Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090271203 | Voice-activated remote control service - A method of remotely controlling operation of a controlled device involves receiving a telephone call from an owner via a telephone network; authenticating the telephone call to establish that the owner is authorized to control the controlled device; interpreting a voice command from the owner that issues instructions to the controlled device; identifying the controlled device based upon the authentication and identification by the owner of the controlled device; converting the voice command to one or more data packets capable of interpretation by the controlled device to execute the command; and delivering the one or more data packets to the controlled device via the Internet. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract. | 10-29-2009 |
20100088735 | Video Branching - In certain implementations, a method of displaying a branched chain of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) video content involves providing a first stream of video content, the first stream of video content having a plurality of video features that appear during a plurality of associated time intervals in the first stream of video content; providing a collection of affiliate video streams related to the plurality of time intervals; providing a set of metadata that associates the time intervals with one of the plurality of affiliate video streams; playing the first stream of video content on an IPTV compatible player device to sequentially reveal the plurality of features of the first stream in their respective time relationships in the first stream via a display driven by the IPTV compatible player device; at the IPTV compatible player device, receiving a selection signal during the associated time interval that selects the video feature being displayed; upon receipt of the selection signal, the IPTV compatible player device accessing the metadata to identify a particular one of the collection of affiliate data streams that is associated with the time interval of the selected video feature; and the IPTV compatible player device ceasing to play the first stream of video content and beginning playing the associated one of the collection of affiliate data streams that is associated with the time interval of the selected feature; whereby, the viewer directly navigates from one stream of video content to an affiliate video. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract. | 04-08-2010 |
20120116877 | UNIFIED ONSCREEN ADVERTISEMENT SYSTEM FOR CE DEVICES - A client-server architecture allows consumer electronics (CE) devices to obtain advertisements, including TV and network content recommendations, via a unified application programming interface (API). A gateway server between online advertisement providers and CE devices prioritizes and personalizes the advertisements and recommendations for a requesting CE device. This architecture scales over time and evolves more functionality without requiring CE device software updates. | 05-10-2012 |
20120123885 | ACTIVATING LICENSABLE COMPONENT OF CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICE AT POINT OF SALE - A purchaser of a CE device informs a retail clerk, at the point of sale (POS) of features of the CE device the purchaser wishes to employ, some of which require a license. The CE device is vended without the licenses but the clerk can upload the desired features to a server, which correlates the features to licensable components and which returns to the POS the license codes needed to enable the components. The codes can be provided to the CE device using RFID at the POS, or storing the codes on a removable storage at the POS and giving the storage to the purchaser, or by printing the codes as bar codes in the sales receipt at the POS and giving the receipt to the purchaser, who later scans the codes past a camera of the CE device to enable the associated licensable components. | 05-17-2012 |
20120123916 | COORDINATING LICENSE ACTIVATION OF LICENSABLE AUDIO VIDEO (AV) DEVICE COMPONENTS BETWEEN CONTRACT MANUFACTURER AND BRAND MANUFACTURER - A contract manufacturer (CM) makes a consumer electronics (CE) device under the auspices of a brand name manufacturer (BNM) associated with the CE device, paying royalties immediately on licensable components in the CE device that are activated for sale and not paying royalties on licensable components in the CE device that are deactivated for sale. Should a purchaser subsequently activate an originally deactivated licensable component, the CM receives this information and pays royalties accordingly on the now-activated licensable component. | 05-17-2012 |
20120124610 | ACTIVATING LICENSABLE COMPONENT OF CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICE POST-SALE USING UNIFIED SOFTWARE PACKAGE - A unified software download package is deployed to multiple CE device models, and a user of the device can configure the unified software package to the desired configuration. A remote feature activation system allows the device to take advantage of any of the additional features contained in the unified software package that can be supported in the device, even if it was not originally supported in the original configuration data of the CE device itself. When the CE device is ready for activation the user can be given the option to accept new features, and then the CE device can notify a server accordingly so that if additional licenses and their associated royalties are required, license codes can be provided to the CE device and royalty payments adjusted. | 05-17-2012 |
20120124611 | TRACKING DETAILS OF ACTIVATION OF LICENSABLE COMPONENT OF CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICE - Instead of buying blanket licenses for all licensable components of its CE devices, a manufacturer enables users to activate licensable components on a device basis and then obtains the necessary licenses individually. Seldom used activation modes and seldom activated licensable components can be pruned from future devices, while widely activated licensable components can be automatically enabled by purchasing a blanket license for those components. Characteristics of license requests and the people making them can be used to focus marketing. | 05-17-2012 |
20120304221 | UNIFIED ONSCREEN ADVERTISEMENT SYSTEM FOR AVDDS - A client-server architecture allows audio video display device (AVDD) devices to obtain advertisements. A gateway server contacted by the AVDD pursuant to AVDD energization sends a link to the AVDD to a link server, from which the AVDD downloads only links to secondary ad servers. The gateway server also sends one or more links to the AVDD to primary ad servers. The AVDD presents ads from the primary and secondary ad server simultaneously. | 11-29-2012 |
20130191869 | TV Social Network Advertising - An advertising method involves displaying a plurality of social network thumbnails as an array of thumbnails on a television display, where said plurality of social network thumbnails represent social network videos that are posted or linked to a social network post; representing an advertisement as a thumbnail representation; displaying the advertisement thumbnail representation within the array of thumbnails on the television display; and receiving an instruction selecting of one of the thumbnails to navigate to and responsive thereto displaying either one of the social network videos or the advertisement. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract. | 07-25-2013 |
20140096174 | VIDEO BRANCHING - A method of displaying a branched chain of IPTV content involves providing a set of metadata that associates the time intervals with one of the plurality of affiliate video streams; playing the first stream of video content on an IPTV compatible player to sequentially reveal the plurality of features of the first stream in their respective time relationships in the first stream via a display driven by the IPTV compatible player device; at the IPTV player, receiving a selection signal during the time interval that selects the video feature being displayed and the IPTV player ceasing to play the first stream of video and beginning playing the associated one of the collection of affiliate data streams. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract. | 04-03-2014 |
20140108169 | ACTIVATING LICENSABLE COMPONENT OF CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICE AT POINT OF SALE - A purchaser of a CE device informs a retail clerk at the point of sale (POS) of features of the CE device the purchaser wishes to employ, some of which require a license. The CE device is vended without the licenses but the clerk can upload the desired features to a server, which correlates the features to licensable components and which returns to the POS the license codes needed to enable the components. The codes can be provided to the CE device using RFID at the POS, or storing the codes on a removable storage at the POS and giving the storage to the purchaser, or by printing the codes as bar codes in the sales receipt at the POS and giving the receipt to the purchaser, who later scans the codes past a camera of the CE device to enable the associated licensable components. | 04-17-2014 |