Control of IPTV using second device

• US 8,407,755 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Xiong, True, McCoy, Charles, Pedlow, Leo M., Wong, Ling Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHNURR, JOHN R
• Application Number:
  US12/844,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20120030701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 725/85, 725/86, 725/91, 725/93, 725/98, 725/100, 725/105, 725/109, 725/110, 725/114, 725/116, 725/118, 725/119, 725/131
• US Class Current: 725/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65

Abstract

An IPTV may be controlled in part by a second user consumer electronic (CE) device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or laptop computer. The IPTV obtains system credentials from a management server to access multiple content servers, and the second CE device can browse Internet content available to the IPTV by accessing a proxy server, which coordinates with the management server and content serves to obtain necessary credentials and information for the second CE device.

Claims

1. System for enabling a user to use a control device to browse assets and select an asset to have a main Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) client play the content, the system comprising:

Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) client device including an IPTV client processor controlling a video display to present content thereon;

control device including a control processor;

management server communicating with the IPTV client over the Internet, the management server and IPTV client communicating with at least one content server such that the content server provides audio video content to the IPTV client for presentation of the content on the video display of the IPTV client;

proxy server communicating with the management server and the control device;

wherein the IPTV client sends login information to the management server which returns to the IPTV client a user token that must subsequently be presented by the IPTV client to the content server to obtain content from the content server, the management server receiving and storing a local IP address of the IPTV client, further wherein

responsive to the control device sending a request to the proxy server for an executable utility, the proxy server returns the utility to the control device, further wherein

the control device executing the utility prompts a user to input to the control device login information, further wherein

the proxy server, responsive to reception of correct login information from the control device, returns the local IP address of the IPTV client to the control device, further wherein

the control device uses the local IPTV address to access the IPTV client directly to request information about the IPTV client, which information is returned from the IPTV client to the control device such that the local address of the IPTV client need not be globally addressable, further wherein

the control device sends the information about the IPTV client to the proxy server, requesting a list of services available to the IPTV client from one or more content servers, further wherein

the proxy server relays the request for a list of services to the management server, which returns the list of services to the proxy server, the proxy server in turn sending the list of services to the control device for presentation of information on the video display, further wherein

responsive to a user selection of an element on the list of services, the control device sends a request for a software asset corresponding to the element to the proxy server, the proxy server requesting a service login of the content server providing the asset, further wherein

the content server provides to the proxy server a list of assets or categories or services which relays the list to the control device, further wherein

the list of assets or categories or services is presented on the video display of the control device so that the user can navigate to enter a selection, wherein responsive to the selection the control device sends a command to the IPTV client to play the selection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the IPTV client requests of the management server information about the selection received from the control device, the information being returned from the management server to the IPTV client to enable the IPTV client to play content associated therewith.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy server requests of the content server a list of options, and the list of options is returned to the proxy server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein asset information is requested by the IPTV client and returned thereto by the content server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a service login received from the control device is sent by the IPTV client to the content server and a service token returned to the IPTV client in response.

6. Proxy server assembly comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one network interface communicating with the processor to establish communication between the processor and a wide area network;

at least one computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor and bearing logic causing the processor to;

receive login information from a control device;

responsive to a determination that the login information is correct, sending to the control device a local IP address of an IPTV client associated with the login information;

receiving from the control device information about the IPTV client requesting a list of services available to the IPTV client from at least one content server;

sending a request for the list of services to a management server;

receiving from the management server the list of services;

sending the list of services to the control device for presentation of information on a video display thereof;

receiving from the control device a request for a software asset;

responsive to the request for the software asset requesting a service login of the content server;

receiving from the content server a list of assets or categories or services; and

sending the list of assets or categories or services to the control device, whereby the list of assets or categories or services can be presented on a video display of the control device so that a user can navigate to enter a selection to command the IPTV client to play the selection.

7. The proxy server of claim 6, wherein responsive to receiving from the control device a request for an executable utility, the processor returns the utility to the control device, the utility being configured to prompt a user to input to the control device login information.

8. The proxy server of claim 6, wherein the IPTV client requests of the management server information about the selection received from the control device, the information being returned from the management server to the IPTV client to enable the IPTV client to play content associated therewith.

9. The proxy server of claim 6, wherein the processor of the proxy server requests of the content server a list of options, and the list of options is returned to the proxy server.

10. The proxy server of claim 6, wherein asset information is requested by the IPTV client and returned thereto by the content server.

11. The proxy server of claim 6, wherein a service login received from the control device is sent by the IPTV client to the content server and a service token returned to the IPTV client in response.