Method and system for configuring media-playing sets

• US 9,300,920 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• 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): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bantamoi, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/367,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20070220582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,679 Days
• Field of Search: 725/107, 725108-110, 348/6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17345 Control of the passage of the selected programme

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 media-playing sets comprising:

(a) maintaining a support site;

(b) detecting status information about a respective set remotely from said support site including internally collecting information from the respective set about an intrinsic broadcast characteristic of the respective set, said intrinsic broadcast characteristic having at least two potential settings during use of said respective set, each individually selectable by the user of the respective set through a user-interface; and

(c) remotely configuring, from said support site and without manual assistance from any one of said plurality of users, a preferred one of said potential settings for the respective set using said status information.

2. The method of claim 1 further including detecting setup information about each set.

3. The method of claim 1 further including detecting diagnostic information about the respective set.

4. The method of claim 1 further including detecting usage information about the respective set.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the specifying step includes upgrading the respective set.

6. The method of claim 1 including comparing said status information detected to factory setting information and said specifying step includes resetting said intrinsic broadcast characteristic in accordance with said comparing step.

7. The method of claim 1 including remotely instructing the respective set to run a self-diagnosis program.

8. The method of claim 1 including the steps of analyzing the information detected for each of the end users and determining which viewing characteristics of the sets are most frequently used.

9. The method of claim 1 including performing said detecting and said specifying step securely so as to prevent sharing of said information collected between respective users.

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

(a) maintaining a support site;

(b) detecting status information about a respective set remotely from said support site in response to a request for help from the user of the respective set including internally collecting information about a user-adjustable component of the respective set for selecting an on-screen characteristic during use of said respective set through a user-interface; and

(c) remotely adjusting, from said support site and without manual assistance from any one of said plurality of users, said component using said status information.

11. The method of claim 10 further including enabling the user of the respective set to indicate disapproval of the adjustment made and remotely readjusting said component to a different adjustment setting in the event of said disapproval.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of detecting information includes replicating at said remote site said on-screen image at the respective set.

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

(a) maintaining a support site;

(b) detecting status information about a respective set remotely from said support site including internally collecting information from the respective set about a broadcast characteristic of the respective set, said broadcast characteristic having at least two settings during use of said respective set, each potentially selectable initially by the user of the respective set through a user-interface; and

(c) remotely configuring, from said support site and without manual assistance from any one of said plurality of users, initially for the respective set, a selected one of said potential settings using said status information.

14. The method of claim 13 including providing a computing resource at said remote site and remotely specifying a selected one of said at least two settings by accessing information stored in said computing resource.

15. The method of claim 14 including updating the capability of said remote site to specify the preferred one of said potential settings for each respective set by updating said resources.

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

(a) maintaining a remote support site;

(b) detecting status information about a respective set remotely at said site including internally collecting information from the respective set about at least two broadcast characteristics of the respective set, each characteristic having at least two potential settings during use of said respective set, each setting being separately selectable by the user of the respective set through a user-interface; and

(c) remotely configuring the respective set, from said support site and without manual assistance from any one of said plurality of users, to a preferred one of said potential settings for each of said at least two broadcast characteristics.

17. The method of claim 16 including remotely providing a preferred channel setting, determining another broadcast setting preferred for said channel setting, and remotely specifying said another broadcast setting.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said another broadcast setting is a picture setting.

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

(a) a support station connectable electronically with and remotely situated from each respective set,

(b) each respective set having an intrinsic broadcast characteristic including at least two potential settings during use of said respective set, each individually selectable by the user of the respective set through a user-interface, said support station having a detector adapted to internally collect information from each set including status information about the respective broadcast characteristic of each set; and

(c) said support site including a server enabling configuration of a preferred one of said potential settings, from said support site and without manual assistance from any one of said plurality of users, using said status information.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said support station includes a query component and each respective set includes a monitoring module adapted to automatically retrieve said status information in response to a request signal remotely generated by said query component.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein said preferred one of said potential settings is automatically determined by said support station.

22. The system of claim 21 including a processor adapted to determine a second most preferred one of said potential settings for the respective set in response to a rejection signal from a respective set to said detector indicating a rejection of said preferred one of said potential settings by the corresponding user.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein said support station further includes a database adapted to store selected ones of said potential settings with each selected in response to an adoption signal from a respective set to said detector indicating adoption of a preferred one of said potential settings by the corresponding user.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein each set has a local display screen and said support station further includes a broadcasting device to remotely replicate said local display screen.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein said support station further includes a controller and each respective set includes an adjustment module for adjusting the respective set in response to a control signal remotely generated by said controller.