|Publication number||US8196044 B2|
|Application number||US 10/751,694|
|Publication date||Jun 5, 2012|
|Priority date||Jan 5, 2004|
|Also published as||CA2491387A1, CN1649411A, CN1649411B, DE602005003030D1, DE602005003030T2, EP1551153A1, EP1551153B1, US20050149501, US20120204115|
|Publication number||10751694, 751694, US 8196044 B2, US 8196044B2, US-B2-8196044, US8196044 B2, US8196044B2|
|Inventors||Peter T. Barrett|
|Original Assignee||Microsoft Corporation|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (122), Non-Patent Citations (3), Referenced by (18), Classifications (20), Legal Events (3)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
The present invention generally relates to the field of user interfaces and in particular to configuration of user interfaces.
Users of clients, such a set-top boxes, wireless phones, computers, and so on, are continually exposed to an ever increasing variety of content. A user of a set-top box, for instance, may view traditional television programming obtained from a broadcast network for display on a television, as well as pay-per-view movies, video-on-demand (VOD), interactive video games, and so on. Likewise, a user of a wireless phone may place and receive traditional telephone calls, as well as read email, schedule appointments, play digital music, and so on.
As shown in the previous examples, the capabilities provided by clients have also continued to increase to address the ever increasing varieties of content. For example, a user may be able to receive email on a computer as well as a set-top box, a personal digital assistant, and a wireless phone. Even though the capabilities of clients and networks that communicatively couple the clients have improved, a variety of applications are still not implemented due to failure of applications to address the capabilities and limitations of the clients and the networks. In other words, an application that may be configured for use on a particular type of client, such as a client having a particular combination of hardware and/or software capabilities, may have limited utility on another type of client that does not have the particular combination. Data-entry intensive applications, for instance, when implemented in a traditional television environment may be limited due to limitations of input devices available to the user and because of limited resolution of traditional televisions. For example, a traditional remote control may have buttons to directly enter television channels, offer four-way navigation, and manipulate power and volume. Functions such as text entry and searching through a large list of options, which may be readily performed when using a keyboard, may become onerous when using the traditional remote control.
In addition, limited resolution that is available on a standard definition television may limit the effective resolution of data that may be displayed to the user at any one particular time. For example, limitations in the display of readable text on a traditional National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) television may limit the amount of text that may be displayed on the television at any one time. Additionally, the distance at which the display is to be viewed may limit the effective resolution of the display. For instance, to display an electronic program guide on a standard definition television such that the display may be viewed when the user is positioned at a typical distance from the television, the text of the electronic program guide may be enlarged such that it is readable from the desired distance. Therefore, even if the user is provided with a keyboard, the television experience may not be unable to provide the functionality that is provided when the user interacts with the application using a computer.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for user interfaces that address device capabilities and limitations to improve user interaction.
Configuration of user interfaces is described. User interfaces are provided by a client to devices for initiation of control functions of the client. The user interfaces, for instance, are executed on the devices to initiate control functions of the client. For example, a user interface may be executed on a local device that is communicatively coupled to the client over a local network connection, such as a local area network (LAN). The user interface may also be executed on a remote device that is communicatively coupled to the client over a remote network connection, such as a wide area network (WAN). The local and remote devices execute the respective user interfaces that are obtained from the client to initiate control functions of the client, such as to record content. The user interfaces may be configured based on detected hardware and/or software capabilities of the respective local and remote devices that execute the user interfaces. Hardware and software capabilities may include resolution, processing power, memory resources, available applications, and so on. Therefore, the local and remote devices may each be provided with respective user interfaces for initiating control function of the client that address the hardware and/or software resources of the particular device.
In an implementation, a method includes receiving a query from a device. The query is for a user interface (UI) from a client. The UI, when executed by the device, is configured to form a request for execution of a control function by the client. A processing of the request determines whether the execution by the client of the control function is permitted. The processing is performed at a head end by using client state data. The hardware and/or software capabilities of the device to execute the UI are detected. The UI is configured based on the hardware and/or software capabilities of the device.
The same reference numbers are utilized in instances in the discussion to reference like structures and components.
