Play control of content on a display device

• US 8,904,289 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Touchstream Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touchstream Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Strober, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEFFINGTON, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US13/157,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20120272147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/718, 715/736, 715/738, 715/740, 715/756, 715/835
• US Class Current: 715/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

A system for presenting and controlling content on a display device includes a network, a server system coupled to the network and comprising one or more servers, a display device coupled to the network and having a display, and a personal computing device operable to transmit a first message according to a specified format over the network to the server system. The server system stores an association between the personal computing device and the display device. The first message identifies user-selected content and a media player to play the content. The server system is operable, in response to receiving the first message from the personal computing device, to provide to the display device a second message identifying the user-selected content and the media player to play the content. In response to receiving the second message, the display device is operable to obtain a first media player needed to play the content, to load the media player and to present the content on the display.

Claims

1. A method of controlling presentation of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, the method comprising:

receiving, in a server system, one or more messages from a personal computing device that is separate from the server system and separate from the content presentation device, wherein the one or more messages, taken together, (i) include information associated with a unique identification code assigned to the content presentation device, (ii) specify a file to be acted upon, (iii) identify a particular media player for playing content from the specified file wherein the media player is a computer application operable to present content and control presentation of the content, (iv) identify a location of the particular media player, and (v) include an action control command for presentation of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player, the action control command being independent of the particular media player;

using the information associated with the unique identification code to store a record establishing an association between the personal computing device and the content presentation device; and

identifying, by the server system, programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation of the content by the content presentation device using the particular media player,

wherein, based on information received or retrieved from the server system, the content presentation device uses the particular media player to execute the programming code with respect to the file.

2. The method of claim 1 further including loading the particular media player in the content presentation device prior to executing the programming code with respect to the file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique identification code represents a QR code obtained by the personal computing device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying programming code corresponding to the action control command includes accessing a look-up table.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the look-up table stores a plurality of specific commands, each of which represents, respectively, a command for a different media player and each of which corresponds to the action control command.

6. A method of controlling presentation of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, the method comprising:

receiving, in a server system, one or more messages from a personal computing device that is separate from the server system and separate from the content presentation device, wherein the one or more messages, taken together, (i) include information associated with a unique identification code assigned to the content presentation device, (ii) specify a file to be acted upon, (iii) identify a particular media player for playing content from the file wherein the media player is a computer application operable to present content and control presentation of the content, and (iv) include an action control command for presentation of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player, the action control command being independent of the particular media player;

using the information associated with the unique identification code to store a record establishing an association between the personal computing device and the content presentation device;

loading, by the server system, a set of protocols or application programming interfaces from a library based on the identity of the particular media player; and

identifying, based on the set of protocols or application programming interfaces, programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation of the content by the content presentation device using the particular media player;

wherein, based on information received or retrieved from the server system, the content presentation device uses the particular media player to execute the programming code with respect to the file.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein collectively the one or more messages further include information indicating a location of the particular media player.

8. The method of claim 6 further including loading the particular media player in the content presentation device prior to executing the programming code with respect to the file.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the unique identification code represents a QR code obtained by the personal computing device.

10. A system for controlling playing of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, the system comprising:

a server system including at least one processor;

a database storing a relationship between a personal computing device and the content presentation device based on an identification code assigned by the server system to the content presentation device and received by the server system in a message generated by the personal computing device, wherein the personal computing device is separate from the server system and separate from the display device; and

wherein the server system is configured to receive one or more messages generated by the personal computing device, the one or more messages, taken together, (i) specify a file to be acted upon, (ii) identify a particular media player for playing content from the file wherein the media player is a computer application operable to present content and control presentation of the content, (iii) identify a location of the particular media player, and (iv) include an action control command for controlling playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player; and

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that when executed by the server system, cause the server system to identify programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation by the particular media player of the content by the content presentation device;

the server system being further configured to store information for transmission to or retrieval by the content presentation device, wherein the information specifies the file to be acted upon, identifies the particular media player for playing the content, and includes the corresponding programming code to control playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player in accordance with the action control command,

wherein, based on information received or retrieved from the server system, the content presentation device is operable to use the particular media player to execute the programming code with respect to the file.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the content presentation device is operable to load the particular media player in the content presentation device if the particular media player is not already loaded in the content presentation device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the content presentation device is operable to load the particular media player prior to executing the programming code with respect to the file.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the unique identification code represents a QR code obtained by the personal computing device.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the server system includes a look-up table that is accessed to identify the programming code corresponding to the action control command.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the look-up table stores a plurality of specific commands, each of which represents, respectively, a command for a different media player and each of which corresponds to the action control command.

16. A system for controlling playing of content on a content presentation device that loads any one of a plurality of different media players, wherein each media player is a computer application operable to present content and to control the presentation of content, the system comprising:

a server system including at least one processor;

a database storing a relationship between a personal computing device and the content presentation device based on an identification code assigned by the server system to the content presentation device and received by the server system in a message generated by the personal computing device, wherein the personal computing device is separate from the server system and separate from the display device; and

wherein the server system is configured to receive one or more messages generated by the personal computing device, the one or more messages, taken together, (i) specify a file to be acted upon, (ii) identify a particular media player for playing content from the file wherein the media player is a computer application operable to present content and control presentation of the content, and (iii) include an action control command for controlling playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player; and

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that when executed by the server system, cause the server system to load a set of protocols or application programming interfaces from a library based on the identity of the particular media player, and identify, based on the set of protocols or application programming interfaces, programming code corresponding to the action control command, wherein the programming code is for controlling presentation of the content by the content presentation device using the particular media player,

the server system being further configured to store information for transmission to or retrieval by the content presentation device, wherein the information specifies the file to be acted upon, identifies the particular media player for playing the content, and includes the corresponding programming code to control playing of the content on the content presentation device by the particular media player in accordance with the action control command,

wherein, based on information received or retrieved from the server system, the content presentation device is operable to use the particular media player to execute the programming code with respect to the file.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein collectively the one or more messages further include information indicating a location of the particular media player.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the unique identification code represents a QR code.