Systems and methods for providing media guidance application functionality using a wireless communications device

ES 2 634 433 T3

DESCRIPTION

Systems and Methods for Providing Multimedia Guidance Application Functionality Using a Wireless Communications Device

Background of the invention

This invention relates to interactive application systems, and more particularly, to multimedia guide application systems, in which the functionality of the multimedia guide application can be provided by a wireless communication device or can be coordinated between a communication device. wireless and one or more devices on the user's computer.

Typically, interactive applications are implemented, at least in part, on the user's equipment (eg, a set-top box). Examples of interactive applications include interactive program guides, e-mail, tele-shopping, betting, and other electronic commerce applications, financial applications, Internet browsers, games, and other applications based on the user's computer. Running such applications on the user's computer usually prevents other users from viewing the multimedia content on that user's computer. Furthermore, the execution of said applications on the fixed platform of the user's equipment may prevent other users from accessing the characteristics of said applications when they are away from the fixed platform. US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/157240 describes the transmission of content from a user equipment device to a device connected to the user equipment. US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/130283 describes a device that scans alternative content sources when the device determines that it is out of range of a previously used content source. US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/076665 describes methods to automatically connect to a new connection, a loss of connectivity to a previous connection by a wireless device is detected. US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0161402 describes methods for transmitting data from one device to a second device, as well as transmitting data from an individual device to a plurality of devices.

Summary of the invention

According to one aspect, a method of automatically transferring multimedia content from a user equipment to a wireless communication device comprises determining, at the wireless communication device, if the wireless communication device is outside a predetermined range of the user equipment, establish a connection between the user equipment and the wireless communications device in response to determining that the wireless communications device is outside the predetermined range, automatically display the content that is displayed on the user equipment on the wireless communications device, where the automatic display of the multimedia content in the wireless communications device comprises receiving, through the connection, the multimedia content on the wireless communication device from the user equipment, and start displaying the received multimedia content on the wireless communication device.

According to another aspect, a system for automatically transferring multimedia content from a user equipment to a wireless communication device comprises means for determining, at the wireless communication device, whether the wireless communication device is outside a predetermined range of the user equipment. Username, means for establishing a connection between the user equipment and the wireless communications device in response to determining that the wireless communications device is outside the predetermined range, automatically displaying the multimedia content that is displayed on the user equipment on the communications device wireless, where the automatic display of multimedia content on the wireless communications device comprises receiving, Through the connection, the multimedia content on the wireless communication device from the user equipment, and start displaying the received multimedia content on the wireless communication device.

The wireless communications device can be any suitable wireless communications device, such as a remote touch screen device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone (such as a smartphone), or other communications device. wireless. The wireless communication device can provide the user with access to interactive application functionality remotely or while viewing multimedia content. For the sake of clarity, the present invention will be illustrated in relation to a system in which the interactive multimedia guide application is implemented on the user's equipment and wireless communication device. The user's equipment may include one or more of the

ES 2 634 433 T3 following: a television set, a decoder, a DVD player / recorder, a Bluray player / recorder, a

DVR, a media server, a security camera, a GPS navigation unit, etc.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may include an LCD touch screen or OLED screen, and one or more communication interfaces for communicating with user equipment. Communication interfaces can include infrared, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable interface.

The wireless communications device can support many of the features of interactive program guides without interrupting content that is being displayed on the user's equipment (eg, a television). For example, the wireless communications device may display the video-on-demand listings for a channel, while displaying the non-video on-demand listings on the user's equipment (eg, a television). Also, when a user selects a schedule listing from the schedule listing grid (see FIG. 9), the notes section of the guide may not display the full content of the schedule note or description. The wireless communication device can then receive and display the full note or description which may include graphics, video and / or advertising, in an expanded manner. Additionally, the wireless communications device can receive and display content presented in the video region of the interactive multimedia guide application (see FIG. 9) while the user navigates through the programming listings of, for example, the television.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may provide access to subtitles or dubbing in other alternate languages. In one embodiment, when watching an English movie on a television, the Chinese dubbing can be simultaneously displayed on the wireless communication device. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device can stream the Chinese dubbing from a multimedia content source (see FIG. 12) over the Internet in real time.

In another embodiment, a program may be presented on the television with subtitles in one language, eg, English, while simultaneously displaying the same program on the wireless communication device with subtitles in, eg, Chinese.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication device can be synchronized or can communicate with a number of different devices and applications. For example, a user can use the wireless communications device to type in addresses, search for locations, etc., from home instead of having to do so on a GPS navigation unit. Then the wireless communication device can transfer the information entered into a GPS navigation unit via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.

In another embodiment, a navigation guidance application may be implemented in the wireless communication device, while the user is watching a broadcast program on the user's equipment, for example, the television. The navigational guidance application running on the wireless communication device can obtain snapshots of programs being broadcast on other channels, and display the snapshots on the wireless communication device (see FIG. 12). The image captures can be downloaded by the navigation guide application from a server that may be located in a multimedia content source or a multimedia guide source (see FIG. 12). The server can be configured to periodically capture images from various channels and store them in the database. When the user selects the capture, the corresponding program can be displayed in a preview on the wireless communication device. The program can be transmitted in real time from the server where the captures were downloaded. Alternatively, or additionally, the preview area can display a description of the program that can also be downloaded from the server. If the user wants to watch the selected program on, for example, a television, they can touch a touch button. After touching the touch button, the navigation guide application can exchange one or more application communications with the primary guide, indicating to the primary guide that the user wishes to tune to a particular channel.

The primary guide can make the cable box tune to the indicated channel. In another suitable approach, the wireless communication device can communicate directly with the set-top box and instruct it to tune to the indicated channel.

Multimedia content can be transferred between a primary display of the user's equipment (eg, a television) and the wireless communication device. For example, while watching a program on the user's computer (for example, the television), the user may need to leave the room (for example, to use the bathroom), causing the user to miss part of the program.

The wireless communications device can be configured to automatically start playing content that was being displayed on the primary display, such as a television, when the device

ES 2 634 433 T3 wireless communications is out of range, for example, from the TV or decoder. After detecting that it is out of range, then the wireless communication device can switch to a higher-range connection, such as, for example, Wi-Fi, and stream content from, for example, the cable box to via Wi-Fi connection and display it on the wireless communication device. The content can be streamed in real time directly from the user's computer or it can be received from another source, such as a multimedia content source. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device can be configured to automatically display not only the video but any other content that is being displayed on the television when the wireless communication device goes out of range. For example, if the user is browsing the schedule listings and leaves the room, the wireless communication device can automatically display the schedule listings that were displayed on the television. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may also automatically adjust its screen resolution so as not to distort what is being displayed (eg, render text legibly). In one embodiment, the wireless communication device can be configured to allow the user to manually transfer the television screen to the wireless communication device. Accordingly, the user can select manually (for example, by touching a touch screen button on the wireless communications device, or by shaking the wireless communications device) to initiate real-time transmission of the content that is being displayed on the computer. user on the wireless communication device.

Brief description of the drawings

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the reference characters refer to equal parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows exemplary display screens in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a simplified diagram of an illustrative interactive multimedia system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary configuration screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative screen of the navigation guide application in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a simplified diagram of an illustrative interactive multimedia system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative process of transmitting video in real time to the wireless communication device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative process of real-time transmission of programming guide listings to the wireless communication device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 shows a simplified diagram of an illustrative interactive multimedia system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative display screen using the grid format that can be used to provide guidance for various types of media in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative display screen using a tile that can be used to provide a guide for various types of media, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative user equipment device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 shows a simplified diagram of an illustrative interactive multimedia system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 shows a schematic view of the wireless communication device of FIG. 12, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 shows a schematic view of the user equipment of FIG. 12, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 shows an illustrative remote display in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 shows an illustrative remote display in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in providing an interactive multimedia guide and other application features of the wireless communication device of FIG. 12 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in coordinating features between the primary applications running on the user equipment of FIG. 12 and secondary applications running the wireless communication device of FIG. 12, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in providing captions on the wireless communication device of FIG. 12, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

ES 2 634 433 T3 FIG. 20 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in providing access to captures of other channels in the wireless communication device of FIG. 12, according to one embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 21 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in real-time automatic transmission of content to the wireless communication device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description

Multimedia guide functionality can be provided on a wireless communication device, such as a PDA, a Smartphone, a portable video player, a portable sound player, a portable gaming machine, or other wireless device. The functionality of the multimedia guide can be coordinated between the wireless communication device and one or more user equipment devices, such as, for example, a television, a set-top box, a DVD player / recorder, a Bluray player / recorder, a DVR, a media server, a security camera, a GPS navigation unit, etc. The provision of a multimedia guide application on a wireless communication device is discussed in more detail in, for example,

Chiu et al., U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 495,522, filed June 30, 2009.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 406 can be used to provide enhanced viewing options, such as multi-language support. An example of the type of multimedia guide functionality that can be provided on the wireless communication device 406 is the presentation of subtitles and audio dubbing in one or more languages ​​on the wireless communication device 406. For example, a program may be displayed on user equipment 402 (eg, a television) with subtitles in one language, for example, English, while the same program is simultaneously displayed on wireless communications device 406 with subtitles in another. language, for example, Chinese. FIG. 2 shows exemplary displays of user equipment 402 (eg, a television) and a wireless communication device 406. As shown in FIG. 1, user equipment 402 displays a program with English subtitles 218, and wireless communication device 406 displays the same program displayed on user equipment 402 but with Chinese subtitles 220. The video for the program or movie may be transmitted in real time to wireless communication device 406 from user equipment 402, via communication path 424 (eg, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth).

In one embodiment, in addition to captions, wireless communication device 406 can also provide access to audio dubbing. For example, when viewing an English movie on user equipment 402 (eg, a television), a movie with Chinese dubbing can be played on wireless communication device 406. In this way, the user can watch the movie on the television, but listen to the corresponding audio in Chinese on the wireless communication device 406. The audio can be played on a speaker included in the wireless communication device 406 or it can be played at via a pair of headphones connected to wireless communication device 406.

FIG. 2 shows a generalized embodiment of an interactive application system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The more specific implementations of the devices illustrated in FIG. 2, are discussed below in connection with FIGS. 11-14. In order to provide multimedia guide functionality in wireless communication device 406, wireless communication device 406 may communicate with user equipment 402 and user computer equipment 404 via communication path 424. The communication path 424 can be a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. The communication path 424 may allow the transfer of data such as, for example, audio, video, text, etc., between the wireless communication device 406 and the user equipment 402 and the user computing equipment 404. In the case Through a Bluetooth connection, wireless communication device 406 can communicate directly with user equipment 402 and user computing equipment 404. In the case of Wi-Fi connection, wireless communication device 406 can communicate with user equipment 402 and user computing equipment 404 via, for example, a wireless router 426.

