Aural indication of remote control commands
First Claim
1. A multimedia receiver, comprising:
- a remote control interface operable to receive a wirelessly transmitted remote control command;
a processor coupled to the remote control interface; and
memory including processor-executable program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;
generating first programming content output corresponding to a first program associated with a first channel of a multimedia content distribution network;
responsive to a remote control command detected by the remote control interface;
generating second programming content output corresponding to a second program associated with a second channel of the network;
generating an audible message announcing the second program;
responsive to detecting an incoming telephone call, generating an audible message indicative of the telephone call;
responsive to detecting an event associated with a recording of a requested program, generating an audible message indicative of the event; and
responsive to detecting a current signal from the remote control indicative of a remote control button and a most recent previous signal from the remote control indicative of an audio next button, generating an audible message indicative of the remote control button.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A disclosed set top box or other multimedia receiver suitable for use in a multimedia distribution network includes a remote control interface operable to receive a signal from a remote control device and extract a remote control command from the signal, a processor coupled to the remote control interface and operable to detect the remote control command, and a machine readable storage resource containing computer executable instructions operable to: invoke an aural indication application that returns an audio stream suitable for processing by an audio output device, wherein the audio stream, when processed by the audio output device, causes the audio output device to produce an audibly detectable signal indicative of a function corresponding to the remote control command. The application may generate the audio stream by invoking a speech synthesis module or by retrieving an audio file. The application may retrieve electronic programming guide (EPG) data associated with a remote control command and incorporate at least some of the EPG data in the audibly detectable output.
20 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A multimedia receiver, comprising:
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a remote control interface operable to receive a wirelessly transmitted remote control command; a processor coupled to the remote control interface; and memory including processor-executable program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising; generating first programming content output corresponding to a first program associated with a first channel of a multimedia content distribution network; responsive to a remote control command detected by the remote control interface; generating second programming content output corresponding to a second program associated with a second channel of the network; generating an audible message announcing the second program; responsive to detecting an incoming telephone call, generating an audible message indicative of the telephone call; responsive to detecting an event associated with a recording of a requested program, generating an audible message indicative of the event; and responsive to detecting a current signal from the remote control indicative of a remote control button and a most recent previous signal from the remote control indicative of an audio next button, generating an audible message indicative of the remote control button. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method comprising:
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generating, by a set top box, first programming content output corresponding to a first program associated with a first channel of a multimedia content distribution network; responsive to a remote control command detected by a remote control interface; generating second programming content output corresponding to a second program associated with a second channel of the multimedia content distribution network; and generating an audible message announcing the second program; responsive to detecting an incoming telephone call, generating an audible message indicative of the telephone call; and responsive to detecting an event associated with a recording of a requested program, generating an audible message indicative of the event responsive to detecting; a current signal from the remote control indicative of a remote control button; and a most recent previous signal from the remote control indicative of an audio next button, generating an audible message indicative of the remote control button. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer readable memory including processor executable instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:
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generating, by a set top box, first programming content output corresponding to a first program associated with a first channel of a multimedia content distribution network; responsive to a remote control command detected by a remote control interface; generating second programming content output corresponding to a second program associated with a second channel of the multimedia content distribution network; and generating an audible message announcing the second program; responsive to detecting an incoming telephone call, generating an audible message indicative of the telephone call; and responsive to detecting an event associated with a recording of a requested program, generating an audible message indicative of the event responsive to detecting; a current signal from the remote control indicative of a remote control button; and a most recent previous signal from the remote control indicative of an audio next button, generating an audible message indicative of the remote control button. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification