Multifunction multimedia device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8984626-B2
Application number	US-63175909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2009
Priority date	Sep 14, 2009
Publication date	Mar 17, 2015
Grant date	Mar 17, 2015

Abstract

A method for interpreting messages, user-defined alert conditions, voice commands and performing an action in response is described. A method for annotating media content is described. A method for presenting additional content associated with media content identified based on a fingerprint is described. A method for identifying that an advertisement portion of media content is being played based on a fingerprint derived from the media content is described. A method of one media device recording particular media content automatically in response to another media device recording the particular media content is described. A method of concurrently playing media content on multiple devices is described. A method of publishing information associated with recording of media content is described. A method of deriving fingerprints by media devices that meet an idleness criteria is described. A method of loading, modifying, and displaying a high definition frame from a frame buffer is described. A method of recording or playing media content identified based on fingerprints is described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
identifying a plurality of users, by a media device comprising a processor, based on two or more voice samples;
receiving a voice command from one or more users of the plurality of users;
determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users;
responsive to determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users, interpreting the voice command received from the one or more users of the plurality of users, based on user preferences included in at least two or more user profiles, to select one or more actions associated with the voice command, at least one action of the one or more actions involving the media device sending a request to a remote server over an internet connection;
wherein each of the two or more user profiles is associated with a different user of the two or more users of the plurality of users;
performing, by the media device, the one or more actions.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises configuring the media device based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises making a purchase based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the interpreting step comprises determining that one or more users of the plurality of users has permission for executing the one or more actions associated with the voice command.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the interpreting step comprises selecting media content for playing or recording based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the voice command is interpreted based on a language in which the voice command was received from the one or more users of the plurality of users.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a first user preference is included in more of the two or more user profiles than a second user preference;
selecting the one or more actions associated with the voice command based on the first user preference.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a sequence of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause performing steps comprising:
identifying a plurality of users, by a media device comprising a processor, based on two or more voice samples;
receiving a voice command from one or more users of the plurality of users;
determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users;
responsive to determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users, interpreting the voice command received from the one or more users of the plurality of users, based on user preferences included in at least two or more user profiles, to select one or more actions associated with the voice command, at least one action of the one or more actions involving the media device sending a request to a remote server over an internet connection;
wherein each of the two or more user profiles is associated with a different user of the two or more users of the plurality of users;
performing, by the media device, the one or more actions.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises configuring the media device based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises making a purchase based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the interpreting step comprises determining that one or more users of the plurality of users has permission for executing the one or more actions associated with the voice command.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the interpreting step comprises selecting media content for playing or recording based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the voice command is interpreted based on a language in which the voice command was received from the one or more users of the plurality of users.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the sequence of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause performing steps comprising:
determining that a first user preference is included in more of the two or more user profiles than a second user preference;
selecting the one or more actions associated with the voice command based on the first user preference.

15. An apparatus comprising:
an identification subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that identifies a plurality of users based on two or more voice samples;
a voice command interpretation subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that:
receives a voice command from one or more users of the plurality of users;
determines that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users;
responsive to determining that the voice command is applicable to two or more users of the plurality of users, interprets the voice command received from the one or more users of the plurality of users, based on user preferences included in at least two or more user profiles, to select one or more actions associated with the voice command, at least one action of the one or more actions involving a media device sending a request to a remote server over an internet connection;

wherein each of the two or more user profiles is associated with a different user of the two or more users of the plurality of users;
an action performance subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that performs the one or more actions.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises configuring the media device based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein at least one of the one or more actions comprises making a purchase based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein the voice command interpretation subsystem determines that the one or more users of the plurality of users has permission for executing the one or more actions associated with the voice command.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein the voice command interpretation subsystem selects media content for playing or recording based on the user preferences included in the at least two or more user profiles.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein the voice command interpretation subsystem interprets the voice command based on a language in which the voice command was received from the one or more users of the plurality of users.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein:
the voice command interpretation subsystem determines that a first user preference is inclu

Assignees

• Barton James M
• Lanier Brian
• Gharaat Amir H
• Cheng James
• Tivo Inc

Inventors

• Barton James M
• Lanier Brian
• Gharaat Amir H
• Cheng James

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• G06Q30/04

  Billing or invoicing · CPC title

• G06Q30/0255

  based on user history · CPC title

• H04N21/442

  Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk {(arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00)} · CPC title

• G06F3/1454

  involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay · CPC title