Methods and apparatus for controlling display in a networked device

• US 20060291507A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sarosi, George W., Ladd, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/493
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for controlling display elements within a networked device. In one embodiment, the network comprises a cable television network, and the device a digital set-top box (DSTB) with front panel display(s). A downloadable software module is provided that is adapted to discover the front panel display capabilities of the device, and control the display accordingly. This approach allows, inter alia, the cable network operator or other entity to manage the user'"'"'s experience relating to the front panel display(s) on various types of client devices. The module is also optionally platform-agnostic (i.e., “universal”) so that the aforementioned capabilities are provided largely irrespective of the device hardware/software environment.

Claims

1. Consumer premises equipment (CPE) adapted for use in a content-based network, said equipment comprising:

at least one diode- or liquid crystal-based display element operative to display status or other information relating to the operation of said CPE;

an application programming interface (API) resident on said CPE and adapted to provide access to said at least one display element; and

a trusted monitor application running at least in part on said CPE and having permission to utilize said API;

wherein said application performs at least one of discovering or controlling said at least one display element via said API; and

wherein said API is adapted to interface with a plurality of different configurations of said display element.

2. The CPE of claim 1, wherein said CPE is OpenCable compliant and adapted for use in a cable television network.

3. The CPE of claim 1, wherein said CPE comprises a satellite receiver.

4. The CPE of claim 1, wherein said at least one display element comprises a liquid crystal display device having a plurality of character lines.

5. The CPE of claim 1, wherein said at least one display element comprises a liquid crystal display device having the ability to display graphical images according to at least one file format selected from the group consisting of:

(i) GIF;

(ii) TIFF; and

(iii) JPEG.

6. Consumer premises equipment (CPE) adapted for connection to a content-based network, said CPE having a display element manager adapted to:

discover the presence of at least one display element of said CPE using an interface; and

provide for control of said at least one display element by a privileged application running on said CPE.

7. The CPE of claim 6, wherein said at least one display element comprises at least one LED segment

8. The CPE of claim 7, wherein said privileged application comprises an OpenCable (OCAP)-compliant monitor application.

9. The CPE of claim 6, wherein:

said at least one display element comprises at least one of (i) a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) segments, and (ii) a liquid crystal display (LCD); and

said interface comprises a substantially platform-agnostic application programming interface (API) rendered in the Java programming language.

10. A method of operating consumer premises equipment (CPE) in a content-based network, said CPE comprising at least one display element, the method comprising:

providing a software interface adapted to communicate with said at least one display element;

providing a software application adapted to communicate with said at least one display element via said interface, and control at least a portion of the operation thereof; and

operating said CPE and said at least one display element using at least said software application;

wherein said act of providing a software interface comprises providing an interface which is independent of the particular configuration of said at least one display element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said act of providing a software interface comprises:

providing a Java-based application programming interface (API); and

downloading said API from said network to said CPE.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said act of operating further comprises controlling said display element from a remote location of said network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said act of downloading comprises downloading the same API to a plurality of different ones of said CPE within said network, said plurality of CPE individually having heterogeneous display element configurations.

14. A method of operating a content network having a plurality of client devices, said plurality of devices having heterogeneous display elements, comprising:

placing said plurality of said devices in communication with said network;

configuring each of said devices to comprise an interface, said interface being adapted to discover and access each of said heterogeneous display elements; and

operating an application at least on respective ones of said devices, said operating comprising controlling respective ones of said display elements thereof via said interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said network comprises a cable television network, and said plurality of client devices comprise set-top boxes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said heterogeneous display elements comprise at least light-emitting diode (LED) elements and liquid crystal display (LCD) elements.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said application comprises a trusted monitor application.

18. A method of controlling one or more display elements of an electronic device, said device being operatively coupled to a remote node via a network and adapted to run at least one application program, said method comprising:

providing an application programming interface (API) on said device;

running an application program on said device;

discovering, via said API, said one or more display elements; and

operating said one or more display elements based at least in part on inputs from said application.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said electronic device comprises a set-top box, said network comprises a cable television network, and said application program comprises a trusted monitor application, said remote node comprises a software process in data communication with said monitor application via one or more communication channels.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein and said act of discovering comprises obtaining at least one parameter relating to said one or more display elements.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said act of operating comprises configuring at least one aspect of the operation of said display elements from said remote node.

22. Computer-readable storage apparatus comprising a storage medium adapted to store a computer program, said computer program comprising a Java-based programming interface adapted to:

communicate with at least one display element of a parent device on which said program is run;

communicate with at least one software application also running on said parent device; and

allow control of said at least one display element by said application via said interface; and

wherein said programming interface is independent of the particular configuration of said at least one display element and said parent device.

23. In a computerized device for use in a content distribution network, a software architecture comprising:

a manager entity adapted to discover at least one display element of said computerized device;

an indicator display interface adapted to discover at least one indicator of said at least one display element;

an indicator properties interface adapted to discover at least one property of said at least one indicator;

a text display component adapted to control the display of text on said at least one display element;

a blink component adapted to set a blink specification of at least a portion of said at least one display; and

a scroll component adapted to set a scroll specification of at least a portion of said at least one display.