METHOD FOR DETECTING A VIEWING APPARATUS

• US 20120002025A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: BEDINGFIELD, JAMES CARLTON Sr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,640,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/55
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method for detecting a viewing apparatus, and causing a presentation device to present a media program in a time division multiplexed (TDM) scheme or a space division multiplexing (SDM) scheme responsive to said detection, wherein the viewing apparatus is configured to the TDM or SDM schemes to enable viewing of the media program. Other embodiments are disclosed and contemplated.

Claims

1. A media processor, comprising a controller to:

detect a first viewing apparatus;

assign the first viewing apparatus to a first of one or more periodic time slots responsive to detecting the first viewing apparatus; and

cause a presentation device to present a first image during the first of the one or more periodic time slots while the presentation device is presenting a second image during a second of the one or more periodic time slots for viewing by a second viewing apparatus assigned to the second of the one or more periodic time slots,

wherein the first viewing apparatus comprises at least one optical element, and wherein the at least one optical element of the first viewing apparatus is enabled to allow light signals associated with the first image to penetrate the at least one optical element during the first of the one or more periodic time slots, but not during the second of the one or more periodic time slots, and

wherein the second viewing apparatus comprises at least one optical element, and wherein the at least one optical element of the second viewing apparatus is enabled to allow light signals associated with the second image to penetrate the at least one optical element during the second of the one or more periodic time slots, but not the first of the one or more periodic time slots.

2. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to:

receive from the first viewing apparatus a request for service, wherein the request for service includes an identifier;

reject the request for service responsive to detecting that the identifier is invalid; and

accept the request for service responsive to detecting that the identifier is valid.

3. The media processor of claim 2, wherein the controller operable to:

detect that the identifier belongs to a service provider that differs from a service provider of the media processor; and

reject the request for service responsive to said detection.

4. The media processor of claim 1, comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) detector operable to receive an identifier of the first viewing apparatus from an RFID tag embedded in the first viewing apparatus.

5. The media processor of claim 4, wherein the controller is operable to enable media services for the first viewing apparatus responsive to detecting the identifier of the first viewing apparatus by way of the RFID detector.

6. The media processor of claim 1, comprising an imaging sensor, wherein the controller is operable to detect from an image captured by the imaging sensor a utilization of the first viewing apparatus.

7. The media processor of claim 6, wherein the controller is operable to enable media services for the first viewing apparatus responsive to the detected utilization.

8. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the first viewing apparatus comprises an audio system, and wherein the controller is operable to receive from the first viewing apparatus a speech command detected by the audio system.

9. The media processor of claim 8, wherein the controller is operable to enable media services for the first viewing apparatus responsive to the detected speech command.

10. The media processor of claim 9, wherein the controller is operable to enable media services for the first viewing apparatus according to one of a biometric analysis of the speech command, a user login included in the speech command, and a password included in the speech command.

11. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the first viewing apparatus transmits an autonomous signal to the media processor responsive to at least one of a change in a mechanical state of the viewing apparatus, or a motion detected by the viewing apparatus, and wherein the controller is operable to detect the viewing apparatus according to the autonomous signal.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions to:

detect a first viewing apparatus;

assign the first viewing apparatus to a first time division multiplexing (TDM) scheme responsive to detecting the first viewing apparatus; and

cause a presentation device to present a first image according to the first TDM scheme,

wherein a media processor is adaptable to cause the presentation device to present another image according to a second TDM scheme viewable with a second viewing apparatus,

wherein the first viewing apparatus is configured for viewing of the first image during the first TDM scheme, but not during the second TDM scheme, and

wherein the second viewing apparatus is adaptable for viewing of the second image during the second TDM scheme, but not during the first TDM scheme.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, comprising computer instructions to:

detect a presentation of the first image by way of the presentation device in a non-TDM scheme; and

cause the presentation device to transition the presentation of the first image from the non-TDM scheme to the TDM scheme responsive to the detection of the first viewing apparatus.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions to transition an ambient audio presentation of the first image during the non-TDM scheme to a private audio presentation of the first image during the TDM scheme.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions to transmit to the first viewing apparatus an audio signal representative of the private audio presentation of the first image.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first image comprises a two dimensional or three dimensional still or moving image supplied by a media system, and wherein the storage medium comprises computer instructions to manage a user interface presented to the first viewing apparatus.

17. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first viewing apparatus corresponds to one of shutter glasses, polarized glasses, or a combination thereof.

18. A method, comprising:

detecting a viewing apparatus; and

causing a presentation device to present a media program in a time division multiplexed (TDM) scheme or a space division multiplexing (SDM) scheme responsive to said detection, wherein the viewing apparatus is configured to the TDM or SDM schemes to enable viewing of the media program.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising causing the presentation device to present the media program with three-dimensional images according to the TDM or SDM scheme.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising detecting the viewing apparatus according to at least one of:

receiving an autonomous signal from the viewing apparatus;

detecting an image in a vicinity of the viewing apparatus; and

transmitting a first radio frequency (RF) signal to the viewing apparatus to prompt an RF identification (RFID) tag embedded in the viewing apparatus to generate a second RF signal.