Wireless USB Storage for Offline Media Playback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Devices without wireless communication interfaces, such as high-fidelity channels and optical players, face challenges in accessing and playing media content due to limited local storage capacity and inability to connect directly to cloud computing services, resulting in slow content delivery and compromised ergonomics.

Innovation Solution

A removable storage device equipped with a processor, non-volatile flash memory, and a USB connector, along with a wireless communication interface, detects incomplete media content and establishes a connection with a remote gateway to download complementary content, allowing seamless playback by concatenating incomplete and complete media content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If cloud computing services are used to store media content, then storage capacity is improved, but access speed deteriorates due to download time delays

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidaccess speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-loads media content from cloud storage into the portable storage device before playback is needed. The processor detects when media content is requested and automatically downloads it to local storage in advance, eliminating wait time during actual playback and resolving the contradiction between cloud storage capacity and access speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If devices are equipped with wireless communication interfaces to access cloud services, then connectivity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveconnectivityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The wireless communication interface and cloud access functionality are extracted from the main playback device and placed into a separate portable storage device. This allows the main device to remain simple without wireless interfaces while still gaining cloud connectivity capabilities through the portable device's USB connection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Speed

If media content is stored locally on devices, then playback speed is improved, but storage capacity is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplayback speedVSAvoidstorage capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

A portable storage device acts as an intermediary between cloud storage and the main playback device. It receives media content from cloud services via USB connection and stores it locally, enabling fast playback from local storage while bypassing the storage capacity limitations of the main device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3568956B1USB peripheral connected via WIFI
Publication Date: 2021.03.10 BULL SA
  • EP3568956B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3568956B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

The invention relates to a removable storage peripheral (12) comprising: a processor (13), a rewritable non-volatile semi-conductor memory (flash) (14) connected to the processor (13), a universal serial bus (USB) standard connector (15) connected to the processor (13), and a wireless communication interface (16) connected to the processor (13), which is programmed to: detect the reading, by an appliance (2) without a wireless communication interface, of an incomplete media content stored on the memory (14); establish, via the wireless communication interface (16), a connection to a remote gateway (7); download a complementary media content via the gateway (7), and to write into the memory (14) the complementary content downloaded in this way.