SYSTEM FOR UNIVERSAL REMOTE MEDIA CONTROL IN A MULTI-USER, MULTI-PLATFORM, MULTI-DEVICE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140344689A1
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, Mark David, Affaki, John, Bakar, Majd, Tsui, Francis, Foltz, Mark Alan, Chen, Jennifer Shien-Ming
• Granted Patent: US 10,031,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel

Abstract

A system enables universal remote media control across multiple platforms, devices, and users. A protocol allows a media controller (such as computer or mobile device) to have access to running activities (such as a television show playing on a media player). The protocol does not require installation of a specific platform application, or a specific user-login/pairing of the media controller with the media player. The system receives commands from a media controller device using a common interface, provides the commands to a remote media player, loads new media content into the media player, based on the commands, and receives state notifications from the media player. The commands and the state notifications include a namespace and a message payload represented as a two-element script array. Another user or device can control the media player using the common interface, for example provided by a browser application on the media controller device.

Claims

1. A method for providing remote media control comprising:

receiving at a media controller device from a media player, a set of available media operations for processing content;

providing a user interface via a browser application or a mobile application on the media controller device;

generating command messages from the media controller device using the user interface, the command messages based on the set of available media operations;

providing the command messages to the media player;

receiving state notifications from the media player; and

sending additional command messages from the media controller device in response to the state notifications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the state notifications at a second media controller device; and

sending new command messages for the media player from the second media controller device, wherein the command messages are input from the second media controller device using the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command messages are defined based on a common protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media player is configured to output at least one specific type of content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface allows for a selection of the media player from a plurality of media players.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the media player, content meta-data that defines how to represent the content.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the user interface allows for an input of another media player by a user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the command messages are based on a set of operations supported by a particular type of the media player.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the state notifications include a volume status and a play status of the content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the command messages and the state notifications include a namespace and a message payload represented as a two-element script array.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes options for controlling the content including stopping or pausing the content, increasing or decreasing volume of the content, seeking to a specific location within the content, navigating between items in a playback queue, changing audio tracks, or setting captions for the content.

12. A method for employing remote media control comprising:

receiving command messages from a media controller device via a service in a browser of a media player;

rendering content in the media player, based on the command messages;

while rendering the content, providing state notifications from the media player; and

receiving additional command messages from the media controller device in response to the state notifications.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the command messages are defined based on a common protocol.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing, via the media controller device, a user interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface is independent of a platform-specific application installed on the media controller device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface allows for a selection of the media player from a plurality of media players.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing the user interface on a second media controller device.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying options on the user interface for controlling the content.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a system, cause the system to:

receive at from a media player, content meta-data that defines how to represent content and a set of available media operations for processing the content;

provide a user interface via a web browser;

generate command messages using the user interface, the command messages based on the set of available media operations;

provide the command messages to the media player;

receive state notifications from the media player; and

send additional command messages in response to the state notifications.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the user interface allows for a selection of the media player from a plurality of media players.