Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090055534 | TIERED NETWORK STRUCTURE FOR LARGE CE DEVICE POPULATIONS - Consumer electronic (CE) devices can each store a concierge network address of a centralized information server (CIS). In response to receiving a model number from a CE device, the CIS can return a list of resources available to the CE device, including network addresses for an update list server providing the CE device with a list of current software available for download to the CE device, a news link server providing the CE device with a list of news feeds, and a video/music list server providing a list of video and/or music available to the CE device. | 02-26-2009 |
20090077549 | System, Apparatus, and Method for an Upgrader Module - A method and apparatus for obtaining and installing software updates on consumer electronics devices is described. In one embodiment, the method may include obtaining a software update for a consumer electronics (CE) device and a communications protocol for installing the software update on the CE device. The method may also include a portable device installing the software update on the CE device utilizing the communications protocol, in response to the portable device detecting a communications link between the portable device and the CE device. | 03-19-2009 |
20110277002 | ENABLEMENT OF PREMIUM CONTENT FOR INTERNET VIDEO CLIENT - A device is enabled to display Internet TV by accessing a management server and receiving back from the server a user token and a service list of predefined content servers. A user can select a content server on the service list which causes the device to upload its user token to the management server, which in turn sends back the network path to the content server along with a content server-user-unique service token (SUIT) that the device uses to access the content on the content server, in some embodiments on per-title PPV access, per-content category PPV access, or per-service PPV access. | 11-10-2011 |
20110277003 | ENABLEMENT OF PREMIUM CONTENT FOR INTERNET VIDEO CLIENT - A device is enabled to display Internet TV by accessing a management server and receiving back from the server a user token and a service list of predefined content servers. A user can select a content server on the service list which causes the device to upload its user token to the management server, which in turn sends back the network path to the content server along with a content server-user-unique service token (SUIT) that the device uses to access the content on the content server, in some embodiments on per-title PPV access, per-content category PPV access, or per-service PPV access. | 11-10-2011 |
20110277006 | ENABLEMENT OF PREMIUM CONTENT FOR INTERNET VIDEO CLIENT - A device is enabled to display Internet TV by accessing a management server and receiving back from the server a user token and a service list of predefined content servers. A user can select a content server on the service list which causes the device to upload its user token to the management server, which in turn sends back the network path to the content server along with a content server-user-unique service token (SUIT) that the device uses to access the content on the content server, in some embodiments on per-title PPV access, per-content category PPV access, or per-service PPV access. | 11-10-2011 |
20120117144 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING A VIEWING SOCIAL NETWORK - A system and method for detecting a user operating a first client device at an intermediary server communicatively coupled to one or more client devices including the first client device and further communicatively coupled to one or more other intermediary servers each communicatively coupled with one or more other client devices, establishing communication with at least one social networking server maintaining information corresponding to the user comprising one or more of user preferences, a plurality of user connections, and user connection preferences corresponding to each of the plurality of user connections, querying the at least one social networking server for the information, receiving the information and generating a local viewing social network for the user comprising generating a user profile according to the information, detecting one or more local connections and establishing direct communication between the user and at least one of the one or more local connections. | 05-10-2012 |
20120117167 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER IN A VIEWING SOCIAL NETWORK - Method and systems are provided for initiating communication with a social networking server maintaining user information corresponding to a user, the user information for the user comprising media preferences for the user, one or more connections associated with the user, and media preferences for each of the one or more connections, retrieving at least a portion of the user information for the user from the social networking server and generating a viewing recommendation for the user at least in part based on at least one of the media preferences of the user, and the media preferences of the one or more connections, the viewing recommendation comprising one or more multi-media content. | 05-10-2012 |
