates different embodiments for a WiMT device 1101 and 1105. A WiMT device according to 1101 includes an elongated element 1102, preferably oriented in a substantially radial way with respect to the WiMT center, said elongated element including a magnetic, conductor or slot means for mechanically engaging the device to a WiMT reader. A WiMT device according to 1101 includes in some cases a pair of polygonal, elliptical or circular elements 1103 including a magnetic, conductive, or slotted means for mechanically engaging the device to a WiMT reader. In some embodiments, a WiMT device 1101 includes both engaging elements 1102 and 1103, those two or three elements engaged in a pattern that is not rotationally symmetrical, so that the engagement direction with respect to a WiMT player is unique.

[0089] WiMT device 1105 includes an engaging means 1104 which covers at least 30% of the surface of the WiMT device to provide a more robust engaging. Such an engaging means includes in some embodiments an element selected from the group: metallic, magnetic, adhesive, slotted. Adhesive means for engaging a WiMT device include a stainless, reusable adhesive materials such as those on Post-it notes by 3M or alike.

[0090] Fig.12 illustrates three elements of a WiMT system invention, comprising a WiMT device (the token), a WiMT reader and a WiMT player. In some embodiments reader and player are embedded into a single physical apparatus or unit. In some embodiments reader and player are separate apparatus and both become connected by a connecting means so that the media as read by the reader is transferred to the player for media reproduction. In some preferred embodiments such a connection between reader and player is done through a wireless connection. In some embodiments, such a wireless connection includes a Bluetooth protocol, a WIFI protocol (such as for instance an Apple AirPlay protocol), or equivalent. In some embodiments such a wireless connection is done preferably at a carrier frequency of 2.4 GHz or within any other ISM frequency band. In some embodiments, the connection between reader and player is done through a cellular or mobile connection (e.g. 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G or equivalent) wherein both the reader and the player are connected to the cloud, that is, the internet.

[0091] In one or more embodiments of a WiMT system, a reader can be connected to two or more players, even simultaneously. Said two or more players may include for instance a Bluetooth speaker or generally a smart speaker or audio set, a mobile / cellular smartphone, a TV set, a Hi-Fi set, a Wl Fl access point or equivalent. In those cases, a smartphone app is used to control said two or more players and select which of the one or more players is reproducing the median content on a WiMT device engaged onto said WiMT reader.

[0092] Fig.13 illustrates a method and a system for reproducing media content on a WiMT device according to the present invention. In a first step a WiMT device is engaged mechanically onto a WiMT reader. In a second step such an engagement is detected for instance through a logical pairing mechanism, through a physical engaging mechanism such as for instance electrical contact, electromagnetic coupling or alike, or a combination of one or more of those effects. In a third step media starts being read by said WiMT reader and in a fourth step the media content starts being reproduced automatically in a WiMT player with no need of further human intervention. This means that in some embodiments the only interaction between the reader and the user is the first step of mechanically engaging a WiMT device into a reader, but no further interaction is needed and the media content just starts playing as a result of the logical pairing following a first mechanical engagement. Fig. 14 illustrates one aspect of the invention where an app into a computing device 1402, including for instance a handheld or mobile device such as for instance a smartphone or a tablet is used to modify the content properties and media info store in a WiMT device 1401. In one embodiment, the interaction between said handheld device and a WiMT token is done through a reader connected wirelessly to said handheld device, either through a direct connection (e.g. Bluetooth, NFC, RFID) or through a wireless network (e.g. WIFI, cellular or alike). In some other embodiments a smartphone is configured to include a WiMT reader (such as for instance in Fig.21) so that it can directly read from a WiMT device through a logical pairing including in some cases a mechanical pairing such as a magnetic engagement between said smartphone and WiMT device.

[0093] Modifying the content properties and the media inside a token as shown in Fig.14 includes, in several embodiments, one or more of the following actions: modifying a title field for a WiMT device, modifying an owner field, recording a new IP or URL address where to access a media content, recording a new media content, modify a read-only status to read & write status, creating separate registers or files for multiple media content, including multiple songs, multiple music albums, multiple short video clips, multiple movies, multiple electronic games, multiple books or documents, financial information such as that of an electronic wallet or smartcard or a combination of two or more of any of the above.

