Mosaic focus control

• US 10,045,063 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Martch, Henry Gregg, Gratton, Max Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US15/433,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42607 for processing the incoming bitstream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Various arrangements for controlling presentation of the video mosaic are presented. A television receiver may store a front-end switching condition and a back-end switching condition. The front-end switching condition may define criteria occurring within a piece of content that triggers when focus is to switch from the piece of content to another piece of content. The back-end switching condition may define when focus is to switch to a higher-ranked piece of content. The television receiver may output to a presentation device, the video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented within a plurality of tiles. The television receiver may control focus among the plurality of tiles within the video mosaic based on the front-end switching condition and the back-end switching condition, wherein one tile from the plurality of tiles receives focus at a given time.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

one or more tuners that receive broadcast television programming;

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with, and readable by, the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a front-end switching condition and a back-end switching condition, wherein;

the front-end switching condition defines criteria occurring within a piece of content that triggers when focus is to switch from the piece of content to another piece of content; and

the back-end switching condition defines when focus is to switch to a higher-ranked piece of content;

cause the television receiver to output, to a presentation device, a video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented within a plurality of tiles, wherein;

the plurality of pieces of content are received as part of the broadcast television programming via the one or more tuners;

the plurality of pieces of content are ranked; and

each piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content is individually presented within a tile of the plurality of tiles;

control focus among the plurality of tiles within the video mosaic based on the front-end switching condition and the back-end switching condition, wherein one tile from the plurality of tiles receives focus at a given time; and

execute an audio management engine that selects an audio stream from a plurality of audio streams that are decoded from a compressed format by a decoder module for output, wherein the plurality of audio streams is linked with the plurality of pieces of content and the audio stream is selected for output by the audio management engine at least partially based on which tile of the plurality of tiles has focus, wherein only one audio stream of the plurality of audio streams is output at a given time.

2. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the back-end switching condition requires the front-end switching condition to end on any piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content that is higher ranked than the piece of content that currently has focus in order for focus to switch based on the back-end switching condition.

3. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the back-end switching condition requires the front-end switching condition to end on a highest-ranked piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content in order for focus to switch based on the back-end switching condition.

4. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the back-end switching condition specifies a minimum amount of time on which focus is maintained on a tile before focus is changed to another tile presenting a higher ranked piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content.

5. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the back-end switching condition is implemented when the front-end switching condition occurs with the piece of content present in the one tile currently receiving focus.

6. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the criteria of the front-end switching condition is an occurrence of a commercial break.

7. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to cause the television receiver to output for presentation the one tile larger than other tiles of the plurality of tiles.

8. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to cause the television receiver to an audio stream linked with the piece of content presented within the one tile currently selected for focus, wherein no other audio stream is output concurrently.

9. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein a tile of the plurality of tiles presents web-based content received via a network interface of the television receiver.

10. The television receiver of claim 9, wherein the web-based content is periodically updated and the tile presenting the web-based content does not receive focus.

11. A method for controlling presentation of a video mosaic, the method comprising:

storing, by a television receiver, a front-end switching condition and a back-end switching condition, wherein;

the front-end switching condition defines criteria occurring within a piece of content that triggers when focus is to switch from the piece of content to another piece of content; and

the back-end switching condition defines when focus is to switch to a higher-ranked piece of content;

receiving, via one or more tuners of the television receiver, broadcast television programming;

outputting, by the television receiver, to a presentation device, the video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented within a plurality of tiles, wherein;

the plurality of pieces of content are received as part of the broadcast television programming via the one or more tuners;

the plurality of pieces of content are ranked; and

each piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content is individually presented within a tile of the plurality of tiles;

controlling, by the television receiver, focus among the plurality of tiles within the video mosaic based on the front-end switching condition and the back-end switching condition, wherein one tile from the plurality of tiles receives focus at a given time; and

outputting an audio stream selected from a plurality of audio streams that are decoded from a compressed format by a decoder module for output, wherein the plurality of audio streams is linked with the plurality of pieces of content and the audio stream is selected for output by the audio management engine at least partially based on which tile of the plurality of tiles has focus, wherein only one audio stream of the plurality of audio streams is output at a given time.

12. The method for controlling presentation of the video mosaic of claim 11, wherein the back-end switching condition requires the front-end switching condition to end on any piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content that is higher ranked than the piece of content that currently has focus in order for focus to switch based on the back-end switching condition.

13. The method for controlling presentation of the video mosaic of claim 11, wherein the back-end switching condition requires the front-end switching condition to end on a highest-ranked piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content in order for focus to switch based on the back-end switching condition.

14. The method for controlling presentation of the video mosaic of claim 11, wherein the back-end switching condition specifies a minimum amount of time on which focus is maintained on a tile before focus is changed to another tile presenting another piece of content.

15. The method for controlling presentation of the video mosaic of claim 11, wherein the back-end switching condition is implemented when the front-end switching condition occurs with the piece of content present in the one tile currently receiving focus.

16. The method for controlling presentation of the video mosaic of claim 11, further comprising:

outputting, by the television receiver, an audio stream linked with the piece of content presented within the one tile currently selected for focus, wherein no other audio stream is output concurrently.

17. The method for controlling presentation of the video mosaic of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of the television receiver, web-based content; and

output, by the television receiver, the web-based content in a tile of the plurality of tiles as part of the video mosaic.

18. The method for controlling presentation of the video mosaic of claim 17, further comprising:

periodically updating, by the television receiver, the web-based content, wherein the tile presenting the web-based content does not receive focus.

19. A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions that cause one or more processors of a television receiver to:

store a front-end switching condition and a back-end switching condition, wherein;

the front-end switching condition defines criteria occurring within a piece of content that triggers when focus is to switch from the piece of content to another piece of content; and

the back-end switching condition defines when focus is to switch to a another piece of content;

cause, via one or more tuners of the television receiver, broadcast programming to be received;

cause the television receiver to output to a presentation device, a video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented within a plurality of tiles, wherein;

the plurality of pieces of content are received as part of the broadcast programming via the one or more tuners;

each piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content is individually presented within a tile of the plurality of tiles;

control focus among the plurality of tiles within the video mosaic based on the front-end switching condition and the back-end switching condition, wherein one tile from the plurality of tiles receives focus at a given time; and

execute an audio management engine that selects an audio stream from a plurality of audio streams that are decoded from a compressed format by a decoder module for output, wherein the plurality of audio streams is linked with the plurality of pieces of content and the audio stream is selected for output by the audio management engine at least partially based on which tile of the plurality of tiles has focus, wherein only one audio stream of the plurality of audio streams is output at a given time.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the back-end switching condition requires:

the front-end switching condition to end on any piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content that is higher ranked than the piece of content that currently has focus in order for focus to switch based on the back-end switching condition;

or

the front-end switching condition to end on a highest-ranked piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content in order for focus to switch based on the back-end switching condition.