CONTEXTUAL USER INTERFACE

• US 20140150023A1
• Filed: 01/04/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Gudorf, Gregory David, Rudman, Kenneth Alan, Nadzakov, Vasil, Yoon, Andrew, Yeh, Roger, Diep, Dan Han, Shartzer, Lee Douglas, Bishop, John Frederick, Booth, James Earl Jr., Tran, Hao Chi, Lee, Peter S, Pickersgill, Jason Douglas, Walker, Mark Leroy, Pettigrew, David, Badawiyeh, Basil, Pinvidic, Genevieve Marie, Forte, Dana, Ahmed, Samir M
• Application Number:
  US13/978,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20140150023A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed towards having a user interface being selected for display on an input device to control the playback of a media asset or media service. A determination is made of the media asset or media service to be played and a lookup operation is performed to select the corresponding user interface for the input device. The user interface will change depending on the media asset or media service being selected for playback.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a user interface to control a playback of media using an input device comprising the steps of:

determining a program to be used to playing back a first media based on information associated with such media; and

selecting a user interface from a plurality of user interfaces for display on an input device, the selected user interface controls the playback of the media in response to a user command issued in response to the use of the selected user interface.

2. The method claim 1 where the information is at least one of a first media'"'"'s file wrapper, a file extension associated with the first media, associated descriptor of the media, a recognition of command format associated with the first media, metadata indicating a source of the first media, and Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) metadata associated with the first media.

3. The method of claim 1 where the media is at least one of a media service and a media asset.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising a step of transmitting to the input device a command indicating the user interface to be selected.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising a step of displaying the user interface on the input device.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of:

determining a second program to be used for controlling the playback of the second media, in response to the selection of a second media that is different than the first media;

selecting a second user interface from the plurality of user interfaces that is different from the first user interface for display on an input device, the selected user interface controls the playback of the second media in response to a user command issued in response to the use of the selected second user interface; and

transmitting an instruction indicating that the second user interface is to be displayed by the input device.

7. The method of claim 1 where the input device is at least one of a touchpad, tablet, and an input device with a screen.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface is determined in response to a user dragging a representation of the media to a displayed common area where the first media being dragged to the common area results in a first user interface being selected for the input device and a dragging of a representation of second media to the common area results in a second user interface being selected for the media device.

9. An apparatus for selecting a user interface to control a playback of media using an input device comprising:

a means for determining a program to be used to playback a first media based on information associated with such media; and

a means for selecting a user interface from a plurality of user interfaces for display on an input device for controlling the playback of the media in response to a user command issued in response to the use of the selected user interface.

10. The apparatus claim 9 where the information is at least one of a first media'"'"'s file wrapper, a file extension associated with the first media, an associated descriptor of the media, a recognition of command format associated with the first media, metadata indicating a source of the first media, and Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) metadata associated with the first media.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 where the media is at least one of a media service and a media asset.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising a means for transmitting to the input device a command indicating the user interface to be selected.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising a means for displaying the user interface on the input device.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising:

a means for determining a second program to be used for controlling the playback of a second media, in response to the selection of a second media that is different than the first media;

a means for selecting a second user interface from the plurality of user interfaces that is different from the first user interface for display on an input device, the selected second user interface controlling the playback of the second media in response to a user command issued in response to the use of the selected second user interface; and

a means for transmitting an instruction indicating that the second user interface is to be displayed by the input device.

15. The input device of claim 9 where the input device is at least one of a touchpad, tablet, and an input device with a screen.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the user interface is determined in response to a user dragging a representation of the media to a displayed common area where the first media being dragged to the common area results in a first user interface being selected for the input device and a dragging of a representation of second media to the common area results in a second user interface being selected for the media device.