In one embodiment, subtitles and / or audio dubbing may be transmitted in real time from user equipment 402 (eg, a set-top box) to wireless communication device 406 via communication path 424. Alternatively, Subtitles and / or audio dubbing can be obtained by wireless communication device 406 from a media provider (e.g., a multimedia content source 416 (FIG. 12)) over the Internet.

User can enable or disable subtitles and audio dubbing, and can also select a language

ES 2 634 433 T3 for subtitles and audio dubbing using wireless communication device 406. FIG. 3 describes an exemplary configuration screen 350 that the user can use to enable or disable subtitles and audio dubbing for the wireless communication device. Additionally, setup screen 350 can be used to select a language for subtitles and audio dubbing. In an exemplary embodiment, if subtitles are not available in the language chosen by the user, the wireless communication device 406 may obtain a translation of the subtitles in the language chosen by the user. For example, the wireless communications device 406 may obtain the captions from the user's computer 402 in an available language (for example, English) and use an internet translation service such as Babblefish ™ or Google ™ to obtain a translation of the subtitles to the language chosen by the user.

In addition to subtitles and audio dubbing, wireless communications device 406 and / or user equipment 402 (eg, a television) may present other supplemental content related to a show or movie while the show or movie is shown. on the user's computer 402. For example, while a user is watching a movie on user equipment 402, wireless communication device 406 may display supplemental content such as director comments, actor comments, reviews, and so on. Alternatively, the movie can be transmitted in real time to the wireless communication device 406, while the supplemental content is displayed on the user equipment 401 (eg, a television). The supplemental content may be provided, for example, on a DVD or Bluray disc or, alternatively, the content may be obtained via the wireless communication device 406 from the multimedia content source 416 or from a third party via the Internet. When supplemental content is provided on a DVD or Bluray disc, user equipment 402 can stream or transfer the content to wireless communication device 406 via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. In another example, sports related supplemental content shows games or may show poker tournaments on wireless communication device 406. For example, while a user is watching a poker tournament on the user's computer 402, the wireless communications device may display the players' cards or during a baseball game, the wireless communications device 406 may display the score or other. statistics. This supplemental content may be obtained by wireless communication device 406 from, for example, user equipment 402, multimedia content provider 416, or from third parties via the Internet.

Another example of multimedia guide functionality that may be provided on wireless communication device 406 is to provide an interactive multimedia guide application that provides multimedia guide through an interface that allows users to efficiently navigate through media selections and identify the medium with ease. An example of such an application is referred to herein as a navigation guide application. FIG. 4 shows an exemplary display screen of the navigation guidance application, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The navigation guide application shown in FIG. 4, allows the user to navigate, on the wireless communication device 406, through the image captures of programs that are being played on other channels while a program is being watched on the user's equipment 402 (eg, a television). For example, while the user is watching a program broadcast on the user's equipment 402, the navigation guide application may obtain the image captures of programs played on other channels and displays the image captures on the wireless communication device 406 as shown. shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the snapshots 1202 can be displayed along with the display area button, while the preview area 1206 can be displayed along the top.

The image captures 1202 can be downloaded via the navigation guide application to the wireless communication device 406 from the channel capture device 502. FIG. 5 discloses a generalized embodiment of a general embodiment of communication system 500 for providing guidance application for navigation in wireless communication device 406, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, wireless communications device 406 may communicate with user equipment 402 via communication path 424 (eg, a Wi-Fi link) via wireless router 426. Channel capture device 502 may be a A server that can be configured to periodically capture image captures of programs that are playing on various broadcast channels and store them in a database. Channel capture device 502 may include a tuner (not shown) to receive multi-channel DVB (digital video transmission) transmissions, and may periodically capture and store multi-channel image captures. Wireless communication device 406 can be connected to channel capture device 502 over the Internet using, for example, a Wi-Fi connection in a home network. When the user selects the image capture 1202, (for example, by tapping on the image capture) the corresponding program can be displayed in the preview area 1206. It can be transmitted in real time, the program from the device

ES 2 634 433 T3 from channel capture 502 or from a media provider (for example, a source of multimedia content 416). Alternatively, the preview area 1206 may display the selected image capture, or a description of the program, which can also be downloaded from the channel capture device 502 or a media provider (eg, a multimedia content source 416). .

In addition to image captures, the navigation guide application can also obtain other images related to the program, such as album cover art, posters, etc. These images can be displayed on wireless communication device 406 in a manner similar to image captures 1202 as shown in FIG. 4.. These images can also be downloaded from channel capture device 502 which can obtain and store images in a database. Alternatively, the images can be obtained either from the media content provider or from an external server.

If the user wishes to view the selected program on the user's equipment 402, for example, a television, the user can touch the View button 1204. After touching the View button 1204, the wireless communication device 406 can communicate directly with the equipment. user 402, using, for example, an IR (infrared) or Bluetooth connection, or instructing user equipment 402 (eg, a set-top box) to tune to the indicated channel. In another suitable method, the navigation guide application may exchange one or more communications with the multimedia guide application running on the user's equipment 402 (eg, a set-top box) that instructs the multimedia guide application that the user you have indicated to tune into a particular channel. The multimedia guide application may then have user equipment 402 (eg, a set-top box) tune to the indicated channel.

The user may wish to easily transfer plays or applications of the multimedia content between the wireless communication device 406 and the user's equipment 402. In some embodiments, various features found in modern Smartphones can be used to enhance the functionality of the multimedia guide provided on the wireless communication device 406, and allow the user to transfer content between the wireless communication device 406 and the user's equipment. 402. For example, several modern Smartphones and portable media players include accelerometers or gyros to allow the user to provide input by shaking or rotating the device. As shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 6, the user can shake the wireless communication device 406 a predetermined number of times (eg, twice) to enable real-time transmission of the video being played on the user equipment 402 (eg, a television) toward wireless communications device 406. User equipment 402, eg, a set-top box or multimedia server, can transmit video in real time to wireless communication device 406 via wireless router 426, via communication path 424. As shown in FIG. 6, then the user can view the program on the wireless communication device 406.

In some embodiments, shaking the wireless communication device 406 (eg, three times) enables real-time transmission of video from the wireless communication device 406 to the user equipment 402 (eg, a set-top box). For example, if the user has downloaded a movie or television show to the wireless communications device 406 from a content provider and prefers to watch it on a larger screen (eg, a television), the user can simply shake the wireless communications device. 406 while the movie or TV show is playing, and the movie or television show is transmitted in real time from wireless communication device 406 to user equipment 402 via wireless router 426 via communication path 424.

In addition to enabling real-time transmission of video to / from wireless communication device 406 via communication path 424, the shake feature can be applied to various situations. For example, if the user is browsing the guide listings on the user's equipment, (for example, a television), they can shake the wireless communications device 406 to allow navigation of the guide listings on the device. wireless communications 406. User equipment 402 (eg, a set-top box) can real-time broadcast or transfer directory listings to wireless communication device 406 via wireless router 426 via communication path 424. The user can then navigate per the directory listings on the wireless communications device 406.

Although the above embodiments have been described using the shake gesture, it should be understood that any other gesture can be used. For example, you can swipe your finger across the touch screen of the wireless communications device 406, or use the pointing gesture via the wireless communications device 406, etc., to begin transferring content between the user's equipment 402. and wireless communication device 406. In addition, gestures can be used to start or stop transferring content not only

ES 2 634 433 T3 from the user equipment 402 to the wireless communication device 406, but also to start or stop the transfer of content from the wireless communication device 406 to the user equipment 402. In addition, the content can be transferred to the wireless communications device 406 or to user equipment 402 from an external service. For example, if the user is watching a video on user equipment 402 through a service such as YouTube ™ or Hulu ™, the user can perform one of the gestures described above (eg, shake, swipe, etc. .) to begin streaming video to the 406 Wireless Communications Device directly from YouTube ™, Hulu ™, and more. Similarly, if the user is watching a video via YouTube ™ or Hulu ™ on the wireless communications device 406, the user can perform one of the gestures (shake, swipe, etc.) to begin streaming on real-time video to user computer 402 directly from YouTube ™ or Hulu ™.

In some embodiments, content transfer between user equipment 402 and wireless communication device 406 (and an external service, eg, YouTube ™, Hulu ™, etc.) can be done automatically. For example, while watching a program on user equipment 402 (for example, a television), it may be necessary for the user to leave the room (for example, to use the bathroom), which may cause the user to lose part of the program. Wireless communication device 406 can be configured to automatically start content being played on television when wireless communication device 406 is out of range of user equipment 402 (eg, a television). If the wireless communications device 406 is out of range, the use of a short-range connection such as infrared or Bluetooth can be determined. For example, if the user leaves the room with a wireless communication device 406, the infrared connection (which requires a line of sight) or Bluetooth connection between the wireless communication device 406 and the user equipment 402 will likely be cut off. detecting that the short-range connection (eg, IR or Bluetooth) was cut, the wireless communications device 406 may determine that it is out of range. Wireless communications device 406 can use a higher-range connection (eg, Wi-Fi, cellular connection, etc.) to stream content from user equipment 402 through wireless router 426, in real time. and display it on the wireless communication device 406. The highest range may be established after determining that the short range connection is broken or may have been previously established.

In one embodiment, it can be determined whether wireless communications device 406 is out of range of user equipment 402, using a microphone (not shown) included in wireless communications device 406. For example, the microphone can be used to listen to the audio being played on the user's computer 402. If the audio volume is drastically reduced (for example, more than 80%), the wireless communication device 406 may determine that it is out of range of the user equipment 402 and thus may switch to a higher range connection (for example, Wi-Fi) to initiate real-time streaming of content on the user's computer 402. Alternatively, the higher-range link (eg, Wi-Fi, connection via cellular, etc.) can be used to determine if the wireless communications device 406 is out of range. For example, the higher range connection can be used to detect motion, or detect location (eg using signal strength, triangulation, etc.).

In one embodiment, the wireless communication device 406 can be configured to automatically play not only the video but any playback that is being displayed on the user equipment 402 when the wireless communication device 406 goes out of range. For example, if the user is browsing the schedule listings and leaves the room, the wireless communications device 406 may automatically play the schedule listings that were being displayed on the user's equipment 402. In some embodiments, the communications device wireless 406 (FIG. 12) can also automatically adjust the screen resolution so as not to distort what is being played (for example, display text in a readable way). In another embodiment, the wireless communications device 406 may be configured to allow the user to manually select when to play what is being displayed on the user equipment 402 regardless of whether the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) is out of range. For example, even if the user moves away from user equipment 402, wireless communication device 406 may still be within range of user equipment 402. In this way, you can select manually (for example, by touching a button on the touch screen of the wireless communications device, or by shaking the wireless communications device) to start streaming the content that is being displayed on the device's computer. user 402 to wireless communication device 406.

