Synchronization of favorites and/or recently viewed lists between registered content playback devices

• US 10,200,756 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wong, Ling Jun, McCoy, Charles, Xiong, True
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven P
• Application Number:
  US13/076,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,868 Days
• Field of Search: 715719, 715748, 715749, 715751-754, 715778, 715704, 715721-726, 715756, 715744-747, 345 23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating and employing software to handle the playback of media, especially video, in browsers that, in addition to or instead of playing the media in the browser, may use second display protocols to instruct a separate display device to play the media. The software can of any type that can transmit the content or specify a network location of the content item for subsequent playback to a content playback device. In one implementation, the software may be in the form of a web browser or other application that is configured to use for the playback of selected media types. The browser maintains a list of favorite and/or recently viewed services and content items and is configured to filter the list to include only those content items, or services with such content items, available for play back on the separate content playback device. In this way, favorite content items and services and/or recently viewed content items and services are made accessible using the second display on any content playback device registered with the user.

Claims

1. A method of viewing on a second display a list of favorite and/or recently-viewed elements, the elements corresponding to service providers accessible by a selected content playback device, comprising:

i. establishing a communication session between a second display and a source of content, the communication session associated with a user account of a user;

ii. receiving on the second display an identifier of a content playback device specified by the user on which content is to be played back, the second display configured to control playback of content items on the content playback device;

iii. accessing from the second display a list of favorite or recently-viewed elements, the elements corresponding to service providers available to the user account, the user account associated with a plurality of content playback devices;

iv. wherein the accessing includes filtering the list on the second display, the filtered list including only those service providers offering content items available for playback on the specified content playback device, wherein the filtering includes removing service providers offering only content items that are not available because they are not playable on the specified content playback device, and wherein the filtering also includes removing service providers offering content items that are not available because the content items from the service provider are not available to the content playback device specified by the user because the user account is not affiliated with the service provider;

v. receiving on the second display a selection of a service provider from the filtered list; and

vi. transmitting an indication of the selection from the second display to the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instantiating a second display application on the second display;

playing back at least a portion of a specified content item from the service provider selected from the filtered list in the second display application; and

receiving user input in the second display application, the user input causing the specified content item to play back in the specified content playback device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtered list is presented in a web browser on the second display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing, filtering and delivering the list is performed in response to a user request.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the content playback device is located on a common local network with the second display, and wherein the causing includes transmitting the content item to the content playback device over the local network.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the causing includes transmitting the content item to the content playback device over a wired or wireless direct connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of content is a service provider.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting to the second display a filtered list of favorite service providers and/or recently viewed service providers that are accessible to the specified content playback device;

receiving from the second display a selection of a first content item from one of the service providers;

placing the first content item in a queue;

receiving from the second display a selection of a second content item from another of the service providers; and

placing the second content item in a queue.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions for causing a computing device to implement the method of claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of content is a management server or a proxy server.