ELECTRONIC APPLIANCE STATUS NOTIFICATION VIA A HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

• US 20110187928A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EchoStar Technologies International Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eldon Technology Limited (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Crabtree, Michael John
• Granted Patent: US 9,599,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/553
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/02 Electric testing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4108 characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• 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 21/4316 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 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of notifying a user of a status of an electronic appliance is presented. Examples of the electronic appliance may include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, ovens, and clothes washers and dryers. In the method, an entertainment system device receives a message from the appliance via a communication link, wherein the message indicates the status of the appliance. In response to receiving the message, the device transmits a command to a second device of the entertainment system to select an input of the second device associated with the first device. The first device transmits data indicating the status over a media content interface to the selected input of the second device for presentation to the user.

Claims

1. A method of notifying a user of a status of an electronic appliance, the method comprising:

at a first electronic device of an entertainment system, receiving a message from the electronic appliance via a communication link, wherein the message indicates the status of the electronic appliance;

at the first electronic device, in response to receiving the message, transmitting a command to a second electronic device of the entertainment system to select an input of the second electronic device associated with the first electronic device; and

at the first electronic device, transmitting data indicating the status over a media content interface to the selected input of the second electronic device for presentation to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data comprises a video signal indicating the status for presentation to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data comprises an audio signal indicating the status for presentation to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the first electronic device, receiving video content;

wherein transmitting the data over the media content interface to the selected input of the second electronic device comprises transmitting the data as a picture-in-picture image within the video content over the media content interface to the selected input of the second electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

at the first electronic device, pausing the video content when the video content includes the picture-in-picture image.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

at the first electronic device, upon receiving a user input, removing the picture-in-picture image from the video content, and resuming presentation of the video content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the first electronic device, waiting a predetermined time period between transmitting the command and transmitting the data indicating the status.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the first electronic device, transmitting a command to the second electronic device to awaken the second electronic device from a standby state;

wherein the command to awaken the second electronic device is transmitted prior to the command to select the input of the second electronic device associated with the first electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting the command comprises transmitting the command over a consumer electronics control bus associated with the media content interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting the command comprises transmitting a wireless remote control command via a remote control interface of the second electronic device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first electronic device and the second electronic device are integrated as a single electronic device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first electronic device comprises a television content receiver; and

the second electronic device comprises at least one of a television and an audio receiver.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the status of the electronic appliance comprises a request for the user to interact with the electronic appliance.

14. An electronic device of an entertainment system, comprising:

a first communication interface configured to receive a message from an electronic appliance, wherein the message indicates a status of the electronic appliance;

control logic configured to generate data indicating the status of the electronic appliance, and to generate a command to select an input of a second electronic device of the entertainment system;

a second communication interface configured to transmit the command to the second electronic device; and

a media content output interface configured to transmit the data to the selected input of the second electronic device for presentation to a user.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein:

the media content output interface is configured to transmit video content to the selected input of the second electronic device, wherein the video content comprises a picture-in-picture image representing the data indicating the status of the electronic appliance.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein:

the first communication interface comprises one of a wireless communication interface and a wired communication interface.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein:

the second communication interface comprises at least one of a wireless remote control interface, and a wired control bus associated with the media content output interface.

18. A television content receiver, comprising:

a television content input interface configured to receive television content;

a television content output interface configured to transmit the television content to a television;

a first communication interface configured to receive a message from an electronic appliance, wherein the message indicates a status of the electronic appliance;

a second communication interface configured to transmit commands to the television; and

control logic configured to generate a command for transmission to the television via the first communication interface to select an input of the television associated with the television content receiver, to generate a picture-in-picture image indicating the status of the electronic appliance, and to incorporate the picture-in-picture image in the television content for transmission via the television content output interface to the selected input of the television.

19. The television content receiver of claim 18, wherein:

the first communication interface comprises a wireless remote control interface.

20. The television content receiver of claim 18, wherein:

the first communication interface comprises a control bus associated with the television content output interface.