[0094] Fig.15 includes system and method for configuring several operation modes for a particular WiMT device or for all WiMT devices associated with the app session owner. Some of this configuration elements include: self-play media configuration, so that a WiMT logical engaging into a reader triggers media reproduction automatically with no further user intervention; money transfer options, such as for instance enabling a money transfer from a WiMT token to another token, bank account or any other kind of financial deposit means, including transferring only to enabled / authorized devices or paired tokens, and including in some embodiments an automatic transfer of a fixed amount of money, such as for instance 10, 20, 50, 100 currency units (e.g. euros, dollars, etc.).

[0095] Fig.16 illustrates a system and method for exchanging data between a WiMT token 1601 , a computing device 1602 and an external database such as for instance the internet / cloud 1603. For simplicity, only the logical part of the WiMT device, for instance its memory records, are shown 1601. In one operation mode and process, a reader 1602 reads one or more identification codes ID1 , ID2, ... IDN in a WiMT device 1601. Those ID codes include or are associated for instance with a URL or IP address in the cloud 1603 where the media associated with a specific WiMT device 1601 is stored. Reader 1602 downloads media from the cloud through connection means, including for instance a cellular or wireless connection, so that it becomes available for reproduction. Automatic reproduction starts in some embodiments, while in others a positive action by the user (e.g. ‘play’) is required. Reproduction can start in the reader itself (if it is a reader / player) or the media might be transferred to one or more paired player / reproduction devices. In a one operation mode, that might be combined with the former or not, the media is downloaded from the reader and transferred then to the WiMT device 1601.

[0096] Fig.17 shows a logical structure of the memory files for an embodiment of a WiMT device. In this example, such a memory file includes a unique WiMT identification number orToken ID. In some embodiments, a WiMT includes one or more media IDs, for instance song IDs, video IDs, playlists IDs or alike. In some embodiments a WiMT device includes one or more digital media content according to the present invention, such as for instance a song, a video, a podcast, a voice recording or alike. In some embodiments a WiMT token includes a combination of a Token ID, one or more media ID and or more media content.

[0097] Fig.18 illustrates another example of the logical structure or memory recording in a WiMT device, including a Token ID one or more media ID and media files, one or more user info records, including for instance a login or username and password which might be encrypted, and financial and / or electronic money information and data.

[0098] Fig. 19 illustrates a connection and or pairing between a WiMT reader 1901 hosting a WiMT device 1902, and one or more cabled or wireless playing devices such as for instance a headset 1903, a loudspeaker 1904, a display or smart TV 1905. Such a connection will be preferably done wirelessly. A wireless connection or pairing can be done to one or to a plurality of those devices, so that the content read by 1901 is transferred to one or more of those devices automatically or after a positive action by the user. Simultaneous reproduction of the media in one or more player devices is done in some embodiments. In some embodiments such a simultaneous reproduction includes a time synchronization mechanism enabling a user to perceive a substantially concurrent reproduction in those different media players.

[0099] Fig.20 shows a portable or fixed wireless speaker 2002, such as for instance a Bluetooth enabled speaker for music playing, said speaker embedding a WiMT reader and player. A reader part of said speaker is arranged by an external surface of said speaker where a WiMT device 2001 is placed. A reader embedded into speaker 2002 includes means for reading and playing the music and media information stored in a WiMT device. For instance, a WiMT reader embedded into said speaker 2002 includes an electric power module, a memory module, a digital processor module, a communication module, a user interface module, a reading module and means for logically pairing a WiMT device with a WiMT reader. A reading module includes means for transferring and exchanging electromagnetic energy to and with the WiMT device. Such electromagnetic energy is used in several embodiments to energize the electronics inside the WiMT device, for instance a nonvolatile memory chip, and to exchange a wireless digital signal including the information stored in said chip of a WiMT device.

[0100] A means for logically pairing the WiMT device with the WiMT reader embedded into speaker 2002 includes in some embodiments an electromagnetic means, an electric means, a mechanical means, a software means or a combination of any of set of them. In some embodiments such pairing means includes an electromagnetic sensing of the proximity of the WiMT device to the WiMT reader, so both get ready for starting exchanging information through an electromagnetic signal exchange as described above.

