Transcoder enabled cloud of remotely controlled devices

• US 9,092,798 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ferren, Bran
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US13/819,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 340/12.3, 340/12.4, 340/12.5, 340/12.53, 340/5.61, 340/825.69, 709/223, 709/225, 725/37, 725/40, 725/78, 725/81, 341/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/20 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• 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 21/42204 : 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 21/42222 : Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• 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 21/4333 : Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/437 : Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 : Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 : Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 : Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 : involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• 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 21/4755 : 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 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63 : Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 : using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 : Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 : specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor

Abstract

Various embodiments are directed to one or more transcoder devices in communication with an input device such as a remote control device and multiple destination devices in which the transcoder device(s) facilitate communication between the remote control and the various destination devices in the vicinity. The transcoder device(s) can also provide the user with an environmental awareness of conditions and events surrounding the user. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A transcoder device comprising:

multiple wireless transceivers; and

a processing component communicatively coupled to the multiple wireless transceivers, the processing component comprising a transcoder control module operative on the processing component to receive a control directive sent from a remote control device, detect a threshold level in a sensor device, identify one or more destination devices from among a set of multiple destination devices to receive the control directive, and relay the control directive to the one or more destination devices based in part on the detecting the threshold level.

2. The transcoder device of claim 1 configured to perform operations of receiving the control directive in a first one of the multiple wireless transceivers.

3. The transcoder device of claim 2 configured to perform operations of relaying the control directive to the one or more destination devices using a second one of the multiple wireless transceivers.

4. The transcoder device of claim 3 wherein the first one of the multiple wireless transceivers and the second one of the multiple wireless transceivers are the same.

5. The transcoder device of claim 1 further comprising multiple sensor devices including at least one of a video camera, a light sensor, a motion detector, a thermometer, and a microphone.

6. The transcoder device of claim 5 configured to perform operations of confirming execution of a control directive relayed to a destination device using one of the multiple sensor devices.

7. The transcoder device of claim 1, the processing component further comprising a processor and memory operative with the multiple wireless transceivers wherein the memory is configured to store data pertaining to the one or more destination devices including identifier data representing an identifier for each of the one or more destination devices.

8. The transcoder device of claim 7 wherein:

the control directive includes the identifier data for an intended destination device; and

the transcoder device is configured to relay the control directive to a destination device based on the identifier data of the destination device stored in the memory.

9. The transcoder device of claim 8 wherein the control directive further comprises multiple control directives that form a single control directive macro.

10. The transcoder device of claim 9 wherein the control directive macro includes control directives intended for different destination devices.

11. The transcoder device of claim 1 wherein the transcoder device is configured to relay the control directive to a second transcoder device that is configured to relay the control directive to the one or more destination devices.

12. The transcoder device of claim 1 wherein the transcoder device is configured to perform operations of receiving the control directive over an IP network.

13. The transcoder device of claim 1 wherein the multiple wireless transceivers include at least two selected from a group comprising an IR transceiver, an RF transceiver, an ultrasonic transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and a WiFi transceiver.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a control directive sent from a remote control device using a first wireless transceiver;

identifying one or more destination devices from among a set of multiple destination devices to receive the control directive;

detecting a threshold level in a sensor device; and

relaying the control directive to the one or more destination devices using a second wireless transceiver based in part on detecting the threshold level.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

confirming execution of a control directive relayed to a destination device based on detecting the threshold level.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the control directive further comprises multiple control directives that form a single control directive macro.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the control directive macro includes control directives intended for different destination devices.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed enable a system to:

receive a control directive sent from a remote control device, the control directive including identifier data for each of one or more intended destination devices;

determine the intended destination devices from the identifier data in the control directive;

detect a threshold level from a sensor device; and

relay the control directive based on the identifier data of the destination devices to the one or more intended destination devices based in part on detection of the threshold level.

19. The article of claim 18, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to confirm execution of a control directive relayed to a destination device using information received from at least one of multiple sensor devices, the multiple sensor devices including a video camera, a motion detector, a light sensor, a thermometer, and a microphone.

20. The article of claim 18 wherein the control directive further comprises multiple control directives that form a single control directive macro.

21. The article of claim 20 wherein the control directive macro includes control directives intended for different destination devices.