Display inserts, overlays, and graphical user interfaces for multimedia systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10646897-B2
Application number	US-201816044790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2006
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A disclosed digital media device operational at user premises to receive media signals from a media source for presentation via endpoint devices such as a television display. The digital media device can include gateway and digital media management functionality and can be referred to as a gateway and digital media device. The device offers application services obtained over a wide area network and a user premises network. The digital media device may form a composite signal from the media signal and application service information, for example, for a composite audio and/or video signal for television type presentation to the user. The digital media device may receive a selection signal based on the presentation, for transmission to the application service provider device or to the media source. The media device also offers a GUI presenting a moveable arrangement of icons for selectively accessing application services.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for operation at a site for controlling one or more endpoint devices associated with the device, the device comprising:
one or more processors; and
storage, coupled to the one or more processors and positioned at the site, storing:
first programming to perform first communications, between the device and one or more endpoint devices including at least a television, at the site;
second programming to perform second communications, via a wide area network, with a remotely located management server external to the site;
third programming related to multiple services, including at least a video service and a music service, wherein at least two of the multiple services are configured to locally store media received, via the wide area network, from one or more remote media providers and use the first communications to cause the locally stored media to be output via the television;
fourth programming to communicate with a remote control, wherein communication between the device and the remote control causes the device to implement functionality for the television, the functionality including causing menus to be displayed on the television in relation to one or more of the multiple services; and
fifth programming to implement voice response functionality in relation to one or more of: the first programming, the second programming, the third programming, the fourth programming, or any combination thereof;

wherein execution of programming by the one or more processors causes:
(1) communication of information from the management server, wherein a respective service of the multiple services is controlled based on the communication of information;
(2) enforcement regarding one or more of: authorization, authentication, configuration, or any combination thereof, in relation to at least one of the one or more endpoint devices;
(3) assessment of the availability of resources for an application that responds to requests from at least some of the one or more endpoint devices; and
(4) management of the resources for the application, that responds to requests from the at least some of the one or more endpoint devices and that is executed by the device, to maintain a threshold level of performance while the media is output via the television, wherein the media is output using one of the multiple services that provides media control functionality for controlling media output.

2. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the second communications are performed using a control channel through the wide area network between the one or more processors and the remotely located management server; and
wherein the control channel is established upon the device being authenticated with the remotely located management server.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resources for the application include network bandwidth.

4. The device of claim 3 ,
wherein the management of the resources for the application comprises utilizing a message queue or buffer;
wherein the threshold level of performance comprises a threshold level of performance playback quality; and
wherein the threshold level of performance playback quality is maintained by storing content from the one or more remote media providers in the buffer prior to outputting the content to the television.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein execution of programming by the one or more processors further causes the device to support a plurality of different user interfaces via different ones of the one or more endpoint devices, with respect to one or more services provided via the device.

6. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein execution of programming by the one or more processors further causes the device to support a plurality of user interfaces; and
wherein one of the plurality of user interfaces is a user interface for delivery of television services.

7. The device of claim 1 comprising a first interface that is:
a component video interface,
an S-video interface,
an HDMI interface, or
a composite video interface;
wherein the first communications are conducted using the first interface.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one endpoint device, of the one or more endpoint devices, communicates with the remotely located management server via a communication channel that uses the first communications and the second communications.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the storage further stores sixth programming that, when executed by the one or more processors, implements platform management logic comprising two or more of:
a platform manager for implementing rules based notification services on operational failure;
a scheduler for managing scheduled device maintenance and scheduled services; or
a logger for tracking log-in activity of users and/or applications.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first communications utilize a wired communication channel with the television.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured for peer to peer type communications, between the device and a gateway device, to implement at least one of the multiple services.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the device is configured to establish the peer to peer type communications with the gateway device by signaling through the remotely located management server.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations for a device at a site, the operations comprising:
implementing a first communication channel, between the device and at least some of one or more endpoint devices within the site, wherein the one or more endpoint devices include at least a television;
implementing a second communication channel, via a wide area network, to a remotely located management server external to the site;
implementing a third communication channel, via wireless communication, between the device and one of the one or more endpoint devices that is a remote control, wherein communication between the device and the remote control causes menus to be displayed on the television in relation to two or more services; and
causing the device to provide functions in relation to the two or more services, wherein the two or more services include at least a video service and a music service, wherein at least one of the two or more services is configured to locally store media received, via the wide area network, from a remotely located media provider and to use the first communication channel to cause the locally stored media to be output via the television;
wherein the functions include:
(1) communication of information via the second communication channel, wherein a respective service of the two or more services is controlled based on the communication of information;
(2) one or more of: authorization, authentication, configuration, use of the respective service, or any combination thereof, in relation to the one or more endpoint devices;
(3) assessment of the availability of resources, wherein the assessment is in relation to services for one of the endpoint devices;
(4) management of the resources in relation to an application executed by the device that responds to requests from at least some of the one or more endpoint devices, such that a threshold level of performance is provided while the media is output via the television, wherein the media is output using one of the at least two services that provides control for media output; and
(5) voice response functionality that provides a voice controlled interface for interacting with the device or at least one of the one or more e

Assignees

• Kip Prod P1 Lp

Inventors

• Ansari Amir
• Cowgill George A
• Nicholls Leon E
• Raissyan Atousa
• Ramayya Jude P
• Masina Ramprakash
• Mcquarters Alvin R

Classifications

• H04L12/2807

  Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50) · CPC title

• H04N21/43615

  Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals (home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805) · CPC title

• H04N21/238

  Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams {(hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4882

  for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title

• H04N21/4312

  involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations · CPC title