Multifunction multimedia device

• US 8,984,626 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James M., Lanier, Brian, Gharaat, Amir H., Cheng, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Thanhnga B
• Assistant Examiner(s): PLECHA, THADDEUS J
• Application Number:
  US12/631,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20110067099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 726/28, 726/21
• US Class Current: 726/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A method for interpreting messages, user-defined alert conditions, voice commands and performing an action in response is described. A method for annotating media content is described. A method for presenting additional content associated with media content identified based on a fingerprint is described. A method for identifying that an advertisement portion of media content is being played based on a fingerprint derived from the media content is described. A method of one media device recording particular media content automatically in response to another media device recording the particular media content is described. A method of concurrently playing media content on multiple devices is described. A method of publishing information associated with recording of media content is described. A method of deriving fingerprints by media devices that meet an idleness criteria is described. A method of loading, modifying, and displaying a high definition frame from a frame buffer is described. A method of recording or playing media content identified based on fingerprints is described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of users, by a media device comprising a processor, based on two or more voice samples;

receiving a voice command from one or more users of the plurality of users;

determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users;

responsive to determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users, interpreting the voice command received from the one or more users of the plurality of users, based on user preferences included in at least two or more user profiles, to select one or more actions associated with the voice command, at least one action of the one or more actions involving the media device sending a request to a remote server over an internet connection;

wherein each of the two or more user profiles is associated with a different user of the two or more users of the plurality of users;

performing, by the media device, the one or more actions.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises configuring the media device based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises making a purchase based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interpreting step comprises determining that one or more users of the plurality of users has permission for executing the one or more actions associated with the voice command.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interpreting step comprises selecting media content for playing or recording based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the voice command is interpreted based on a language in which the voice command was received from the one or more users of the plurality of users.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a first user preference is included in more of the two or more user profiles than a second user preference;

selecting the one or more actions associated with the voice command based on the first user preference.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a sequence of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause performing steps comprising:

identifying a plurality of users, by a media device comprising a processor, based on two or more voice samples;

receiving a voice command from one or more users of the plurality of users;

determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users;

responsive to determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users, interpreting the voice command received from the one or more users of the plurality of users, based on user preferences included in at least two or more user profiles, to select one or more actions associated with the voice command, at least one action of the one or more actions involving the media device sending a request to a remote server over an internet connection;

wherein each of the two or more user profiles is associated with a different user of the two or more users of the plurality of users;

performing, by the media device, the one or more actions.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises configuring the media device based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises making a purchase based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the interpreting step comprises determining that one or more users of the plurality of users has permission for executing the one or more actions associated with the voice command.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the interpreting step comprises selecting media content for playing or recording based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the voice command is interpreted based on a language in which the voice command was received from the one or more users of the plurality of users.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the sequence of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause performing steps comprising:

determining that a first user preference is included in more of the two or more user profiles than a second user preference;

selecting the one or more actions associated with the voice command based on the first user preference.

15. An apparatus comprising:

an identification subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that identifies a plurality of users based on two or more voice samples;

a voice command interpretation subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that;

receives a voice command from one or more users of the plurality of users;

determines that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users;

responsive to determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users, interprets the voice command received from the one or more users of the plurality of users, based on user preferences included in at least two or more user profiles, to select one or more actions associated with the voice command, at least one action of the one or more actions involving a media device sending a request to a remote server over an internet connection;

wherein each of the two or more user profiles is associated with a different user of the two or more users of the plurality of users;

an action performance subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that performs the one or more actions.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises configuring the media device based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises making a purchase based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the voice command interpretation subsystem determines that the one or more users of the plurality of users has permission for executing the one or more actions associated with the voice command.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the voice command interpretation subsystem selects media content for playing or recording based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the voice command interpretation subsystem interprets the voice command based on a language in which the voice command was received from the one or more users of the plurality of users.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the voice command interpretation subsystem determines that a first user preference is included in more of the two or more user profiles than a second user preference;

the voice command interpretation subsystem selects the one or more actions associated with the voice command based on the first user preference.