ENHANCED INFORMATION ON MOBILE DEVICE FOR VIEWED PROGRAM AND CONTROL OF INTERNET TV DEVICE USING MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20120137329A1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Patil, Abhishek, Sampathkumaran, Sriram, Balasubramanian, Guru Prashanth, Saha, Dipendu, Hong, Seungwook, Jain, Meeta, Asam, Aravind Babu
• Granted Patent: US 8,863,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42216 for quick navigation, e.g. through an EPG
• 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

Abstract

The user of an Internet TV device can control the Internet TV device using a mobile device such as a smart phone. The smart phone also obtains program information from the Internet TV device and sends the information to a server as a search term, presenting supplemental program information received from the server on the display of the mobile device so that a person can browse the supplemental information without disturbing viewers of the Internet TV device. The mobile device can also grab a link related to the program from the Internet TV device and use that link as a recommendation to friends on social networking sites.

Claims

1. Audio video display device (AVDD) comprising:

housing;

display on the housing;

network interface;

processor supported on the housing and controlling the display and communicating with the Internet through the network interface;

the processor executing logic including;

presenting a user interface (UI) on the display of the AVDD prompting a user to select whether to allow the AVDD to be wirelessly controlled from a mobile control device (MCD), the UI enabling the user to select for the AVDD not to be controlled by any MCD and to select for the AVDD to be controlled by an MCD.

2. The AVDD of claim 1, wherein the UI enables the user to select to be controlled from any MCD executing device discovery and authentication in accordance with discovery protocols recognized by the AVDD.

3. The AVDD of claim 1, wherein the UI enables the user to select to be controlled from only predetermined MCDs and not to be controlled from any other MCD.

4. The AVDD of claim 1, wherein the processor, responsive to a discovery signal from an MCD not authorized to control the AVDD, recognizes the discovery signal but does not respond to it such that the AVDD remains hidden from the MCD.

5. The AVDD of claim 1, wherein the processor provides program information to the MCD to enable the MCD to obtain supplemental information related to a program being presented on the AVDD and to browse the supplemental information transparently to the AVDD so as not to disturb viewers of the AVDD.

6. The AVDD of claim 1, wherein the processor provides a network link to the MCD, the network link related to a program being presented on the AVDD, to enable the MCD to send the link to social networking friends of a user of the MCD to recommend the program to the friends.

7. Method, comprising:

allowing a mobile device communicating with an audio video display device (AVDD) to obtain program information from the AVDD;

sending the information to a server as a search term;

receiving from the server in response to the search term supplemental program information; and

presenting the supplemental information on a display of the mobile device so that a person can browse the supplemental information without disturbing viewers of original playback on the display device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising obtaining a link related to a program being presented on the AVDD from the AVDD and sending the link from the mobile device as a recommendation to friends in a social networking group.

9. System including a mobile control device (MCD) comprising:

display;

processor controlling the display and configured to communicate with an audio video display device (AVDD);

the processor accessing a computer readable storage medium bearing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

establish communication with the AVDD;

query the AVDD for program information pertaining to a program being currently presented on the AVDD;

present on the display current program information from the AVDD;

automatically and transparently to the AVDD, send to a server the program information as a query for supplemental program information;

receive from the server the supplemental program information; and

present on the display the supplemental program information, enabling a user to browse the supplemental program information transparently to the AVDD such that viewers of the AVDD observe none of the supplemental information being browsed on the MCD.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions on the computer readable storage medium when executed by the processor further cause the processor to receive from the AVDD a network address accompanying metadata of the program being presented on the AVDD.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a user interface (UI) is presented on the display to allow a user of the MCD to recommend to social networking site friends of the user the program being currently presented on the AVDD.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions on the computer readable storage medium when executed by the processor further cause the processor to receive user input and to send commands corresponding to the user input to the AVDD to control the AVDD.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the commands include channel change commands within a recommendation engine.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the commands include volume change commands.

15. The system of claim 9, comprising the AVDD.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the AVDD includes an AVDD display and an AVDD processor and the AVDD processor presents a user interface on the AVDD display prompting a user to select whether to allow the AVDD to be wirelessly controlled from the MCD, the UI enabling the user to select for the AVDD not to be controlled by any MCD and to select for the AVDD to be controlled by an MCD.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the UI enables the user to select to be controlled from any MCD executing device discovery and authentication in accordance with discovery protocols recognized by the AVDD.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the UI enables the user to select to be controlled from only predetermined MCDs and not to be controlled from any other MCD.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the AVDD processor, responsive to a discovery signal from an MCD not authorized to control the AVDD, recognizes the discovery signal but does not respond to it such that the AVDD remains hidden from the MCD.