Enhanced information on mobile device for viewed program and control of internet TV device using mobile device

• US 9,432,740 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Patil, Abhishek, Sampathkumaran, Sriram, Balasubramanian, Guru Prashanth, Saha, Dipendu, Jain, Meeta, Asam, Aravind Babu, Hong, Seungwook
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US13/921,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20130283314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42216 for quick navigation, e.g. through an EPG
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

The user of an Internet TV device can control the Internet TV device using a mobile device such as a smart phone. The smart phone also obtains program information from the Internet TV device and sends the information to a server as a search term, presenting supplemental program information received from the server on the display of the mobile device so that a person can browse the supplemental information without disturbing viewers of the Internet TV device. The mobile device can also grab a link related to the program from the Internet TV device and use that link as a recommendation to friends on social networking sites.

Claims

1. Method, comprising:

presenting on a display of an audio video display device (AVDD) at least one user interface (UI), the at least one UI including at least a first selector selectable to allow the AVDD to be wirelessly controlled by mobile devices (MD), the at least one UI including at least a second selector selectable to allow the AVDD to be controlled by MDs only from a first manufacturer and not to be controlled by MDs from manufacturers other than the first manufacturer;

responsive to receiving a selection of the first selector, responding to a signal from a MD regardless of whether the MD is made by the first manufacturer or a manufacturer other than the first manufacturer;

responsive to receiving a selection of the second selector;

responding to a signal from a MD made by the first manufacturer; and

not responding to a signal from a MD not made by the first manufacturer such that the AVDD remains hidden from the MD not made by the first manufacturer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining a link related to a program being presented on the AVDD from the AVDD and sending the link from the mobile device as a recommendation to friends in a social networking group.

3. System comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

present on at least one video display of an audio video device (AVD) at least one user interface (UI), the at least one UI including a first selector selectable to permit the AVD to respond to a discovery signal from a mobile device (MD) regardless of a provider of the MD, the at least one UI including at least a second selector selectable to permit the AVD to respond to discovery signals only from MDs provided by a third provider;

responsive to selection of the first selector, respond to discovery signals from first and second MDs provided by respective first and second providers; and

responsive to selection of the second selector, respond to discovery signals only from first MDs provided by the third provider and not responding to discovery signals from second MDs not provided by the third provider.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions are executable to receive from the AVD a network address accompanying metadata of a program being presented on the AVD.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the instructions are executable to present a user interface (UI) on the display to allow a user of the MD to recommend to social networking site friends of the user the program being currently presented on the AVD.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions are executable to receive user input and to send commands corresponding to the user input to the AVD to control the AVD.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the commands include channel change commands within a recommendation engine.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the commands include volume change commands.

9. The system of claim 3, comprising the AVD.