Files accessed from a handheld would be listed as if they were stored locally -- creating what Apple calls "virtual capacity" -- and sorted with standard metadata, such as artist, title and ranking. The concept could even be applied to work between handhelds, echoing the "squirt" function used by Microsoft's Zune players. Zune tracks, however, can only be shared for a short amount of time before the second copy is automatically deleted.

The patent could represent an extension of Apple's Remote app, which lets iPhone and iPod touch owners control a local computer's iTunes library. If the technology were to appear in the near future, it would most likely arrive in September with the anticipated iPod refresh.