NETWORK-ACCESSIBLE CONTROL OF ONE OR MORE MEDIA DEVICES

• US 20100332994A1
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vulcan SA (Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vulcan SA (Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation)
• Inventors: Istvan, Anthony F., Stark, Korina J. B., Tanumihardja, Marcellino, Fleck, Rod G., Budd, Robin
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/740
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4433 Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP]
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A content management (CM) system is provided to centrally control operation of one or more connected devices by issuing control requests and/or data requests. In some situations the connected device(s) include devices that control presentation of television programming-related content, such as digital video recorder (“DVR”) devices and media center devices, and in other situations may include other types of media devices and/or other electromechanical (“E/M”) devices that may be centrally controlled, such as E/M devices for home automation that may operate independently or in conjunction with the media devices. In some situations, the CM system communicates with the connected devices via a network and using appropriate protocol(s), and may be accessed remotely via a network so as to allow a user to remotely operate the CM system. The CM system may further control searching, identification, selection, and presentation of pieces of media content by the connected device(s).

Claims

1. A method for enabling a computing device to be remotely accessed to control at least one networked device, the method comprising:

configuring the computing device as a central control point, the computing device capable to generate control requests and data requests related to operation of the networked devices using a core module of a management system of the computing device;

separating the core module of the management system from a graphical user interface of the management system, by using a Web application of a Web server to generate the graphical user interface and to make the graphical user interface available to a remote device via a network;

providing a Web service of the Web server to allow the remote device to communicate with the core module;

providing a remoting layer to allow the Web application and the Web service to communicate with the core module;

suppressing on-screen display of messages on the networked devices;

receiving a message from at least one of the associated networked devices; and

displaying the message via the graphical user interface in lieu of the suppressed on-screen display of the messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein making the graphical user interface available to the remote device includes providing the graphical user interface to a browser of the remote device to allow the browser to render the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface is usable by the remote device to instruct the core module to generate the control requests and the data requests.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

facilitating communication between the core module and the networked devices via one or more gateway modules, wherein each of the one or more gateway modules is associated with a different type of networked device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving via the Web service a user command entered via the graphical user interface; and

transmitting via the remoting layer the user command to the core module.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the Web application displays via the graphical user interface information generated by the core module in association with at least one of the control requests or data requests.

7. A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for enabling a computing device that can control at least one networked device to be remotely accessed, by:

using a computing device as a central control point to provide control requests and data requests related to operation of the networked devices, the computing device having a core module to generate the control requests and data requests to the networked devices;

separating the core module of the management system from a graphical user interface that can be used to interact with the management system, the graphical user interface being provided by an application and being made available by the application to a remote device via a network, a remoting layer being used to allow the core module and the application to communicate with each other, a service being used to allow the remote device to communicate with the core module through the remoting layer;

in response to user input at the remote device that is entered using the graphical user interface as presented on the remote device and that is communicated by the remote device to the service, providing the user input to the core module via the remoting layer and generating a control request or a data request corresponding to the received user input;

suppressing on-screen display of messages on the networked devices;

receiving a message from at least one of the associated networked devices; and

displaying the message via the graphical user interface in lieu of the suppressed on-screen display of the messages.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the application comprises a Web application and wherein the service comprises a Web service, the Web application and the Web service comprising parts of a Web server, the Web server and the management system comprising parts of the computing device.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the computing device.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a response to a control request or a data request from at least one of the networked devices through a gateway module of the management system that corresponds to that networked device;

sending the response from the gateway module to the core module; and

communicating the response from the core module to the application, via the remoting layer, to allow the response to be presented on the graphical user interface accessible by the remote device.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the management system further includes a storage unit to store data related to the control requests and data requests, and a data manager to manage communication of data between the core module and the storage unit.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the management system and the application reside in a same computing device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the management system and the application reside in separate computing devices.

14. A computing system configured to control a plurality of networked devices in an environment, the computing system comprising:

one or more processors and one or more memories; and

a management system that when executed by the one or more processors communicatively couples to;

at least one media device via a first network connection that uses a first communication protocol, the media device being communicatively coupled to at least one content presentation device and to at least a first one of a plurality of electromechanical devices;

at least one computing system via a second network connection that uses a second communication protocol, the computing system being coupled to at least a second one of the plurality of electromechanical devices to allow the computing system to control operation of the second one of the electromechanical devices; and

at least a third one of the plurality of electromechanical devices via a third network connection that uses a third communication protocol,

wherein the first, second, and third ones of the plurality of electromechanical devices share state information including device status with each other, and wherein the first, second, and third ones of the plurality of electromechanical devices modify their operation based at least in part on the shared state information,

the content management system including;

a core module to generate control requests and data requests related to operation of the at least one media device, the computing system, and the third one of the plurality of electromechanical devices;

multiple gateway modules that each correspond to a different type of networked device, the multiple gateway modules including first, second, and third gateway modules corresponding respectively to the at least one media device, the computing system, and the third one of the plurality of electromechanical devices, the gateway modules being in communication with the core module to receive the control requests and data requests from the core module, and further being in communication with the core module to provide responses to the control requests and the data requests to the core module; and

first, second, and third communication interfaces respectively included with the gateway modules to provide the control requests and the data requests generated by the core module to the at least one media device, the computing system, and the third one of the plurality of electromechanical devices via the respective first, second, and third network connections using the respective first, second, and third communication protocols, and to provide responses to the control requests and the data requests to the core module, wherein each of the communication interfaces is associated with the corresponding type of networked device,

wherein the core module and the multiple gateway modules are implemented as computer-executable instructions stored in the one or more memories and executed by the one or more processors.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the management system further includes a graphical user interface that can be used to instruct the core module to generate the control requests and the data requests, and that can further be used to receive from the core module and to present at least some of the responses to the control requests and data requests received from the at least one media device, the computing system, and the third one of the plurality of electromechanical devices.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein a control request related to operation of the at least some of the electromechanical devices, as provided by the management system to the computing system via the second network connection using the second communication protocol or as provided by the management system to the third one of the plurality of electromechanical devices via the third network connection using the third communication protocol, is based on context information associated with a control request that is provided by the management system to the at least one media device via the first network connection using the first communication protocol and that is related to operation of the at least one content presentation device, and

wherein the context information is communicated between the first one of the plurality of electromechanical devices and the at least one media device, or between the at least one media device and the computing system, the context information being usable by the management system to determine which control requests related to operation of particular ones of the plurality of electromechanical devices should be generated to complement operation of the at least one content presentation device.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the first, second, and third ones of the plurality of electromechanical devices modify their operation by optimizing their operation based at least in part on the device status of another electromechanical device.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the first, second, and third ones of the plurality of electromechanical devices modify their operation by timing their operation based at least in part on the device status of another electromechanical device.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein state information is maintained on the first, second, and third ones of the plurality of electromechanical devices, and wherein the management system does not store the shared state information.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the management system is extensible such that an additional gateway module that corresponds to an additional networked device may be added to the management system for use with the additional networked device.