SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING MEDIA DEVICES

• US 20130208186A1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Malone, Edward D., Williams, George E., Feinstein, Matthew A., KULKARNI, Anant Madhava, DANDE, Jagadish
• Granted Patent: US 8,958,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Systems and methods process an input received from a remote control. A media stream is presented on a display, and the input from the remote control is received at a local device associated with the display. The local device may determine if the input is intended for the local device or a remote device. If the input is intended for the local device, the input may be processed at the local device. Various interface features, for example, may be managed at the local device. If the input is intended for the remote device, a signal may be transmitted from the local device to the remote device to thereby allow the remote device to respond to the input.

Claims

1. A method executable by a local device to process an input received at the local device from a user via a remote control, the method comprising:

receiving a media stream at the local device from a remote device via a network;

presenting the media stream on a display associated with the local device as the media stream is received via the network;

receiving the input from the remote control at the local device associated with the display;

determining if the input is intended for the local device or the remote device that provides the media stream;

if the input is intended for the local device, processing the input at the local device; and

if the input is intended for the remote device, transmitting a signal from the local device to the remote device via the network to thereby allow the remote device to respond to the input.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote device is a placeshifting device that provides the media stream to the local device via the network, and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the signal from the local device to the placeshifting device to thereby change the media stream provided by the placeshifting device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the signal over the network to the remote device to thereby adjust the media stream.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the input is a wireless input.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises recognizing that the input is able to be processed by one of the local device and the remote device, but not by the other.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising establishing the one of the local device and the remote device that is able to process the input as a current active device.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising routing subsequent inputs received from the remote control to the current active device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the subsequent inputs are routed until a subsequent input is received that is not able to be processed by the current active device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the input at the local device comprises displaying an interface for further inputs on the display.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the interface is presented on the display along with the media stream.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the interface comprises a plurality of input options arranged about a periphery of a presentation of the media stream on the display.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the user is able to select one of the plurality of input options by providing the input on the remote control, and wherein the input comprises a direction.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising displaying a second interface in response to the user selection of one of the plurality of input options, wherein the second interface comprises a second plurality of input options.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the second interface is presented adjacent to a presentation of the media stream on the display in a direction that corresponds to the direction of the input.

15. A local system for processing an input received via a remote control from a viewer of a display, the system comprising:

a wireless receiver configured to receive the input from the remote control;

a network interface configured to be coupled to a network;

a display interface configured to be coupled to the display; and

a processor configured to receive the input from the wireless receiver, to receive a media stream from a remote device via the network interface, to present imagery comprising the media stream on the display via the display interface, to process the input at the local system if the input is intended for the local system, and to transmit a signal to the remote device via the network to thereby allow the remote device to respond to the input if the input is intended for the remote device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the system comprises a remote key router module configured to determine whether the input is intended for the local system or the remote device.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the system further comprises an agent application associated with the remote device, and wherein the remote key router module is further configured to route the input to the agent application associated with the remote device if the input is intended for the remote device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the agent application associated with the remote device is configured to transmit the signal to the remote device via the network interface.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the remote device is a placeshifting device.

20. A method of processing an input received from a user via a remote control, the method comprising:

presenting first imagery on a display, wherein the first imagery comprises a presentation of a media stream having a periphery and an interface feature comprising a first plurality of input options, and wherein the presentation of the media stream is shrunken to occupy less than the full screen so that the periphery extends from the presentation of the media stream to the edge of the screen, and so that the first plurality of input options is spatially arranged on the periphery of the presentation of the media stream on the display so as to not obscure the presentation of the media stream, and wherein the options;

receiving the input from the remote control at a local device associated with the display, wherein the input is a directional input having a direction corresponding to a direction from the presentation of the media stream toward one of the first plurality of input options spatially arranged on the periphery; and

in response to the directional input, presenting second imagery on the display, wherein the second imagery comprises a second plurality of input options that is presented adjacent to the presentation of the media stream on the display in a direction from the presentation of the media stream that corresponds to the direction of the input.