System and method for interacting with a program guide displayed on a portable electronic device

• US 10,469,786 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Haughawout, Joseph Lee, Dresti, Mauro, Klein, Sandro David, Louie, Alex, Yu, Han-Sheng, Huang, Steve LanPing, Hayes, Patrick H., Wang, Weidong William
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Michael H
• Application Number:
  US14/244,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20140215528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• 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 21/42204 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• 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 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 : using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4823 : using a channel name
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 : End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

A method for controlling the operation of a plurality of consumer electronic devices by displaying a plurality of broadcast channel identifiers each corresponding to a broadcast channel in a display of a controlling device adapted to command at least channel tuning operations of the plurality of consumer electronic devices. Input is accepted into the controlling device that functions to designate one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers and the controlling device uses the designation of the one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers to cause a transmission of a wireless signal from the controlling device to a one of the plurality of consumer electronic devices to thereby cause the one of the plurality of consumer electronic devices to tune to the broadcast channel corresponding to the designated one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers. A condition associated with at least one of the controlling device and the designated one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers functions to determine the one of the plurality of consumer electronic devices to which the wireless signal is transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the operation of a consumer electronic device, comprising:

configuring a controlling device to command functional operations of a first consumer electronic device associated with a first location and a second consumer electronic device associate with a second location wherein the first and second consumer electronic devices are different and the first and second locations are different;

subsequent to the configuring of the controlling device to command functional operations of both the first and second consumer electronic devices, causing each of the first and second consumer electronic devices to be associated with a graphical user interface having a plurality of broadcast channel identifiers each corresponding to a broadcast channel that can be tuned to by each of the first and second consumer electronic devices;

displaying in a display of the controlling device the graphical user interface;

accepting an input into the controlling device that functions to designate a one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers of the graphical user interface;

determining if a location condition associated with the controlling device is indicative of the controlling device being in the first location or the second location; and

causing the controlling device to transmit a first channel tuning command sequence to control a channel tuning operation of the first consumer electronic device in response to the one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers of the graphical user interface being designated by the accepted input when the location condition is determined to be indicative of the first location for the controlling device and causing the controlling device to transmit a second channel tuning command sequence to control a channel tuning operation of the second consumer electronic device in response to the one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers of the graphical user interface being designated by the accepted input when the location condition is indicative of the second location for the controlling device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising downloading to the controlling device the graphical user interface.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising downloading to the controlling device at least one of the first and second channel tuning command sequences.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising using service provider information to determine the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers to display.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the display of the controlling device comprises a touch-sensitive display.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location condition is indicative of a room in which the controlling device is currently being used.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, comprising downloading to the controlling device at least one of the first and second channel tuning command sequences.

8. A controlling device for controlling the operation of a consumer electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a transmitting device;

a processing device coupled to the touch-sensitive display and the transmitting device; and

a memory storing instructions executable by the processing device, the instructions causing the processing device to;

configure the controlling device to command functional operations of a first consumer electronic device associated with a first location and a second consumer electronic device associated with a second location wherein the first and second consumer electronic devices are different and the first and second locations are different;

subsequent to the controlling device being configured to command functional operations of both the first and second consumer electronic devices, cause each of the first and second consumer electronic devices to be associated with a graphical user interface having a plurality of broadcast channel identifiers each corresponding to a broadcast channel that can be tuned to by each of the first and second consumer electronic devices;

display in the touch-sensitive display the graphical user interface;

receive a signal from the touch-sensitive display indicative of a designation of a one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers of the graphical user interface;

determine if a location condition associated with the controlling device is indicative of the controlling device being in the first location or the second location; and

cause the transmitting device to transmit a first channel tuning command sequence to control a channel tuning operation of the first consumer electronic device in response to the one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers of the graphical user interface being designated by the accepted input when the location condition is determined to be indicative of the first location for the controlling device and cause the transmitting device to transmit a second channel tuning command sequence to control a channel tuning operation of the second consumer electronic device in response to the one of the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers of the graphical user interface being designated by the accepted input when the location condition is determined to be indicative of the second location for the controlling device.

9. The controlling device as recited in claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface is downloaded to the controlling device.

10. The controlling device as recited in claim 8, wherein at least one the first and second channel tuning command sequences is downloaded to the controlling device.

11. The controlling device as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one the first and second channel tuning command sequences is downloaded to the controlling device.

12. The controlling device as recited in claim 9, wherein service provider information determines the plurality of broadcast channel identifiers to display in the touch-sensitive display.

13. The controlling device as recited in claim 11, wherein the instructions use input received from one or more input elements of the controlling device to modify at least one the downloaded first and second channel tuning command sequences.

14. The controlling device as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions use input received from one or more input elements of the controlling device to modify at least one the downloaded first and second channel tuning command sequences.