Interfacing a television with a second device

• US 9,712,776 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Eric H C, Chan, Haywai Hayward
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A
• Application Number:
  US13/842,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 725 40, 725 38, 705 40, 718103
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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 21/42204 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 21/43615 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 21/4788 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 21/6125 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

Abstract

A system and method for interfacing a television with a second device is provided. The system includes an interfacing unit to enter an interfacing mode between the television mode and the second device; a card storage unit to store a first card and a second card, the first card being presently displayed on the television and the second card being previously displayed on the television; a current card display register to store the first card; an interactive retrieval unit to retrieve a plurality of interactive functions associated with the first card, the plurality of interactive functions configured to instigate an action via the second device; and a display unit to display the first card and the plurality of interactive functions in response to being in the interfacing mode.

Claims

1. A system for interfacing a television with a second device, comprising:

a data store comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program of instructions for the interfacing; and

a processor that executes the program of instructions, wherein the processor is configured to;

identify a first card interface based at least in part on content currently being presented on the television;

identify a second card interface based at least in part on content being presented on the television at the first time;

cause the first card interface and the second card interface to be stored in a persistent store on the second device in response to identifying the first card interface and the second card interface, the first card interface being presently displayed on the television and the second card interface being previously displayed for a first time on the television;

enter an interfacing mode between the television and the second device, wherein entering the interfacing mode comprises detecting that the second device is proximal to the television based on proximity information;

retrieve a plurality of interactive functions associated with the first card interface;

display the first card interface and the plurality of interactive functions associated with the first card interface in response to being in the interfacing mode,

in response to receiving an input from the second device to present the previously presented second card interface for a second time, retrieve the second card interface from the persistent store on the second device; and

cause the second card interface and a plurality of interactive functions associated with the second card interface to be displayed for the second time.

2. The system according claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to allow an access of the second card interface, and a plurality of interactive functions associated with the second card interface.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the interfacing mode is automatically entered into.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the interfacing mode is manually entered into.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of functions is to message data associated with the first card interface to a third device or another user.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first card interface or the second card interface is a content identification (content-id).

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of functions is an access to an online data source for information pertaining to the content-id.

8. A method, implemented on a processor, for interfacing a television with a second device, comprising:

detecting, using the processor, that the second device is proximal to the television based on proximity information;

activating, using the processor, an interfacing mode between the television and the second device;

receiving, using the processor, a first card interface associated with a display on the television, wherein the first card interface is identified based at least in part on content currently being presented on the television;

storing, using the processor, the first card interface in a persistent store on the second device;

retrieving, using the processor, a plurality of interactive functions associated with the first card interface;

displaying, using the processor, the first card interface along with the plurality of interactive functions associated with the first card interface;

receiving, using the processor on the second device, an input to present a second card interface, wherein the second card interface was previously presented for a first time on the television, and wherein the second card interface was identified based at least in part on content being presented on the television at the first time;

in response to receiving the input on the second device to present the previously presented second card interface for a second time, retrieving, using the processor, the second card interface from the persistent store on the second device; and

causing, using the processor, the second card interface and a plurality of interactive function associated with the second card interface to be presented for the second time on the television.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interfacing mode is automatically entered into.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interfacing mode is manually entered into.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of functions is to message data associated with the first card interface to a third device or another user.

12. A method, implemented on a processor, for interfacing a television with a second device, comprising:

detecting, using the processor, that the second device is proximal to the television based on proximity information;

activating, using the processor, an interfacing mode between the television and the second device;

detecting, using the processor, a content-identification (content-id) associated with the television;

receiving, using the processor, a first card interface associated with the content-id;

storing, using the processor, the first card interface in a persistent store on the second device;

retrieving, using the processor, a plurality of interactive functions associated with the first card interface;

displaying, using the processor, the first card interface along with the associated plurality of interactive functions;

receiving, from the second device, an input to present a second card interface, wherein the second card interface was previously presented for a first time on the television, and wherein the second card interface was identified based at least in part on content being presented on the television at the first time;

in response to receiving the input from the second device to present the previously presented second card interface for a second time, retrieving, using the processor, the second card interface from the persistent store on the second device; and

causing, using the processor, the second card interface and a plurality of interactive function associated with the second card interface to be presented for the second time on the television.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising activating a content-id mode.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein one of the plurality of functions is an access to an online data source for information pertaining to the content-id.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the interfacing mode is automatically entered into.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the interfacing mode is manually entered into.