Mosaic focus control

• US 9,420,333 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Martch, Henry Gregg, Gratton, Max Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US14/139,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725 39- 41, 725 45- 47, 725 52- 53, 725/100, 725/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42607 for processing the incoming bitstream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A television receiver may be configured to receive, from a user of the television receiver, a set of viewing rules that define a focus preference of the user. The television receiver may output, to a presentation device, a video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented as a plurality of tiles. Each piece of content may be linked with a corresponding audio stream from a plurality of audio streams. The television receiver may select a piece of content for focus from the plurality of pieces of content based on the set of viewing rules defined by the user. The television receiver may output only an audio stream linked with the piece of content being focused on from among the plurality of audio streams.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with, and readable by, the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from a user of the television receiver, a set of viewing rules that define a focus preference of the user, wherein the set of viewing rules is selected from the group consisting of;

a first set of rules defining a preferred focus order;

a second set of rules defining that a tile of the plurality of tiles is removed from focus if the piece of content of the tile is presenting a commercial; and

a third set of rules defined by a front-end switch condition, a back-end switch condition, or both;

cause the television receiver to output, to a presentation device, a customized video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented as a plurality of tiles, wherein each piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content is individually presented as one tile of the plurality of tiles, and each piece of content is linked with a corresponding audio stream from a plurality of audio streams;

determine a tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the set of viewing rules defined by the user; and

cause the television receiver to output only the corresponding audio stream linked with the piece of content of the tile determined for focus.

2. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine the piece of content of the tile determined for focus has commenced presenting the commercial;

determine a second tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the preferred focus order indicated in the set of viewing rules; and

cause the television receiver to output a second audio stream linked with a second piece of content of the second tile determined for focus, wherein only the second audio stream is output from among the plurality of audio streams.

3. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

based on the piece of content of tile determined for focus, increase an area of presentation on the presentation device dedicated to the tile.

4. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive an audio lock command that selects the audio stream from the plurality of audio streams; and

in response to the audio lock command, output the selected audio stream regardless of focus.

5. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a selection of a content category; and

in response to the selection, determine the plurality of pieces of content for presentation in the video mosaic.

6. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a plurality of content tags, wherein each content tag is associated with a characteristic of a particular piece of content;

determine the piece of content of the tile determined for focus has commenced a commercial break based on a content tag of the plurality of content tags;

determine a second tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the preferred focus order indicated in the set of viewing rules; and

cause the television receiver to output a second audio stream linked with a second piece of content of the second tile determined for focus, wherein only the second audio stream is output from among the plurality of audio streams.

7. A method for presenting content, the method comprising:

receiving, by a television receiver from a user, a set of viewing rules that define a focus preference of the user, wherein the set of viewing rules is selected from the group consisting of;

a first set of rules defining a preferred focus order;

a second set of rules defining that a tile of the plurality of tiles is removed from focus if the piece of content of the tile is presenting a commercial; and

a third set of rules defined by a front-end switch condition, a back-end switch condition, or both;

outputting, by the television receiver to a presentation device, a customized video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented as a plurality of tiles, wherein each piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content is individually presented as one tile of the plurality of tiles, and each piece of content is linked with a corresponding audio stream from a plurality of audio streams;

determining, by the television receiver, a tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the set of viewing rules defined by the user; and

outputting, by the television receiver, only the corresponding audio stream linked with the piece of content of the tile determined for focus.

8. The method for presenting content of claim 7, the method further comprising:

determining, by the television receiver, the piece of content of the tile determined for focus has commenced presenting the commercial;

determining, by the television receiver, a second tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the preferred focus order indicated in the set of viewing rules; and

outputting, by the television receiver, a second audio stream linked with a second piece of content of the second tile determined for focus, wherein only the second audio stream is output from among the plurality of audio streams.

9. The method for presenting content of claim 7, the method further comprising:

based on the piece of content of the tile determined for focus, increasing, by the television receiver, an area of presentation on the presentation device dedicated to the tile.

10. The method for presenting content of claim 7, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, an audio lock command that selects the audio stream from the plurality of audio streams; and

in response to the audio lock command, outputting, by the television receiver, the selected audio stream regardless of focus.

11. The method for presenting content of claim 7, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, a selection of a content category; and

in response to the selection, determining, by the television receiver, the plurality of pieces of content for presentation in the video mosaic.

12. The method for presenting content of claim 7, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, a plurality of content tags, wherein each content tag is associated with a characteristic of a particular piece of content;

determining, by the television receiver, the piece of content of the tile determined for focus has commenced a commercial break based on a content tag of the plurality of content tags;

determining, by the television receiver, a second tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the preferred focus order indicated in the set of viewing rules; and

outputting, by the television receiver, a second audio stream linked with a second piece of content of the second tile determined for focus, wherein only the second audio stream is output from among the plurality of audio streams.

13. A non-transitory processor-readable medium for presenting content, comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:

receive, from a user of a television receiver, a set of viewing rules that define a focus preference of the user, wherein the set of viewing rules is selected from the group consisting of;

a first set of rules defining a preferred focus order;

a second set of rules defining that a tile of the plurality of tiles is removed from focus if the piece of content of the tile is presenting a commercial; and

a third set of rules defined by a front-end switch condition, a back-end switch condition, or both;

cause the television receiver to output, to a presentation device, a customized video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented as a plurality of tiles, wherein each piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content is individually presented as one tile of the plurality of tiles, and each piece of content is linked with a corresponding audio stream from a plurality of audio streams;

determine a tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the set of viewing rules defined by the user; and

cause the television receiver to output only the corresponding audio stream linked with the piece of content of the tile determined for focus.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium for presenting content of claim 13, wherein the processor-readable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to:

determine the piece of content of the tile determined for focus has commenced presenting the commercial;

select a second tile for focus from the plurality of tiles based on the preferred focus order indicated in the set of viewing rules; and

cause the television receiver to output a second audio stream linked with a second piece of content of the second tile determined for focus, wherein only the second audio stream is output from among the plurality of audio streams.