[0101] In an aspect of the present invention according to some preferred embodiment, said paring means automatically triggers the reader to receive the stored media information in the WiMT device 2001 to automatically start playing the music or media with no further instructions from the user needed.

[0102] In some embodiments of 2002, said pairing means includes a magnetic engagement system. This magnetic engagement system might comprise a pair of magnets, one at the WiMT device the other at the WiMT reader; a permanent magnet on one of the two pairing elements (i.e. , the reader or the device) and a conductive element on its counterpart element so that reader and device become physically attached through a magnetic force. In some embodiments the magnetic part is preferably on the reader side, while in other embodiments such a magnetic part is in the WiMT device. In some embodiments, that magnetic part is an electromagnet sort of device that only gets active and generates a magnetic field when energized with an electric current. In those latest embodiments, the electromagnet is preferably embedded in the reader which usually includes a power system capable to energize the electromagnet with electric current. In some embodiments, said magnetic engagement system includes two or more elements, each one either magnetic or conductive, on each of the WiMT device and reader. This is advantageous to provide a way to align the position of the WiMT device onto the reader so that for instance, the user can always read information printed on the surface of the WiMT device. In other embodiments, said magnetic engagement system includes 3, 4, 5 or more elements chosen from the group consisting of: magnet, conductive element.

[0103] Other embodiments of speaker 2002 include a mechanical pairing system within the logic pairing means. For instance, such a mechanical pairing system might include a slot where to partially engage the WiMT disc. A click mechanism is used for instance in such embodiment to keep the WiMT device or disc physically engaged with the reader, while activating an electric switch mechanism that electrically and logically engages the device and reader for an automatic reading and / or playing means as described above. Other embodiments include engaging mechanically one or more holes within the WiMT device into some posts or protuberant elements on the reader. Such a mechanical engagement is coupled to a switch means that also is capable to automatically active the transfer of information with the reader and / or the playing of the music or media content by a player coupled to the WiMT reader.

[0104] Fig.21 shows a portable device 2100, for instance a handheld device such a smartphone, a tablet an MP3 player or alike, said portable device includes a WiMT reader and player. A reader element on said portable device is arranged next to an external surface of said portable device where a WiMT device 2101 is placed. A reader embedded into portable device 2100 includes means for reading and playing the music and media information stored in a WiMT device. For instance, a WiMT reader embedded into said portable device 2100 includes an electric power module, a memory module, a digital processor module, a communication module, a user interface module, a reading module and means for logically pairing a WiMT device with a WiMT reader. A reading module includes means for transferring and exchanging electromagnetic energy to and with the WiMT device. Such electromagnetic energy is used in several embodiments to energize the electronics inside the WiMT device, for instance a non-volatile memory chip, and to exchange a wireless digital signal including the information stored in said chip of a WiMT device 2101.

[0105] A means for logically pairing the WiMT device 2101 , with the WiMT reader embedded into portable device 2100 includes in some embodiments an electromagnetic means, an electric means, a mechanical means, a software means or a combination of any of set of them. In some embodiments such pairing means includes an electromagnetic sensing of the proximity of the WiMT device to the WiMT reader, so both get ready for starting exchanging information through an electromagnetic signal exchange as described above.

[0106] In an aspect of the present invention according to some preferred embodiment, said paring means automatically triggers the reader to receive the stored media information in the WiMT device 2101 to automatically start playing the music or media with no further instructions from the user needed.