When wireless communications device 406 re-enters range of user equipment 402, it can automatically instruct user equipment 402 to begin playing the content that was being played.

ES 2 634 433 T3 displaying on the wireless communications device 406. If previously, the wireless communications device 406 was receiving content from an external service (eg YouTube ™, Hulu ™, etc.), the wireless communications device can automatically instructing user equipment 402 to begin real-time transmission from the external service.

In some embodiments, the wireless communications device 406 can be configured to communicate with other network compatible devices, such as the Digital Living Network Alliance compatible devices.^YE (DLNA). FIG. 8 discloses an illustrative communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. User equipment 402 may include one or more DLNA compatible devices such as a camera 802 (eg, a security camera, a baby monitor camera, etc.) and a GPS navigation unit 804. The wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can be wirelessly connected to camera 802 via communication path 424 and, when the camera detects motion, wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can interrupt content being displayed on the device. wireless communications 406 (FIG. 12), if any, and automatically start the presentation of a video fed from the camera.

Video broadcast from the camera can be transmitted in real time to wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) via communication path 424. Alternatively, the broadcast video can also be displayed on user equipment 402 (eg, a TV). In addition, the user can manually select to view the video fed from the camera. In an exemplary embodiment, a camera placed in an oven or on top of a kitchen can be used to monitor the status of food being cooked. The user can view a video fed from the camera on the wireless communication device 406 to monitor the food being cooked while watching a program on the user equipment 402. In addition, depending on the range and strength of the signal between the camera and the wireless communication device 406, the user can take the wireless communication device 406 outside the home and continue to watch the video fed from the camera. As another example, wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can be used to monitor the temperature of a turkey that is baking by communicating with a DLNA-enabled thermometer.

In addition, the wireless communication device 406 may also include a built-in camera that can be used as a webcam. For example, a user may use wireless communication device 406 to video conference with another user. Wireless communication device 406 can use a Wi-Fi connection to transmit and receive video and audio to and from the other user over the Internet. Additionally, wireless communications device 406 may also include a built-in microphone (not shown). A user can use the microphone to communicate with other users through user equipment 402 or user computer 404. For example, if the user wants to communicate with another user who is using a computer in a different room, the communications device Wireless 406 can establish a Wi-Fi connection with your computer. The connection through a wireless communication device 406 can be used to transmit received audio through the computer's built-in microphone. Similarly, the wireless communication device 406 can receive audio from the computer over the Wi-Fi connection.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication device can synchronize or communicate with various devices and applications. For example, a user may use wireless communications device 406 to enter addresses, search for locations, etc., rather than having to type into a GPS navigation unit 804 which may be a handheld unit or part of a home navigation system. A car. The information entered can be stored in the wireless communication device 406 until the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) is within the range of the GPS navigation unit. The wireless communication device 406 can then transfer the information entered to the GPS navigation unit via communication path 424 (eg, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.).

The interactive multimedia guide applications discussed above can take various forms depending on the medium for which the guide is provided. A typical type of multimedia guide application is an interactive television program guide. Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to as electronic program guides) are well-known guide applications that, among other things, allow users to navigate between and locate many types of media content including conventional television programming (provided through traditional transmission, cable, satellite, Internet and other media), as well as pay-per-view service programs, programs on demand (such as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), Internet content (for example, streaming media, downloadable media, webcasting (Webcasts), etc.), and other types of multimedia content or video. Guidance applications also allow users to browse and locate content related to video content, for example, video clips,

ES 2 634 433 T3 articles, advertisements, chat sessions, games, etc. Guide applications also allow users to navigate and locate multimedia content. The term multimedia is defined herein as medium and content that uses at least two different forms of content, eg, text, audio, inanimate images, animation, video, and forms of interactive content. Multimedia content can be recorded and reproduced, displayed or accessed by information content processing devices, such as computerized or electronic devices, however, it can also be part of a live performance. It should be understood that the embodiments of the invention discussed with respect to multimedia content are also applicable to other types of content, such as, for example, video, audio and / or multimedia.

With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing and high-speed wireless networks, users access media on personal computers (PCs) and other devices that they traditionally did not access, such as handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs). ), mobile phones or other mobile devices. On these devices, users can browse and locate the same media available through a television. Therefore, the multimedia guide is also required on these devices. The guide provided may be for multimedia content available only through a television, for multimedia content available only through one or more of these devices, or for multimedia content available either through a television or one or more such devices. Multimedia guide applications can be provided as online applications (ie provided on a Web site), or as stand-alone applications or clients of handheld devices such as PDAs, mobile phones or other mobile devices. The various devices and platforms that can implement multimedia guide applications are described in more detail below.

One of the functions of the media guide application is to provide media listings and media information for users. FIGS. 9-10 show illustrative display screens that can be used to provide the multimedia guide and, in particular, the media listings. The display screens illustrated in FIGS. 9-10 can be deployed on any suitable device or platform. While the screens in FIGS. 9-10 are illustrated as complete presentation screens, they can also be presented completely or partially overlaid on the multimedia content that is being presented. A user can indicate a desire to access media information by selecting a selectable option provided on a splash screen (for example, a menu option, a listing option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) or by pressing a button. dedicated (for example, a GUIDE button) on the remote control or other interface or input device. In response to user input, the multimedia guide application may provide a display screen with media information organized in one or more ways, for example, by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel, by type of media, by category (for example, movies, sports, news, kids, or other programming categories), or other predefined, user-defined criteria, or other organizational criteria.

FIG. 9 shows the programming listings screen in illustrative grid 100 organized by time and channel that also allows access to different types of media content on a single screen. Screen 100 may include grid 102 with: (1) a column of channel / media type identifiers 104, where each channel / media type identifier (which is a cell in the column) identifies a channel or media type different available; and (2) a row of schedule identifiers 106, where each schedule identifier (which is a cell in the row) identifies a block of schedule schedule. The grid 102 also includes schedule listing cells, such as schedule listings 108, where each listing provides the title of the program provided on the channel and associated schedule time of the listing. With a user input device, the user can select the schedule listings by moving the highlighted region 402. Information regarding the schedule listing selected by highlighted region 402 may be provided in schedule information region 112. Region 112 may include, for example, the title of the show, the description of the show, the time it is broadcast. the program (if applicable), the channel on which the program is broadcast (if applicable), the audience rating of the program and any other desired information.

In addition to providing access to linear programming provided in accordance with a schedule schedule, the multimedia guide application also provides access to non-linear schedule that is not provided in the schedule schedule. Non-linear programming can include content from different media sources including multimedia content on demand (eg VOD), Internet content (eg streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), content locally stored media (for example, video content stored on a digital video recorder (DVR), digital video disc (DVD), video cassette, compact disc (CD), etc.), or other multimedia content that does not depend on the schedule. Content on demand can include both movies and original media content provided by a provider

ES 2 634 433 T3 of private media (eg HBO On Demand providing The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time Warner Company LP and colab. and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are registered trademarks owned by Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content may include events on the network, such as chat or Webcast sessions, or content available on demand such as streaming media or media that can be downloaded through an Internet site or other Internet accesses (for example, FTP).

Grid 102 may provide listings for non-linear programming including on-demand listing 114, recorded media listing 116, and Internet content listing 118. A screen that combines listings for content from different types of media sources, sometimes , is referred to as a mixed media screen. The various variants of the types of listings that are different that may be displayed on screen 100, may be based on user selection or guiding application definition (for example, a screen of only recorded listings or broadcast listings, only by demand and broadcast listings etc.). As illustrated, listings 114, 116, and 118 are shown including the entire schedule block in grid 102 to indicate that selecting these listings may provide access to a dedicated screen for on-demand listings, recorded listings, listings by Internet, respectively. In other embodiments, the listings for these types of media may be included directly on grid 102. Additional listings may be presented in response to the user by selecting one of the navigation icons 120. (Pressing an arrow key on the user input device can produce an effect on the screen similar to that produced by selecting the navigation icons 120).

Display 100 may also include video region 122, advertising region 124, and options region 126. Video region 122 may allow the user to view and / or preview programs that are available at the time, which will be available or were available to the user. The content of video region 122 may correspond to, or may be independent of, one of the listings displayed on grid 102. Grid screens including a video region are sometimes referred to as PiP screens in the guide (PIG). PIG screens and their functionalities are described in more detail in Satterfield et al. Patent of

United States No. 6,564,378, issued May 13, 2003 and Yuen et al. US Patent No. 6,239,794, issued May 29, 2001. PIG screens may be included in other multimedia guide application screens of the present invention.

Advertising 124 may provide an advertisement for multimedia content that, depending on the user's access rights (for example, for subscription programming), is normally available for viewing, will be available for future viewing, or will never be available, and it may correspond to (ie, be related to) or not related to one or more of the media listings in grid 102. Advertising 124 can also be products or services related or unrelated to the multimedia content presented on grid 102. Advertising 124 can be selected and it can provide additional information about the multimedia content, provide information about a product or service, allow the purchase of multimedia content, a product, or a service, provide multimedia content related to advertising, etc. Advertising 124 may be targeted based on the profile / preferences of users, controlled user activity, type of screen provided, or other appropriate bases targeted by the advertising.

Although the advertisement 124 is displayed in a rectangular or banner form (advertisement or advertisement that scrolls across the screen), it can be provided in any suitable size, shape and location on a guide application screen. For example, the advertisement 124 may be provided in a rectangular shape horizontally adjacent to the grid 102. This is sometimes referred to as panel advertisement. In addition, advertisements can be overlaid on the multimedia content or a guiding application screen or embedded within a screen. Advertising can also include text, images, rotating images, video clips, or other types of multimedia content. Advertising can be stored on the user's computer through the guide application, in a database connected to the user's computer in a remote location (including media servers transmitted in real time over the Internet) or on other storage media or combination of these locations. The provision of advertising to a multimedia guide application is discussed in more detail, for example, in Knudson et al., US Patent No. 10 / 347,673, filed January 17, 2003, Ward, III et al. US Patent No. 6,756,997, issued June 29, 2004, and Schein et al. US Patent No. 6,388,714, Issued May 14, 2002. It will be appreciated that the advertisements may be included in other display screens of the multimedia guide application of the present invention.

