METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR CONTROLLING PLAY OF MEDIA STREAMS

• US 20160057469A1
• Filed: 08/25/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sitting Man LLC
• Original Assignee: Sitting Man LLC
• Inventors: Morris, Robert Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/835,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4854 for modifying image parameters, e.g. image brightness, contrast

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for controlling play of media streams. In one aspect, a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players is presented. The operating media players are configured for accessing a presentation device. A user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality of operating media players is received. And, an indication is provided allowing a media player in the selected portion access to the presentation device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling play of media streams, the method comprising:

presenting a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players configured for accessing a first presentation device;

receiving a user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality; and

indicating a media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first presentation device is at least one of a visual, audio, and tactile presentation device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the media control user interface includes at least one of adding a selectable representation identifying an operating media player to and removing a selectable representation identifying a media player from the selectable representations of the plurality.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting includes at least one of opening, resizing, restoring from a minimized state, assigning input focus to, and changing a z-order attribute of a visual component included in the media control user interface.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the media control interface comprising:

detecting an event associated with the media control user interface; and

presenting, in response to detecting the event, the media control user interface.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the event includes receiving a specified user input.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein detecting the event includes detecting a change in an operational state of a media player in the plurality.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the operational state includes at least one of a play state, pause state, stop state, rewind state, and a fast forward state.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein detecting the event includes detecting an access to the first presentation device by a first media player to play a first media stream.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the access is detected while a another media player in the plurality plays a media stream via the first presentation device.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein detecting the access to the first presentation device includes detecting an access to a resource for playing the first media stream via the first presentation device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the resource includes at least one of a semaphore, lock, presentation space, a component of a graphical user interface subsystem, a component of a graphics subsystem, a component of an audio subsystem, a display adapter, a display device, an audio adapter, an audio presentation device, a tactile output subsystem, and a tactile output device, an access control component, a serialization component, a synchronization component.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein presentation space includes a storage location included in at least one of processor memory, secondary storage, a memory of a presentation adapter device, and storage medium of the first presentation device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified selected portion is ordered and indicating includes indicating the media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access according to the order.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein indicating includes at least one of instructing a media player in the plurality to change its mode of operation, intercepting stream data received from a media player in the plurality, changing a state of a thread of a media player in the plurality, and at least one of sending a message and receiving a message via network.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein indicating includes providing access information, to an application included in playing a media stream in the plurality permitting playing of the media stream.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein further comprising indicating a media player, in the plurality and not included in the selected portion, is not allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.

18. A system for controlling play of media streams, the system comprising:

an execution environment including an instruction processing unit configured to process an instruction included in at least one of a media control user interface element handler component, a media selection component, and an access director component;

the media control user interface element handler component configured for presenting a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players configured for accessing a first presentation device;

the media selection component configured for receiving a user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality; and

the access director component configured for indicating a media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.

19. A computer readable medium embodying a computer program, executable by a machine, for controlling play of media streams, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:

presenting a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players configured for accessing a first presentation device;

receiving a user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality; and

indicating a media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.