METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING FEEDS TO USERS

• US 20070265857A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shivaji Rao, Vishnu Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,645 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method of providing feeds to connected devices includes sorting multiple feeds, receiving device information from a connected device, suggesting a feed from the sorted feeds in response to the device information, and delivering the suggested feed to the connected device.

Claims

1. A method of providing feeds to connected devices comprising:

sorting a plurality of feeds;

receiving device information from a connected device;

suggesting a feed from the sorted feeds in response to the device information; and

delivering the suggested feed to the connected device.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a connected device suggested feed from the connected device; and

delivering the connected device suggested feed to other connected devices.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

embedding a control command in the suggested feed; and

executing the control command on the connected device.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving an input from a connected device associated with the suggested feed; and

transmitting a control command associated with the suggested feed to the connected device in response to the input.

5. The method of claim 1, where sorting the feeds comprises:

characterizing the feeds using identifying information from the feeds; and

sorting the feeds in response to the characterizing.

6. The method of claim 1, where selecting the suggested feed comprises selecting the suggested feed in response to a keyword from the connected device.

7. The method of claim 1, where selecting the suggested feed comprises selecting the suggested feed in response to a use condition of the connected device.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising sorting the feeds in response to the device information.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving information on a current program presented on the connected device;

where selecting the suggested feed comprises suggesting a feed associated with the current program.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising creating a plurality of device specific feeds from the feeds, each device specific feed capable of being presented in a medium of an associated type of connected device.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising:

presenting an organized interface to the feeds on the connected device, the interface organized according to keywords.

12. A device comprising:

a content presenter to present primary content to a user;

a network interface to receive feeds including control commands;

a feed interface to select one of the feeds; and

a control unit to execute a control command associated with the selected feed.

13. The device of claim 12, where the control command is embedded in the selected feed.

14. The device of claim 12, where:

the feed interface is configured to transmit an input to a server; and

the control unit is configured to execute the feed command received from the server in response to the input.

15. The device of claim 12, comprising a feed filter interface configured to filter the feeds responsive to user input.

16. The device of claim 12, where the feed interface comprises a feed browser to present available feeds to the user.

17. The device of claim 12, where the feed interface includes a single action interface to select the feed in response to a single user input.

18. The device of claim 12, where:

the primary content is an electronic program guide;

the feeds are associated with entries in the electronic program guide; and

the control unit is configured to cause the content presenter to present content associated with the selected feed as the primary content.

19. The device of claim 12, comprising a feed suggestion interface configured to transmit a suggested feed to another device or a server.

20. A system for providing feeds to connected devices, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of feeds;

means for determining content presented on a connected device;

means for selecting a suggested feed from the feeds in response to the content; and

means for indicating on the connected device the availability of the suggested feed.

21. The system of claim 20, comprising:

means for receiving device information from the connected device; and

means for sorting the feeds in response to the device information.

22. The system of claim 20, comprising:

means for adding device specific commands to the feeds.

23. The system of claim 20, comprising:

means for receiving in a server a user input on the connected device from the connected device; and

means for controlling the connected device in response to the user input received in the server.

24. The system of claim 20, comprising:

means for receiving a connected device suggested feed from the connected device; and

means for transmitting the connected device suggested feed to other connected devices.

25. The system of claim 20, comprising:

means for creating a plurality of device specific feeds from the feeds, each device specific feed associated with a type of a connected device and created to be presented in a medium of the associated type of connected device.