Option region 126 may allow the user to access different types of multimedia content, multimedia guide application screens, and / or multimedia guide application features. Option region 126 may be part of display 100 (and other display screens of the present invention) or may

ES 2 634 433 T3 be invoked by the user by selecting an option on the screen or by pressing a dedicated or assignable button on the user input device. Selectable options within options region 126 may refer to features related to the schedule listings of the grid 102 or may include options available on a main menu screen. Features related to programming listings may include finding other air times or ways to receive a program, recording from a program, allowing serial recording of a program, setting a program and channel it as a favorite, purchasing a program, or other features. The options available in the main menu layout may include search options, VOD options, parental control options, access to various types of listing screens, subscription to a premium service, editing a user's profile, access to overlay navigation or other options.

The multimedia guide application can be customized based on user preferences. A custom multimedia guide application allows the user to customize screens and features to create a personalized multimedia guide application experience. This personalized experience can be created by allowing the user to enter these personal variations and / or by monitoring the user's activity with the multimedia guide application to determine the user's various preferences. Users can access the personalized guide application by registering or identifying themselves in some way in the guide application. The customization of the multimedia guide application can be done according to the user's profile. Customizations may include varying presentation schemes (for example, screen color scheme, text font size, etc.), aspects of presented multimedia content listings (for example, HDTV programming only, broadcast channels user-specified based on favorite channel selections, channel screen reordering, recommended media content, etc.), desired recording characteristics (for example, recording or serial recording for home users, recording quality, etc.), parental control settings, and other desired personal characteristics.

The multimedia guide application may allow the user to provide user profile information or it may automatically compile user profile information. The multimedia guide application may, for example, control the media the user accesses and / or other interactions of the user with the guide application. In addition, the user guide application may obtain all or part of other user profiles that are related to a particular user (for example, from other websites on the Internet that the user accesses, for example, www.tvguide.com, other multimedia guide applications accessed by the user, other interactive applications accessed by the user from a personal handheld device, etc.), and / or obtain information about the user from other sources that the multimedia guide application can access. As a result, a unified experience of the guide application can be provided to a user across different user devices. This type of experience is described in detail below in connection with FIG. 12. Additional features of the custom multimedia guide application are described in more detail in Ellis et al., Request for

US Patent No. 11 / 179,410, filed July 11, 2005, Boyer et al., US Patent Application No. 09 / 437,304, filed November 9, 1999, and Ellis et al. , US Patent Application No. 10 / 105,128, filed February 21, 2002.

Another display arrangement for providing a multimedia guide is illustrated in FIG. 10. Tiled video presentation 200 includes selectable options 202 for multimedia content information organized based on media type, genre, and / or other organizational criteria. At display 200, television listings option 204 is selected thereby providing listings 206, 208, 210 and 212, as broadcast program listings. Unlike the listings in FIG. 9, the listings in the display 200 are not limited to simple text (eg, the name of the program) and icons to describe the media. Instead, in display 200 the listings may provide graphic images including covers, inanimate images of the multimedia content, video clip previews, live video of the multimedia content, or other types of media that indicate to the user the multimedia content that is being viewed. described by the listing. Each of the graphical listings may also be accompanied by text to provide additional information about the multimedia content associated with the listing. For example, listing 208 may include more than one portion, including media portion 214 and text portion 216. Media portion 214 and / or text portion 216 can be selected to view full screen video or to view program listings related to videos shown on media portion 214 (for example, to view channel listings of the video being displayed).

The listings in display 200 have different sizes (that is, listing 206 is longer than listings 208, 210, and 212), but if desired, all listings can be the same size. Listings can be different sizes or graphically accented to indicate levels of interest to the user or to emphasize certain content, if desired by the media provider or based on user preferences. Various systems and

ES 2 634 433 T3 methods for graphically accentuating media listings are described in, Yates, US Patent Application

United States No. 11 / 324,202, filed December 29, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Users can access the multimedia content and the multimedia guide application from one or more of the devices on the user's computer. FIG. 11 shows a general embodiment of illustrative user equipment device 300. More specific implementations of user equipment devices are described below with reference to FIG. 12. User equipment device 300 can receive multimedia content and data via input / output path 302 (hereinafter I / O). The I / O path 302 can provide the multimedia content (eg, streamed programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, and other video or audio content) and data for control circuit 304, including processing circuit 306. and storage 308. Control circuit 304 can be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using I / O path 302. I / O path 302 can connect control circuit 304 (and specifically processing circuit 306) with a or more lines of communication (described later). The I / O functions can be provided via one or more of these communication paths, however, they are shown as a single path in FIG. 11 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

The control circuit 304 may be based on any of the suitable processing circuits 306 such as the processing circuit based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, etc. In some embodiments, control circuit 304 executes instructions for a multimedia guide application stored in memory (ie, storage 308). In client-server based embodiments, control circuit 304 may include communication circuitry suitable for communicating with a directory application server or other networks or servers. The communications circuit may include a cable modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment. Such communications may include the Internet or any other suitable communications network or path (described in more detail in connection with FIG. 12). In addition, the communications circuit may include a circuit (for example, Bluetooth), which enables point-to-point communication between user equipment devices or communication between user devices at remote locations to each other (described in more detail below). .

Memory (for example, random access memory, read-only memory, or any other suitable memory), hard drives, optical drives, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage device (for example, DVD burner, DVD burner may be provided). CD, VCR, or other suitable recording device), such as storage 308 that is part of control circuit 304. Storage 308 can include one or more types of storage devices. For example, user equipment device 300 may include a DVR hard drive (sometimes called a personal video recorder or PVR) and a DVD recorder as a secondary storage device. Storage 308 can be used to store various types of media described herein and guide application data, including program information, guide application settings, user preferences or profile information, or other data used to operate the application. guide. Non-volatile memory can also be used (for example, for system routine startup and other instructions).

The control circuit 304 may include a video generating circuit and a tuning circuit, such as, for example, analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2 decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high definition tuners, or any other signal circuitry. tuning or suitable video or combinations of such circuits. Coding circuitry (eg, over-the-air, analog or digital signals in MPEG signals for storage) can also be provided. The control circuit 304 may also include a scaler circuit to reduce or raise the frequency of the media to the preferred output format of the user equipment 300. Circuit 304 may also include digital-to-analog conversion circuitry and analog-to-digital conversion circuits for conversions between digital and analog signals. The tuning circuit and the encoding circuit can be used by the user's equipment to receive and display, play or record multimedia content. The tuning circuit and coding circuit can also be used to receive guide data. The circuits described herein, including, for example, tuning, video generation, encoding, decoding, frequency down or up, and analog / digital circuits, can be implemented using software in one or more of the general purpose processors. or specialized. Multiple tuners can be provided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (eg, watch and record functions, Picture Overlay (PIP) functions, multi-tune recording, etc.). If storage 308 is provided as a separate device from user equipment 300, tuning and coding circuitry (including multiple tuners) can be associated with storage 308.

ES 2 634 433 T3

A user can control the control circuit 304 using the user input interface 310. The user input interface 310 can be any suitable user interface, eg, remote control, mouse, trackball, numeric keypad, keyboard, touch screen, touch panel, stylus input, joystick, speech recognition interface or other input interfaces. The display 312 may be provided as a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of the user equipment device 300. The display 312 may be one or more of: a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for a device mobile, or any other suitable equipment to present visual images. In some embodiments, display 312 may be HDTV compatible. Speakers 314 may be provided integrated with other elements of the user equipment device 300 or they may be separate units. The audio component of the videos and other multimedia content shown in the presentation 312 can be played through the speakers 314. In some embodiments, the audio can be distributed to a receiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio. through speakers 314.

The guide application can be implemented using any suitable architecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone application fully implemented on the user's equipment device 300. In such an approach, the application instructions are stored locally and data for use with the application is downloaded on a periodic basis (eg, from VBI from a TV channel, from an out-of-band feed, or using another suitable method). In another embodiment, the multimedia guide application is a client-server based guide application. Data for use by a thin or thin client, implemented on user equipment device 300, is retrieved on demand by making requests to a remote server for user equipment device 300. In an example of a client-server-based guidance application, control circuit 304 executes a Web browser that interprets Web pages provided by the remote server.

In still other embodiments, the media guide application is downloaded and interpreted or executed in some way by means of an interpreter or virtual machine (executed by control circuit 304). In some embodiments, the guiding application may be encoded in the ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received by control circuit 304 as part of a proper feed, and interpreted by a user agent running on the control circuit. 304. For example, the guide application can be a mini EBIF application. In other embodiments, the guide application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files that are received and executed by a local virtual machine or other middleware executed by control circuit 304. In some such embodiments (for example, those using MPEG-2 or other digital media coding schemes), the guide application can be, for example, encoded and transmitted in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the audio packets. and video of a program.

The user equipment device 300 of FIG. 11 can be implemented in the system 400 of FIG. 12 such as user equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, or any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing the media, such as, for example, a non-portable gaming machine. For the sake of simplicity, these devices may be referred to herein collectively as user equipment or user equipment devices. The devices of the user equipment, in which the multimedia guide application is implemented, can function as a standalone device or can be part of a network of devices. Various device network configurations can be implemented and are discussed in more detail later.

User equipment 402 may include a cable box, an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellite television, a television set, a digital storage device, a DVD player / recorder, a Bluray player / recorder, a videocassette recorder (VCR), a local media server, a webcam, one or more security cameras which may include one or more baby monitoring cameras, a GPS navigation unit, a network compatible thermometer or other user equipment. The GPS navigation unit can be a self-contained portable navigation unit or, alternatively, it can be a part of the navigation unit of a car navigation system. Additionally, any of the devices included in user equipment 402 can be network compatible and can communicate over a network using, for example, a Wi-Fi connection. For example, devices included in user equipment 402 may be compatible with the Digital Living Network Alliance^YE (DLNA). In some embodiments, devices included in user equipment 402 may further be capable of communicating over a short-range connection, such as, for example, Bluetooth or IR. If desired, one or more of these devices can be integrated into a single device. User computing equipment 404 may include a PC, laptop, tablet, WebTV device, personal computer-television (PC / TV), PC media server, PC media center, or other computing equipment of the user. Username. WEBTV is a trademark owned by Microsoft Corp. The user's wireless communications device 406 may include a PDA, a mobile phone (e.g., a Smartphone with a touch screen interface), a video player, a portable video player.

ES 2 634 433 T3 sound, a portable game machine, or other wireless devices. Wireless communication device 406 may function as a remote controller for user equipment 402 and user computer equipment 404.

