Collaborative configuration of a media environment

• US 9,213,230 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Amidon, Christopher M., Issa, Alfredo C., Walsh, Richard J., Black, Gary W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Razu
• Application Number:
  US13/650,244
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 8/4093 characterised by the apparatus used
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/908 Electronic or computer, internal or network, circuit

Abstract

A system and method for collaboratively providing configurations for a media environment are provided. In general, configuration events from a number of media environments are collected and provided to a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) server. Based on the configuration events, the CCS server generates and provides recommended configurations to a media environment. The recommended configurations may be generated prior to or after receiving a request for recommended configurations from the media environment. In one embodiment, the recommended configurations are provided as a recommended configuration profile providing a set of configurations to be applied at the media environment. In another embodiment, the recommended configurations are provided as a CCS track associated with a particular media presentation. The CCS track includes configuration changes to be applied to the media environment for a number of time slices of the media presentation during playback of the media presentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving configuration events of media devices located in a plurality of media environments;

generating recommended configurations for a media device in a media environment separate from media environments in the plurality of media environments, wherein the configurations are based on the configuration events of the media devices located in the plurality of media environments, wherein each of the configuration events is associated with one of a plurality of media presentations, and generating the recommended configurations comprises;

identifying ones of the configuration events associated with a desired one of the plurality of media presentations;

generating a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) track for the desired one of the plurality of media presentations based on the ones of the configuration events associated with the desired one of the plurality of media presentations, the CCS track comprising configuration changes for a plurality of time slices of the media presentation; and

providing the CCS track as the recommended configurations for the media environment to the media device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the configuration events is further associated with a point during playback of one of the plurality of media presentations, and generating the CCS track comprises:

for each one of the plurality of time slices, identifying ones of the configuration events associated with the desired one of the plurality of media presentations occurring within the one of the plurality of time slices; and

generating the CCS track based on the ones of the configuration events identified for each one of the plurality of time slices.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising filtering the ones of the configuration events associated with the desired one of the plurality of media presentations based on at least one criterion to provide filtered configuration events, and wherein generating the CCS track comprises generating the CCS track based on the filtered configuration events.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one criterion is at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of:

a media presentation associated with desired ones of the configuration events, at least one environment identifier associated with desired ones of the configuration events, a time of day, at least one primary user associated with desired ones of the configuration events, a primary user skill level associated with desired ones of the configuration events, demographic information, and user preferences.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the recommended configurations to the media environment; and

automatically configuring the media environment based on the recommended configurations.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the recommended configurations based on user preferences to provide customized configurations; and

automatically configuring the media environment based on the customized configurations.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the recommended configurations to the media environment;

adjusting the recommended configurations at the media environment based on user preferences to provide customized configurations; and

automatically configuring the media environment based on the customized configurations.

8. A media environment for a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) comprising:

a plurality of devices comprising a media player and at least one additional device;

a plurality of event loggers adapted to detect configuration events on the plurality of devices;

a CCS client configured to;

obtain the configuration events of the plurality of devices from the plurality of event loggers; and

provide the configuration events of the plurality of devices to a CCS server via a network, wherein the CCS server provides recommended configurations to a second user environment based on configuration events including the configuration events of the plurality of devices from a plurality of media environments including the media environment.

9. A server for a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the server to a plurality of media environments via a network;

a control system associated with the communication interface and configured to;

receive configuration events of media devices located in the plurality of media environments;

generate recommended configurations for a media device in a media environment separate from media environments in the plurality of media environments, wherein the configurations are based on the configuration events of the media devices located in the plurality of media environments;

identify ones of the configuration events associated with a desired one of the plurality of media presentations;

generate a Collaborative Configuration System (CCS) track for the desired one of the plurality of media presentations based on the ones of the configuration events associated with the desired one of the plurality of media presentations, the CCS track comprising configuration changes for a plurality of time slices of the media presentation; and

provide the CCS track as the recommended configurations for the media environment to the media device.

10. The server of claim 9 wherein each of the configuration events is further associated with a point during playback of one of the plurality of media presentations, and the control system is further configured to:

for each one of the plurality of time slices, identify ones of the configuration events associated with the desired one of the plurality of media presentations occurring within the one of the plurality of time slices; and

generate the CCS track based on the ones of the configuration events identified for each one of the plurality of time slices.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the control system is further configured to:

filter the ones of the configuration events associated with the desired one of the plurality of media presentations based on at least one criterion to provide filtered configuration events, and wherein generating the CCS track comprises generating the CCS track based on the filtered configuration events.