Persistent Browser Media Player for Cross-Page Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of online digital media stores are limited to playing media only on the specific web page they are viewing, and previous solutions involving client-side components like browser plug-ins degrade the user experience.
Innovation Solution
A media player is served via a network for display by a browser, allowing persistent media playback across web browsing sessions without client-side components, enabling media files of various types to be played and contextually relevant information to be provided, with the media player integrated into web pages for continuous display during navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a media player is embedded in a specific web page, then media playback is enabled on that page, but media playback stops when navigating to other pages
Solution Approach 1:
The media player is separated from individual web pages and placed in a persistent browser toolbar position. This segmentation allows the media player to exist independently of any specific web page context, maintaining playback continuity while users navigate freely between pages.
Solution Approach 2:
The media player is designed as a universal component that can play various media types (audio, video, podcasts, etc.) and functions across all web pages within the online store. This multi-functionality enables consistent media playback regardless of which web page the user is viewing.
2Reliability
If client-side components like browser plug-ins are installed, then persistent media playback is achieved, but user experience is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses server-side technologies and web standards (such as iframes, persistent cookies, or server-side session management) as intermediaries to maintain media playback state across page navigations without requiring client-side plug-ins. This mediator approach achieves persistent playback while avoiding the user experience degradation associated with installing additional browser components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically maintains media playback state and continuity through server-side session management and persistent data storage mechanisms. The media player service handles the complexity of maintaining playback across navigations without requiring user intervention or installation of client-side components, making the system self-service oriented.
3Loss of information
If media player is integrated into web pages, then contextual information can be provided during playback, but media playback is limited to specific pages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical coupling between media player and specific web pages with a virtual connection through persistent browser state and server-side session management. This allows contextual information to be delivered based on user profile and playback history without requiring the media player to be physically embedded in each web page.
Data Source
AI summary
Persistent media playback techniques are described. In an implementation, a media player is served via a network for display by a browser of a device. Web pages are served via the network for display by the browser of the device. Each of the web pages is configured for integration with the media player so that the media player is persistently displayed by the browser during navigation among the web pages. The media player may be configured to play media files providing a variety of different media types. The media player may also provide contextual suggestions of media.