Shared Media Synchronization for Low-Power Wearable Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable devices face limitations in media sharing due to size and battery constraints, requiring cumbersome local setups and limiting users to a single channel of media consumption.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables devices to receive independent media streams synchronized for contemporaneous output, allowing simplified setup and simultaneous media consumption across multiple devices, with discovery processes offloaded to proxy devices to conserve battery power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wearable devices perform local discovery and setup for media sharing, then device autonomy is improved, but battery power is consumed faster
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy device (such as a smartphone or server) that acts as an intermediary to perform the discovery and setup operations for media sharing. The wearable device can remain in a low-power state while the proxy device handles the complex discovery protocols, authentication, and session establishment. This resolves the contradiction by transferring the energy-intensive operations to the proxy device while maintaining the wearable's autonomy for media consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices are used for media sharing, then media consumption versatility is improved, but synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the synchronization function into a centralized media service that coordinates all participating devices. Instead of each device independently managing synchronization with every other device, the media service acts as a central coordinator that distributes synchronized media streams to all devices. This reduces the complexity from O(n²) device-to-device synchronization to O(n) device-to-service synchronization, enabling versatile multi-device media sharing while maintaining manageable complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wearable devices have larger batteries to support extended functionality, then device functionality is improved, but device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heavy battery and complex processing requirements from the wearable device and relocates them to external devices (smartphone, server, or cloud service). The wearable device retains only the essential media playback functionality with minimal battery requirements, while the extracted functions of discovery, authentication, and multi-device coordination are handled by the external devices. This resolves the contradiction by separating the lightweight media consumption function from the heavy functionality that would require large batteries.
Data Source
AI summary
A first device includes a processor coupled to a memory that stores synchronization information. The processor sends a discovery message to a sensing device of a system that includes the sensing device, a second device, and a server associated with a media service. The processor receives, from the server, a shared media invitation received based on the sent discovery message. The processor sends, to the server, a response indicating approval to initiate a shared media session with the second device. The processor establishes the shared media session with the second device based on a first media stream received from the server and based on the synchronization information. The first media content associated with the first media stream is output, at the first device, in tandem with second media content that is the same as the first media content and associated with a second media stream received at the second device.