Media-aware interface

• US 10,025,478 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mulcahy, Kathleen Patricia, Cupala, Shiraz, Elliott, John Darren, Jackson, Wyatt Douglas, Liou, Hansen, Maillot, Alain P., Black, Neil Warren, Zana, Joshua C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baig, Sahar
• Application Number:
  US13/795,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 725 43, 725 51, 725 59, 725 61
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 : additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 : involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a companion application that allows users to discover secondary content that supplements primary content that the user is enjoying and to run the secondary content within the application. Examples of primary content include, games, television shows, movies, and music. In one embodiment, a companion application runs on both the primary device, which is the device generating the primary content, and on the companion device. The companion application helps the user discover available secondary content. In addition to discovering secondary content that may be relevant to the user, the companion application includes an application-run environment in which secondary content applications may run.

Claims

1. A method of generating a companion experience on a companion device, the method comprising:

receiving, on a companion device, state information describing a video game being output for display by a primary device, wherein the state information identifies the video game and a game level for the video game;

identifying, by the companion device, one or more companion applications that provide a companion experience related to the game level within the video game; and

outputting, on the companion device, for display on the companion device, which is separate from the primary device, a selection interface that allows a user to select a companion application from the one or more companion applications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

running, on the companion device, the companion application within an application environment provided by a companion host application, the application environment outputting content generated by the companion application to an interface on the companion device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the companion host application communicates the state information to the companion application through the application environment.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the companion host application provides the companion application access to companion device capabilities.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the companion device capabilities comprise one or more of an accelerometer and gyroscope.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information is received from the primary device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising running a host application environment in an HTML rendering space in which a companion application can run.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the host application environment comprises an application program interface that allows the companion application access to one or more computing resources on the companion device.

6. One or more computer storage media, having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device perform a method of generating a companion experience, the method comprising:

receiving, at the companion device, state information describing a video game title and a progress made within the video game title, the video game title being output for display within a primary interface;

identifying, at the companion device, one or more applications that provide a companion experience related to both the video game title and the progress made within the video game title; and

outputting for display within a companion interface that is displayed concurrently with the primary interface, a selection interface that allows a user to select a companion application from the one or more applications, wherein the primary interface is generated by a game console and the companion interface is generated by the companion device that is communicatively coupled to the game console.

7. The media of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the companion application;

opening the companion application; and

outputting, within the companion interface, a secondary content generated by the companion application.

8. The media of claim 7, further comprising:

generating a navigation interface that includes a control to return to the selection interface, and

outputting the navigation interface within the companion interface concurrently with the secondary content.

9. The media of claim 6, communicating updated state information to the companion application.

10. The media of claim 6, wherein the state information comprises a progress update for the video game content.

11. The media of claim 6, wherein the companion interface is an HTML rendering space in which a companion application can run.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises providing the companion application access to touch data derived from the companion device'"'"'s touch screen.