Method and system for controlling a user receiving device using voice commands

• US 9,894,312 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pontual, Romulo, Cansino, Don E., Chan, Yeung K., Bonovich, Earl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ORTIZ SANCHEZ, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/832,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/632 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/063 Training
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/0638 Interactive procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 : sound input device, e.g. microphone
• 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 21/42209 : for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 : Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• 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 21/42224 : Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 : involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4398 : involving reformatting operations of audio signals details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 : using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 : Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 : for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 : End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 : for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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 21/6143 : involving transmission via a satellite
• 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 includes a language processing module converting an electrical signal corresponding to an audible signal into a textual signal. The system further includes a command generation module converting the textual signal into a user receiving device control signal. A controller controls a function of a user receiving device in response to the user receiving device control signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an audible signal at a mobile device corresponding to a request for searching;

converting the audible signal into a textual signal corresponding to the request for searching;

converting the textual signal into a hypertext transfer protocol signal corresponding to the request for searching for commanding performance of a search at a head end;

receiving, at the mobile device, search results from the head end;

exchanging signals between the user receiving device and the mobile device;

thereafter, determining, at the mobile device, whether a user receiving device and the mobile device are located within a first local area network by comparing network identifiers in the signals exchanged between the user receiving device and the mobile device;

when the mobile device and the user receiving device are located in the first local area network as determined in the mobile device, communicating the search results from the mobile device to the user receiving device through a router of the first local area network;

displaying the search results at the user receiving device and controlling the screen display of the search results from the mobile device; and

when the mobile device and the user receiving device are not located in the first local area network, interacting with the search results only from the mobile device and initiating a remote booking process by which a conditional access packet is communicated to the user receiving device through a network to cause the user receiving device to record content at a predetermined time and from a predetermined channel.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving an audible signal at a mobile device and converting the audible signal to an electrical signal corresponding to the audible signal at the mobile device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising converting the electrical signal to the textual signal in a language processing module located remotely from the mobile device.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising converting the electrical signal to the textual signal in a language processing module of the mobile device.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising converting the electrical signal to the textual signal in a language processing module of the user receiving device.

6. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising converting the electrical signal to the textual signal in a language processing module of a head end.

7. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising converting the electrical signal to the textual signal in a language processing module located remotely from the mobile device and wherein converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal comprises converting the textual signal to the user receiving device control signal at a command generation module located remotely from the mobile device and the language processing module.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving an audible signal at a remote control device associated with the user receiving device and converting the audible signal to an electrical signal corresponding to the audible signal at the remote control device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal comprises converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal at a command generation module.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal comprises converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal at a command generation module of a mobile device.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal comprises converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal at a command generation module of the user receiving device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal comprises converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal at a command generation module of a head end.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal comprises converting the textual signal into the user receiving device control signal at a command generation module coupled to a network.

14. A system comprising:

a head end;

a mobile device receiving an audible signal corresponding to a request for searching;

a language processing module converting an electrical signal corresponding to the audible signal into a textual signal corresponding to the request for searching;

a command generation module converting the textual signal into a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) command corresponding to the request for searching for commanding performance of a search at the head end based on the textual signal;

said user receiving device exchanging signals with the mobile device;

a first controller of the mobile device determining whether the user receiving device and the mobile device are in a first local area network by comparing network identifiers in signals exchanged between the user receiving device and the mobile device;

said mobile device, communicating the search results to the user receiving device when the mobile device is in the first local area network determined in the mobile device through a router of the first local area network;

said user receiving device, when the mobile device is in the first local area network, displaying the search results;

said mobile device controlling the screen display of the search results at the user receiving device;

when the mobile device and the user receiving device are not located in the first local area network, said mobile device interacting only with the search results on the display of the mobile device and initiating a remote booking process by which a conditional access packet is communicated to the user receiving device through a network to cause the user receiving device to record content at a predetermined time and from a predetermined channel.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 further comprising a microphone coupled to a mobile device converting the audible signal to an electrical signal.

16. The system as recited in claim 15 wherein the language processing module is located remotely from the mobile device.

17. The system as recited in claim 15 wherein the language processing module is disposed in the mobile device.

18. The system as recited in claim 15 wherein the language processing module is located remotely from the mobile device and wherein the command generation module is located remotely from the mobile device and the language processing module.

19. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the language processing module is disposed in the user receiving device.

20. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the language processing module is disposed in a head end.

21. The system as recited in claim 14 further comprising a remote control device converting the audible signal to the electrical signal.

22. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the command generation module is disposed in a mobile device.

23. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the command generation module is disposed in the user receiving device.

24. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the command generation module is disposed in a head end.

25. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the command generation module is coupled to a network.