System for presenting media services

• US 8,713,608 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• 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: White, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V
• Application Number:
  US11/776,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20090019507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,483 Days
• Field of Search: 725/51
• US Class Current: 725/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system for presenting media services is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a portal having a controller element to detect an installation of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media receiver in an IPTV media system and adapt at least a portion of the portal according to the installation. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving at a web server a request from an Internet browser of a communication device to remotely navigate through one or more media files stored in a Set-Top Box;

presenting the one or more media files at the Internet browser in a personal catalog of media files;

receiving at the web server from the Internet browser a selection of the one or more media files from the personal catalog of media files; and

responsive to receiving the selection of the one or more media files, automatically;

supplying an embedded media player to the Internet browser;

directing the set-top box to transmit to the web-server a real-time media stream corresponding to the selected media file; and

beginning presentation of the media stream on the embedded media player at the Internet browser.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selected media file comprises at least one among an audio media file, a video media file, and a still image media file, and wherein the portal utilizes Hypertext Markup Language for presenting content at the Internet browser.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more media files are organized according to one among one or more still image albums, one or more video albums, and one or more audio albums, and wherein at least one of the audio albums comprises a play list.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving from the set-top box metadata associated with the selected media file; and

presenting the metadata at a Graphical User Interface of the Internet browser.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the metadata comprises at least one among a play list of other media files, an album description associated with the selected media file, a name given to the selected media file, a date or time associated with the selected media file, a playback duration of the media file, and identification information of one or more media artists associated with the selected media file.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the request to remotely navigate is received from the communication device when the communication device is roaming in a long-range communication network, wherein the communication device is configured for voice communications over the long-range communication network, and wherein the embedded media player has one or more selectable graphical user interface elements for controlling operations thereof.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a selection of the one or more selectable graphical user interface elements; and

modifying operation of the embedded media player responsive to the selection.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the one or more selectable graphical user interface elements comprise at least one among a play graphical user interface element, a rewind graphical user interface element;

a forward graphical user interface element, a fast rewind graphical user interface element, a fast forward graphical user interface element, stop graphical user interface element, and pause graphical user interface element.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the web server is associated with a broadcast media communication system, and wherein the request to remotely navigate is received at the web server.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

supplying authentication information to a gateway coupled to the set-top box; and

establishing communications with the set-top box upon a successful authentication step with the gateway.

11. A communication device, comprising:

a memory; and

a controller element to;

activate an Internet browser;

submit by way of the Internet browser a request to a web server to navigate through one or more media files stored in a Set-Top Box accessible by the web server;

receive from the web server information associated with the one or more media files presented as a personal catalog of media files;

present by way of the Internet browser said information;

submit to the web server a selection associated with the one or more media files and selected from the personal catalog of media files; and

responsive to submitting the selection, automatically;

receive from the web server an embedded media player for the Internet browser;

receive a real-time media stream originating from the STB by way of the web server associated with the selection; and

present the real-time media stream on the embedded media player at the Internet browser.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the selected media file comprises at least one among an audio media file, a video media file, and a still image media file, and wherein the one or more media files are organized according to one among one or more still image albums, one or more video albums, and one or more audio albums, and wherein at least one of the audio albums comprises a play list.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the controller element:

receives from the set-top box metadata associated with the selected media file; and

presents the metadata at the graphical user interface of the Internet browser.

14. The communication device of claim 13, wherein the metadata comprises at least one among a play list of other media files, an album description associated with the selected media file, a name given to the selected media file, a date or time associated with the selected media file, a playback duration of the media file, and identification information of one or more media artists associated with the selected media file.

15. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the controller element presents at the graphical user interface of the Internet browser an embedded media player of the web server with one or more selectable graphical user interface elements for controlling operations of the embedded media player, wherein the request to navigate is submitted when the communication device is roaming in a long-range communication network, and wherein the communication device is configured for voice communications over the long-range communication network.

16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the controller element:

receives a selection of the one or more selectable graphical user interface elements; and

modifies operation of the embedded media player responsive to the selection.

17. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the one or more selectable graphical user interface elements comprise at least one among a play graphical user interface button, a rewind graphical user interface button;

a forward graphical user interface button, a fast rewind graphical user interface button, and a fast forward graphical user interface button.