Digital remote control device

• US 20050110909A1
• Filed: 03/21/2003
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Staunton, Declan M., Salomons, Eduard W.
• Application Number:
  US10/509,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20050110909A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A remote control device 4 is for use with a television receiving apparatus 1. The television receiving apparatus 1 comprises a system controller 2, a receiver for receiving broadcast video data and supplemental textual data and a TV display 3 for displaying the data. The remote control device 4 is operable to communicate with the system controller 2 of the television receiving apparatus 1 and has it'"'"'s own display 8 and user-operable control. The remote control device 4 comprises means responsive to the user operable control for requesting and downloading video and/or supplemental textual data received by the television receiving apparatus 1. This video and/or supplemental textual data is not currently displayed on the TV display, and is viewed by the user on the display 8 of the remote control device 4.

Claims

1. A remote control device for use with a television receiving apparatus, the television receiving apparatus comprising;

a system controller, a receiver for receiving broadcast video data and supplemental textual data and a TV display for displaying the data, the remote control device being operable to communicate with the system controller of the television receiving apparatus and having it'"'"'s own display and user-operable control, wherein, the remote control device comprises means responsive to the user operable control for requesting and downloading video and/or supplemental textual data received by the television receiving apparatus and not currently displayed on the TV display, to be viewed by the user on the display of the remote control device.

2. A remote control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the system controller of the television receiving apparatus comprises two or more tuners one of which is controllable by means of the user-operable control to find data and information for display on the display of the remote control device.

3. A remote control device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the user operable control comprises a user interface which includes an alphanumeric keyboard

4. A remote control device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the keyboard is a virtual keyboard displayed in the display of the remote control device and the display incorporates touch screen technology.

5. A remote control device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the user operable control comprises a user interface which includes touch screen technology incorporated into the display of the device.

6. A remote control device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the user operable control comprises a user interface which includes speech recognition.

7. A remote control device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the remote control device is operable to communicate with the system controller by cordless means.

8. A remote control device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the cordless means are infra red.

9. A remote control device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the cordless means are Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11 or HomeRF.

10. A remote control device as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising a memory for storing data and information received by the device.

11. A remote control device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the remote control is provided with means responsive to the user operable control for requesting, receiving and displaying data or information from an alternative audio visual device other than is currently being displayed on the TV display.

12. A remote control device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the alternative audio-visual device is selected from a VCR, a video camera, a DVD player and a games console.

14. A television receiving apparatus comprising a receiver for receiving broadcast video data and supplemental textual data, a TV display for displaying the data and a system controller, the system controller comprising a plurality of tuners at least one tuner being controllable by means of the user-operable control associated with a remote control device as claimed in any preceding claim to display data on the display of the remote control device.

13. A television receiving apparatus comprising a receiver for receiving broadcast video data and supplemental textual data in a plurality of data streams, a TV display for displaying data and a system controller, the system controller having means for receiving and processing a request from an alternative display device to display data associated with a data stream other than that (or those) displayed on the TV display on the alternative display device.

15. A method for providing interactive participation in a TV programme comprising;

in a first data stream, broadcasting video of the programme to be displayed on a first display apparatus associated with a television receiving apparatus;

in a second data stream providing information relating to the content of the first data stream to be displayed on a second display apparatus, which second display apparatus is provided with a user interface; and

requesting a user response to the information contained in the second data stream.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 further comprising;

receiving a user response and updating and re-transmitting the information in the second data stream based on the nature of the user response.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16 wherein the first display apparatus is a TV display and the second display apparatus is a display provided on a remote control device.

18. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 17 wherein the second data stream comprises questions about the content of the programme being broadcast via the first data stream.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein the requested user response is an answer to the questions in the second data stream.

20. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 19 wherein the second data stream comprises electronic credits for use by the recipient.

21. A method as claimed in any of claims 18 to 20 wherein the questions are presented with associated odds and the user response includes an acceptance of the odds and authorisation to debit a defined number of credits electronically from an account held by the user.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the updated second data stream responsive to the user response includes credits amounting to a value based on a value of credits authorised for debit in the user response, the odds presented with the questions and the correctness of the user response.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21 or 22 wherein the first data stream comprises video of a real time, live action event and the questions relate to actions anticipated but not yet carried out in the live action event.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the live action event is a sporting event.

25. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 24 wherein the credits correspond to actual currency in a users personal account.

26. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 24 wherein the credits correspond to electronic credits of virtual currency originated by the broadcaster of the programme and provided to the user through previous interactions.

27. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 17 wherein the information in the second data stream comprises an invitation to purchase goods or services and the user response comprises an acceptance of the invitation and authorisation to debit a defined number of credits electronically from an account held by the user.

28. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 27 further comprising recording the user response whereby to build up a profile of the user, and selectively targeting the user with information which the profile suggests is of particular interest to the user.

29. A method as claimed in claims 15 to 17 wherein the first data stream comprises video of a real time, live action event;

the second data stream includes options for perspectives from which the event may be viewed by the user, and the updated second data stream comprises a view of the event from the perspective selected by the user in his response.

30. A method as claimed in claim 29 wherein the first data stream is also updated in response to the user response thereby to provide the selected perspective view of the live action broadcast on the first display apparatus.

34. A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 33 wherein the step of transmitting involves the use of a wireless protocol.

35. A method as claimed in claim 34 wherein the wireless protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.

31. A method for displaying images and/or information associated with a data stream received by a television receiving apparatus on a display device remote from the television receiving apparatus comprising;

in response to a request, locating a data stream having associated therewith the requested images and/or information;

extracting the located data stream;

defining the extracted data stream in a form mutually comprehensible to the television receiving apparatus and the remote display device;

transmitting the defined data stream to the remote display device; and

rendering the images and/or information associated with the defined data stream on a display screen of remote display device.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31 wherein the step of extracting involves instructing a tuner in the TV receiving apparatus to change to a specified frequency.

33. A method as claimed in claim 31 or 32 wherein the step of defining involves the use of XML.