Configuration of user interfaces (UIs) is described. UIs are provided by a client for initiation of control functions of the client. The UIs may be executed on a variety of devices to initiate control functions of the client. In an implementation, the UI may be executed on a local device that is communicatively coupled to the client over a local network connection (local connection). For example, the client may be configured as a set-top box that provides for output of broadcast content, such as traditional television programming, and provides for interaction with additional types of content, such as applications that are executed on the client, applications that are executed remotely over a network, and so on. The local device may be configured as a personal digital assistant (PDA), e.g. a “pocket” PC, which is communicatively coupled to the set-top box over a local radio frequency (RF) connection. The PDA executes a UI that is obtained from the set-top box to initiate control functions of the set-top box, such as to record content. The set-top box may configure the UI based on detected hardware and/or software capabilities of the PDA to execute the UI, such as resolution of the PDA, processing power, colors supported, and so on. Therefore, the PDA is provided with a UI that addresses the hardware and/or software resources of the PDA.
In another implementation, the UI may be executed on a remote device that is communicatively coupled to the client over a remote network connection (remote connection). Continuing with the previous example, the set-top box provides for the output of content that is received over a network from a head end, such as traditional broadcast television, video-on-demand (VOD), remote application processing, and so on. A remote device, such as a desktop computer, may also be communicatively coupled to the network. The remote device also executes a UI that is obtained from the set-top box to initiate control functions of the set-top box. The set-top box configures the UI based on detected hardware and/or software capabilities of the remote device to execute the UI. Therefore, the remote device may also be provided with a UI that addresses the hardware and/or software resources of the remote device. Further discussion of the configuration of UIs may be found in relation to
In a further implementation, the head end stores client state data to process the requests for control functions received from the UIs. For example, the head end may include client state data, such as ratings limits, favorite channels, levels of service, and so on, that is accessible locally by the head end. The head end may utilize this client state data to process requests provided by the UIs that are executed locally by the local device or remotely by the remote device. After the requests are processed, the head end may then cause the client to perform the control function. By processing the requests at the head end, the head end provides an authoritative source for processing control functions to be performed by the client. This may result in a variety of increased functionality that is available to the user, such as an ability to change from an old client to a new client without manually updating client state data from the old client to the new client and remote initiation of control functions without obtaining a connection with the client. Further discussion of the use of client state data by a head end may be found in relation of
The client 104 may be configured to receive content broadcast from the content provider 102 over the network 106. The content provider 102 includes content 108(k), where k can be any number from 1 to “K”, that is locally stored on the content provider 102. The content 108(k) may include a variety of data, such as television programming, video-on-demand, an electronic program guide (EPG), one or more results of remote application processing, and so on. The content provider 102 provides the content 108(k) over a network 110 to a head end 112. The network 110 may be the same as or different from network 106. The content 108(k) may then be stored in a database 114 as content 116(n), where n can be any number from 1 to “N”, on the head end 112 for broadcast over the network 106 to the client 104. In other words, the content 116(n) stored in the database 114 may be copies of the content 108(k) received from the content provider 102. The content 116(n) may also include additional data that is broadcast to the client 104. For example, the content 116(n) stored in the database 114 may include EPG data that is broadcast to the client 104 utilizing a carousel file system. The carousel file system repeatedly broadcasts the EPG data over an out-of-band (OOB) channel to the client 104 over the network 106.
The head end 112 may also include a distribution server 118 to format and distribute the content 116(n) over the network 106. Distribution from the head end 112 to the client 104 may be accomplished in a number of ways, including cable, RF, microwave, and satellite. Although the head end 112 is illustrated as separate from the content provider 102, the content provider 102 may also include the head end 112.
The client 104 may be configured as a computer that is capable of communicating over the network 106, such as a desktop computer, a mobile station, an entertainment appliance, a set-top box 120 that is communicatively coupled to a display device 122 as illustrated, and so forth. The client 104 may also relate to a person and/or entity that operate the client 104. In other words, client 104 may describe a logical client that includes a user and/or a machine. Although one client 104 is illustrated, a plurality of clients may be communicatively coupled to the network 106.
The client 104 may also include a database 124 having locally stored content 126(m), where m can be any number from 1 to “M”. For example, the client 104 may be configured as a personal video recorder (PVR) that includes the database 124 stored in hard disk memory. Due to the size of the memory, users are able to record content. The PVR also offers control functions, such as the ability to pause content that is currently being broadcast and allows viewers to watch the content while still in progress from the point it was paused. The PVR plays back the content from disk memory, starting at the pause event, while continuing to record the currently-broadcast content in the disk memory. Additionally, the PVR may support other control functions, such as rewinding, fast forwarding a stored program, slow motion playback, and the like.