Notably, with the advent of PC television tuner cards, WebTV, and video integration to user computer devices, the lines become fuzzy when trying to classify a device as one of the above devices. In fact, each of the user's equipment 402, user's computer equipment 404, and user's wireless communications device 406, can utilize at least some of the features of the system described above in connection with FIG. 11 and, as a result, include flexibility regarding the type of media content available on the device. For example, user equipment 402 may be Internet-enabled allowing access to Internet content, while user computing equipment 404 may include a tuner to allow access to television programming. The multimedia guide application may also have the same layout on several different types of user equipment or it may be adapted to the presentation capabilities of the user's equipment. For example, on a user's computer, the guide application may be provided as a website accessed through an Internet browser. In another example, the guide application can be shortened for the user's wireless communication devices.

In system 400, typically, there are more than one of each type of user equipment device, but only one of each is shown in FIG. 12 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user can use more than one type of user equipment device (for example, a user can have a television and a computer) and also more than one of each type of user equipment device (for example, a user you may have a PDA and a mobile phone and / or multiple televisions).

The user can also determine various settings to keep the multimedia guide application settings consistent across all home devices and remote devices. The settings include those described in this document, as well as favorite channels and programs, programming preferences that the guide application uses to make programming recommendations, display preferences, and other desired guide settings. For example, if a user sets a channel as a favorite on, for example, the website www.tvguide.com on his personal computer at the office, if desired, the same channel would appear as a favorite on the user's devices at home (for example, user's equipment and user's computer equipment), as well as, on mobile devices. Therefore, changes made on one of the user's computers may change the experience of the guide on another user's device, regardless of whether it is the same or a different type of device from the user's computer. Additionally, changes made can be based on settings made by a user, as well as user activity monitored by the guiding application.

The user equipment devices may be coupled to a communication network 414. Specifically, a user equipment 402, a user computer equipment 404, and a wireless communication device 406 are connected to a communication network 414 via the communication pathways. communication 408, 410 and 412, respectively. Communications network 414 may be one or more networks including the Internet, mobile telephone network, mobile device network (eg, Blackberry), cable network, public switched telephone network, or other types of communications networks or combinations of communications networks. . BLACKBERRY is a service mark owned by Research In Motion Limited Corp. Tracks 408, 410, and 412 may separately or together include one or more communication channels, such as, via satellite, fiber optic, via cable, via that supports Internet communications (for example, IPTV), space connections free (for example, for transmitting signals or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wireless or non-wireless communication path, or combinations of such pathways. Track 412 is drawn with a dotted line to indicate that in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 12, is a wireless route and routes 408 and 410 are drawn with black lines to indicate that they are wired routes (although these routes can be wireless if desired). Communications with user equipment devices may be provided by one or more communication paths, however, they are shown as a single path in FIG. 12 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

User equipment devices can communicate directly with each other via communication paths such as those described above with reference to paths 408, 410, and 412, as well as other short-range point-to-point communication paths, for example, USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wireless pathways (for example, Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or other short-range wireless or wired communication paths. BLUETOOTH is a certification mark owned by the Bluetooth SIG, INC. For example, wireless communication device 406 can transmit and receive remote control commands to and from the

ES 2 634 433 T3 user equipment 402 via infrared. User equipment devices can also communicate with each other directly through an indirect path via the communication network 414.

System 400 includes a multimedia content source 416 and a multimedia guide data source 418 coupled to a communication network 414, via communication paths 420 and 422, respectively. Pathways 420 and 422 may include any of the communication pathways described above in connection with pathways 408, 410, and 412. Communications with multimedia content source 416 and multimedia guide data source 418 may be exchanged over one or more communication paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 12 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, there may be more than one source for each of the multimedia content sources 416 and one data source for the multimedia guide 418, however, only one is shown in FIG. 12 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. (The different types of each of these sources are described later). If desired, the multimedia content source 416 and the multimedia guide data source 418 may be integrated as a source device. Although communications between sources 416 and 418 with user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 are shown as a communication network 414, in some embodiments, sources 416 and 418 can communicate directly with user equipment devices 402 , 404, and 406 via communication paths (not shown) such as those described above with respect to pathways 408, 410, and 412.

The multimedia content source 416 may include one or more types of media distribution equipment including, a television distribution apparatus, a cable system headend equipment, a satellite distribution facility, programming sources (eg, broadcasters such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distribution facilities and / or servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers, and other multimedia content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by ABC, INC., And HBO is a trademark owned by Home Box Office, Inc. The content source 416 may be the originator of the multimedia content (eg, broadcast provider, Internet streaming provider, etc.), or it may not be the originator of the multimedia content (eg, a provider of multimedia content. on-demand, Internet provider of streaming video content for download, etc.). The multimedia content source 416 may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internet providers, or other providers of multimedia content. The multimedia content source 416 may also include a remote multimedia server used to store different types of multimedia content (including video content selected by a user), at a remote location from any of the user's equipment devices. Systems and methods for remote storage of multimedia content, and provision of remotely stored multimedia content to user equipment, are discussed in greater detail in connection with Ellis et al.,

US Patent Application No. 09 / 332,244, filed June 11, 1999.

Multimedia guide data source 418 may provide multimedia guide data, such as multimedia listings, media-related information (eg, broadcast times, broadcast channels, media names, media descriptions, information of the audience rating (for example, rating for parental control, audience rating for critics, etc.), gender or category information, actor information, logo data for broadcaster or supplier logos, etc.), media format (for example, standard definition, high definition, etc.), advertising information (for example, text, images, media clips, etc.), information on-demand and any other type of guidance data that may be helpful to the user in navigating and locating the desired media selections.

The data from the multimedia guide application can be provided to the user's equipment devices using any of the appropriate approaches. In some embodiments, the guide application may be a stand-alone interactive television program guide that receives the program guide data via a data feed (eg, continuous, controlled feed, or data in the vertical blank interval of a channel). .

Schedule schedule data and other guide data can be provided to the user equipment in a television channel sideband, in the vertical blank interval of a television channel using a digital signal in the band, using a digital signal. out-of-band or any other suitable data transmission technique. Schedule schedule data and other guide data can be provided to user equipment on analog or digital television channels. Schedule schedule data and other guide data can be provided to user equipment at any suitable frequency (for example, continuously, daily, at user-specified periods of time, at system-specified periods of time , in response to a request from the user's computer, etc.). In some approaches, the guidance data from the multimedia guidance data source 418 may be provided to the user's equipment using the

ES 2 634 433 T3 client server method. For example, a client of the guide application residing on the user's computer can log in with a source 418 to get the guide data when it needs it. The multimedia guide data source 418 may provide user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 with the multimedia guide application itself or the software update for the multimedia guide application.

The applications of the multimedia guide can be, for example, stand-alone applications implemented on the devices of the user's computer. In other embodiments, the multimedia guide applications may be client server applications where only the client resides on the user's computer device. For example, multimedia guide applications may be partially implemented as a client application in the control circuit 304 of the device of the user equipment 300 and partially, in a remote server as a server application (e.g., multimedia guide data source 418 ). The guide application screens can be generated by the multimedia guide data source 418 and transmitted to the user's equipment devices. The multimedia guide data sources 418 can also transmit data for storage on the user's equipment, which then generates guide application presentations based on instructions processed by the control circuit.

The multimedia guide system 400 is intended to illustrate a number of methods, or network configurations, by which user equipment devices, and sources of multimedia content and guide data can communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing the media and provide the multimedia guide. The present invention can be applied in any one or a subset of these methods, or in a system that uses other methods to distribute media and provide the multimedia guide. The following three methods provide specific illustrations of the generalized example of FIG. 12.

In one approach, the user's computer devices can communicate with each other within a home network. User equipment devices can communicate with each other directly through short-range point-to-point communication schemes as described above, through indirect paths through a hub, router, or other similar device provided on a home network, or through a network. communications network 414. Each of the multiple people in a single household can operate different user computer devices on the home network. As a result, being in communication between different user equipment devices can be convenient for various information or settings of the multimedia guide. For example, it may be convenient for users to maintain the same multimedia guide application settings on different user equipment devices within a home network, as described in more detail in Ellis et al., US Patent Application. No. 11 / 179,410, filed July 11, 2005. Different types of user equipment devices can also communicate with each other on a home network to stream multimedia content. For example, a user can stream multimedia content from a user's computer to a portable video player or portable music player.

In a second approach, users can have multiple types of user equipment with which to access the multimedia content and obtain the multimedia guide. For example, some users have networks that are accessed by home-installed devices and mobile devices. Users can control the devices at home through a multimedia guide application implemented on a remote device (eg, wireless communication device 406). For example, users can access an online multimedia guide application on a website using a personal computer at the office or a mobile device such as a PDA or mobile phone with Internet access. The user can determine various settings (for example, recordings, reminders or other settings) in the online guide application to control the user's equipment installed in the house. The online guide can control the user's computer directly or by communicating with a multimedia guide application on the user's home computer. Various systems and methods for communication of user equipment devices, where such devices are in remote locations from each other, are described, for example, in Ellis et al., US Patent Application No. 10 / 927,814, filed on August 26, 2004.

In a third approach, users of the user equipment devices inside and outside the home can use their media guide application to communicate directly with the multimedia content source 416 and access the multimedia content. Specifically, within the home, users of user equipment 404 and user computer equipment 406 can access the multimedia guide application to navigate and locate desired multimedia content. Users can also access the multimedia guide application outside the home using wireless communication devices 406 to navigate and locate desired multimedia content.

It will be appreciated that, although the analysis of multimedia content is focused on video content, the principles of the multimedia guide can be applied to other types of multimedia content, such as, for example, music, images, etc.

ES 2 634 433 T3

As used herein, a primary application refers to an interactive application that runs on user's computer 402 and / or user's computer 404. A primary application may be a server application that provides application data to wireless communications device 406 in response to one or more application communications, or it may be a version of an application that works cooperatively with a version of the application that runs on wireless communications device 406. As used herein, a secondary application means an interactive application that runs on the wireless communication device 406. A secondary application may include a client application that obtains data from a primary application, or it may be a version of an interactive application that runs cooperatively with a primary application and that obtains data from the application from the 416 media source or source. 418 multimedia guide data set.

The primary and secondary applications can communicate by exchanging one or more application communications. Application communications may include any client-server or point-to-point communication suitable for exchanging interactive application data or other data (eg, digital frames and display screens for display with wireless communications device 406), between the primary and secondary applications via communication path 424 or communication network 414 via communication path 412 and 408. The communication path 424 can be an infrared connection, a Wi-Fi connection, a Bluetooth connection, a combination of such connections, or any other wireless communication. Application communications may include, for example, remote procedure calls, commands, messages, or requests.

