Video presentation device and method

• US 9,066,129 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Connelly, Michael, Moran, Ashley, Loretan, Tom, Oppelt, Susan, Makkapati, Srinivasa Rao, Boddu, Simhachalam Naidu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US13/495,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20130278706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-357, 709201-207, 709217-248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• 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 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A computing device may include a video input interface and video output interface to allow insertion into a video system. The device may be configured to perform passthrough operation on the incoming video, allowing the incoming signal to appear at the output interface. When overlay video operations are desired, the device may resize the incoming video, generate one or more additional overlays, and generate a modified version of the incoming video signal, where the modified version contains the one or more additional overlays along with (if desired) the original video. The device may have data network connections, and can thereby serve as an easy way, for example, to upgrade an existing video system with network and/or interactive features.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, by a computing device and to a display device, a signal comprising at least a first and a second graphical panel associated with at least a first and second application, respectively;

defining a three-dimensional space in front of a user and the display device, wherein the three-dimensional space is divided

into a plurality of sub-spaces comprising at least a first subspace and a second subspace, wherein the first subspace is closer to the display device than the second subspace;

associating the first and second applications to the first subspace and the second subspace, respectively;

detecting a gesture made by the user in the first subspace, wherein the gesture is associated with a pre-defined command; and

sending the pre-defined command associated with the gesture to the first application corresponding to the first subspace in which the gesture was detected.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving video images from a camera; and

generating one or more overlay video images within the first graphical panel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical panels sent by the computing device to the display device comprise:

the first graphical panel comprising a resized input video;

the second graphical panel comprising local video signals obtained from a local camera;

a third graphical panel comprising data obtained from a local security system; and

a fourth graphical panel comprising data obtained from an external data network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the computing device to conduct a joint content viewing session with a remote user, wherein the joint content viewing session comprises shared viewing of image content stored on a memory device connected to a first computing device of one participant to the joint content viewing session.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, an input video and one or more video overlay graphics; and

combining, by the computing device, the one or more video overlay graphics with the input video to generate the signal, wherein the signal comprises the input video and the one or more video overlay graphics in separate graphical panels.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

manipulating the first graphical panel associated with the first application in response to the pre-defined command.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the computing device, an alternate display signal to a secondary computing device, wherein the alternate display signal comprises outlines of the first and second graphical panels and omits interior details of the first and second graphical panels; and

displaying the alternate display signal on the secondary computing device and using rearrangement commands inputted to the secondary computing device to rearrange the first and second graphical panels on the display device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device receives premises security system data from a premises security system located at a premises of the computing device, and wherein the pre-defined command causes the first graphical panel to display the premises security system data.

9. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause at least one processor to:

send, by a computing device and to a display device, a signal comprising at least a first and a second graphical panel associated with at least a first and second application, respectively;

define a three-dimensional space in front of a user and the display device, wherein the three-dimensional space is divided into a plurality of subspaces comprising at least a first subspace and a second subspace, wherein the first subspace is closer to the display device than the second subspace;

associate the first and second applications to the first subspace and the second subspace, respectively;

detect a gesture made by the user in the first subspace, wherein the gesture is associated with a pre-defined command; and

send the pre-defined command associated with the gesture to the first application corresponding to the first subspace in which the gesture was detected.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, having additional computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

manipulate the first graphical panel associated with the first application in response to the pre-defined command.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, having additional computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

detect a second gesture made by the user in the second subspace, wherein the second gesture is associated with a second pre-defined command;

send the second pre-defined command associated with the second gesture to the second application corresponding to the second subspace in which the second gesture was detected; and

manipulate the second graphical panel associated with the second application in response to the second pre-defined command.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, having additional computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

send, by the computing device, an alternate display signal to a secondary computing device, wherein the alternate display signal comprises outlines of the first and second graphical panels and omits interior details of the first and second graphical panels; and

display the alternate display signal on the secondary computing device and use rearrangement commands inputted to the secondary computing device to rearrange the first and second graphical panels on the display device.

13. A computing device, configured to:

send, by the computing device and to a display device, a signal comprising at least a first and a second graphical panel associated with at least a first and second application, respectively;

define a three-dimensional space in front of a user and the display device, wherein the three-dimensional space is divided into a plurality of subspaces comprising at least a first subspace and a second subspace, wherein the first subspace is closer to the display device than the second subspace;

associate the first and second applications to the first subspace and the second subspace, respectively;

detect a gesture made by the user in the first subspace, wherein the gesture is associated with a pre-defined command; and

send the pre-defined command associated with the gesture to the first application corresponding to the first subspace in which the gesture was detected.

14. The computing device of claim 13, further configured to:

manipulate the first graphical panel associated with the first application in response to the pre-defined command.

15. The computing device of claim 13, further configured to:

detect a second gesture made by the user in the second subspace, wherein the second gesture is associated with a second pre-defined command;

send the second pre-defined command associated with the second gesture to the second application corresponding to the second subspace in which the second gesture was detected; and

manipulate the second graphical panel associated with the second application in response to the second pre-defined command.

16. The computing device of claim 13, further configured to:

send, by the computing device, an alternate display signal to a secondary computing device, wherein the alternate display signal comprises outlines of the first and second graphical panels and omits interior details of the first and second graphical panels; and

display the alternate display signal on the secondary computing device and use rearrangement commands inputted to the secondary computing device to rearrange the first and second graphical panels on the display device.