[0107] In some embodiments of portable device 2100, said pairing means includes a magnetic engagement system. This magnetic engagement system might comprise a pair of magnets, one at the WiMT device the other at the WiMT reader; a permanent magnet on one of the two pairing elements (i.e., the reader or the device) and a conductive element on its counterpart element so that reader and device become physically attached through a magnetic force. In some embodiments the magnetic part is preferably on the reader side, while in other embodiments such a magnetic part is in the WiMT device. In some embodiments said magnetic engagement system includes a magnetic system arranged in a circular pattern, such as for instance a MagSafe system or a system compatible with MagSafe. In some embodiments, that magnetic part is an electromagnet sort of device that only gets active and generates a magnetic field when energized with an electric current. In those latest embodiments, the electromagnet is preferably embedded in the reader which usually includes a power system capable to energize the electromagnet with electric current. In some embodiments, said magnetic engagement system includes two or more elements, each one either magnetic or conductive, on each of the WiMT device and reader. This is advantageous to provide a way to align the position of the WiMT device onto the reader so that for instance, the user can always read information printed on the surface of the WiMT device. In other embodiments, said magnetic engagement system includes 3, 4, 5 or more elements chosen from the group consisting of: magnet, conductive element. Other embodiments of portable device 2100 include a mechanical pairing system within the logic pairing means. For instance, such a mechanical pairing system might include a slot where to partially engage the WiMT disc. A click mechanism is used for instance in such embodiment to keep the WiMT device or disc physically engaged with the reader, while activating an electric switch mechanism that electrically and logically engages the device and reader for an automatic reading and / or playing means as described above. Other embodiments include engaging mechanically one or more holes within the WiMT device into some posts or protuberant elements on the reader. Such a mechanical engagement is coupled to a switch means that also is capable to automatically active the transfer of information with the reader and / or the playing of the music or media content by a player coupled to the WiMT reader.

[0108] Fig.22 shows a WiMT reader and / or player 2201 , for instance including one or more features as embodiments 1001 or 1901 , configured to host multiple WiMT devices 2202 (hereinafter a WiMT multireader or a multiplayer). This is achieved for instance by including a surface 2203 which is larger than the surface of a single WiMT device multiplied by the number of devices to host. Preferably, reader 2201 includes an array of means for engaging and pairing said plurality of WiMT devices 2202, such as for instance multiple magnetic, mechanical engaging means. In some embodiments such an array of engaging means is linear (a 1 D array) while in other embodiments the array is two- dimensional (2D array).

[0109] In some embodiments, a WiMT multireader includes means for indicating a reproduction sequence in a 1 D or 2D array. For instance, such a means includes a set of embedded lights next to, or underneath, each means for engaging a WiMT device. A sequence is communicated by sequentially illuminating those embedded lights when a second, third or any additional number of WiMT devices are engaged into WiMT multireader 2201. Other means for indicating a sequence includes, in some embodiments, a printed pattern such as arrows, numbers or a combination of both on the surface or edge of said 2201 device. In some embodiments of 2201 , a light element glows to indicate the actual WiMT that is being played at a given moment of time.

[0110] Fig 23 discloses a headset 2310 for listening to music or audio files, including a WiMT reader / player2312 to read a WiMT device 2311. Preferably, said headset includes said WiMT reader 2312 adjacent to an external surface of the ear set as shown in 2310, so that a WiMT device 2311 is engaged onto said reader just by placing said device on it. In some preferred embodiments, means for engaging mechanically and logically a WiMT device into a reader in 2310 includes a magnetic means, so that the magnetic field guides a human user into placing a WiMT on the surface of reader 2312, therefore removing any need of visually aligning WiMT and reader. This means that a user can conveniently engage or disengage a WiMT device with the headset 2310 mounted on this head while keeping attention to other things like walking, running, bike or horse riding and alike.

[0111] Fig. 23 also discloses a TV set 2320, such as for instance a smart TV, said TV set including a WiMT reader 2321 , for instance a WiMT multireader or multiplayer such as the one described in Fig.22. Such a WiMT reader might host one or more WiMT devices 2322 which by default might be reproduced in a sequence as predefined by the reader and / or by the user. In this example, said WiMT device will preferably include a media content, such one or more video contents, but it might contain instead or in addition to, music content. In some embodiments, said music content will reproduce on the Smart TV while said TV set displays a set of images or video either defined by the user or by a music content supplier (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music or alike). As extensively described in this patent, for instance in Figs. 15, 16, 17, 18, in some embodiments said WiMT device will include one or more digital file including all the media content, while in other embodiments said WiMT device will include a URL link where the media content is located and distributed by a media content supplier, such as for instance Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, Filmin, Rakuten, 3cat or alike.

[0112] Fig.24 shows the dashboard 2401 of a motor vehicle such as for instance a car, van, or truck, including a WiMT reader / player 2402, hosting one or more WiMT discs 2403. In particular, said reader 2402 is arranged into any of the embodiments of reader / players and multireaders / players with one, more or every feature of those, including for instance those of Fig.22.