Application communications may also include complex communications between application constructs running on wireless communications device 406 and user equipment 402 and / or user computer equipment 404. Application communications, for example, may be object-based. Objects that are running in the primary and secondary guides, for example, can communicate using an object request manager (ORB). The interactive application data may, for example, be encapsulated as Component Object Model (COM) objects and maintained in a continuous stream that is transmitted over communication path 424 and / or communication network 414. The application communications may also include, for example, HTML markup language formatted documents (eg, Web pages), which are exchanged between the wireless communications device 406 and an Internet service system.

User equipment 402 (and user computer equipment 404) and wireless communication device 406 may communicate via communication path 424. There may be only one communication path 424, for example, when wireless communication device 406 fetches application data exclusively from user's computer 402. Communication path 424 may be a direct connection between wireless communication device 406 and user equipment 402 and user computing equipment 404, such as Bluetooth or infrared. Alternatively, when using the Wi-Fi connection as the communication path 424, the communication path 424 can be routed through, for example, a wireless router (not shown) included in a home network. To avoid overcomplicating the drawing, only the communication paths 424 are shown. Additionally, or alternatively, the wireless communication device 406 may obtain application data and multimedia content directly from a multimedia content source 416 or data source. of multimedia guide 418 via, for example, communication network 414.

Several different media and schemes can be used in different communication paths 424 when there are multiple communication paths 424. In the home, for example, the communication path 424 may include an RF, Wi-Fi, infrared or Bluetooth connection, instead of a more complicated connection, which is more suitable for data transmission over wider geographical areas. It may also be more suitable, for example, that when the wireless communication device 406 communicates directly with a multimedia content source 416 or multimedia guide data source 418, the communication path 424 may be a more suitable connection for communication. transmission of data over wider geographic areas, such as an Internet connection.

Wireless communications device 406, user equipment 402, and user computing equipment 404 may communicate using any suitable network and transport layer protocols. They can communicate, for example, using a protocol stack that includes Sequenced Packet Exchange / Inter-Network Packet Exchange (SPX / IPX) layers, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) layers, Protocol Transaction AppleTalk / Datagram Distribution Protocol (ATP / DDP), a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) layer, or any other

ES 2 634 433 T3 network or transport. Wireless communication device 406 and user equipment 402 can also be part of a home network using, for example, Sun Microsystems' Jini network protocol. If desired, the transport and network layer protocols can be bypassed from the system. In various embodiments, wireless communication device 406 and user equipment 402 can be compatible devices.

DLNA and UVNP.

Using any suitable scheme, the application data can be distributed via the multimedia guide data source 418 to the user equipment 402 exclusively, to the user equipment 402 and the wireless communication device 406 together, or to the communication device only. wireless 406. For example, the application data may be provided in a continuous stream or it may be transmitted at suitable time intervals (eg, once an hour). If transmitted continuously, it may not be necessary to store the data locally on user equipment 402 or wireless communications device 406. Instead, if necessary, user equipment 402 or wireless communications device 406 can extract data on the go. If desired, multimedia content source 416 or multimedia guide data source 418 may poll user equipment 402 or wireless communications device 406 periodically for certain information (for example, payment program account information or information regarding programs that have been purchased and viewed using locally generated authorization techniques). Application data can also be provided using a suitable client-server approach or the Internet.

In various embodiments, a primary application can run entirely on user equipment 402 and / or user computer equipment 404. A secondary application that runs on wireless communications device 406 can obtain application data through the user's equipment. user 4 02 and / or user's computer equipment 404. The secondary application can obtain the application data, from a primary application that acts as a server through the application communications sent to the user equipment 402 or the user's computer equipment 404 through the communication path 424. In Another suitable approach, the secondary application may obtain application data directly from the user's computer 402 or the user's computer 404 without involving the primary application.

User equipment 402 may, for example, receive the application data as part of a continuous data stream, periodically or in response to polling requests from the multimedia content source 416 or the multimedia guide data source. 418. In such approaches, the application data can be provided automatically to the wireless communication device 406, without requiring the secondary application to request it from the primary application.

In yet another suitable approach, application data can be stored by user equipment 402 and sent to wireless communication device 406. This approach may be convenient when, for example, data transfer rates are not equal between the distribution facility 104 and user equipment 402, and between user equipment 402 and wireless communication device 406.

An illustrative arrangement of wireless communication device 406 is shown in FIG. 13. The wireless communication device 406 can be any suitable PDA, mobile phone, portable video player, portable music player, portable game machine, or other portable wireless device. The functionality that the wireless communications device 406 can provide to the user may vary depending on its processing circuitry, communications circuitry, and memory. The wireless communications device 406 may be a Windows CE compatible device or JAVA or Smartphone-based handheld PDA style device, or it may be enabled by any other operating system suitable for wireless communications devices. Wireless communications device 406 may include user interface 52, processing circuit 54, storage 56, and communications device 58.

User interface 52 may be any suitable input and output device or system, and may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), touch screen, synthesis-to-speech speech recognition circuitry, microphone, speaker, buttons, or manual keys, keyboard or any other suitable user input and output hardware and software. User interface 52 preferably includes a touch screen or keypad. A touch-sensitive screen can simplify navigation with various types of interactive television applications. In some embodiments, a wireless communication device 406 touch-sensitive screen need only display those buttons or controls that apply to the specific screen the user is viewing or the specific task the user is performing. In addition, an interface presented on a touch screen can change to suit the type of input that the user will be making in the television application. For example, a keyboard can be displayed to provide the user with the opportunity to enter one or

ES 2 634 433 T3 more characters, or a numeric keypad to simplify number entry. User interface 52 may also include handwriting recognition software for execution on a wireless communication device.

In still another suitable approach, the wireless communication device 406 may have a combination of pushbuttons and displays. Displays can label each push button with text or graphics that indicate to the user the characteristic associated with a push button. When the user accesses different interactive applications, the screens may change based on the application being accessed.

When, for example, you access a betting application, you can see two screens bet and info. When the user switches applications to, for example, an interactive programming guide, the same screens say channel up and channel down. For each application, pressing a certain button produces the indicated characteristic. Control codes can be downloaded from, for example, user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) via a Bluetooth, infrared, Wi-Fi, or other wireless connection to wireless communications device 406 to indicate to wireless communications device 406 the appropriate labels and characteristics for each push button.

Processing circuitry 54 can include any suitable processor, such as, for example, Intel Pentium®, AMD, or other microprocessor. Wireless communications device 406 may also include storage 56. Storage 56 may be any memory or other storage device such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, or magnetic or optical disk reader, or any other suitable storage for a device. wireless communications. Processing circuitry 54 may also include circuitry suitable for reproducing video. A video signal, for example, an MPEG-2 data stream, can be transmitted in real time to the wireless communication device 406 via a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection.

Wireless communications device 406 may also include communications device 58. Communications device 58 may be any device suitable for supporting communications between wireless communications device 406 and user equipment 402 via communication path 424 ( FIG. 12), and between the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) and the multimedia content source 416 (FIG. 12) and data source of multimedia guide 418 (FIG. 12) through communication path 412 (FIG. 12). Communications device 58 may be, for example, a communications port (for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, modem (for example, any suitable analog or digital modem or cellular modem), a network interface card (for example, an Ethernet card, Token Ring, etc.), wireless transceiver (for example, an infrared, radio, cellular, or other suitable analog or digital transceiver), or other communication device suitable for a wireless communication device. In particular, the communications device 58 may be a location-frequency transceiver. If desired, the wireless communication device 406 can include multiple communication devices 58. One communication device 58 can be used to communicate via communication path 412, and another can be used to communicate via communication path 424. Each communication device 58 can be for a different type of communication path. For example, a communications device 58 can be used to download application data or exchange access communications in some way, and another communications device, such as an infrared emitter, can be used to control user equipment 402 and other home entertainment equipment using infrared controls. A location-frequency transmitter can be used, for example, to upload device type information and download infrared codes. When used in this mode, keys can be displayed on the wireless communication device 406, and the user can touch the keys on the screen to generate the commands. The keys can be context sensitive, that is, only the keys of interest are displayed at the same time.

During operation, wireless communication device 406 may obtain user commands from user interface 52, process commands using processing circuitry 54, and generate a suitable display screen for the user at user interface 52. When the user indicates that they want to access a function of the secondary application that requires the application to obtain data from the application, the processing circuit 54 can direct the communication device 58 to initiate a session with the user's equipment 402 (FIG 12), multimedia content source 416 (FIG. 12) or multimedia guide data source 418 (FIG. 12).

Wireless communication device 406 may be configured to display, for example, a main menu, which may include interactive advertising. One of the menu items can be an interactive program guide. By selecting the guide feature you can open the guide main menu, display the guide listings

ES 2 634 433 T3 program or any other suitable presentation of the guide. When a user selects a listing, the device can display a description of a program associated with the listing. Announcements can be related to programming, in which case selecting them provides more information about a program, allows setting of reminders, or any other suitable function. Ads for other products may allow the user to obtain more information or purchase a product.

An illustrative arrangement for user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) is shown in FIG. 14. User equipment 402 (FIG. 12) may receive analog or digital video stream from multimedia content source 416 at input 26. Data from multimedia guide data source 418 may also be received on the entry 26. When watching television normally, the user can tune the user's equipment (eg, a digital set-top box 28) to a desired television channel (analog or digital). The signal for said television channel can then be provided to the video output 30. The signal provided at output 30 is typically a radio frequency (RF) signal on a predefined channel (eg channel 3 or 4), or an analog demodulated video signal, however it can also be a digital signal provided to the television 36 on a suitable digital bus (not shown). The video signal at the output 30 can be received by an optional secondary storage device 32.

A primary application or a primary application client can run on set-top box 28, on television 36, on optional digital storage device 31 (if television 36 or optional digital storage device 31 has adequate memory and processing circuitry) , on a suitable analog or digital receiver connected to the television 36. The interactive television application may also run cooperatively on both television 36 and set-top box 28. Interactive television application systems in which a cooperative interactive television program guide application runs on multiple devices are described, for example, in Ellis United States Patent Application No. 09 / 186,598, filed November 5, 1998.

Secondary storage device 32 can be any type of analog or digital programming storage device or player (eg, a video cassette recorder, a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, etc.). Program recording and other features can be controlled by set-top box 28 using control connection 34. If the secondary storage device 32 is a video cassette recorder, for example, a typical control connection 34 includes the use of an infrared transmitter connected to the infrared receiver on the video cassette recorder which typically accepts commands from a remote control.

Wireless communications device 406 can be used to control set-top box 28, secondary storage device 32, and television 36. Wireless communications device 406 can, for example, have different modes of operation to interface to applications and to control user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) as a remote control. Wireless communications device 406 can be programmed based on, for example, the devices in media system 400 (FIG. 12). The user can, for example, select device types from the appropriate configuration screen. In another suitable approach, the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can download the configuration information from an application (eg, an interactive multimedia guide application) that is running on the user's computer 402.

