Systems and methods for controlling media devices

• US 8,958,019 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Malone, Edward D., Williams, George E., Feinstein, Matthew A., Kulkarni, Anant Madhava, Dande, Jagadish
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAIEM, SEAN N
• Application Number:
  US13/730,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/43615 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Systems and methods process an input received from a remote control. A media stream is presented on a display, and the input from the remote control is received at a local device associated with the display. The local device may determine if the input is intended for the local device or a remote device. If the input is intended for the local device, the input may be processed at the local device. Various interface features, for example, may be managed at the local device. If the input is intended for the remote device, a signal may be transmitted from the local device to the remote device to thereby allow the remote device to respond to the input.

Claims

1. A method executable by a local device to process an input received at the local device from a user via a remote control, the method comprising:

receiving a media stream at the local device from a remote device via a network;

presenting the media stream on a display associated with the local device as the media stream is received via the network;

receiving the input from the remote control at the local device associated with the display;

disambiguating the input received from the remote control by the local device to thereby determine if the input is intended for the local device or for the remote device that provides the media stream, wherein the disambiguating comprises the local device automatically recognizing that the input is able to be processed by one of the local device and the remote device but not by the other device, without the user expressly selecting the local system or the remote device, and establishing the one of the local device and the remote device that is able to process the input as a current active device; and

routing subsequent inputs received from the remote control to the current active device until a subsequent input is received that is not able to be processed by the current active device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote device is a placeshifting device that provides the media stream to the local device via the network, and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the signal from the local device to the placeshifting device to thereby change the media stream provided by the placeshifting device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the signal over the network to the remote device to thereby adjust the media stream.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the input is a wireless input.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the disambiguating occurs automatically based upon the recognizing without the user expressly selecting between the local device and the remote device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the input at the local device comprises displaying an interface for further inputs on the display.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the interface is presented on the display along with the media stream.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the interface comprises a plurality of input options arranged about a periphery of a presentation of the media stream on the display.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the user is able to select one of the plurality of input options by providing the input on the remote control, and wherein the input comprises a direction.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising displaying a second interface in response to the user selection of one of the plurality of input options, wherein the second interface comprises a second plurality of input options, and wherein the second interface is presented adjacent to a presentation of the media stream on the display in a direction that corresponds to the direction of the input.

11. A local system for processing an input from a viewer of a display, the system comprising:

an interface configured to receive the input from the viewer;

a network interface configured to be coupled to a network;

a display interface configured to be coupled to the display; and

a processor configured to receive the input from the interface, to receive a media stream from a remote device via the network interface, to present imagery comprising the media stream on the display via the display interface, to disambiguate the input from the viewer and thereby automatically determine whether the input is intended for the local system or for the remote device without the user expressly selecting the local system or the remote device, to process the input at the local system if the input is intended for the local system, and to transmit a signal to the remote device via the network to thereby allow the remote device to respond to the input if the input is intended for the remote device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the system comprises a remote key router module configured to determine whether the input is intended for the local system or the remote device.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the system further comprises an agent application associated with the remote device, and wherein the remote key router module is further configured to route the input to the agent application associated with the remote device if the input is intended for the remote device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the agent application associated with the remote device is configured to transmit the signal to the remote device via the network interface.

15. A method executable by a local device to process an input received at the local device from a user, the method comprising:

receiving a media stream at the local device from a remote device via a network;

presenting the media stream on a display associated with the local device as the media stream is received via the network;

receiving the input from the user at the local device;

disambiguating the input received from the remote control by the local device to thereby automatically determine if the input is intended for the local device or for the remote device that provides the media stream without the user expressly selecting the local device or the remote device;

if the input is intended for the local device, processing the input at the local device; and

if the input is intended for the remote device, the local device transmitting a signal to the remote device via the network to thereby allow the remote device to respond to the input.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the disambiguating comprises the local device recognizing that the input is able to be processed by one of the local device and the remote device, but not by the other.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the disambiguating comprises the local device establishing one of the local device and the remote device as a current active device and routing subsequent inputs to the current active device until a subsequent input is received that is not able to be processed by the current active device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the disambiguating comprises automatically recognizing that the input is able to be processed by one of the local device and the remote device but not by the other device, and establishing the one of the local device and the remote device that is able to process the input as a current active device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein subsequent inputs received from the remote control are routed to the current active device until a subsequent input is received that is not able to be processed by the current active device.