MULTIPLE USER CONTROL OF A DOWN LOADABLE APPLICATION

• US 20090113417A1
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Vrijsen, Alexander P.P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/178
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• 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 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4433 Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP]
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34

Abstract

Control of an operation of a multimedia terminal by an application, for example, a game or interactive television module, using remote control input signal is provided. An application is downloaded (S1), input signals from remote control units (RC-1, RC-2, RC-N) are received (S3) at the multimedia terminal, a message, including a source indication indicating the remote control from which the input signal was received, is sent (S5) to the downloaded application. According to the downloaded application, the operation of the multimedia terminal is controlled (S6) based on the source indication. The message may be sent to the downloaded application by an application program interface-based module resident at the multimedia terminal. A disable signal to disable a key could be transmitted to one or more of the remote control devices, for example, to disable the key for a specified time or a specified turn of a user.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an operation of a multimedia terminal by an application, the method comprising:

downloading (S1) via a network the application to the multimedia terminal;

receiving (S3) at the multimedia terminal an input signal from a first remote control;

receiving (S3) at the multimedia terminal the input signal from a second remote control;

sending (S5) a message to the downloaded application, the message including a source indication, based on the input signal, indicating whether the input signal was received from the first remote control or the second remote control; and

controlling (S6), according to the downloaded application, the operation of the multimedia terminal based on the source indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is sent to the downloaded application by an application program interface-based module resident at the multimedia terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a type indication indicating a type of the remote control from which the input signal was received.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the type indication indicates at least one of a keypad, a keyboard, a joystick, and a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending of the message includes sending a key indication indicating a key of the remote control from which the input signal was received.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a disable signal to disable a key to at least one of the first remote control device and the second remote control device by the multimedia terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the disable signal disables the key for at least one of a specified time and a specified turn of a user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloaded application is one of a game module and an interactive television module.

9. A computer readable medium embodying a program of instructions for controlling an operation of a multimedia terminal by an application, said program comprising:

instructions for downloading via a network the application to the multimedia terminal;

instructions for receiving at the multimedia terminal an input signal from a first remote control;

instructions for receiving at the multimedia terminal the input signal from a second remote control;

instructions for sending a message to the downloaded application, the message including a source indication, based on the input signal, indicating whether the input signal was received from the first remote control or the second remote control; and

instructions for controlling, according to the downloaded application, the operation of the multimedia terminal based on the source indication.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for sending the message to the downloaded application comprise an application program interface-based module resident at the multimedia terminal.

11. The medium of claim 9, comprising instructions for generating a signal to disable a key transmitted to at least one of the first remote control device and the second remote control device by the multimedia terminal, the disable signal disabling the key for at least one of a specified time and a specified turn of a user.

12. A system of controlling an operation of a multimedia terminal by an application, the method comprising:

an application installer (1-12) configured to download via a network, a broadcast stream, another medium, or a combination of these the application to the multimedia terminal;

a user interface (1-11) configured to receive at the multimedia terminal an input signal from a first remote control;

said user interface (1-11) configured to receive at the multimedia terminal the input signal from a second remote control;

a message generator (1-14) configured to send a message to the downloaded application, the message including a source indication, based on the input signal, indicating whether the input signal was received from the first remote control or the second remote control; and

a downloaded application module (1-15) configured to control the operation of the multimedia terminal based on the source indication.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said message generator sends the message to the downloaded application by means of an application program interface—

based module.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said message generator generates the message

to include a type indication indicating a type of the remote control from which the input signal was received.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the type is at least one of a keypad, a keyboard, a joystick, and a combination of these.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said message generator generates the message to include a key indication indicating a key of the remote control from which the input signal was received.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said user interface is configured to transmit a disable signal to disable a key to at least one of the first remote control device and the second remote control device by the multimedia terminal.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the disable signal disables the key for at least one of a specified time and a specified turn of a user.

19. The system of claim 12, comprising an N-th remote control, N being an integer greater than 2.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the downloaded application is one of a game module and an interactive television module.