Simplified searching for media services using a control device

• US 8,285,727 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Weber, Barry Jay, Kolar, Jennifer Lynn, Sahasrabudhe, Rajeev Madhukar
• Primary Examiner(s): Pulliam, Christyann
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chojnacki, Mellissa M
• Application Number:
  US10/383,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20040177063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,505 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 709/223, 709/231, 709/295
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for searching for a media content related to a selected media service. A selected media service, as selected by a user operable indicator, has related metadata that is used as the basis of a search query. Once the search query is formulated, the query is submitted to a search engine that returns search results of media content related to the selected media service. Media content then may be selected from the returned search results for rendering in a rendering environment.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a search for a related media service of a rendered media service comprising the steps of:

a. operating an indicator to select a first media service being rendered by a media device, wherein;

first metadata is associated with said first rendered media service;

said first rendered media service is a television broadcasted media service; and

said first rendered media service is being rendered in a first window in a display area, where a border of said first window becomes highlighted when said indicator is used to select said first rendered media service;

b. detecting activation of a user-operated switch to enable a search function, wherein said switch is on a user control device;

c. upon detection of activation of said user-operated switch to enable a search function, formatting automatically a query for a search from the first metadata associated with said first rendered media service, wherein said search query is submitted for a search; and

wherein said query is formatted without textual input from a user;

d. preparing for display a search result listing the related media service;

e. operating said indicator to select a second media service being rendered by said media device, wherein;

said first and second media services are being rendered in the same display area at the same time;

second metadata is associated with said second media service;

said second media service is streaming video; and

said second media service is being rendered in a second window in said display area, where a border of said second window becomes highlighted when said indicator is used to select said second media service; and

f. repeating steps b to d for said second media service to determine a second related media service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result additionally comprises information related to the rendered media service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result is displayed as a Universal Resource Indicator (URI) that is selectable via a selector to a resource available through a communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the search engine is accessed through a communications network.