Method and system for controlling a centralized content distribution system with a remote control

• US 10,390,100 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Phillip T., Lee, Sean S., Casavant, Scott D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schnurr, John R
• Application Number:
  US15/445,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20170171637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42227 the keys being reprogrammable, e.g. soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate

Abstract

A system and method includes an input device, a client device registering an input device to form an association and a server device registering the input device and registering the association with the server device. The input device broadcasts a control signal to the client device and the server device. The server device receiving the control signal directly from the input device. The server device communicates a response signal to the client device in response to the receiving the control signal.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a client device and a server device in a local area network comprising:

registering an input device with the client device by communicating a first registration signal from the input device to the client device so that the client device can decode signals from the input device;

forming an association between the input device and the client device in response to registering the input device;

registering the input device with the server device by communicating a second registration signal from the input device to the server device so that the server device can decode signals from the input device;

registering the association between the input device and the client device with the server device;

controlling a screen display of the client device from the server device through the local area network, said server device decoding a received signal at a decoder and, said client device comprising a rendering module without including the decoder, said client device receiving broadcast signals only via the server and decoder through the local area network;

designating a first plurality of control signals for the client device;

designating a second plurality of control signals different from the first plurality of signals for the server device;

directly receiving a first signal of the first plurality of signals at the client device and directly receiving the first signal at the server device not through the client device to bypass the local area network;

ignoring the first signal received at the server device when the first signal is one of the first plurality of control signals by not generating a first response thereto;

in response to directly receiving the first signal at the client device, generating a first response signal at the client device not from the server device;

changing a display associated with the client device in response to the response signal;

directly receiving a second signal of the second plurality of signals at the client device and directly receiving the second signal at the server device not through the client device to bypass the local area network;

in response to directly receiving the second signal at the client device, when the second signal is one of the second plurality of signals ignoring the second signal at the client device by not generating a second response thereto;

in response to directly receiving the second signal at the server device, generating a second response signal at the server device and not from the client device;

formatting the second response signal for rendering at the client device by generating commands or instructions for placement of pixels on the display associated with the client device;

communicating the second response signal to the client device through the local area network;

rendering the second response signal at the client device within the rendering module without decoding at the client device to form a rendered response signal by determining a placement of pixels from the commands; and

displaying the pixels in the placement corresponding to the rendered response signal at the display associated with a client device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the second plurality of signals comprise trick play commands.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first plurality of control signals correspond to a first input device and the second plurality of control signals correspond to a second input device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein one of the first input device and the second input device comprises a remote control.

5. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the first input device comprises a first remote control and the second input device comprises a second remote control.

6. A system comprising:

an input device communicating a first registration signal and a second registration signal;

a client device receiving the first registration signal and registering an input device so that the client device can decode signals from the input device, said client device forming an association with the input device in response to registering the input device;

a server device receiving the second registration signal, registering the input device so that the server device can decode signals from the input device and registering the association with the server device;

said client device having a first plurality of control signals designated therefore, said client device comprising a rendering module and not including a decoder;

said server device in communication with the client device through a local area network, said server device controlling a screen display of the client device, said server device having a second plurality of control signals different from the first plurality of signals designated therefore, said server device comprising a decoder receiving broadcasted signals;

said client device and the server device directly receiving a first signal of the first plurality of signals to bypass the local area network, said client device receiving broadcast signals only via the server and decoder through the local area network;

said server device ignoring the first signal received when the first signal is one of the first plurality of control signals by not generating a first response thereto;

said client device generating a first response signal at the client device in response to directly receiving the first signal at the client device;

said client device sending the first response signal on a display associated with the client device;

said client device and said server device directly receiving a second signal of the second plurality of signals not through the client device to bypass the local area network;

said client device, in response to directly receiving the second signal, ignoring the second signal when the second signal is one of the second plurality of signals by not generating a second response thereto;

said server device generating a second response signal and not from the client device in response to directly receiving the second signal at the server device and formatting the second response signal for rendering at the client device by generating command or instructions for placement of pixels on the display associated with the client device;

said server device communicating the second response signal from the server device to the client device through the local area network;

said client device, within the rendering module, rendering the second response signal on the display to form a rendered response signal without decoding by determining placement of pixels from the commands; and

said display displaying the pixels in the placement corresponding to the rendered response signal.

7. The system as recited in claim 6 wherein the second plurality of signals comprise trick play commands.

8. The system as recited in claim 6 wherein the first plurality of control signals correspond to a first input device and the second plurality of control signals correspond to a second input device.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein one of the first input device and the second input device comprises a remote control.

10. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein the first input device comprises a first remote control and the second input device comprises a second remote control.