System and method for retrieving information while commanding operation of an appliance

• US 6,747,591 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Lilleness, Robert P., Yuh, Han-Sheng, Wang, Weidong William
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANG, HUNG Q
• Application Number:
  US10/176,315
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 341/176, 345/169, 340/825.72, 348/734, 235/462.46, 235/472.02
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0025 in a remote control unit remote control tuning in general H03J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/23 Remote control device with display showing data to be transmitted to the controlled apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/25 Remote control device with display
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/26 Remote control device with touch screen display
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/20 for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for retrieving information. A command key of a platform has an operation and an address of an information source mapped thereto. When the command key is activated, the platform performs the operation and also initiates the retrieval of information from the information source using the address.

Claims

1. In a platform adapted to command the operation of an appliance, a method for retrieving information, comprising:

transmitting a command code to the appliance to command the operation of the appliance in response to receiving an event via activation of a platform command key; and

in connection with transmitting the command code, also retrieving information from an information source at an address that has been mapped within the platform to the platform command key.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the platform transmits the command code to the appliance using a wireless transmission protocol.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the operation causes the platform to transmit the command code to the appliance using an infrared transmission protocol.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the command key is a command icon displayed in a platform graphical user interface.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising the step of accepting input assigning the command code to the command icon.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the input assigning the command code to the command icon comprises the user activating platform command keys.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising accepting input specifying an image for the command icon.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising accepting input that identifies the address of the information source.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the address is a URL.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the platform command key activation causes the platform to transmit a command to play media on the appliance and the information source contains information related to the media.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the appliance is a television and the platform command key activation causes the transmission of a command to cause the television to tune to a channel.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the user specifies the channel.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the user specifies the address.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information is related to the platform.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information is related to the appliance.

16. In a platform adapted to command the operation of an appliance, a method for retrieving information, comprising:

placing the platform into a mode to transmit commands to the appliance in response to receiving an event via activation of a platform command key; and

in connection with placing the platform into a mode to transmit commands to the appliance, also retrieving information from an information source at an address that has been mapped within the platform to the platform command key.

17. A method for setting up a platform to retrieve information while commanding the operation of an appliance, comprising:

receiving input that maps a key of the platform to a command code to be transmitted to cause an operation to be performed by the appliance;

receiving input that specifies an address of an information provider, the address being mapped within the platform to the key; and

in response to activation of the key, transmitting the command code to the appliance and retrieving information from the information provider specified by the address.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the address is a URL.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the key is a soft key displayed in a graphical user interface.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the appliance is a tuning device and the command code causes the appliance to tune to a designated channel.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the tuning device is a television.

22. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the tuning device is a cable box.

23. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the tuning device is a PVR.

24. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the tuning device is a VCR.

25. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising simultaneously displaying retrieved information with the key in a graphical user interface.

26. In a platform adapted to command the operation of an appliance, a readable media having instructions for retrieving information, the instructions performing steps comprising:

transmitting a command code to the appliance to command the operation of the appliance in response to receiving an event via activation of a platform command key; and

in connection with transmitting the command code, also retrieving information from an information source at an address that has been mapped within the platform to the platform command key.

27. The readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the platform transmits the command code to the appliance using a wireless transmission protocol.

28. The readable media as recited in claim 27, wherein the command code is transmitted to the appliance using an infrared transmission protocol.

29. The readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the command key is a command icon displayed in a platform graphical user interface.

30. The readable media as recited in claim 29, further comprising the step of accepting input assigning the command code to the command icon.

31. The readable media as recited in claim 30, wherein the input assigning the command code to the command icon comprises the user activating platform command keys.

32. The readable media as recited in claim 31, further comprising accepting input specifying an image for the command icon.

33. The readable media as recited in claim 31, further comprising accepting input that identifies the address of the information source.

34. The readable media as recited in claim 33, wherein the address is a URL.

35. The readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the command code comprises a command to play media on the appliance and the information source contains information related to the media.

36. The readable media as recited in claim 35, wherein the appliance is a television and the command code comprises a command to cause the television to tune to a channel.

37. The readable media as recited in claim 36, wherein the user specifies the channel.

38. The readable media as recited in claim 36, wherein the user specifies the address.

39. The readable media as recited in claims 26, wherein the information is related to the platform.

40. The readable media as recited in claims 26, wherein the information is related to the appliance.

41. In a platform adapted to command the operation of a tunable appliance, a readable media having instructions for retrieving information, the instructions performing steps comprising:

displaying to a user in a graphical user interface having at least one command icon; and

in response to a sensed activation of the command icon, transmitting a command to cause the appliance to tune to a channel;

retrieving information from an information source at an address that has been mapped within the platform to the command icon; and

displaying retrieved information in the graphical user interface simultaneously with the command icon.

42. The readable media as recited in claim 41, wherein the instructions provide for a user to designate the channel to which the appliance is commanded to tune.

43. The readable media as recited in claim 42, wherein the instructions provide for the user to designate the address.

44. The readable media as recited in claim 43, wherein the address is designated by specifying a URL.

45. The readable media as recited in claim 44, wherein the command icon depicts the logo of a content provider.

46. A platform for commanding the operation of an appliance, comprising:

a graphical user interface having a command key, the command key being mapped within the platform to both a command code and an address of an information source;

a first communication circuit for transmitting the command code to the appliance in response to activation of the command key; and

a second communication circuit for using the address to retrieve information from the information source in response to activation of the command key.

47. In a platform adapted to command the operation of an appliance, a method for retrieving information, comprising:

displaying an electronic program guide comprising identifiers of providers of content and information related to content being broadcast by each provider;

receiving an event to have the platform send a command to tune the appliance to a channel on which content of a provider of content selected by a user appears; and

in connection with receiving the event, also retrieving information from an information source at an address that has been mapped within the platform to the provider of content selected by the user.

48. The method as recited in claim 47, further comprising allowing the user to designate the address.

49. The method as recited in claim 47, further comprising downloading the electronic program guide into the platform from a program guide provider and wherein the program guide provider designates the address.

50. The method as recited in claim 49, wherein the designated address is user modifiable.

51. The method as recited in claim 47, wherein the event comprises a user activating a command icon within the program guide labeled with the identifier of the provider of content.

52. In a platform adapted to command the operation of an appliance, a readable media having instructions for performing steps, comprising:

displaying an electronic program guide comprising identifiers of providers of content and information related to content being broadcast by each provider;

receiving an event to have the platform send a command to tune the appliance to a channel on which content of a provider of content selected by a user appears; and

in connection with receiving the event, also retrieving information from an information source at an address that has been mapped within the platform to the provider of content selected by the user.

53. The readable media as recited in claim 52, further comprising instructions for allowing the user to designate the address.

54. The readable media as recited in claim 53, further comprising instructions for downloading the electronic program guide into the platform from a program guide provider and wherein the program guide provider designates the address.

55. The readable media as recited in claim 54, wherein the designated address is user modifiable.

56. The readable media as recited in claim 52, wherein the event comprises a user activating a command icon within the program guide labeled with the identifier of the provider of content.

57. The readable media as recited in claim 52, further comprising instructions for transmitting the command using an IR protocol.