At the end of April, the European Patent Office (EPO) granted the Hamburg media company Radiopark a patent (patent number 1953999) for its groundbreaking mobile technology for time-based playback of audio content. With today’s announcement in the European Patent Bulletin, the decision is effective.
The technology for the mobile sector makes it possible to implement a complete, individual radio program without a permanent internet connection. In contrast to regular streaming services, which do not allow time-accurate playback without a mobile connection, Radiopark’s technology is able to play the desired program offline right on time. The European Patent Office thus follows the German and US Patent Offices, which had already granted the corresponding patent in 2007 and 2013.
Arndt-Helge Grap, managing partner of Radiopark, explains this special feature of the patent: “With the introduction of the first smartphones, we have already predicted that mobile devices will become the information and entertainment devices of the future. However, it will not be possible to guarantee trouble-free transmission via mobile network infrastructures in the medium term. With our technology, on the other hand, a complete, personalized radio experience can be realized on request.” This includes time-based news, contributions, moderation and advertising as well as personalized music formats. The use of data is also extremely efficient. No permanent internet connection is necessary, as is currently the case with all streaming technologies. New content is automatically buffered on the mobile device when the connection is established and then played back at the scheduled time. Radio providers can thus offer their mobile listeners an error-free, curated program at any time.
