Play Control Of Content On A Display Device
Patent No. US11860938 (titled "Play Control Of Content On A Display Device") was filed by Touchstream Technologies Inc on Oct 10, 2022.
What is this patent about?
’938 is related to the field of controlling media playback on a display device, such as a television, using a separate computing device like a smartphone. The background involves the increasing desire to watch web-based media on TVs, but existing methods of control are often cumbersome, especially when the viewer is at a distance. This patent addresses the need for a more seamless and user-friendly way to select and control web media on a TV from a mobile device.
The underlying idea behind ’938 is to use a server system as an intermediary to facilitate communication between a personal computing device and a display device. The server system stores an association between the two devices. When a user selects content on their personal device, the server sends commands to the display device to load the appropriate media player (if not already loaded) and play the selected content. This allows the user to control the playback from their personal device, even if different content requires different media players.
The claims of ’938 focus on a video content provider server system receiving a request from a computing device for video content metadata. Based on a video content selection and a remote display selection, the server system generates commands to cause the selected remote display to load a media player (if not already loaded) and to present the selected video content. Subsequent control commands from the computing device are communicated to the remote display device via the video content provider server system.
In practice, a user on a smartphone can browse video content from a provider. When they select a video and a target display (e.g., a smart TV), the server system first checks if the TV has the necessary media player. If not, it sends a command to the TV to download and load the player. Then, it sends another command to the TV to play the selected video using that player. The smartphone then acts as a remote control, sending commands like play, pause, and rewind through the server to the TV.
This approach differs from prior solutions by centralizing the control and media player management in the server system. Instead of requiring the smartphone to directly communicate with the TV using specific protocols, the server acts as a universal adapter , translating commands and ensuring the correct media player is loaded. This simplifies the user experience and allows for seamless playback of content from various sources, even if they require different media players on the display device. The use of a synchronization code also provides a user-friendly way to link the smartphone and TV.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2010s when ’938 was filed, web media was often consumed on computers, and connecting a computer to a television for viewing was known, but controlling the system from a distance was difficult. Wireless devices offered some remote control, but viewing a web browser display on a television could be cumbersome and interfere with normal TV viewing. At a time when users desired to watch web media on their primary television and control it remotely from a personal computing device, such as a mobile phone, it was desirable to perform web searches and control the television remotely.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner approved the application because the prior art of record failed to teach or suggest generating a first command to load a second media player on a remote display when the second media player is not already loaded, generating a second command to present selected video content using the loaded second media player, and transmitting both commands to control the remote display via a video content provider server system. The dependent claims add further limitations to the allowable subject matter of the corresponding independent claims.
Claims
This patent includes 20 claims, with independent claims 1, 14, and 20. The independent claims focus on a video content provider server system receiving requests for metadata and transmitting commands to load and control video content on a remote display. The dependent claims generally elaborate on the specifics of the independent claims, such as the format of commands, the type of metadata, and the nature of the video content provider and media players.
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Date
Description
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US11860938
- Application Number
- US17962654
- Filing Date
- Oct 10, 2022
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Jun 10, 2031
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents