Method and apparatus for indication of application layer connectivity

• US 7,126,491 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SAN Simeon Films, LLC
• Original Assignee: Akimbo Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Shannon, Steve, Funk, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N.
• Application Number:
  US10/968,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20060082467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.45, 340/691.1, 340/691.4, 340/691.6, 340/500, 709/224, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 717/125, 717/173, 717/177, 717/178
• US Class Current: 340/815.45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A display indicator is provided on a set-top appliance to indicate application layer connectivity between a client device and a server belonging to a hosted service. This connectivity optionally reflects synchronization state of a service related database on the appliance and its replica on the server. A second indicator on the appliance displays the completion status of an ongoing download.

Claims

1. A front panel display for a set-top appliance comprising:

a first indicator configured to reflect application layer connectivity status between a content management system executing on the set-top appliance and a hosted service through which information regarding multimedia content available for download to a computer readable medium of the set-top appliance can be obtained; and

a second indicator configured to reflect current download status of the multimedia content.

2. The front panel display of claim 1, wherein the second indicator comprises a series of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

3. The front panel display of claim 2, wherein the LEDs are arranged so as to resemble an arc from one area of the display to another area of the display.

4. The front panel display of claim 3, wherein the LEDs are configured to light up in such a way as to provide an approximate indication of a percentage of completion of the download status of the multimedia content.

5. The front panel display of claim 1, wherein the first indicator comprises a first light emitting diode (LED).

6. The front panel display of claim 5, wherein the second indicator comprises a group of LEDs which group does not include the first LED.

7. The front panel display of claim 5, wherein the first LED is a different color than the LEDs which make up the group of LEDs.

8. The front panel display of claim 7, wherein at least one of the LEDs which make up the group of LEDs is a different color than others of the group of LEDs.

9. The front panel display of claim 1, wherein the second indicator comprises an alphanumeric display.

10. A method, comprising reflecting a status of a current download of multimedia content by a set-top appliance via the Internet on a first indicator of a front panel display of the set-top appliance while at the same time reflecting a current application layer connectivity status between a content management application executing on the set-top appliance and a hosted service through which information regarding the multimedia content can be obtained on a second indicator of the front panel display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the status of the current download is reflected by lighting in succession a series of light emitting diodes (LEDs) which comprise the first indicator.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the connectivity status between the content management application and the hosted service is reflected by lighting or not lighting a light emitting diode (LED).

13. An appliance, comprising a first display configured to indicate application layer connectivity status between a content management system executing on the appliance and a hosted service through which information regarding multimedia content available for download to the appliance can be obtained;

and a second display configured to reflect current download status of the multimedia content.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the first display comprises a light emitting diode (LED).

15. The appliance of claim 14, wherein the LED is blue.

16. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the second display comprises a series of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

17. The appliance of claim 16, wherein the second display comprises three LEDs.

18. The appliance of claim 17, wherein the three LEDs are arranged in an arc.

19. The appliance of claim 18, wherein at least one of the three LEDs is a different color than the others of the three LEDs.

20. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the second display is a different color than the first display.