[0113] Fig.25 shows a human user 2501 carrying a portable mobile device 2502 including a WiMT reader and a WiMT device 2503. Conveniently, a WiMT portable device 2502 is arrange to a width that fits a standard pocket. Preferably 2502 will feature in some embodiments an elongated shape, that is, a shape that has an aspect ratio different than 1 :1 , so that a WiMT reader player can be arranged offset of geometric center of said portable device 2502. An advantage is that a user might place the reader part on or above the opening of a pocket so that a WiMT 2503 might be comfortably engaged or disengaged without any visual engagement by the user.

[0114] Fig.26 shows a number of wearable devices including means for mechanically and or electrically and logically engaging one or more WiMT devices. For instance, 2601 is a key ring including means for engaging mechanically a WiMT device on one element of said key ring. Preferably, said engaging means includes a magnetic means. Element 2602 illustrates a necklace including a surface to mechanically engage a WiMT element 2604, for instance by magnetic means. In addition, one or more wearables according to fig. 26 includes in some embodiments a reader / player as described in any of the examples above, and a wireless connection such as for instance Bluetooth, to engage such a reader player with a headset, earset or smart goggle set to reproduce music or generally a media content. Examples of wearables for carrying and / or reading / playing one or more WiMT devices include, in addition to key rings and necklaces: a bracelet, a smart watch, an earring, a chest band, an arm band, a leg band, a shoe, a purse, a wallet, a backpack, a case, a cap, hat or helmet, a glove, a piece of underwear, a sweater, a hoodie, a goggle such as a smart goggle set or a virtual reality goggle set, or alike.

[0115] Fig.27 shows examples of a packaging element for storing, transporting, displaying, showcasing, or complementing a WiMT device. For instance, 2710 is a book or booklet including means for mechanically engaging 2712 a WiMT device 2711. Illustration 2710 displays a pocket 2712, but other engaging means such as for instance a magnetic means including a magnetic, conductive, or ferromagnetic element is used in some embodiments. A number of pages 2713 of a booklet might be used to include information about the artist related to the media content in 2711. For instance, such an information might include the lyrics of a song, pictures of the artist, a special design or artwork for the media album, a comic or summary of a movie, a biopic or alike. By combining physical information (e.g. printed) related to the artist in the packaging of a WiMT device, the user experience is enhanced, making the overall media enjoyment memorable and rich. Element 2720 shows an alternative way of storing a WiMT element 2711 , such as a plastic, carboard or paper like casing, much as those like CD / DVD players and alike.

[0116] Fig. 28 illustrates both a container 2804 and a WiMT multireader / multiplayer element 2804. In a container version, 2804 host a stack 2803 of one or a plurality of WiMT devices 2802 that are engaged into 2801 through an opening 2805. Element 2804 illustrates in some embodiments a label or a display (e.g. an OLED or electronic paper display) to show the content of stack 2803. In other embodiments, 2804 is an opening or a window to see the stack 2803. In its WiMT multireader / player version, device 2801 also includes a WiMT reader / player inside the container, preferably a reader on the base at the opposite side of opening 2805. Said reader includes a transceiver element which is configured to read all the media information in the WiMT elements within the stack 2803. In a preferred embodiment, a multireader 2804 will read and play sequentially in a FIFO scheme (First- In-First-Out) the media that is inserted through opening 2805. In some embodiments, when a stack 2803 of a plurality of WiMT devices 2802 is inserted all together into 2801 , WiMT reader / player reproduces the media content within the stack in a random fashion.

[0117] In some embodiments said device 2804 include a loudspeaker as well. In some embodiments 2805 includes a wireless connectivity means, for instance Bluetooth or WIFI, to transfer the content of one or more of the WiMT elements in the stack to a media player, such as a WiMT media player.