The client 104 is equipped with sufficient processing and storage capabilities to store and run a navigation application 128. The navigation application 128, when executed on the client 104, provides control functions for interacting with content. For example, the control functions may include the PVR control functions as previously discussed, as well as channel selection, EPG navigation, and so on.
The client 104 also includes a configurable UI 130 and a UI module 132. The configurable UI 130 provides an interface for execution on a device such that a user of the device may initiate one or more control functions of the navigation application 128. The UI module 132 is executed on the client 104 to configure the configurable UI 130 based on detected hardware and/or software resources of a device that is to execute the configurable UI 130. For example, a local device 134, such as a PDA as illustrated, may be communicatively coupled to the client 104 over a local connection 136. The UI module 132, when executed, detects the capabilities of the local device 134 to execute the configurable UI 130 and then configures the configurable UI 130 accordingly. The client 104 may also be communicatively coupled to a remote device 138, e.g. a desktop computer as illustrated, over the network 106. The UI module 132, when executed on the client 104, may also configured the configurable UI 130 based on the detected hardware and/or software capabilities of the remote device 138 to execute the configurable UI 130. The UI module 132 may be implemented in a variety of ways, such as an HTTP server that provides U's in an HTML format to the local and remote devices 134, 138. The client 104, through execution of the UI module 132, may provide U's for execution on the local and remote device 134, 138 based on the capabilities of the respective local and remote device 134, 138 to execute the UIs.
The head end 112 includes a database 140 for storage of a plurality of client state data 1420), where j can be any number from 1 to “J”, to process requests that were initiated by UIs that are executed on the local and remote device 134, 138. For example, the distribution server 118 may include a remoting module 144 that is executed on the distribution server 118 to process requests to cause the navigation application 128 of the client 104 to perform one or more control functions. The remoting module 144, when executed, processes the requests using the client state data 1420) that corresponds to the client 104 that is to perform the control function. If the client 104 is permitted to perform the control function, the distribution server 118 causes the client 104, and specifically the navigation application 128, to perform the control function. In this way, the head end 112 provides an authoritative source for client state data 1420) in the environment 100.
Although the set-top box 120 is shown separately from the display device 122, the set-top box 120 may be built into the display device 122 to form an integral unit. Furthermore, in other implementations, the client 104 may be embodied as other computers capable of executing the navigation application 128 and UI module 132, such as a broadcast-enabled computer, an information appliance, a laptop computer, a personal video recorder (PVR), or the like.
The client 104 may include a remote network interface (remote interface) 206 that may be utilized to receive the content 116(n) of
The client 104 may be controlled by a user via inputs provided by an input device 210. The inputs are received by the client 104 from an input interface 212 over a local connection 214. The local connection 214 may be the same as or different from the local connection 136 that communicatively couples the local device 134 with the local interface 222. The input interface 212, local connection 214 and input device 210 may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, the input interface 212 may be configured as a wireless port, such as an infrared (IR) or Bluetooth wireless port, for receiving wireless communications from input device 210, such as a remote control device, a handheld input device, or any other wireless device, such as a wireless keyboard. In alternate embodiments, the input interface 212 may use an RF communication link or other mode of transmission to communicate with client 104, such as a wired connection which may include a universal serial bus (USB) connection, and so on.
When output of content is requested, the navigation application 128 is executed on the processor 202 to obtain content, such as from content that is streamed from the distribution server 118 over the network, content 126(m) that is stored locally on the database 124, and so on. The navigation application 128 may also restore the content to the original encoded format as provided by the content provider 102 of
The client 104 may also be controlled through use of a UI that is executed by a device. For example, the local device 134 may include a processor 216 and memory 218. The local device 134 includes a UI 220 that was provided by the client 104 through execution of the UI module 132 and the configurable UI 130. When executed on the processor 216, the UI 220 enables a user to initiate one or more control functions of the navigation application 128 on the client 104. The local device 134 is communicatively coupled over the local connection 136 to the client using a local interface 222. The local device 134 may also include a navigation application 224 to provide for content interaction on the local device 134 itself. The navigation application 224, for instance, may be configured as a browser, a media player, and so on.
