System for presenting media programs

• US 9,389,763 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2015
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2007
• 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: White, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Thieu, Benjamin M
• Application Number:
  US14/608,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20150143240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0484 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 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/232 Content retrieval operation locally within server, e.g. reading video streams from disk arrays storage management G06F3/0604; details of querying and searching of video data from a database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may use, for example, a method for sending a set-top box an identification of the media player, receiving operational instructions from the set-top box according to the emulator executed by the set-top box that emulates a user interface of the media player by presenting a representation of the media player in a graphical user interface, and transmitting media content to the set-top box according to the operational instructions. The emulator can be supplied to the set-top box by way of a multimedia system communicatively coupled to the set-top box. The user interface presented by the set-top box by way of the emulator substantially mimics functions of the media player. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

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

receiving a request from a media processor for an emulator that emulates a media player, the media player including a first user interface for operating the media player, by presenting the media player in a graphical user interface of the media processor, the graphical user interface of the media processor comprising a second user interface, wherein the emulator comprises software instructions executed by the media processor to emulate the first user interface of the media player via the media processor;

receiving an identification of the media player;

retrieving the emulator according to the identification of the media player; and

transmitting, to the media processor, the emulator for executing the software instructions associated with the emulator, thereby emulating the first user interface of the media player by way of the media processor;

wherein the second user interface presented by the media processor by way of the emulator comprises an image of the media player that includes the first user interface of the media player and mimics the first user interface of the media player; and

wherein the second user interface is presented on a display device of a remote controller or a presentation device coupled to the media processor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the media player presents audio media, moving image media, or still image media.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the moving image media conforms to a moving pictures experts group standard, wherein the still image media conforms to a joint photographic experts group standard, and wherein the still image media conforms to a graphic interchange format standard.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a server in a multimedia system.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein a location of the emulator is stored in a database accessed by the device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the emulator is retrieved from a memory element of the media player.

7. A media processor, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

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

determining an identification of a media player, the media player including a first user interface for operating the media player;

initiating an emulator according to the identification to emulate the media player by presenting the media player as a user interface in a graphical user interface of the media processor, the graphical user interface of the media processor comprising a second user interface, wherein the emulator comprises software executed by the media processor to emulate the first user interface of the media player via the media processor; and

receiving data from the media player responsive to a request by the emulator;

presenting, through the second user interface, media stored in the media player determined from the data;

receiving, by way of a first selection applied to the second user interface, a request to present the media,

wherein the second user interface presented by the media processor by way of the emulator comprises an image of the media player that includes the first user interface of the media player and mimics the first user interface of the media player; and

wherein the second user interface is presented on a display device of a media controller or a presentation device coupled to the media processor; and

receiving, by way of a second selection applied to the second user interface, a request to copy the media from the media player.

8. The media processor of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise submitting the identification of the media player to a multimedia system.

9. The media processor of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the emulator from a memory element of the media player.

10. The media processor of claim 7, wherein the media player presents audio media, moving image media, or still image media.

11. The media processor of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise identifying the emulator based on the identification of the media player.

12. The media processor of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise automatically identifying an alternate emulator to emulate the media player when the media processor does not identify the emulator based on the identification of the media player.

13. The media processor of claim 12, wherein the alternate emulator is identified based on an identification of a manufacturer of the media player.

14. The media processor of claim 12, wherein the alternate emulator comprises a generic emulator for controlling a plurality of media players.

15. A method, comprising:

determining, by a media processor comprising a controller, an identification of a media player, the media player including a first user interface for operating the media player;

initiating, by the media processor, an emulator according to the identification to emulate the media player by presenting the media player as a user interface in a graphical user interface of the media processor, the graphical user interface of the media processor comprising a second user interface, wherein the emulator comprises software executed by the media processor to emulate the first user interface of the media player via the media processor; and

receiving, by the media processor, data from the media player responsive to a request by the emulator;

presenting, by the media processor, through the second user interface media stored in the media player determined from the data; and

receiving, by the media processor, by way of a first selection applied to the second user interface a request to present the media,

wherein the second user interface presented by the media processor by way of the emulator comprises an image of the media player that includes the first user interface of the media player and mimics the first user interface of the media player; and

wherein the second user interface is presented on a display device of a media controller or a presentation device coupled to the media processor.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving, by way of a second selection applied to the second user interface, a request to copy the media from the media player.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising identifying the emulator based on the identification of the media player.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising automatically identifying an alternate emulator to emulate the media player when the media processor does not identify the emulator based on the identification of the media player.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the alternate emulator is identified based on an identification of a manufacturer of the media player.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the alternate emulator comprises a generic emulator for controlling a plurality of media players.