SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VIRTUAL REMOTE CONTROL OF STREAMED MEDIA

• US 20110035668A1
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Network Technologies India Private Limited (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Pvt Ltd. (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Thiyagarajan, Venkatesan
• Granted Patent: US 9,525,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• 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 21/42204 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 21/43615 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for providing remote control of separate media sources over a network using, for example, pop-up windows graphically depicting remote control devices within corresponding tabbed windows of a web browser. A browser plug-in or add-on application provides a graphical depiction of a remote control device associated with each media source and receives a command from the viewer via interaction with the graphical depiction of the remote control device. The command is transmitted across the network to the placeshifting device to modify a media stream provided by the desired media source.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting a media source via a web browser;

providing, within the web browser, a graphical depiction of a remote control device associated with the media source;

receiving a command from a user via the graphical depiction of the remote control device;

transmitting the command to a remotely-located placeshifting device via a network to modify a media stream provided by the media source; and

presenting the modified media stream within the web browser.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the media source is a media device, and wherein the placeshifting device communicates the command to the media device via a wireless interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the media source comprises at least one of a digital video recorder, a television receiver, a set-top box, and a digital video disk player.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the web browser comprises a web browser configured to provide a plurality of windows.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each window is associated with one of a plurality of media sources selected by the viewer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each window includes an instance of the graphical depiction of the remote control device, each instance corresponding to the media source associated with the window.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of windows are presented to the viewer in separate browser tabs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical depiction of the remote control device is a pop-up window running within the web browser.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein, during viewing of the media source, only one of the instances of the graphical depiction of the remote control device is displayed, and all other instances are hidden.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical depiction of the remote control device is provided via an Active-X control.

11. A method of viewing media content received from a plurality of media sources via a network, the method comprising:

providing a web browser configured to provide a plurality of tabbed windows for display on a display device;

presenting a first tabbed window to display media content from a first media source of the plurality of media sources via the network;

presenting a second tabbed window to display media content from a second media source of the plurality of media sources via the network; and

providing graphical depictions of a plurality of remote control devices, such that a graphical depiction of a first remote control device of the plurality of remote control devices is associated with the first media source, and a graphical depiction of a second remote control device of the plurality of remote control devices is associated with the second media source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing graphical depictions includes providing an Active-X control plug-in.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing graphical depictions includes opening a pop-up window running within the web browser.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, during viewing of the media source, only one of the graphical depictions of the remote control device is displayed, and all other graphical depictions are hidden.

15. The method of claim 11, further including providing a graphical depiction of a program guide.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the remote control devices are configured to select a program within the program guide.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the graphical depictions of the remote control devices are repositionable outside the boundary of the web browser.

18. A media player for presenting media content received from a plurality of media sources via a network, the media player comprising:

a web browser configured to provide a plurality of tabbed windows for display on a display device, a first tabbed window to display media content from a first media source of the plurality of media sources via the network and a second tabbed window to display media content from a second media source of the plurality of media sources via the network; and

a browser plug-in configured to provide graphical depictions of a plurality of remote control devices, wherein a graphical depiction of a first remote control device of the plurality of remote control devices is associated with the first media source and a graphical depiction of a second remote control device of the plurality of remote control devices is associated with the second media source.

19. The media player of claim 18, wherein the web browser is a web browser.

20. The media player of claim 19, wherein the browser plug-in is an Active-X control.