[0118] Fig. 29 shows an example of a furniture piece 2901 to store, showcase and / or organize a set of WiMT devices 2904 (13 WiMT devices shown for illustration purposes, but this might represent any number of WiMT devices). Preferably, 2901 is a panel or board with means for magnetically engaging one or more WiMT elements 2904. In some embodiments, panel or board 2901 includes an effectively homogeneous magnetic means, so that a WiMT device can be magnetically engaged at any position within a surface of 2901. In other embodiments, panel or board 2901 includes an array of magnetic engaging means, so that those means become evenly spaced in one or two orthogonal or slant directions on the panel surface. By providing an even spacing means, WiMT devices become evenly aligned on the board with no aligning effort by the user. Board 29 might include in some embodiments a printed element on its surface to display a picture or artwork, for instance an artwork related to a preferred media content by a user, e.g. a favorite artist, singer, actor or actress, film director or alike. In several embodiments as any of those described above, board 2901 includes means for affixing said panel to the wall 2903. In some embodiments, panel 2901 is combined with other decorative elements such as a frame, texture, color, or other convenient furniture elements that combine with the surrounding furniture 2902.

[0119] In some embodiments of furniture piece 2901 , said board or panel embeds a WiMT reader or both a reader and player. When embedding a reader, said board will preferably include a wireless connectivity means, such as for instance Bluetooth, WIFI or alike, to transfer media content of all WiMT elements 2904 posted on said panel to a WiMT player. In some embodiments, panel 2901 will include an array of electromagnetic sensors printed or otherwise embedded in a flex film or FR4 or an equivalent or similar printed circuit element; said array including a distribution network to transport a signal from or to a WiMT device from a central WiMT reader. In other embodiments, a single reader electromagnetically engages with every WiMT device 2904 wirelessly without a need of a network of sensors.

[0120] In this text, the term “includes”, “comprises” and derivations thereof (such as “including”, “comprising”, etc.) should not be understood in an excluding sense, that is, these terms should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility that what is described and defined may include further elements, steps, etc.

[0121] On the other hand, the disclosure is obviously not limited to the specific embodiment(s) described herein, but also encompasses any variations that may be considered by any person skilled in the art (for example, as regards the choice of materials, dimensions, components, configuration, etc.), within the general scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A record medium for the storage of media content comprising: means for storing digital information, means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy to a media reading device, and means for mechanically and logically pairing said device to said media reading device.

2. A record medium for the storage of media content according to claim 1 , wherein said means for storing digital information is a memory chip.

3. A record medium for the storage of media content according to claim 2, wherein said means for storing digital information is a memory RFID chip.

4. A record medium for the storage of media content according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein said means for coupling and exchanging electromagnetic energy comprises at least one element selected from the group: inductor, antenna, electromagnetic sensor, coil.

5. A record medium for the storage of media content according to any one of claims 1-4, comprising a dielectric support of a circular shape with a radius equal or smaller than a standard credit card, and a magnetic means to mechanically and logically engage to a reader.

6. A record medium for the storage of media content according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the means for storing digital media information comprises means for optically reading a digital record.

7. A record medium for the storage of media content according to claim 6, wherein the means for optically reading a digital record are adapted to optically read a one-dimensional and / or two-dimensional recorded code, the two-dimensional recorded code optionally being a QR code and / or a bar code.

8. A media reader comprising: a surface to host a record medium according to any one of claims 1-7, means for mechanically engaging said record medium onto said surface, means for logically pairing said record medium to said reader, a power supply, means for exchanging electromagnetic information with said record medium, and a wireless connectivity module for connecting to the cloud and downloading a media content identified with a digital information stored in said record medium.

9. A media player comprising: means for pairing said player to a reader, and means for transferring media content from said player to said reader.

10. A media player according to claim 9, wherein the means for pairing the player to the reader and the means for transferring the media content are adapted to pair and transfer the media content to, respectively, a media reader according to claim 8.

11. A method to play media content comprising the steps of: engaging a record medium in a media reader according to claim 8, detecting an engagement of said record medium into said reader, and starting playing a media content without further user intervention.

12. A method to play media content according to claim 11 , wherein the record medium is a record medium according to any one of claims 1-7.

13. A software means for configuring permissions and options for reading and writing information into a record medium according to any of claims 1-7.

14. A smartphone comprising: means for magnetically engaging a recording medium according to any of claims 1-7, and means for reading digital information comprised in said record medium.

15. A furniture piece comprising: a board and magnetic means to store one or more record mediums on its surface, each record medium of the one or more record mediums being according to any of claims 1-7.

16. A furniture piece according to claim 15, comprising an array of evenly spaced magnetic means for evenly storing multiple recording mediums.

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