If desired, the user can record programs, application data, or a suitable combination of both in digital form on the optional digital storage device 31. The user can also download software to the digital storage device 31 from the Internet or some other medium. The digital storage device 31 may be a recordable optical storage device (such as a DVD player capable of handling rewritable DVD discs), a magnetic storage device (for example, a digital disk or tape reader), or any other device. digital storage. Interactive television application systems in which program guides have digital storage devices are described, for example, in Hassell et al. US Patent Application No. 09 / 157,256, filed September 17, 1998.

Digital storage device 31 may be contained in set-top box 28 or it may be an external device connected to set-top box 28 through a suitable output port and interface. If necessary, the processing circuitry in decoder 28 formats the received video, audio, and data signals into a digital file format. Preferably, the file format is an open file format such as the MPEG-2 Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) standard or the MJPEG, Moving Joint Photographic Experts Group standard. The resulting data can be transmitted in real time to the digital storage device 31 via a suitable bus (eg, a digital bus), and can be stored on the storage device.

ES 2 634 433 T3 digital 31. In another suitable approach, a stream of MPEG-2 data or series of files may be received from the multimedia content source 416 (FIG. 12) and stored in the digital storage device 31. By For example, user recorded program files can be stored using a remote media server at media source 416 (FIG. 12). Such digital files can be played whenever the user wishes.

Television 36 can receive video signals from secondary storage device 32 via communication path 38. The video signals on the communication path 38 may be generated by the secondary storage device 32 when a prerecorded storage medium (eg, a videotape or recordable digital video disc) is being played by the digital storage device. 31 when playing a prerecorded digital video (for example, a video of a program that was recorded by the user through a remote media server or internal to the user's home), can be passed through the decoder 28, they can be provided directly to the television 36 through a decoder 28 if it is not included secondary storage device 32 on user equipment 402, or can be received directly through television 36. When watching television normally, the video signals provided to television 36 correspond to the desired channel that the user tuned to set-top box 28. Video signals may also be provided to television 36 through decoder 28 when decoder 28 is used to reproduce information stored in digital storage device 31, or when decoder 28 is used to decode a digital video stream or digital files. broadcast from television distribution facility 29.

Decoder 28 may include communication device 37 to communicate directly with multimedia content source 416 (FIG. 12) and multimedia guide data source 418 (FIG. 12) via communication path 408, or with wireless communication device 406 via communication path 424 (FIG. 12). The communications device 37 may be, for example, a communication port (for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, etc.), a modem (for example, any analog or digital modem or cellular modem), a network interface card (for example, an Ethernet card, Token Ring, etc.), a wireless transceiver (for example, an infrared, radio, cellular or other analog transceiver or suitable digital), Bluetooth, or other communication device suitable for a wireless communication device. If desired, the television 36 may also have such a suitable communication device. In particular, the communications device 37 can be a location-frequency transceiver or a 900 MHz transceiver. If desired, the set-top box 28 can have multiple communications devices 37. One communication device 37 can be used to communicate with distribution facility 104, and another to communicate with wireless communication device 406.

The primary and secondary applications may include any suitable application including, without limitation, an interactive program guide application, a tele-shopping application, a web browser, task list, betting application, or any other application. For the sake of clarity, the present invention will be illustrated in relation to a system in which an interactive programming guide is implemented on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) and wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12). In another suitable arrangement for such a system, programming guide data is distributed from the multimedia guide data source 418 (FIG. 12) to an interactive programming guide application implemented on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12 ). In another suitable arrangement, the interactive program guide application may be implemented using the client-server architecture where the primary processing power for the application is provided by a server located, for example, at the multimedia guide data source 418. , and user equipment 402 acts as a client processor. In still another alternative arrangement, the interactive program guide application may obtain the program guide data from the Internet.

Interactive programming guides typically limit the ability of the user to select interactive objects on a screen by requiring that the objects be selected by highlighting the region or by placing the cursor over the objects. When, for example, a user is within a column of schedule listings, they do not need to move up or down with the arrow key within the column to select an interactive object. In addition, the user may be required to repeatedly press a key to navigate from one object to another. However, on the touch screen of the wireless communication device 406, any area can be selected, providing the user with improved accessibility to interactive objects. Wireless communication device 406 may, for example, display a menu patterned after a menu displayed on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) using an interactive application. The user can select a particular menu option with a single action without having to touch, as with a normal remote control, multiple keys to place a highlighted region.

ES 2 634 433 T3

Wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can include many of the features of interactive program guides, such as listings by time, by channel, by category, favorite channels, or any other feature of the guide. It can allow the user to set reminders and have them appear on the device, both with an audible alert and displayed on the screen. For example, by turning a page back, the device can be used to set reminders or schedule recordings remotely. Wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can be used to collect data. For example, it could be used to send surveys. It can also be used to collect audience rating information. With a suitable point of sale device, for example, it can be used to distribute electronic coupons.

The secondary programming guide application running on the wireless communication device 406 may provide the user the opportunity to coordinate the functions of the primary guide with the functions of the secondary guide, thereby extending the interactivity of the primary and secondary guides.

The touch screen of the wireless communications device 406 becomes an integrated part of the on-screen guide. Complementary interactivity between the primary and secondary guides can be provided for various program guide functions without having to stop watching TV. For example, the user can, via wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12), perform the following tasks: navigate between channels and schedules, access programming information, buy programs from the pay-per-view service, set reminders and block programs, without interrupting the content that is being shown on the television 36.

In addition, when a user is browsing the programming guide listings on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) (for example, television 28), and selects a schedule listing 108 (FIG. 9), the device wireless communications interface 406 (FIG. 12) may display information screen 801 which may include rich graphics, video, and / or advertisements. Information displayed on information screen 801 may be transferred to wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) from, for example, set-top box 28 (FIG. 14) via communication path 424 (FIG. 4). Additionally, in various embodiments, while a user browses the programming guide listings displayed on user equipment 402 (FIG. 4) (eg, television 28 (FIG. 14)) as shown in FIG. 9, the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 4) can display the video that is being displayed in the video region 122 (FIG. 9). Video can be transmitted in real time from user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) (eg, set-top box 28 (FIG. 14)) to wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) via the communication 424 (FIG. 12).

The secondary guide may offer the user the opportunity to navigate within the primary guide and access the features of the primary guide using the wireless communication device 406. FIG. 15 shows an illustrative remote display 1000. Remote displays 1000 may include, for example, a logo 707, selectable advertisements 705, current time 711, and current channel 713. When a user selects logo 707 from remote screen 1000, the secondary guide can instruct the primary guide to display a screen of programming listings on the television 36. The controls of the remote screen 1000 may be based on and displayed in accordance with the screen presented by the primary guide or other application, the option highlighted on a particular primary application screen, the content or type of information displayed on the application screen. primary or any other suitable characteristic, group of characteristics or content.

The user can navigate and control a primary guide by pressing, for example, arrows 1003. Navigation within a programming guide display screen using wireless communications device 406 can be performed within any display screen of the program. programming guide. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the user can navigate and control a primary guide using a trackball on screen 1102 as shown in FIG. 16. Control dial 1102 can be rotated horizontally and vertically and the user can tap dial 1102 to select objects or buttons within the primary guide. User equipment 402 (FIG. 12) for example, a television, can display the corresponding actions on the primary guide display screen while the user moves the sphere 1102. Various graphical interfaces are discussed for an interactive multimedia guide application that can be navigated and controlled using the on-screen sphere of FIG. 16, for example, Woods, et al., Patent Application for

United States No. 12 / 571,069, filed September 30, 2009.

The secondary programming guide may offer the user the opportunity to navigate within the primary programming guide in other ways. The secondary guide can offer the user the opportunity to set channels as favorites in the secondary guide, the primary guide, or both. The user can, for example, navigate between the lists determined as favorites by pressing FAV 1007. Alternatively, the secondary guide can reorder the schedule listings with the favorite channels in the most prominent or convenient position, as shown on the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) or user equipment 402 (FIG. 12 ).

ES 2 634 433 T3

The user can back up the display screen of the previous primary guide, for example, by tapping LAST 1009. The user can return to the main menu screen of the primary guide 100 by tapping, for example, MENU 1011. The The user can return to watching television by touching, for example, EXIT 709. A user can indicate to view the programming information for a particular listing by, for example, locating the highlighted region 150 above the listing and touching INFO 1013. Other illustrative controls that the sub-guide may display on the wireless communications device 406 when the user highlights a programming listing within the listing screen or other display screen, may include controls for: set a reminder, block a show, order the show if it's pay-per-view, view other show times, or order products related to the show such as a soundtrack CD, a video of the program or device with the program brand.

In some embodiments, video displays can also be transmitted in real time to wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) as the user browses the schedule listings using the primary guide. In this approach, the video screen may include video of a program whose listing is displayed and which is being broadcast at the time of browsing. If system resources do not allow for real-time transmission of video, inanimate images can be transmitted for on-screen display instead, from user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) to a wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12 ). In another suitable approach, highly compressed videos can be used in response to bandwidth restrictions. Using highly compressed videos may also be convenient when, for example, the screen resolution of the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) does not support high resolution video.

Additionally, in various embodiments, the user can watch a program on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) while viewing a different program on wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). For example, a program can be transmitted in real time from a multimedia server to wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) while set-top box 28 (FIG. 14) transmits a different program to television 36 (FIG. 14). Additionally, set-top box 28 can include multiple tuners, and one tuner can be used to receive one program, while the other to receive a second program. In this manner, the user can watch one program on television 36 (FIG. 14), and a second program can be transmitted in real time using the Wi-Fi connection to wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). Wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) to determine priorities for multiple tuners. For example, if the user is watching different programs on television 36 (FIG. 14) and wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12), and one of the tuners is programmed to record a program, the user can allow recording and stopping real-time transmission to wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). Alternatively, the user can override the scheduled recording (eg, lower the priority of the recording) to allow real-time transmission to the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12).

Wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) may offer the user the option of changing the programs that are being displayed on the respective screens. For example, during a commercial that is being shown in a program on television 36, the user can touch the button on wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) to change the programs that are being displayed on television 36 (FIG 14) and wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12). When the commercial ends, the user can tap the button again to change the programs being shown on television 36 (FIG. 14) and wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12).

