INTELLIGENT PAUSE BUTTON

• US 20090285545A1
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• 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: Bon, Bjorn J.M.
• Application Number:
  US11/720,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20090285545A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system (10) includes a playback device (30) configured to display content on a display. A detector (40) detects a first number of viewers in a viewing area, and a controller (60) generates a control signal to pause the playback device (30) when a reduced number of viewers is detected by the detector (40). The controller (60) generates a further control signal to resume playback of the playback device (30) in response to detecting the number of viewers in the viewing area by the detector (40). The playback device (30) is rewound for a predetermined time in response to the control signal prior to the pause.

Claims

1. A system (10) comprising:

a playback device (30) configured to display content on a display;

a detector (40) configured to detect a first number of viewers in a viewing area; and

a controller (60) configured to generate a control signal to pause said playback device (30) when a reduced number of said viewers is detected by said detector (40).

2. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein said controller (60) generates a further control signal to resume playback of said playback device (30) in response to detecting said number of said viewers in said viewing area by said detector (40).

3. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein said playback device (30) is rewound for a predetermined time in response to said control signal prior to said pause.

4. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein said detector (40) is configured to periodically detect said viewers in said viewing area.

5. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein said first number of viewers is stored in a memory (70).

6. The system (10) of claim 5, wherein a new number of viewers is stored in said memory (70) in response to one of a user input and detection of said new number for a predetermined period of time.

7. The system (10) of claim 5, wherein a new number of viewers is stored in said memory (70) in response to detecting said new number, said new number being greater than said first number.

9. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein said first number of viewers is stored in a memory (70) approximately at beginning of playback of said content.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said detector (40) detects said viewers in said viewing area using one of a camera, infrared, sonar, and radio waves.

8. The system (10) of claim 8, wherein a new number of viewers is stored in said memory (70) in response to detecting said new number for a predetermined period of time, said new number being greater than said first number.

11. A method (200) for pausing and resuming play of a playback device (30) comprising:

detecting (220) a first number of viewers in a viewing area; and

generating (240) a control signal to pause said playback device (30) in response to detecting a reduced number of said viewers.

12. The method (200) of claim 11, further comprising generating (255) a further control signal to resume playback of said playback device (30) in response to detecting said number of said viewers in said viewing area.

13. The method (200) of claim 11, further comprising rewinding said playback device (30) for a predetermined time in response to said control signal prior to said pause.

14. The method (200) of claim 11, wherein said detecting is performed periodically to detect said viewers in said viewing area.

15. The method (200) of claim 11, further comprising storing said first number of viewers in a memory (70).

16. The method (200) of claim 15, further comprising storing (285) a new number of viewers is stored in said memory (70) in response to one of a user input and detection of said new number for a predetermined period of time.

17. The method (200) of claim 15, further comprising storing (285) a new number of viewers is stored in a memory (70) in response to detecting said new number, said new number being greater than said first number.

18. The method (200) of claim 17, further comprising storing (285) a new number of viewers in said memory (70) in response to detecting said new number for a predetermined period of time, said new number being greater than said first number.

19. The method (200) of claim 11, further comprising storing (225) said first number of viewers in a memory (70) approximately at beginning of playback of said playback device (30).

20. A computer program embodied within a computer-readable medium created using the method of claim 11.

21. A controller (60) for a system comprising a processor configured to generate a control signal to pause a playback device (30) when a reduced number of viewers in a viewing area is detected by a detector (40), said reduced number being less than a first number of viewers detected by said detector (40) detected at a previous time.

22. The controller (60) of claim 21, where said previous time is approximately a start of playback of said playback device (30).