Apparatus and method for distributing media content

• US 9,021,365 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2009
• 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: Hicks, John Alson III, Zimler, Randy
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US12/463,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,178 Days
• Field of Search: 715/748, 715/749
• US Class Current: 715/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to determine a common user interface to be presented by a group of media devices of a premises where the group of media devices are capable of receiving media content from the server over a power line of the premises and are capable of presenting the media content, detect user interaction with the common user interface from different media devices of the group of media devices, and transmit display signals to the group of media devices for displaying the user interaction on the common user interface, where the display signals differentiate the different media devices that received the user interaction. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device comprising instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a group of media devices of a premises that are capable of presenting media content and are compatible with a media gateway for receiving a portion of the media content from the media gateway over a power line of the premises;

determining a common user interface to be presented by the group of media devices;

detecting first user interaction with the common user interface from a first media device of the group of media devices;

transmitting first display signals to the group of media devices for displaying the first user interaction on the common user interface using a first icon visually representative of the first media device, wherein the first display signals provide a visual indication identifying the first user interaction;

detecting second user interaction with the common user interface from a second media device of the group of media devices;

transmitting second display signals to the group of media devices for displaying the second user interaction on the common user interface using a second icon visually representative of the second media device, wherein the second display signals provide a visual indication identifying the second user interaction;

monitoring a current passing through the power line;

evaluating noise due to the current, based on the monitoring of the current;

adjusting a mode of communication from transmitting the media content over the power line to wirelessly transmitting the media content responsive to the evaluating of the noise; and

prioritizing the first user interaction and the second user interaction when the first user interaction and the second user interaction represent contradictory control signals,

wherein the premises comprise a building with the group of media devices and the media gateway located therein,

wherein each of the media devices of the group of media devices and the media gateway are located separately from each other, and

wherein the power line is connected to each of the media devices of the group of media devices and the media gateway.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the first and second user interactions are simultaneous, and wherein the first and second user interactions are displayed on the common user interface simultaneously.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the prioritizing further comprises prioritizing the first and second user interactions based on a type of media device.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the first and second display signals over the power line of the premises, wherein the detection of the group of media devices is based on receiving a detection signal transmitted by a subset of the group of media devices upon a power up of the subset of the group of media devices.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the first and second display signals are transmitted wirelessly without being transmitted over the power line.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the portion of the media content from the media gateway to the first media device over the power line in response to the detected first user interaction.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise wirelessly transmitting control signals while the media content is transmitted via the power line.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 7, wherein the control signals are associated with the common user interface.

9. A server comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

determining a common user interface to be presented by a group of media devices of a premises, the group of media devices being capable of receiving media content over a power line of the premises and being capable of presenting the media content;

detecting user interaction with the common user interface from different media devices of the group of media devices;

transmitting display signals to the group of media devices for displaying the user interaction on the common user interface, the display signals differentiating the different media devices that received the user interaction, the display signals providing a visual indication identifying the user interaction;

monitoring a current passing through the power line;

evaluating noise due to the current, based on the monitoring of the current; and

prioritizing a first user interaction and a second user interaction when the first user interaction and the second user interaction represent contradictory control signals,

wherein the premises comprise a building with the group of media devices located therein,

wherein each of the media devices of the group of media devices are located separately from each other, and

wherein the power line is connected to each of the media devices of the group of media devices.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

retrieving the media content in response to a first portion of the user interaction; and

transmitting the media content to a target device of the group of media devices in response to a second portion of the user interaction.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a portion of the media content wirelessly to a target device of the group of media devices without transmitting the portion over the power line in response to the evaluating of the noise due to the current passing through the power line of the premises.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing stored user preferences associated with the group of media devices;

obtaining the media content; and

adjusting a format of the media content based on the stored user preferences.

13. The server of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise selectively transmitting the display signals and the media content over the power line based on determined parameters of the power line.

14. The server of claim 9, wherein the display signals differentiate the different media devices using different icons that are visually representative of each of the different media devices.

15. The server of claim 9, wherein the prioritizing further comprises prioritizing the first user interaction and the second user interactions based on a type of media device.

16. A media device comprising:

a memory storing executable-instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

presenting a common user interface, the media device being one of a group of media devices of a premises that presents the common user interface, the group of media devices being capable of receiving media content from a media gateway and being capable of presenting the media content;

detecting user interaction with the common user interface;

transmitting interaction signals representative of the detected user interaction to the media gateway;

receiving display signals from the media gateway, the display signals comprising the user interaction, the display signals differentiating different media devices of the group of media devices that received the user interaction, the display signals providing a visual indication identifying the user interaction;

receiving a portion of the media content over a power line of the premises;

monitoring a current passing through the power line;

evaluating noise due to the current, based on the monitoring of the current; and

prioritizing, a first user interaction and a second user interaction when the first user interaction and the second user interaction represent contradictory control signals,

wherein the premises comprise a building with the group of media devices and the media gateway located therein,

wherein each of the media devices of the group of media devices and the media gateway are located separately from each other, and

wherein the power line is connected to each of the media devices of the group of media devices and the media gateway.

17. The media device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a first portion of the media content over the power line and a second portion of the media content via wireless communication, wherein a switch between utilizing the power line and utilizing the wireless communication is based on detecting the noise in the power line due to the current passing through the power line.

18. The media device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise wirelessly receiving the display signals and the media content.

19. A server comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

detecting a group of media devices of a premises that are capable of receiving media content from the server over a power line of the premises and are capable of presenting the media content;

receiving media content in a plurality of formats from a media source;

adjusting the plurality of formats into a common format presentable by each of the group of media devices;

transmitting display signals to each of the group of media devices for displaying a common user interface, the display signals providing a visual indication identifying user interaction at one of the group of media devices;

monitoring a current passing through the power line;

evaluating noise due to the current, based on the monitoring of the current; and

prioritizing a first user signal and a second user signal received via the common user interface when the first user signal and the second user signal comprise contradictory control signals,

wherein the premises comprise a building with the group of media devices located therein,

wherein each of the media devices of the group of media devices are located separately from each other, and

wherein the power line is connected to each of the media devices of the group of media devices.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining parameters associated with the power line;

selecting a mode of communication from one of the power line and a wireless communication link for transmitting the media content to a target device of the group of media devices based on the obtained parameters; and

transmitting the media content based on the selected mode.

21. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device comprising a processor, a common user interface to be presented by a group of media devices of a premises, the group of media devices being capable of receiving media content from a media gateway and being capable of presenting the media content;

detecting, by the device, user interaction with the common user interface from different media devices of the group of media devices;

transmitting, by the device, the media content from the media gateway to a target device of the media devices over a power line of the premises;

transmitting, by the device, display signals from the processor to the group of media devices for displaying the user interaction on the common user interface, the display signals differentiating the different media devices that received the user interaction, the display signals providing a visual indication identifying the user interaction;

monitoring, by the device, a current passing through the power line;

evaluating, by the device, noise due to the current;

based on the monitoring of the current; and

prioritizing a first user interaction and a second user interaction when the first user interaction and the second user interaction represent contradictory control signals,

wherein the premises comprise a building with the group of media devices and the media gateway located therein,

wherein each of the media devices of the group of media devices and the media gateway are located separately from each other, and

wherein the power line is connected to each of the media devices of the group of media devices and the media gateway.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising transmitting control signals associated with the common user interface wirelessly while the media content is transmitted via the power line.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the prioritizing further comprises prioritizing the first user interaction and the second user interactions based on a type of media device.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising wirelessly transmitting the display signals.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the display signals differentiate the different media devices that received the user interaction using different icons representative of a type of the media devices.