FIGS. 17-21 are flowcharts of illustrative steps included to provide coordinated, autonomous application features in wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). The steps illustrated in FIGS. 17-21 are illustrative and, in practice, can be done in any suitable order. FIG. 17 is a flow chart of the illustrative steps included in providing interactive television features and other application features with wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). At step 1300, the application data, eg, interactive television application data or other application data, is provided to the wireless communication device 406. Data can be provided directly from the multimedia guide data source 418 (FIG. 12) to a wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12), from the multimedia guide data source 418 (FIG. 12) to a wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) through user equipment 402 (FIG. 12), or directly from user equipment 402 (ie, data originating from user equipment 402). The interactive television application data may include any data suitable for the interactive multimedia guide or other applications. Interactive multimedia guide applications may include, for example, applications that provide information related to programming or that provide interactive features associated with programming such as,

ES 2 634 433 T3 for example interactive television programming guides, tele-shopping applications, e-mail, gambling and financial activity applications. As illustrative examples, tele-shopping and financial activities applications can be interactive applications when such applications are provided through the user's equipment. The features of these applications can be provided with programming related to those features. A tele-shopping application may, for example, provide the opportunity to purchase featured products and services on a tele-shopping television channel.

Wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) may receive data from the application (step 1310) and offer the user the opportunity to access the multimedia guide application with wireless communication device 406 (step 1320). The interactive multimedia guide application may run as a standalone application, as a client that requires data from a server (e.g., a server at the multimedia guide data source 418 or user equipment 402), or cooperatively with a primary application running on user's machine 402. At step 1330, wireless communication device 406 may offer the user the opportunity to access other applications, such as PDA-like functions. For example, it can support email, calendar, contact list, web browser, calculator, etc. It can support data services, such as news, weather, sports, traffic, or any other suitable data service. Such applications may also be provided as stand-alone applications or server applications that are running on user equipment 402 and are accessible through wireless communication device 406. With adequate hardware resources, the secondary programming guide could include communication functions. advanced. For example, it could allow the user to remotely control home equipment - know if the system is on, what channel is being watched, etc. It could also allow the user to listen to the audio of a selected TV channel or offer audio channels.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in coordinating features between the primary applications within the user equipment 402 and the secondary applications that are running on the wireless communications device 406. At step 1400, the content source multimedia 416 or multimedia guide data source 418 provides data from the application to the primary application running on the user's computer 402. The primary application can be an interactive multimedia guide application. At step 1410, the primary application provides the data from the application to the secondary application running on the wireless communication device 406 using, for example, one or more communication paths (FIG. 12). At step 1420, the secondary application running on wireless communication device 406 provides a screen of interface controls that are coordinated with the characteristics of the primary application. For example, the interface controls can correspond to the navigation characteristics of the parent application. The illustrative remote display 1000 of FIG. 15, for example, includes navigation arrows 1003 to correspond to the navigation features of an interactive programming guide running on user equipment 402. The user interface also includes controls for interactive guide features, such as, for example, favorites, latest, more info, and menu. In a home shopping application, for example, the user interface controls may include similar navigation controls, and may include other controls for home shopping features such as shopping, information, putting items on wish lists, or any other suitable tele-shopping features. In a home business transaction application, for example, the user interface controls may include similar navigation controls and other controls for features such as buying products, selling products, more information, or any other suitable feature. In a web browser application, for example, similar navigation controls and other controls can be provided for, for example, backward, forward, home page, bookmark, or any other suitable feature. In a betting application, for example, user interface controls can be provided for betting, providing additional information on gambling opportunities, or any other suitable feature.

Interface controls can be coordinated with the characteristics of the secondary application using the data provided by the primary application. In this way, user interface controls can be dynamically configured based on the primary application. If desired, the wireless communication device 406 can store a library of standard controls so as to provide the user with an interface consistent with primary applications. If desired, controls that are specialized for particular primary applications can be downloaded.

Another example of coordinating interface controls with the characteristics of a primary application is to provide the content of the primary application on the wireless communications device 406. In an interactive program guide application, for example, the wireless communications device 406 can show the

ES 2 634 433 T3 television programming when, for example, the user browses the listings while watching a program on the user's equipment 402.

At step 1430, the secondary application controls the functionality of the primary application based on user controls selected by the user as indicated, on the wireless communication device 406. This can be accomplished by means of, for example, sharing of one or more access communications with the primary application. In a tele-shopping application, for example, the primary application may initiate a purchase sequence in response to the user's selection of a purchase control on the wireless communications device 406. In an application for home business transaction For example, the primary application may sell a product in response to the user's selection of a sale control on the wireless communication device 406. In a web browser, for example, the system may return to the previously viewed web page in response to the user's selection of a back control.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of illustrative steps included when captioning and / or dubbing is provided on wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). At step 1502, user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) (eg, television 36 (FIG. 14)) may display a user-selected program. The program can be from a user-selected channel or it can be, for example, a movie being played from a DVD. In step 1504, if the user requests playback of the program on wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12), the user may further be asked if subtitles are displayed and / or played with dubbing (step 1506). The user may request to view the program on wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12), and request that the program be reproduced with subtitles and / or a dubbing, simply by touching a button on the screen of the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). If the user does not request to play the program on wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12), the program may continue on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12). If the user does not request captions to be displayed and / or to listen to a dubbing along with the program, the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can obtain the program at step 1508 and present it to the wireless communications device 406 ( FIG. 12) at step 1510. The program can be transmitted in real time from user equipment 402 (FIG. 12), for example, decoder 28 (FIG. 14) through communication path 424 (FIG. 12). Alternatively, if user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) is displaying a program from a service such as YouTube ™, or Hulu ™, wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can stream the program in real time. directly from the service.

If the user requests to display subtitles and / or to play a dubbing along with the program, the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can obtain the program from the user's equipment 402 (FIG. 12) or from a service (for example , YouTube ™, Hulu ™, etc.) in step 1512. Additionally, the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can also obtain the subtitles and / or dubbing in step 1514. Subtitles and / or dubbing can be obtained from user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) through communication path 424 (FIG. 12) or it can be obtained from a multimedia content source 416 (FIG. 12) through of communication path 412 (FIG. 12). At step 1516, the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) may display the program along with the subtitles and / or the received dubbing. In one embodiment, the user may wish to view captions and / or listen to dubbing on wireless communications device 406 but not view the program on wireless communications device 406, as shown in step 1518. If so, the wireless communications device 406 may obtain the captions and / or dubbing at step 1520, and may display the captions and / or play the dubbing on wireless communications device 406, at step 1522.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of illustrative steps included to show, at wireless communication device 406, the image captures in the navigational guidance application illustrated in FIG. 12. At step 1602, user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) may display a program from a particular channel selected by the user. While the user is watching the program on user equipment 402, he may want to see what programs are being broadcast on the other channels. The user can then access the navigation guidance application on the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). The wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can then obtain the captures from the other channels at step 1604 and display the captures as shown in FIG. 12, at step 1606. The image captures can be obtained from a server in the multimedia content source 416 (FIG. 12), which can be configured to periodically capture the images of the television transmission channels and store them in a database accessible through Internet. Wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can connect to the server using, for example, a Wi-Fi connection on the user's home network. The user can select an image capture by touching the screen. Once selected, the wireless communication device 406 can display the image capture in more detail in the preview area 1206 (FIG. 12), or it can display the

ES 2 634 433 T3 programs in preview area 1206 (FIG. 12). The program can be transmitted in real time from the server through communication path 412 (FIG. 12). Alternatively, or in addition, the preview area 1206 may display a description of the program, which can also be downloaded from the server. If the user wants to watch said program, he can touch the view button 1204 (FIG. 12). After tapping the button, see 1204 (FIG. 12), the navigation guide application may, in step 1608, exchange one or more application communications with the primary guide via communication path 424 (FIG. 12) informing the primary guide that the user has indicated it. desire to tune in to a particular channel. The primary guide may cause user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) to tune to the indicated channel. In another suitable approach, wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can communicate directly with user equipment 402 (FIG. 12), using, for example, an IR or Bluetooth connection, and instruct user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) to tune to the indicated channel. At step 1610, the selected channel can be displayed on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12).

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in real-time transmission of content to wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). At step 1702, user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) displays the content on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12). The content may be a program, advertisement, or movie, or it may be a program guide screen (eg, list grid as shown in FIG. 9). At step 1704, the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can determine if it is outside the range of user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) (for example, television 36 (FIG. 14) or set-top box 28 ( FIG. 14)). If it is not, the user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) can continue to display the content. Using a short-range connection, such as infrared or Bluetooth, it can be determined if the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) is outside the range of user equipment 402 (FIG. 12). For example, if the user leaves the room with the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12), the infrared connection (which requires a line of sight) or Bluetooth connection between the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) will likely be cut off. and user equipment 402 (FIG. 12). Alternatively, it can be determined whether the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) is out of range of user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) detecting the location of wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) using, for example, RFID or GPS.

Thus, if the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) is determined to be out of range of the user equipment 402 (FIG. 12), the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) may, in step 1706, switch to higher range connection such as Wi-Fi. At step 1708, wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can transmit content from user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) in real time. 12) through communication path 424 (FIG. 12). Alternatively, if user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) was initially receiving content from a service such as YouTube, or Hulu, the wireless communications device may stream the content directly from the service using the higher-range connection. In step 1710, the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) can display content on wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12). If the user returns to the room, or if the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) is within range of the user equipment 402 (FIG. 12), the wireless communications device may terminate the higher-range connection (e.g. example, Wi-Fi) between wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) and user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) and reestablish a short-range connection (for example, infrared or Bluetooth). Additionally, when wireless communications device 406 returns to range of user equipment 402, it can automatically instruct user equipment 402 to begin displaying the content that was being displayed on wireless communications device 406. If the wireless communications device 406 was previously receiving content from an external service (eg, YouTube ™, Hulu ™, etc.), the wireless communications device may automatically instruct the user equipment 402 to begin streaming in real time from external service.

In one embodiment, wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can be configured to automatically display not only video but also what is being displayed on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) when wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) is out of range. For example, if the user is browsing the schedule listings and leaves the room, the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) can automatically display the schedule listings that were displayed at user equipment 402 (FIG. 12). In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 406 (FIG. 12) may also automatically adjust the screen resolution so as not to distort what is being played (eg, display text so that it is readable). In one embodiment, the wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) may be configured to allow the user to manually select when to display what is being displayed on user equipment 402 (FIG. 12) regardless of whether wireless communications device 406 (FIG. 12) is out of range or not. . For example, even when a user moves away from the television 36 (FIG. 14) or the set-top box 28 (FIG. 14), the communications device

ES 2 634 433 T3 wireless 406 (FIG. 14) may still be within range of the television set 36 (FIG. 14) or set-top box 28 (FIG. 14). Accordingly, the user can manually select (eg, by touching a screen button on the wireless communication device), the option to initiate real-time transmission of content from set-top box 28 (FIG. 14).

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention, and the person skilled in the art can make various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. The above-described embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the following claims.