Conversion of portable program modules for constrained displays

• US 9,009,589 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gossweiler, Richard C., Sah, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): STORK, KYLE R
• Application Number:
  US12/059,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20080244681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,570 Days
• Field of Search: 715/234, 715/235, 715/236, 715/243, 715/252, 715/718
• US Class Current: 715/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• 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 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes identifying a computer-based portable program module, automatically altering code in the portable program module to permit display of the module on a television-based display so that the displayed module has a substantially similar appearance on the television-based display as on a computer display, and providing the altered code for execution on a processor connected to a television-based display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying code for a computer-based portable program module that is configured to be displayed on a computer-based display;

automatically altering the code for the computer-based portable program module to adapt the module to be displayed on a television-based display, including;

determining that one or more pieces of content in the computer-based portable program module do not satisfy a display constraint of the television-based display, and

removing the one or more pieces of content in the computer-based portable program module that are determined to not satisfy the display constraint of the television-based display; and

providing the altered code for execution on one or more processors operably coupled to a particular television-based display,

wherein determining that the one or more pieces of content do not satisfy the display constraint of the television-based display comprises identifying textual content and non-textual content that are each arranged for display in the module, and comparing the textual content with the non-textual content to determine whether at least a portion of the non-textual content expresses the same or similar subject matter as the textual content,

wherein removing the one or more pieces of content in the module comprises deleting the at least a portion of the non-textual content in response to determining that the at least a portion of the non-textual content expresses the same or similar subject matter as the textual content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-based portable program module comprises a gadget.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the code for the computer-based portable program module comprises mark-up code.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein altering the code comprises altering style sheet definitions for the module.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically altering graphical elements referenced by the portable program module to be dimensioned for the television-based display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the altered code for execution comprises transmitting the code in response to a request from a remote set-top box.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the code for the computer-based portable program module comprises generating code that configures the module to be responsive to navigation commands from a television remote control keypad.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating code that configures the module to be responsive to navigation commands includes generating four-direction code that configures the module to be navigable between input elements based on commands from a four-direction control on the television remote control keypad.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data in response to a request from an executed portable program module.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising encoding the data as XML data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting confirmation from a user for one or more alterations in the automatically altered code.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the altered code for the portable program module is programmed to affect a display of the portable program module on the television-based display based on information that characterizes a video program being concurrently played on the television-based display with the display of the portable program module on the television-based display.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein affecting the display of the portable program module on the television-based display comprises providing a recommendation of other video programs that are similar to the video program being played.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein affecting the display of the portable program module on the television-based display comprises providing an identification of other users that are currently watching the video program being played.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein affecting the display of the portable program module on the television-based display comprises providing information corresponding to products shown in the video program being played.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the code for the computer-based portable program module further comprises modifying a font size for textual content in the portable program module.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more pieces of content are one or more first pieces of content;

wherein the method further comprises replacing one or more second pieces of content in the computer-based portable program module with one or more modified pieces of content, the one or more modified pieces of content including a shortened representation of the one or more second pieces of content.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the non-textual content comprises an image.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that at least a second portion of the non-textual content does not express the same or similar subject matter as the textual content, and in response, designating the at least a second portion of the non-textual content as content that is not to be deleted from the portable program module when the code is automatically altered to adapt the module to be displayed on the television-based display.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an executed portable program module on a computer monitor as part of a simulated television display.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the code for the computer-based portable program module further comprises inserting code in the portable program module that is programmed to adapt the portable program module to receive user input entered through a television remote control device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the inserted code is further programmed to cause an input indicator to jump among multiple different input elements in a presentation of the portable program module in response to user selection of a four-direction input control on the television remote control device.

23. An article comprising a computer program product encoded on a machine-readable tangible storage media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform operations comprising:

identifying code for a computer-based portable program module that is configured to be displayed on a computer-based display;

automatically altering the code for the computer-based portable program module to adapt the module to be displayed on a television-based display, including;

determining that one or more pieces of content in the computer-based portable program module do not satisfy a display constraint of the television-based display, and

removing the one or more pieces of content in the computer-based portable program module that are determined to not satisfy the display constraint of the television-based display; and

providing the altered code for execution on one or more processors operably coupled to a particular television-based display,

wherein determining that the one or more pieces of content do not satisfy the display constraint of the television-based display comprises identifying textual content and non-textual content that are each arranged for display in the module, and comparing the textual content with the non-textual content to determine whether at least a portion of the non-textual content expresses the same or similar subject matter as the textual content,

wherein removing the one or more pieces of content in the module comprises deleting the at least a portion of the non-textual content in response to determining that the at least a portion of the non-textual content expresses the same or similar subject matter as the textual content.

24. The computer program product encoded on a machine-readable tangible storage media of claim 23, wherein the code for the computer-based portable program module comprises mark-up code.

25. The computer program product encoded on a machine-readable tangible storage media of claim 24, wherein altering the code comprises altering style sheet definitions for the module.

26. The computer program product encoded on a machine-readable tangible storage media of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise automatically altering graphical elements referenced by the portable program module to be dimensioned to identified dimensions for the television-based display.

27. The computer program product encoded on a machine-readable tangible storage media of claim 23, wherein altering the code for the computer-based portable program module comprises generating code that configures the module to be responsive to navigation commands from a television remote control keypad.

28. The computer program product encoded on a machine-readable tangible storage media of claim 27, wherein generating code that configures the module to be responsive to navigation commands includes generating four-direction code that configures the module to be navigable between input elements based on commands from a four-direction control on the television remote control keypad.