Set-top box with enhanced content and system and method for use of same

• US 10,448,092 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enseo, LLC (Enseo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enseo, Inc.
• Inventors: Ogle, Vanessa, Wolfe, Edward H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Montoya, Oschta I
• Application Number:
  US15/675,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20170347148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• 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 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/633 Control signals issued by server directed to the network components or client management of faults, events, alarms in data networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A set-top box with enhanced content and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a wireless transceiver is located within a housing, which also interconnectively includes a television input, television output, a processor, and memory. The set-top box may establish a pairing with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device having a display. Content, such as the Internet, movies, music, or games, for example, may be imported from the programmable device and reformatted at the set-top box for display on a television via the television output, thereby creating an experience on the television parallel to the experience on the programmable device. Virtual remote control functionality may then be provided by a spoken sequence of words.

Claims

1. A set-top box comprising:

a housing securing a television input, a television output, a processor, memory, and storage therein;

a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, the television output, the processor, the memory, and the storage;

a wireless transceiver associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the wireless transceiver operable to communicate with a non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device;

the television input configured to receive a source signal from an external source;

the television output configured to forward a fully tuned signal to a television; and

the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

establish a pairing between the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the set-top box,

receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device to enable the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive device to have virtual remote control functionality, the virtual remote control functionality input instructions being representations of a spoken sequence of words,

evaluating the spoken sequence of words to assign a meaning to the spoken sequence of words, and

responsive to evaluating the spoken sequence of words, import content from the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and reformat the imported content such that the television output forwards a fully tuned signal including the imported content to the television.

2. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a housing-dongle combination securing the television input, the television output, the processor, memory, storage, and wireless transceiver therewith.

3. The set-top box as recited in claim 2, wherein the processor and the memory are distributed through the housing-dongle combination.

4. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device via a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.

5. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device via a short distance data exchange standard.

6. The set-top box as recited in claim 5, wherein the short distance data exchange standard comprises Bluetooth.

7. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the transceiver is at least partially internal to the housing.

8. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the transceiver is at least partially external to the housing.

9. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises an antenna.

10. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of personal computers, laptops, tablet computers, smart phones, and smart watches.

11. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the command signal provides remote control of the television.

12. The set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of proximate amenities is selected from the group of amenities consisting of lights, thermostats, shades, and doorbell/do not disturb designations.

13. A set-top box comprising:

a housing securing a television input, a television output, a processor, memory, and storage therein;

a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, the television output, the processor, the memory, and the storage;

a wireless transceiver associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the wireless transceiver operable to communicate with a non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device;

the television input configured to receive a source signal from an external source;

the television output configured to forward a fully tuned signal to a television;

the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

establish a pairing between the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the set-top box,

receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device to enable the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive device to have virtual remote control functionality, the virtual remote control functionality input instructions being representations of a spoken sequence of words,

evaluating the spoken sequence of words to assign a meaning to the spoken sequence of words, and

responsive to evaluating the spoken sequence of words, import content from the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and reformat the imported content such that the television output forwards a fully tuned signal including the imported content to the television; and

wherein the fully tuned signal including the imported content provides an upstream parallel experience on the television related to the content on the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device.

14. The set-top box as recited in claim 13, wherein the housing further comprises a housing-dongle combination securing the television input, the television output, the processor, memory, storage, and wireless transceiver therewith.

15. The set-top box as recited in claim 13, wherein the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of personal computers, laptops, tablet computers, smart phones, and smart watches.

16. A set-top box comprising:

a housing securing a television input, a television output, a processor, memory, and storage therein;

a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, the television output, the processor, the memory, and the storage;

a wireless transceiver associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the wireless transceiver operable to communicate with a non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device;

the television input configured to receive a source signal from an external source;

the television output configured to forward a fully tuned signal to a television; and

the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

establish a pairing between the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the set-top box,

provide instructions on a touch screen display associated with the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, the instructions triggering a spoken sequence of words as a response,

receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device to enable the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive device to have virtual remote control functionality, the virtual remote control functionality input instructions being representations of the spoken sequence of words,

evaluate the spoken sequence of words to assign a meaning to the spoken sequence of words, and

responsive to evaluating the spoken sequence of words, import content from the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and reformat the imported content such that the television output forwards a fully tuned signal including the imported content to the television; and

wherein the fully tuned signal including the imported content provides an upstream parallel experience on the television related to the content on the non-remote control proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device.

17. The set-top box as recited in claim 16, wherein the housing further comprises a housing-dongle combination securing the television input, the television output, the processor, memory, storage, and wireless transceiver therewith.

18. The set-top box as recited in claim 16, wherein the processor and the memory are distributed through the housing-dongle combination.

19. The set-top box as recited in claim 16, wherein the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of personal computers, laptops, tablet computers, smart phones, and smart watches.

20. The set-top box as recited in claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device via a short distance data exchange standard.