Collaborative configuration of a media environment

• US 7,925,723 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Walsh, Richard J., Amidon, Christopher M., Issa, Alfredo C., Black, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): NEURAUTER, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US11/394,767
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709220-221, 706 45- 61, 706/908, 707748-751
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 8/4093 characterised by the apparatus used
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/908 Electronic or computer, internal or network, circuit

Abstract

A system and method for collaboratively providing configurations for a media environment are provided. In general, configuration events from a number of media environments are collected and provided to a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) server. Based on the configuration events, the CCS server generates and provides recommended configurations to a media environment. The recommended configurations may be generated prior to or after receiving a request for recommended configurations from the media environment. In one embodiment, the recommended configurations are provided as a recommended configuration profile providing a set of configurations to be applied at the media environment. In another embodiment, the recommended configurations are provided as a CCS track associated with a particular media presentation. The CCS track includes configuration changes to be applied to the media environment for a number of time slices of the media presentation during playback of the media presentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a configuration setting of a first media device located in a first media environment;

generating a recommended configuration for a second media device in a second media environment, wherein the recommended configuration is based on the configuration setting of the first media device located in the first media environment; and

providing the recommended configuration to the second media device,

wherein the second media device is automatically configured based on the recommended configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving configuration settings from the first media environment.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising mapping the first media environment to a known environment type from a plurality of known environment types, wherein generating the recommended configuration comprises:

generating the recommended configuration for the second media environment based on ones of the configuration settings from the first media environment mapped to the known environment type.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the recommended configuration comprises:

for each one of a plurality of known environment types, generating recommended configurations for the one of the plurality of known environment types based on ones of the configuration settings from the first media environment environment mapped to the one of the plurality of known environment types;

receiving a request for the recommended configuration from the second media environment, wherein the second media environment is mapped to a select one of the plurality of known environment types; and

providing the recommended configurations for the select one of the plurality of known environment types as the recommended configuration for the second media environment.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the recommended configuration comprises:

receiving a request for the recommended configuration from the second media environment, wherein the first media environment is mapped to a select one of a plurality of known environment types;

generating recommended configurations for the select one of the plurality of known environment types based on ones of the configuration settings from the first media environment mapped to the select one of the plurality of known environment types; and

providing one of the recommended configurations for the select one of the plurality of known environment types as the recommended configuration for the second media environment.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the recommended configuration comprises:

receiving a request for the recommended configurations from the second media environment;

identifying ones of the configuration settings from the first media environment associated with users from a group of users including a user of the second media environment; and

generating the recommended configuration for the second media environment based on the ones of the configuration events.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the group of users are users having a common disability.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising mapping the first media environment and additional media environments in a plurality of media environments to a known environment type from a plurality of known environment types, wherein generating the recommended configuration comprises:

generating configuration instances for ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments mapped to the known environment type;

combining the configuration instances for the ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments to provide a recommended configuration profile for the known environment type; and

providing the recommended configuration profile as the recommended configuration for the second media environment.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein for each of the media environments mapped to the known environment type, generating configuration instances comprises combining ones of the configuration events from a one of the media environments to provide a configuration instance for the one of the media environments.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving configuration settings from the plurality of media environments for a plurality of media presentations;

generating the configuration instances comprises generating a configuration instance for each of the ones of the media environments mapped to the known environment type for at least one of the plurality of media presentations; and

combining the configuration instances comprises combining the configuration instances for the ones of the media environments for a select one of the at least one of the plurality of media presentations to provide the recommended configuration profile.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising mapping the first media environment and additional media environments in a plurality of media environments to a known environment type from a plurality of known environment types, wherein generating the recommended configuration comprises:

generating configuration instances for ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments mapped to the known environment type;

filtering the configuration instances based on at least one criterion to provide filtered configuration instances for the ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments mapped to the known environment type;

combining the filtered configuration instances for the ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments to provide a recommended configuration profile for the known environment type; and

providing the recommended configuration profile as the recommended configuration for the second media environment.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one criterion is at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of:

a media presentation associated with desired ones of the configuration instances, at least one environment identifier associated with desired ones of the configuration instances, at least one primary user associated with desired ones of the configuration instances, a primary user skill level associated with desired ones of the configuration instances, demographic information, and user preferences.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising mapping the first media environment and additional media environments in a plurality of media environments to a known environment type from a plurality of known environment types, wherein generating the recommended configuration comprises:

filtering the configuration events for ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments mapped to the known environment type based on at least one criterion to provide filtered configuration events;

generating configuration instances for ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments mapped to the known environment type based on the filtered configuration events;

combining the configuration instances for the ones of the first media environment and the additional media environments to provide a recommended configuration profile for the known environment type; and

providing the recommended configuration profile as the recommended configuration for the second media environment.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the at least one criterion is at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of:

a media presentation associated with desired ones of the configuration events, at least one environment identifier associated with desired ones of the configuration events, a time of day, at least one primary user associated with desired ones of the configuration events, a primary user skill level associated with desired ones of the configuration events, demographic information, and user preferences.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the configuration setting comprises collecting configuration settings from a primary playback system and at least one additional device.

16. A server for a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the server to a plurality of media environments via a network;

a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

receive a configuration setting of a first media device located in a first media environment of the plurality of media environments;

generate a recommended configuration for a second media device in a second media environment, wherein the recommended configuration is based on the configuration setting of the first media device located in the first media environment; and

provide the recommended configuration to the second media device

wherein the second media device is automatically configured based on the recommended configuration.

17. A media environment for a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) comprising:

a plurality of devices comprising a media player and at least one additional device;

a plurality of event loggers adapted to detect configuration settings of the plurality of devices;

a CCS client adapted to;

obtain the configuration settings of the plurality of devices from the plurality of event loggers; and

provide the configuration settings of the plurality of devices to a CCS server via a network, wherein the CCS server provides recommended configurations to devices within a second user environment based on configuration settings including the configuration settings of the plurality of devices from a plurality of media environments including the media environment, wherein the devices in the second environment are automatically configured based on the recommended configurations.

18. A method comprising:

collecting configuration settings of media devices located in a plurality of media environments;

generating recommended configurations for a media device in a media environment separate from media environments in the plurality of media environments, wherein the configurations are based on the configuration settings of the media devices located in the plurality of media environments; and

providing the recommended configurations to the media device, wherein the media device is automatically configured based on the recommended configurations.