TV tutorial widget

• US 8,321,888 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Epstein, Karen, Wong, Ling Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles N
• Application Number:
  US12/321,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20100180292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/40, 725/51, 725/112, 725115-116, 725135-136
• US Class Current: 725/32
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows

Abstract

In certain implementations, a television tutorial Widget method involves providing a tutorial Widget running on a television processor to produce video images rendered as a video overlay that overlays the picture on a television display. The tutorial Widget: loading upon receipt of a command to run the tutorial Widget; identifying an operating state of the television set; retrieving and presenting a list of available tutorial videos associated with the operating state of the television set in the video overlay; identifying a tutorial video selected by a user; and retrieving and playing the tutorial video selected by the user in the video overlay. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A television set, comprising:

a television receiver configured to receive television content from any suitable source of television content for display as a picture on a display;

a television processor residing within the television receiver;

a tutorial Widget configured to run on the television processor to produce video images rendered as a video overlay that overlays the picture on the display;

the tutorial Widget being programmed to;

load for execution on the television processor as a result of the television receiving a user command to run the tutorial Widget;

identify an operating state of the television set;

conduct a search for available tutorial videos that are associated with the identified operating state of the television set in order to retrieve a list of available tutorial videos that are associated with the identified operating state of the television set;

present the list of available tutorial videos associated with the identified operating state of the television set to the user in the video overlay for selection of a tutorial video by the user;

identify a tutorial video selected by a user;

retrieve the tutorial video selected by the user; and

play the tutorial video selected by the user in the video overlay.

2. The television set according to claim 1, wherein the video tutorials are retrieved and played from storage residing within the television set.

3. The television set according to claim 1, wherein the video tutorials are retrieved and played from storage residing on a server accessed via either a home network or over the Internet.

4. The television set according to claim 1, wherein the operating state of the television set is ascertained at least in part by reading state information in a registry.

5. The television set according to claim 1, wherein the operating state of the television set is ascertained at least in part by determining that the television set is in a menu mode, and by a highlighted position of the menu.

6. The television set according to claim 1, wherein the list of available tutorial videos is obtained by a search of resources within the television set combined with a search of resources available from Internet resources.

7. The television set according to claim 1, wherein the Widget further operates to respond to a pause command by stopping and storing a tutorial video identifier and a tutorial time indicator indicating a play position in the tutorial video.

8. The television set according to claim 7, wherein the Widget further operates to unload itself from memory after storing the tutorial video identifier and tutorial time indicator.

9. The television set according to claim 7, wherein the Widget further operates to resume playing the tutorial video upon receipt of a resume command at the time of the video indicated by the time indicator.

10. The television set according to claim 8, wherein the Widget further operates to reload to memory and resume playing the tutorial video upon receipt of a resume command at the time of the video indicated by the time indicator.

11. A television tutorial Widget method, comprising:

providing the tutorial Widget running on a television processor to produce video images rendered as a video overlay that overlays the picture on a television display;

the tutorial Widget;

loading to run on the television processor as a result of the television receiving a user command to run the tutorial Widget;

identifying an operating state of the television set;

conducting a search for available tutorial videos that are associated with the identified operating state of the television set in order to retrieve a list of available tutorial videos that are associated with the identified operating state of the television set;

presenting the list of available tutorial videos associated with the identified operating state of the television set to the user in the video overlay for selection of a tutorial video by the user;

identifying a tutorial video selected by a user;

retrieving the tutorial video selected by the user; and

playing the tutorial video selected by the user in the video overlay.

12. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 11, wherein the Widget runs on a television processor residing at one of a television set and a television set top box.

13. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 11, wherein the video tutorials are retrieved and played from storage residing within a television set.

14. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 11, wherein the video tutorials are retrieved and played from storage residing on a server accessed via either a home network or over the Internet.

15. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 11, wherein the operating state of the television set is ascertained at least in part by reading state information in a registry.

16. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 11, wherein the operating state of the television set is ascertained at least in part by determining that the television set is in a menu mode, and by a highlighted position of the menu.

17. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 11, wherein the list of available tutorial videos is obtained by a search of resources within a television set combined with a search of resources available from Internet resources.

18. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 11, wherein the Widget further operates to respond to a pause command by stopping and storing a tutorial video identifier and a tutorial time indicator indicating a play position in the tutorial video.

19. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 18, wherein the Widget further operates to unload itself from memory after storing the tutorial video identifier and tutorial time indicator.

20. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 18, wherein the Widget further operates to resume playing the tutorial video upon receipt of a resume command at the time of the video indicated by the time indicator.

21. The television tutorial Widget according to claim 19, wherein the Widget further operates to reload to memory and resume playing the tutorial video upon receipt of a resume command at the time of the video indicated by the time indicator.

22. A non-transitory computer readable electronic storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on the programmed television processor, implements the Widget according to claim 11.

23. A television set, comprising:

a television receiver that receives television content from any suitable source of television content for display as a picture on a display;

a television processor residing within the television receiver;

a tutorial Widget running on the television processor to produce video images rendered as a video overlay that overlays the picture on the display;

the tutorial Widget operating to;

load to the television processor as a result of the television receiving a user command to run the tutorial Widget;

identify an operating state of the television by either reading state information in a registry or by determining that the television set is in a menu mode, and by a highlighted position of the menu;

conduct a search for available tutorial videos that are associated with the identified operating state of the television set in order to retrieve a list of available tutorial videos that are associated with the operating state of the television set;

where the list of available tutorial videos is obtained by a search of resources within the television set combined with a search of resources available from Internet resources;

present the list of available tutorial videos associated with the operating state of the television set to the user in the video overlay for selection of a tutorial video by the user;

identify a tutorial video selected by a user;

retrieve the tutorial video selected by the user; and

play the tutorial video selected by the user in the video overlay, wherein the video tutorials are retrieved and played from either storage residing within the television set or from storage residing on a server accessed via either a home network or over the Internet;

respond to a pause command by stopping and storing a tutorial video identifier and a tutorial time indicator indicating a play position in the tutorial video;

resume playing the tutorial video upon receipt of a resume command at the time of the video indicated by the time indicator.

24. The television set according to claim 23, wherein the Widget further operates to unload from memory after storing the video identifier and tutorial time and reload to memory and resume playing the tutorial video upon receipt of a resume command at the time of the video indicated by the time indicator.