PLAY CONTROL OF CONTENT ON A DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20130124759A1
• Filed: 01/08/2013
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Touchstream Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touchstream Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Strober, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

A system for presenting and controlling content on a display device includes a network, a server system coupled to the network and comprising one or more servers, a display device coupled to the network and having a display, and a personal computing device operable to transmit a first message according to a specified format over the network to the server system. The server system stores an association between the personal computing device and the display device. The first message identifies user-selected content and a media player to play the content. The server system is operable, in response to receiving the first message from the personal computing device, to provide to the display device a second message identifying the user-selected content and the media player to play the content. In response to receiving the second message, the display device is operable to obtain a first media player needed to play the content, to load the media player and to present the content on the display.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method of controlling presentation of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, the method comprising:

assigning a synchronization code to the content presentation device;

receiving, in a server system, a message generated by a personal computing device that is separate from the server system and separate from the content presentation device, wherein the message includes information based on the synchronization code;

using the information that is based on the synchronization code and that is received in the server system to store a record establishing an association between the personal computing device and the content presentation device;

receiving, in the server system, one or more messages generated by the personal computing device, the one or more messages specifying a file to be acted upon, identifying a particular media player for playing content from the file, and including an action control command for presentation of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player;

identifying, by the server system, programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation by the particular media player of the content by the content presentation device; and

storing, in a database associated with the server system, information for transmission to or retrieval by the content presentation device, wherein the information specifies the file to be acted upon, identifies the particular media player for playing the content, and includes the corresponding programming code for controlling playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player in accordance with the action control command.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the file stores audio content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the file stores video content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the file stores multimedia content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the file stores images.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the file stores slides.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the file stores elements of interactive content.

8. The method of claim 1 including loading, by the server system, a set of protocols or application programming interfaces from a library based on the identity of the particular media player.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining programming code corresponding to the action control command includes accessing a look-up table.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the look-up table stores a plurality of specific commands, each of which represents, respectively, a command for a different media player and each of which corresponds to the action control command.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the action control command represents an instruction to play the content, to stop playing the content or to pause playing the content.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the synchronization code is uniquely associated with the content presentation device on which the content is to be played.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein assigning a synchronization code includes assigning a randomly generated code to the content presentation device each time the content presentation device connects to the server system.

14. A system for controlling playing of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, the system comprising:

a server system;

a database storing a relationship between a personal computing device and the content presentation device based on a synchronization code assigned by the server system to the content presentation device and received by the server system in a message generated by the personal computing device, wherein the personal computing device is separate from the server system and separate from the display device; and

wherein the server system is configured to receive one or more messages generated by the personal computing device, the one or more messages specifying a file to be acted upon, identifying a particular media player for playing content from the file, and including an action control command for controlling playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player;

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that when executed by the server system, cause the server system to identify programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation by the particular media player of the content by the content presentation device;

the server system being further configured to store information for transmission to or retrieval by the content presentation device, wherein the information specifies the file to be acted upon, identifies the particular media player for playing the content, and includes the corresponding programming code to control playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player in accordance with the action control command.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the file stores audio content.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the file stores video content.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the file stores multimedia content.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the file stores images.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the file stores slides.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the file stores elements of interactive content.

21. The system of claim 14 including:

a library storing protocols or application programming interfaces,

wherein the server system is configured to load a set of protocols or application programming interfaces from the library based on the identity of the particular media player.

22. The system of claim 14 including:

a look-up table storing a plurality of specific commands, each of which represents, respectively, a command for a different media player and each of which corresponds to the action control command,

wherein the server system is configured to obtain the programming code corresponding to the action control command by accessing the look-up table.

23. The system of claim 14 wherein the synchronization code is uniquely associated with the content presentation device on which the content is to be played.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the server system is configured to assign as the synchronization code a randomly generated code each time the content presentation device connects to the server system.

25. A method of controlling presentation of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, the method comprising:

receiving, in a server system, a first message from a personal computing device that is separate from the server system and separate from the content presentation device, wherein the first message includes information based on a synchronization code assigned to the content presentation device;

using the information based on the synchronization code that is received in the server system to store a record establishing an association between the personal computing device and the content presentation device;

receiving, in the server system, a second message from the personal computing device, the second message specifying a file to be acted upon, identifying a particular media player for playing content from the file, and including an action control command for presentation of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player;

identifying programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation of the content by the content presentation device using the particular media player;

obtaining, by the content presentation device, the particular media player, wherein the particular media player is obtained over a network from a content provider;

loading the particular media player in the content presentation device; and

using the particular media player to execute the programming code with respect to the file.

26. The method of claim 25 including:

receiving, in the server system, a third message from the personal computing device, the third message including a second action control command;

identifying second programming code corresponding to the second action control command, wherein the second programming code is for controlling presentation of the content by the content presentation device using the particular media player; and

using the particular media player to execute the second programming code with respect to the file.

27. The method of claim 25 including:

receiving, in the server system, a third message from the personal computing device, the third message specifying a second file to be acted upon, identifying a second media player for playing second content from the second file, and including a second action control command for presentation of the second content on the content presentation device by the second media player;

identifying second programming code corresponding to the second action control command, wherein the second programming code is for controlling presentation of the second content by the content presentation device using the second media player;

obtaining, by the content presentation device, the second media player, wherein the second media player is obtained over a network from a second content provider;

loading the second media player in the content presentation device; and

using the second media player to execute the second programming code corresponding to the second action control command with respect to the second file.

28. A machine-implemented method of controlling presentation of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, the method comprising:

receiving, in a server system, a message generated by a personal computing device that is separate from the server system and separate from the content presentation device, wherein the message includes information based on a unique identification associated with the content presentation device;

using the information that is based on the unique identification associated with the content presentation device and that is received in the server system to store a record establishing an association between the personal computing device and the content presentation device;

receiving, in the server system, one or more messages generated by the personal computing device, the one or more messages specifying a file to be acted upon, identifying a particular media player for playing content from the file, and including an action control command for presentation of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player;

identifying, by the server system, programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation by the particular media player of the content by the content presentation device; and

storing, in a database associated with the server system, information for transmission to or retrieval by the content presentation device, wherein the information specifies the file to be acted upon, identifies the particular media player for playing the content, and includes the corresponding programming code for controlling playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player in accordance with the action control command.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein obtaining programming code corresponding to the action control command includes accessing a look-up table.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the look-up table stores a plurality of specific commands, each of which represents, respectively, a command for a different media player and each of which corresponds to the action control command.