Remote viewing of multimedia content

• US 8,555,406 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2009
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howcroft, Jerald Robert, Raftelis, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): SONG, HEE K
• Application Number:
  US12/574,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20110083193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 380/277, 726/4, 726/27, 370/401, 370/468, 709/217, 705/51, 345/2.1, 348/14.03, 348/157, 348/169, 348/180, 348/208.14, 348/211.8, 725/25, 725/38, 725/39, 725/46, 725/74, 725/78, 725 80- 82, 725/85, 725/86, 725/91, 725/123, 725/131
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless

Abstract

A method and system for remote viewing of multimedia content using a multimedia content distribution network (MCDN) is configured to duplicate multimedia content displayed on a first MCDN terminal device and route the duplicate multimedia content to a second MCDN terminal device. The MCDN terminal devices may be coupled to a local network at an MCDN client premises. The MCDN terminal devices may also include wireless telephony devices for mobile remote viewing functionality. The method may include transcoding of the multimedia content into a format suitable for the second MCDN terminal device.

Claims

1. A remote viewing method, comprising:

receiving multimedia content from a multimedia content distribution network service provider;

generating a first remote viewing user interface indicating terminal devices providing terminal services and prompting a user to indicate which of the terminal services to activate;

generating a second remote viewing user interface prompting a user to indicate a preference selected from;

using the terminal services of a viewed terminal device and using the terminal services of a viewing terminal device; and

responsive to receiving user responses to the first remote viewing user interface and the second remote viewing user interface;

invoking the terminal services of a terminal device selected from the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device; and

displaying, on the viewing terminal device, a display of the viewed terminal device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying on the viewing terminal device includes:

transcoding the multimedia content into a format suitable for the viewing terminal device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining digital-rights management authorization to perform the displaying of the multimedia content on the viewing terminal device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the multimedia content from a multimedia service provider network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the display of the viewed terminal device includes the multimedia content displaying on the second terminal device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device are selected from the following device types:

a television, a personal computer, a gaming console, and a mobile multimedia device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device are of different device types.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile multimedia device is configured for wireless telephony communication, and wherein the displaying includes:

transmitting the multimedia content to a mobile content management server that is coupled to a wireless transmission network providing wireless network service to the mobile multimedia device.

9. A customer premises equipment device, comprising:

a processor;

a network adapter; and

a computer readable medium, accessible to the processor, including stored instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving multimedia content from a multimedia content distribution service provider;

generating a first remote viewing user interface indicating terminal devices providing terminal services and prompting a user to indicate which of the terminal services to activate;

generating a second remote viewing user interface prompting a user to indicate a preference selected from;

using the terminal services of a viewed terminal device and using the terminal services of a viewing terminal device; and

responsive to receiving user responses to the first remote viewing user interface and the second remote viewing user interface;

invoking the terminal services of a terminal device selected from the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device; and

displaying, on the viewing terminal device, a display of the viewed terminal device.

10. The customer premises equipment of claim 9, wherein the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device have device types selected from:

a television, a personal computer, a gaming console, and a mobile multimedia device.

11. The customer premises equipment of claim 9, wherein the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device are coupled to the customer premises equipment via a fixed network.

12. The customer premises equipment of claim 9, further comprising:

a local wireless network adapter operable to provide wireless access to a terminal device selected from the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device.

13. The customer premises equipment of claim 9, wherein a device type of the viewed terminal device is a mobile wireless telephony device operable to display multimedia content.

14. The customer premises equipment of claim 13, wherein the displaying, on the viewing terminal device, of multimedia content playing on the viewed terminal device includes sending the multimedia content to a mobile content management server coupled to a wireless transmission network providing wireless network service to the mobile wireless telephony device.

15. A computer readable memory, including stored, processor-executable program instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving multimedia content from a multimedia content distribution service provider;

generating a first remote viewing user interface indicating terminal devices providing terminal services and prompting a user to indicate which of the terminal services to activate;

generating a second remote viewing user interface prompting a user to indicate a preference selected from;

using the terminal services of a viewed terminal device and using the terminal services of a viewing terminal device; and

responsive to receiving user responses to the first remote viewing user interface and the second remote viewing user interface;

invoking the terminal services of a terminal device selected from the viewed terminal device and the viewing terminal device; and

displaying, on the viewing terminal device, a display of the viewed terminal device.

16. The computer readable memory of claim 15, wherein the operations include:

transcoding the multimedia content into a format suitable for the viewed terminal device.

17. The computer readable memory of claim 16, wherein the operations include:

receiving user input for displaying an indication of transcoding between the viewed terminal device and the viewed terminal device.

18. The computer readable memory of claim 15, wherein the operations include:

obtaining digital-rights management authorization to display the content playing on the viewed terminal device on the terminal device.

19. The computer readable memory of claim 15, wherein the operations include:

receiving user input for displaying an indication of digital-rights management for the multimedia content.