User-configurable multimedia presentation system

• US 20060190973A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: George Witwer, Kenneth Fernung, Michael Runyon, Stephen Brooks
• Original Assignee: George Witwer, Kenneth Fernung, Michael Runyon, Stephen Brooks
• Inventors: Brooks, Stephen, Runyon, Michael, Fernung, Kenneth, Witwer, George
• Application Number:
  US11/064,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190973A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• 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 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

In one disclosed embodiment, multiple content sources are identified, and displays of content from those sources are positioned on a common display under user control. Content source selections and display preferences are persisted between user sessions, and fresh content is displayed each time the content is loaded. The user'"'"'s customized display draws multimedia content from one or more selected sources from a predetermined list. In some embodiments, the multimedia content that is selectable for placement on the display includes television channels decoded from a cable TV signal by a converter.

Claims

1. A method of generating a user-configured display, comprising:

accepting selection of a first source of multimedia content by a user from a library of sources, the library being supplied by a provider;

fetching first data from the first source, where the first content source is not hosted by the library provider;

accepting input of a second content source by the user, wherein the input is not limited to a predetermined collection of sources;

fetching second data from a second content source;

playing the first data and displaying the second data together in a single display; and

accepting user control of the playing of the first data.

2. The method of claim 0,

wherein the accepting, fetching, and displaying occur during a first user session, and further comprising:

storing source identification data for the first source and the second source;

retrieving the source identification data in a second user session; and

based on the retrieved source identification data, fetching and displaying data from the first source and the second source together in the second user session.

3. The method of claim 0,

wherein the user control of the display puts the display of the first data and the second data in an array of states during a first user session,

and further comprising:

storing the array of states; and

restoring the array of states of the streams in a second user session.

4. The method of claim 0, wherein the first source is one or more digital video streams produced by a converter that takes a cable television signal as input and provides the one or more digital video streams as output.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the converter provides two or more digital video streams as output,

each of the video streams corresponds to a television channel from the cable television signal, and

the first source is the two or more digital video streams.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein access to the one or more digital video streams provided by the converter is limited to devices attached to a local area network.

7. An apparatus, comprising a processor, a memory accessible to the processor, and programming instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to:

accept user identification of sources for three or more digital video streams;

retrieve each of the video streams via a digital data network;

simultaneously display each of the video streams;

accept and carry out user instructions to position the display of each of the video streams relative to the others; and

accept and carry out user instructions to resize the display of each of the video streams.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein one or more of the video streams comes from a converter that accepts a cable television signal as input and provides the one or more video streams as output.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cable television signal includes a plurality of analog television signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cable television signal includes a plurality of digital television signals.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the step of accepting user identification of sources includes limiting at least one of the identifications to a predetermined collection of sources.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising persisting the user-identified sources from one user session to another.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising persisting the user'"'"'s instructions relating to positioning of the display of each of the video streams from one user session to another.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising persisting the user'"'"'s instructions relating to the sizing of the display of each of the video streams from one user session to another.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

accepting user commands to change the state of the playback of each of the video streams; and

persisting the playback state of each of the video streams from one user session to another.

16. A method, comprising:

providing a predetermined list of sources for multimedia content;

accepting a user selection of a first source from the list of sources;

accepting a user identification of a second content source, wherein the identification is not limited to a predetermined list;

storing data that identifies the user-selected content source and the user-identified content source;

retrieving the stored data;

after the retrieving, obtaining first content from the user-selected content source, and second content from the user-identified content source; and

displaying the first content and the second content together in a unified display.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising accepting a user indication of preferences for the relative positioning of the first content and the second content;

wherein;

the stored data also reflects the user'"'"'s display preferences; and

the displaying is done in accordance with the user'"'"'s display preferences.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising accepting user control of playback states of the first content and the second content;

wherein;

the stored data also reflects the playback states; and

the displaying includes restoring the playback state for each of the first content and the second content.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first stream contains streaming multimedia content.