Portable device and method for entertainment interaction data

• US 8,208,850 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward K. Y., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US11/362,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/3.06
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method for use with a portable device, includes but is not limited to a method including accessing of one or more entities computationally capable of being networked to one or more of the portable device and/or a computing device operable via a user interface, querying of the one or more entities to determine one or more interaction capabilities between the portable device and the one or more entities and actuating user enhancement data in association with one or more of multimedia data, multimedia streams and/or multimedia content on the portable device retrieved from the one or more entities and/or a source operably coupled to the one or more entities.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities;

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity; and

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one set top box from one or more other entities.

3. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one audio device from one or more other entities.

4. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one cable associated receiver from one or more other entities.

5. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one television associated receiver from one or more other entities.

6. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one portable device from one or more other entities.

7. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one satellite associated receiver from one or more other entities.

8. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more RFID transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities.

9. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more wireless transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities.

10. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more different entities.

11. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities comprises:

circuitry for scanning for one or more transmissions from two or more entities.

12. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more user requests, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity.

13. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and at least one URL associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity.

14. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one internet source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity.

15. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program content and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity.

16. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program guide information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity.

17. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source supplying at least some media content to the at least one entity.

18. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content supplied to the at least one entity.

19. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for obtaining from the at least one entity and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for obtaining wirelessly from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity.

20. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some pay-per-view content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

21. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some preview content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

22. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some live content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

23. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some distilled content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

24. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some program information via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

25. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some scene information via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

26. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some metadata via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

27. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some user-centric content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

28. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some video content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

29. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some image content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

30. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some audio content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

31. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some text content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

32. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some enhancement data via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

33. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least some device appropriate content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

34. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one wireless network path that is independent of the at least one entity.

35. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content from the at least one source via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

36. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity comprises:

circuitry for enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for streaming at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

37. The portable device of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for transmitting at least one portion of the at least some media content to one or more other devices.

38. A portable device comprising:

one or more non-transitory media bearing one or more instructions for facilitating operations including

scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities;

obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity; and

enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.

39. A method at least partially implemented using one or more portable devices comprising:

scanning for one or more transmissions to identify at least one entity from one or more other entities;

obtaining from the at least one entity, and in response to one or more queries, program information and identification information associated with at least one source of at least some media content suppliable to the at least one entity; and

enabling at least one interactive session with the at least one source for accessing at least one portion of the at least some media content via at least one path that is independent of the at least one entity.