Method and system for configuring media-playing sets

• US 8,689,253 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hallberg, Bryan Severt, Feather, Gary A., Borden, George Rome, Shivaji-Rao, Vishnu-Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chae, Kyu
• Application Number:
  US11/367,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20070209047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,951 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/46, 725/52, 715/744, 715/747
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/42204 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A remote support site having a detector internally collecting information on a user-selectable intrinsic broadcast characteristic of a media-playing set or television and a server enabling specification of a preferred setting for such characteristic from this information. A method including maintaining a remote site, therefrom internally collecting information from the set about a user-selectable intrinsic broadcast characteristic, and therefrom specifying a preferred setting for such characteristic. A similar method but information detected upon user request about user-adjustable component for selecting on-screen characteristic and final step is remotely adjusting component. A similar method but information is about broadcast characteristic potentially selectable initially by user instead remotely specified initially. A similar method but information is about plural broadcast characteristics and final step is remotely providing settings for each. Two methods on menu-free TV control via remote and a method listing possible broadcast outcomes so user can readily target outcome to resolve.

Claims

1. A method for helping a plurality of end users configure respective consumer video sets, said method comprising:

(a) maintaining a remote support site supporting each of said plurality of end users and remotely located from each of said end users;

(b) presenting to the users of each said video set a plurality of presented combinations of settings available for said video sets, each one of said settings related to user-selectable parameters that influence the manner in which a user perceives content existentially presented by a said consumer video set, and each having a range of selectable values, and prompting said users to specify at least one of said plurality of presented combinations;

(c) configuring each said video set by automatically and remotely selecting from said support site, for each setting in the user-specified at least one of said plurality of presented combinations, a respective value within the said range of selectable values associated with said user-specified one of said plurality of settings;

(d) where said step of presenting a plurality of combinations of settings includes the steps of;

(i) accessing the respective settings favored in previous viewing contexts by users outside of the location of said respective set, statistically analyzing automatically the outside favored settings to determine the mutually integrable outside settings most frequently favored by said outside users in previous viewing contexts substantially matching a setup context specified by a said user, and automatically presenting said most frequently favored mutually integrable outside settings as a first one of said presented combinations; and

(ii) enabling each said user to selectively indicate approval or disapproval of said presented combination using a remote device, and if disapproval is indicated, successively repeating said presenting and enabling for other statistically analyzed said combinations, each successive other said presented combination being favored less frequently than the combination presented in a preceding iteration.

2. The method of claim 1 including the step of prompting said user to specify additional ones of said settings based on said user-specified at least one selection.

3. The method of claim 1 including performing said step of prompting free of displaying any on-screen menu.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said most frequently favored mutually integrable selections include a picture setting.

5. The method of claim 1 including providing the remote control device having a thumbs up- and a thumbs down button for enabling said user to indicate approval and disapproval, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1 further including, after completing said setup, remotely detecting at said support site the viewing selections favored in various viewing contexts by the individual users within the location of each respective set, statistically analyzing automatically the individually favored viewing selections to determine the mutually integrable individual viewing selections most frequently favored by said individual users in viewing contexts substantially matching a presently ongoing viewing context of a specific user of said respective set, and remotely configuring from said support site said respective set in accordance with said most frequently favored mutually integrable individual viewing selections.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said most frequently favored mutually integrable viewing selections include picture settings and sound settings and said presently ongoing viewing context is characterized by the program category of a channel setting selected by said specific user.

8. A method for helping a plurality of end users configure respective media-playing sets comprising:

(a) maintaining a remote support site supporting each of said plurality of end users and remotely located from each of said end users;

(b) remotely configuring a respective set from said support site using a first one of a plurality of predetermined combinations of at least two values, each value being within a respective range of values associated with a respectively different setting for said multimedia playing set, each said setting related to user-selectable parameters that influence the manner in which a user perceives content existentially presented by a said consumer video sets, and each capable of manual configuration by said user, said first one of a plurality of different combinations being remotely configured by accessing the respective selections favored by users outside of the location of said respective set, and statistically analyzing automatically the outside favored selections to determine the mutually integrable outside selections most frequently favored by said outside users;

(c) enabling the user of said set to reject said one of plurality of predetermined combinations of at least two values using a remote device; and

(d) selectively and remotely configuring said respective set using a second one of said plurality of predetermined combinations of at least two values if said user rejects said first one of said plurality of predetermined combinations of different values, said second one of said plurality of predetermined combinations being remotely configured by accessing the respective selections favored by users outside of the location of said respective set, statistically analyzing automatically the outside favored selections to determine the next-most frequently favored mutually integrable outside selections favored by said outside users;

(e) repeating steps (c) and (d) until said user does not reject the most recently presented one of said plurality of different combinations.

9. The method of claim 8 including continually revising said plurality of predetermined combinations of at least two values.

10. The method of claim 9 including revising said plurality of predetermined combinations of at least two values to include those ones of said sets of values most frequently identified historically as targeted ones by the users of said sets.

11. The method claim 8 including remotely recording a selected combinations of values if not rejected and later reusing said selected set of values in a later repeating of said remotely specifying step.

12. The method of claim 8 including remotely configuring said set in response to a request for help by the user of the respective set.