20120117168 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING DEVICE COMMUNICATION AND CONTROL USING XMPP - A method and device is provided for platform independent device communication by detecting a request at a processor-based device to perform a function, determining an external device corresponding to the request, retrieving a tag for the external device for performing a function corresponding to the request and generating a message implemented in XMPP, having embedded therein the tag, wherein the tag is essential at the external device for performing the function corresponding to the request. Receiving the message at a device, determining whether the message comprises a device message, retrieving a tag included in the message, wherein the tag corresponds to an executable command to perform a function and executing the tag to perform the function. | 05-10-2012 |
20120120250 | REDUCING TV LICENSING COSTS - A TV with various licensable components including, e.g., an ATSC demodulator requests a license for a component upon detection of a physical condition implicating use of the component, such as plugging a cable into a particular port, or upon receipt of a user-input command requiring use of the component, such as a request to autoscan channels. | 05-17-2012 |
20120159549 | SONY EPG AND METADATA SOLUTION WITH MULTIPLE SERVICE SOURCES - A system, method, and computer program product are provided for combining electronic program guide data and metadata input from multiple service providers to a common gateway server that connects to consumer electronics devices. A unified interface enables users of a wide variety of consumer electronics devices to easily manage broadcast contents and network services, typically in real-time. In addition to traditional TV EPG applications such as on-screen menus and program descriptions, channel/program searching, and timer and DVR functions, the embodiments provide enhanced metadata features through an Internet connection, including media explorers, streaming content, recommendations and customized advertisements and related searches, and social networking applications. The server manages metadata format translation, and merges content to transparently switch between content providers. | 06-21-2012 |
20130013681 | COLLABORATIVE FILTERING OF CONTENT - Embodiments generally relate to aggregating mentions. In one embodiment, a method includes retrieving a plurality of mentions from a social networking service, where each mention is associated with one or more users of the social networking service. The method also includes aggregating the mentions, and displaying the mentions based on one or more formats. | 01-10-2013 |
20130018948 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USE IN PROVIDING NETWORK SERVICES INTERCHANGEAANM Douillet; LudovicAACI EscondidoAAST CAAACO USAAGP Douillet; Ludovic Escondido CA USAANM Mihalov; BryanAACI EscondidoAAST CAAACO USAAGP Mihalov; Bryan Escondido CA USAANM Sadja; AranAACI San DiegoAAST CAAACO USAAGP Sadja; Aran San Diego CA US - Systems and methods are provided in establishing interchanges between consumer electronic (CE) devices and networking services. Some of these embodiments establish an intermediate application programming interface (API) between a plurality of remote CE devices and one or more social networking APIs each corresponding to a social networking service; translate, through an interchange service, communications between the intermediate API and the one or more social networking APIs; identify modifications to a first social networking API; implement a first update to the interchange service such that translations provided by the updated interchange service between the intermediate API and the first social networking API are consistent with the modifications to the first social networking API; and avoid updating at each of the plurality of CE devices relative to the modifications to the first social networking API. | 01-17-2013 |
20130232374 | REMOTELY SERVICING AND DIAGNOSING ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Remotely servicing and diagnosing a client device, including: establishing a persistent two-way connection between a server and the client device using a messaging and presence protocol; reading and analyzing statistics and settings of the client device when the persistent two-way connection has been established; detecting any problem with the client device from reading and analyzing statistics and setting of the client device; addressing and fixing the problem with the client device. Keywords include persistent connection, and remote servicing and diagnosing. | 09-05-2013 |
20140047469 | ENABLEMENT OF PREMIUM CONTENT FOR INTERNET VIDEO CLIENT - A device is enabled to display Internet TV by accessing a management server and receiving back from the server a user token and a service list of predefined content servers. A user can select a content server on the service list which causes the device to upload its user token to the management server, which in turn sends back the network path to the content server along with a content server-user-unique service token (SUIT) that the device uses to access the content on the content server, in some embodiments on per-title PPV access, per-content category PPV access, or per-service PPV access. | 02-13-2014 |
20140250331 | REMOTELY TESTING ELECTRONIC DEVICES USING MESSAGING AND PRESENCE PROTOCOL - Remotely testing a client device, the method including: implementing an interface of a messaging and presence protocol; starting a connection of the messaging and presence protocol between the client device and a server; initiating a test to execute steps of the test over the messaging and presence protocol connection; indicating information regarding results of the test to send over the messaging and presence protocol connection. Key words include remote testing and XMPP. | 09-04-2014 |
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 |