Television interfacing

• US 20080049142A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Penthera Partners, Inc
• Original Assignee: Penthera Partners, Inc
• Inventors: Schohn, Gregory C., Berger, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 7,999,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/569
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

Among other things, on a wireless handheld device that has a display and keys, an interface is provided that enables a user to control aspects of presentation of video material on a display of the handheld device, the interface including presentation on the display of visible tokens that are associated with respective keys.

Claims

1. A method comprising

on a wireless handheld device that has a display and keys, providing an interface that enables a user to control aspects of presentation of video material on a display of the handheld device, the interface including presentation on the display of visible tokens that are associated with respective keys.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the displayed visible tokens have respective positions that are associated with respective positions of the keys.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the visible tokens comprise images of keys.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the visible tokens may be displayed superimposed on video material being presented.

5. The method of claim 1 including enabling the user to control appearance or non-appearance of one or more of the visible tokens.

6. The method of claim 1 including enabling the user to configure the visible tokens.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the visible tokens represent aspects of the presentation to be controlled.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the aspects include video transport actions.

9. The method of claim 7 in which the aspects include volume or channel controls.

10. The method of claim 7 in which the video material is delivered from another location.

11. The method of claim 7 in which the aspects of presentation of video material that are to be controlled include aspects that are effected at a head end from which the video material is being delivered.

12. The method of claim 1 also including providing information associated with an activated one of the keys to a device for implementation of one of the aspects of the presentation.

13. The method of claim 1 in which the tokens are organized as one or more overlays.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the overlays are controlled in part on the basis of user selections.

15. The method of claim 13 in which the overlays are controlled in part on the basis of a state of the device or a state of a head end from which the video material is delivered.

16. The method of claim 13 in which the overlays are sometimes hidden.

17. The method of claim 13 in which each overlay is associated with a mapping of tokens to keys.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the mapping is controlled in part by a head end from which the video material is delivered.

19. The method of claim 13 in which one of the overlays provides a video zoom function.

20. The method of claim 13 in which one of the overlays provides a channel selection function and display of video material of multiple channels simultaneously.

21. The method of claim 13 also including enabling the user to toggle between two different overlays to have access to more functions than the number of keys on the device.

22. The method of claim 13 in which one of the overlays enables interactive inputs by the user with respect to interactive video material.

23. A medium that bears instructions to cause a wireless handheld device that has a display and control keys, to provide an interface that enables a user to control aspects of presentation of video material on the handheld device, the interface including display of visible tokens that are associated with respective control keys.

24. A handheld device comprising

a display and a keyboard and storage holding instructions to cause the device to provide an interface that enables a user to control aspects of presentation of video material on a display of the handheld device, the interface including presentation on the display of visible tokens that are associated with respective control keys.

25. An operating handheld device that includes keys and a display presenting video material and, superimposed on the video material, visible tokens that are associated with respective keys and represent aspects of presentation of the video material to be controlled by a user.