The remote device 138 may also include a processor 226 and memory 228. Like the local device 134, the remote device 138 includes a UI 230 that is illustrated as being executed on the processor 226 and is storable in memory 228. The remote device 138 may also include a navigation application 232 that may be similar to or different from the navigation applications 128, 224 of the client 104 and/or local device 134. When executed on the processor 226, the UI 230 enables a user to initiate one or more control functions of the navigation application 128 on the client 104. By interacting with the UI 230 on the remote device 138, the user of the remote device 138 is able to initiate control functions of the client 104 from over the network 106. Communication between the remote device 138 and the client 104 may also be provided using the remote interface 206.
By initiating the control functions by the U's 220, 230, the user can request a variety of control functions. Examples of control functions include recordation of content 116(n) of
The distribution server 118 included in the head end 112 of
The distribution server 118 executes the remoting module 144 on the processor 234 to process requests to initiate control functions of the navigation application 128 on the client 104. The requests may originate from the UIs 220, 230 that are executed on the respective local and remote devices 134, 138. The remoting module 144, when executed on the processor 234, processes the requests according to client state data 142(j) that is stored in the memory 236. For example, a plurality of client state data 142(j) may be stored in the memory 236 that corresponds to a plurality of clients that receive content from the head end 112 of
Additionally, by storing client state data 1420) for local access by the distribution server 118, low resource clients may be utilized to output content yet high-resource functionality may still be provided to devices which execute the UI to control the client 104. For example, a low resource client, such as a client having limited hardware and/or software resources, may be configured to decrypt and output content for rending on a display device. The low resource client may also provide local storage of content, such as on a hard disk drive. A feature-rich remote device, such as a desktop computer having significant processing resources, may execute a UI that would not be able to be executed on the low resource client. The UI, for instance, may have a higher resolution (e.g. more dots per inch), support a greater number of colors for output, provide macros to initiate control functions (e.g. recording of all episodes of a particular television program), and so on. In this way, the UI may provide additional functionality to a user of the client. Examples of UIs configured for output by devices having different capabilities may be found in relation to
At block 304, the client 104 detects the hardware and/or software capabilities of the local device 134 through execution of the UI module 132. For example, the client 104 may detect hardware capabilities such as processor speed, data bus bandwidth, data throughput speed of one or more buses of the local device 134, amount of memory space available on the local device 134, supported resolutions and color palettes of an included display device, fonts supported, availability of input devices (e.g., touch screens, cursor control devices, buttons, keyboards, and so on), availability of audio input/output devices, and so forth. The client 104 may also detect software capabilities of the local device 134, such as computer languages supported, availability of applications on the local device 134, (e.g., browsers, media players, and so on), drivers implemented on the local device 134, and so forth.
At block 306, the client 104 configures a configurable UI for communication to the local device 134 based on the detection. The client 104, for instance, may execute the UI module 132 to configure the configurable UI 130 of
At block 310, the local device 134 executes the configured UI 308 to initiate control functions of the client 104. For example, the user may utilize an input device, such as a touch screen of a PDA, to initiate a control function by “pressing” a button of the configured UI 308. The configured UI 308 may then form a request that indicates the desired control function and communicate the request directly to the client 104 over the local connection 136. Thus, in this implementation, the control function may be provided directly to the client 104 without communicating the request over the network 106. Additional discussion of processing requests may be found in relation to
Although the implementation of
Exemplary User Interfaces
UIs may be configured in a variety of ways based on the capabilities of the device that is to execute the UI.
UI 400 is configured for use when the user is located close to the display device. The UI 400 includes a channel guide 402 that lists a plurality of channels 404(1)-404(6) that is available from a broadcast. The UI 400 also includes a detailed description 406 of one of the plurality of programs that may provide information related to the program, such as actor, short description of the plot of the program, and so on. The UI 400 also includes a menu bar 408 to enable a user to navigate between functionality utilizing a cursor control device, such as a mouse. The illustrated menu bar 408 has functionality including current program title 410, audio functionality 412 such as closed captioning and stereo, recent channels 414, favorite channels 416, and tools 418, such as options for arrangement, font selection, and so on.
Additionally, the arrangement of functionality of the UI 500 may be different from the UI 400 of
At block 606, the client 104 communicates the request 604 to the distribution server 118. In an implementation, the client 104 executes the UI module 132 of
At block 608, the distribution server 118 processes the request using the client state data 142(j). The remoting module 144, for instance, may be executed on the distribution server 118 to process the request 604 according to client state data 1420) that is locally available to the distribution server 118, such as stored in a hard drive, RAID array, and so forth. The request 604 is processed according to client state data 1420) that is specific to the client 104.
