Widget execution device and associated application for use therewith

• US 9,971,612 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Irwin, James, Pollington, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet D
• Application Number:
  US12/462,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,203 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

A method of controlling a widget execution device configured for use with a television includes: using a control application on a mobile terminal to wirelessly identify one or more widgets in a data network environment, such that the one or more widgets are suitable for download to the widget execution device; and using the control application to cause the download of the one or more widgets to the widget execution device. The method may involve identifying the one or more widgets on a remote server, the remote server being in communicable relation with the widget execution device; and causing the download of the one or more widgets by selecting the one or more widgets.

Claims

1. A method of using a mobile terminal configured to access a wireless data network, the method comprising:

wirelessly accessing the data network with the mobile terminal to identify one or more applications to download to an application execution device, wherein the one or more applications is configured to display content from the data network on a display device;

executing a control application on the mobile terminal, the control application configured to;

identify at least one application on a remote server that communicates with the application execution device;

select the at least one application to be downloaded to the application execution device;

cause a download of the at least one selected application from the remote server to the application execution device upon the selection of the at least one selected application, wherein the application execution device comprises a SIM and a wireless chipset that at least partially provides wireless data network connectivity;

cause the at least one selected application to be downloaded to a storage of the application execution device via the mobile terminal in response to selecting the at least one application;

cause a notification to be displayed on a display of the application execution device to provide notification regarding the at least one selected application;

select one or more of the downloaded applications from the storage of the application execution device over the data network for activation at the application execution device;

cause display of the selected download application on the display device; and

allow a user to control the selected one or more applications displayed on the display device via a user interface on the mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control application is further configured to:

cause the application execution device to intermittently poll the remote server; and

cause the remote server to notify the application execution device that the at least one selected application has been selected for download upon receiving a polling message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal provides the application execution device with wireless data network connectivity, and wherein the method further comprises:

downloading the at least one application onto the application execution device via the mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control application is further configured to:

download the at least one application first to the mobile terminal; and

wirelessly transfer the at least one downloaded application from the mobile terminal to the application execution device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control application is further configured to wirelessly communicate information to trigger the download of the at least one application from a network directly to the application execution device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the control application is further configured to control and interact with the application executed on the application execution device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the control application is further configured to cause the at least one selected application to be downloaded to the application execution device via the mobile terminal control using another wireless data network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification that is displayed on the display of the application execution device is an SMS message that is received at the application execution device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the application execution device is included as a part of the mobile terminal such that the at least one application is downloaded onto the mobile terminal.

4. A non-transitory, computer readable medium encoded thereon with instructions that when executed cause a mobile terminal to perform a method comprising:

wirelessly accessing a wireless data network to identify one or more applications to download to an application execution device, wherein the one or more applications is configured to display external content on a display device;

identifying at least one application on a remote server that communicates with the application execution device;

selecting the at least one application to be downloaded to the application execution device;

causing a download of the at least one selected application from the remote server to the application execution device upon the selection of the at least one selected application, wherein the application execution device comprises a SIM and a wireless chipset that at least partially provides wireless data network connectivity;

causing the at least one application to be downloaded to a storage of the application execution device via the mobile terminal in response to selecting the at least one application;

causing a notification to be displayed on a display of the application execution device to provide notification regarding the at least one selected application;

selecting one or more of the downloaded applications from the storage of the application execution device over the data network for activation at the application execution device;

causing display of the selected downloaded application on the display device; and

allowing a user to control the selected one or more applications displayed on the display device via a user interface on the mobile terminal.

8. The non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

downloading the at least one application first to the mobile terminal; and

wirelessly transferring the at least one application from the mobile terminal to the application execution device.

9. The non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

wirelessly communicating information to trigger the download of the at least one application from a network directly to the application execution device.

14. The non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises controlling and interacting with the application executed on the application execution device.

15. The non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises causing the at least one selected application to be downloaded to the application execution device via the mobile terminal control using another wireless data network.

21. The non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the application execution device is included as a part of the mobile terminal such that the at least one application is downloaded onto the mobile terminal.

5. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a controller configured to;

wirelessly access a wireless data network to identify one or more applications to download to an application execution device, wherein the one or more applications is configured to display external content on a display device,

identify at least one application on a remote server that communicates with the application execution device,

select the at least one application to be downloaded to the application execution device,

cause a download of the at least one selected application from the remote server to the application execution device upon the selection of the at least one selected application, wherein the application execution device comprises a SIM and a wireless chipset that at least partially provides wireless data network connectivity,

cause the at least one application to be downloaded to a storage of the application execution device via the mobile terminal in response to selecting the at least one application,

cause a notification to be displayed on a display of the application execution device to provide notification regarding the at least one selected application,

select one or more of the downloaded applications from the storage of the application execution device over the data network for activation at the application execution device,

cause display of the selected downloaded application on the display device, and

allow a user to control the selected one or more applications displayed on the display device via a user interface on the mobile terminal; and

a housing containing the controller.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to:

download the at least one application first to an intermediate device; and

wirelessly transfer the at least one application to the application execution device.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to wirelessly communicate information to trigger the download of the at least one application from a network directly to the application execution device.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to control and interact with the application executed on the application execution device.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the at least one selected application to be downloaded to the application execution device via the mobile terminal control using another wireless data network.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the application execution device is included as a part of the mobile terminal such that the at least one application is downloaded onto the mobile terminal.