Networked multimedia system having a multi-room interactive network guide

• US 20040068739A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Inventors: Schlarb, John M., Russ, Samuel H., Gaul, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US10/403,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20040068739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing downstream signals to a plurality of receiver networks. A receiver network (i.e., a networked multimedia system) includes a splitter/isolation module (SIM), a primary set-top terminal (STT), and at least one remote device. The remote devices communicate with the primary STT via the SIM over coaxial cable. Accordingly, the remote devices utilize some or all of the features including hardware and software that are included in the primary STT via the networked multimedia system. A network guide is provided that displays the past and present activity status of each of the receiving devices.

Claims

1. In a networked multimedia system (NMS) for receiving a plurality of presentations from a communications network, the NMS comprising a plurality of receiving devices including a primary device and a plurality of remote devices, a method for providing a network guide relating to the NMS comprising the steps of:

at the primary device,

retrieving information from the plurality of receiving devices, wherein the information is indicative of a presentation; and

providing a user with a network guide including the retrieved information,

wherein the primary device stores the retrieved information in order to provide the network guide with past and present information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved information is further indicative of an inactive status.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved information from each of the receiving devices is indicative of one of a tuned signal, a recorded signal, and an activity status.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of optionally blocking at least one of the plurality of presentations that is available to any of the plurality of receiving devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the blocking step comprises filtering the at least one blocked presentation according to at least one of a channel number, a presentation rating, and a presentation name.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

at the plurality of remote devices,

providing the primary device information by at least one of upon a request from the primary device, after a predetermined amount of time, and upon a change in activity by a receiving device.

7. In a networked multimedia system (NMS) for receiving content signals indicative of presentations from a communications network, the NMS comprising a plurality of receiving devices including a primary device and a plurality of remote devices, the NMS further including a network guide, the network guide comprising:

a network guide screen including a plurality of presentation listings, wherein one of the plurality of presentation listings is associated with one of the plurality of receiving devices; and

a primary device processor for retrieving the plurality of presentation listings from the plurality of receiving devices via at least one of the primary device processor and a processor associated with each of the remote devices, and for providing the plurality of presentation listings to the network guide screen,

wherein the plurality of presentation listings is at least one of a tuned signal, a recorded signal, and an inactive status.

8. The NMS of claim 7, wherein the content signals are provided to each of the plurality of receiving devices via at least one of the primary device and the communications network.

9. The NMS of claim 7, wherein a highlighted presentation listing in the network guide screen displays detailed information regarding a presentation that is associated with the highlighted presentation listing.

10. The NMS of claim 7, the network guide further comprising a customization screen for customizing the network guide, the customization screen comprising:

a filtering options screen for allowing a user to block at least one selected presentation that is presented to at least one of the plurality of receiving devices,

wherein the primary device processor codes the at least one blocked presentation accordingly and updates the network guide, and wherein the primary device processor distributes the updated network guide via the NMS for updating the processor associated with each of the plurality of remote devices.

11. The NMS of claim 10, the filtering options screen comprising:

a channel number filter;

a presentation rating filter; and

a presentation name filter,

wherein the filter options screen is accessed from at least one of the plurality of receiving devices for customizing at least one of the plurality of receiving devices.

12. The NMS of claim 7, wherein the plurality of presentation listings from each of the remote devices is received at the primary device processor by at least one of a request from the primary device processor, a change in activity by a receiving device, and a predetermined amount of time.

13. The NMS of claim 7, wherein the tuned signal is provided to the plurality of remote devices by at least one of a tuner system associated with the primary device and a tuner system associated with each of the plurality of remote devices.

14. The NMS of claim 7, wherein the recorded signal is provided to the plurality of remote devices by a storage device located within the primary device.

15. A networked multimedia system (NMS) for receiving content signals indicative of a plurality of presentations from a communications network, comprising:

a splitter/isolation module (SIM) for receiving the content signals and for providing the content signals; and

a plurality of receiving devices each coupled to the SIM, the plurality of receiving devices including a primary device and a plurality of remote devices, the primary device comprising;

a network guide displaying an activity status associated with each of the plurality of receiving devices; and

a processor for retrieving the activity status from the plurality of receiving devices and for providing the activity status to the network guide,

wherein the activity status is indicative of at least one of a tuned signal, a recorded signal, and an inactive status.

16. The NMS of claim 15, wherein the content signals are provided to each of the plurality of receiving devices via at least one of the primary device and the communications network.

17. The NMS of claim 15, the primary device further comprising a tuner system for providing selected content signals to one of a storage device, a modulator, and a viewing display.

18. The NMS of claim 17, wherein the processor, upon request, accesses the recorded signal from the storage device and provides the recorded signal to the modulator, wherein the modulator modulates the recorded signal and provides the modulated signal to at least one of the plurality of remote devices via the SIM.

19. The NMS of claim 18, wherein subsequent to accessing the recorded signal, the processor remaps a first PID value associated with the recorded signal to a second PID value.

20. The NMS of claim 15, wherein the tuned signal is provided to the plurality of remote devices by at least one of a tuner system associated with the primary device and a tuner system associated with each of the plurality of remote devices.

21. The NMS of claim 15, the network guide comprising a filtering options screen for allowing a user to block at least one of the plurality of presentations that is presented to any of the plurality of receiving devices.

22. The NMS of claim 21, the filtering options screen including filtering options, the filtering options comprising:

a channel number filter;

a presentation rating filter; and

a presentation name filter,

wherein the at least one of the plurality of presentations is filtered using at least one of the filtering options.

23. The NMS of claim 21, wherein the filtering options screen is accessed from at least one of the plurality of receiving devices for blocking the at least one of the plurality of presentations from transmitting to the at least one of the plurality of receiving devices.

24. The NMS of claim 15, wherein the activity status from each of the plurality of receiving devices is received at the processor by at least one of a request from the processor, a change in activity by a receiving device, and a predetermined amount of time.