Transcoder enabled cloud of remotely controlled devices

• US 9,736,546 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ferren, Bran
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US14/789,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20160098920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 340 123, 340 124, 340 125, 340 1253, 340 561, 34082569, 341176, 370401, 370487, 709223, 709225, 725 37, 725 40
• 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:

a transceiver; and

a processing component communicatively coupled to the transceiver, the processing component comprising a transcoder control module operative on the processing component to;

receive a plurality of control directives from an input device;

sort the plurality of control directives into a sequence; and

relay the plurality of control directives via the transceiver to a first destination device based in part on the sorted sequence.

2. The transcoder device of claim 1, wherein the first destination device is a television display and at least one of the plurality of control directives comprises an indication to power on, power off, change a channel, increase a volume level, decrease a volume level, dim a light source, or change a television display mode.

3. The transcoder device of claim 2, the transcoder control module operative on the processing component to relay at least one of the plurality of control directives to the first destination device based in part on the sorted sequence and relay at least another one of the plurality of control directives to a second destination device.

4. The transcoder device of claim 3, wherein the second destination device is an auxiliary source device and at least one of the plurality of control directives comprises an indication to power on, power off, select a media stream, start the media stream, or pause the media stream.

5. The transcoder device of claim 4, the transcoder control module operative on the processing component to receive a control directive macro, the control directive macro to include an indication of the plurality of control directives.

6. The transcoder device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of transceivers, the transceiver a one of the plurality of transceivers, the transcoder control module to receive the plurality of control directives via a first one of the plurality of transceivers.

7. The transcoder device of claim 6, the transcoder control module to relay the at least one of the plurality of control directives to the first destination device via a second one of the plurality of transceivers.

8. The transcoder device of claim 7, the transcoder control module to relay the at least another one of the plurality of control directives to the second destination device via a third one of the plurality of transceivers.

9. The transcoder device of claim 1, the transcoder control module operative on the processing component to:

receive control signals from a sensor; and

confirm execution of at least one of the control directives based on the control signal.

10. The transcoder device of claim 9, wherein the sensor is a thermometer, a microphone, a video camera, a light sensor, or a motion detector.

11. The transcoder device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises an infrared (IR) transceiver, an radio frequency (RF) transceiver, an ultrasonic transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and a WiFi transceiver.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of control directives from an input device;

sorting the plurality of control directives into a sequence; and

relaying the plurality of control directives via a transceiver to a first destination device based in part on the sorted sequence.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first destination device is a television display and at least one of the plurality of control directives comprises an indication to power on, power off, change a channel, increase a volume level, decrease a volume level, dim a light source, or change a television display mode.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

relaying at least one of the plurality of control directives to the first destination device based in part on the sorted sequence; and

relaying at least another one of the plurality of control directives to a second destination device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second destination device is an auxiliary source device and at least one of the plurality of control directives comprises an indication to power on, power off, select a media stream, start the media stream, or pause the media stream.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising receiving a control directive macro, the control directive macro to include an indication of the plurality of control directives.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising receiving the plurality of control directives via a first one of a plurality of transceivers.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising relaying the at least one of the plurality of control directives to the first destination device via a second one of the plurality of transceivers.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising relaying the at least another one of the plurality of control directives to the second destination device via a third one of the plurality of transceivers.

20. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a plurality of control directives from an input device;

sort the plurality of control directives into a sequence; and

relay the plurality of control directives via a transceiver to a first destination device based in part on the sorted sequence.

21. The at least one non-transitory-readable storage medium of claim 20, comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

relay at least one of the plurality of control directives to the first destination device based in part on the sorted sequence; and

relay at least another one of the plurality of control directives to a second destination device.

22. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 21, comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive a control directive macro, the control directive macro to include an indication of the plurality of control directives.

23. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive the plurality of control directives via a first one of a plurality of transceivers.

24. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to relay the at least one of the plurality of control directives to the first destination device via a second one of the plurality of transceivers.

25. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to relay the at least another one of the plurality of control directives to the second destination device via a third one of the plurality of transceivers.