The request 604 may include a unique client identifier such that the remoting module 144 may locate client state data 1420) that corresponds to the particular client 104. Once the client state data 1420) is located, the remoting module 144, when executed, determines whether performance of the control function is permissible on the client 104. For example, the request 604 may be configured to initiate a control function on the client 104 to record content, e.g. a television program, and the distribution server 118, through examination of the client state data 1420), may determine whether the client 104 is permitted to record the content. In another example, the request 604 is configured to tune the client 104 to a desired television channel, and the distribution server 118 may then determine whether the client 104 has a subscription to that particular television channel.
At block 610, the distribution server 118 forms and communicates a command 612 to perform the control function to the client 104. Continuing with the previous example, the remoting module 144, when executed, may determine that the client 104 is permitted to perform the control function and therefore form the command 612 for communication to the client 104. If the client 104 is not permitted to perform the control function, the remoting module 144 may form a response for communication to the local device 134 to indicate that the control function is not permitted. In another implementation, an extra interface may be designed on the client 104 to “listen” to the head end for updates. For example, the UI module 132, when executed on the client 104, may periodically log onto the network 106 to receive and/or request commands provided by the head end 112 to perform one or more control functions.
At block 614, the client 104 performs the control function. For example, the client 104 may receive the command 612 from the distribution sever 118. The command may be encrypted utilizing a variety of encryption techniques to protect the command from being impersonated by an attacker. The navigation application 128 and/or the UI module 132, when executed, may decrypt the command 612 to determine which control function is to be performed. The navigation application 128 may then perform the control function indicated. The navigation application 128, for instance, may record a particular television program at a particular time, may change which broadcast channel is output by the client 104 to the display device 122 of
At block 704, the remote device forms a query for a UI from the distribution server that is suitable for initiating control functions of a client. The remote device, for instance, may form the query for communication over the network which identifies a desired client. In an implementation, the query includes the network address of the client. In another implementation, the distribution server includes a locally stored listing of client locations. In a further implementation, the distribution server queries the network 106 of
At block 706, the distribution server obtains the configurable UI from the client. For example, the distribution server may form an additional query that is communicated to the client over a network. The distribution server may then receive a response to the query that includes the configurable UI.
At block 708, the distribution server detects the hardware and/or software capabilities of the remote device over the remote connection. Like the client as previously described, the distribution server may detect processing speeds, available software, and so on, of the remote device 138 which indicate the capabilities of the remote device to execute the UI. At block 710, the distribution server configures the configurable UI based on the detect capabilities to form a UI that is configured for the remote device. The distribution server, for instance, may arrange functions of the configurable UI, select functions based on available input devices, and so on. In another implementation, the UI may be configured based on a likely distance at which the user is positioned from the remote device when viewing the UI. For example, as previously described, device may be configured to be viewed at different distances, such as a television in a living room as opposed to a PDA that is held in the hand of the user. By configuring the configurable UI based on the likely distance of the user from the device, the configured UI may be optimized for viewing by the user.
At block 712, the distribution server stores client state data that includes an indication of the remote device and the client affiliation. The distribution server, for instance, may store data that includes an identifier of the remote device that received the configured UI and a corresponding indication of client affiliation for that particular UI. Therefore, when the distribution server receives a request from the remote device, the distribution server may readily identify a destination for the request, i.e. a particular client. Although configuration of the configurable UI is described in this implementation as being performed by the distribution server, the configurable UI may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, the configurable UI may be configured by the client as described in relation to
At block 714, the remote device receives and executes the configured UI, such as by executing the UI 230 on the processor 226 of
At decision block 720 a determination is made as to whether the client is authorized to perform the requested control function. As previously described, the determination may be made by the distribution server by processing the request utilizing client state data of the client that is to perform the control function. If the client is not authorized to perform the control function, the procedure 700 ends at block 722 by sending a failure message to the remote device that indicates that the client is not authorized to perform the requested control function.
If the client is authorized to perform the control function according to the client state data, then at block 724 the distribution server translates the request to form a command for communication to the client to perform the control function. For example, the request for initiating the control function that was formed by the remote device may not be compatible with the client. Therefore, the distribution server may translate the request into a command that causes the client to perform the corresponding control function. Therefore, at block 726, the client may receive the command and perform the control function as indicated in the command.
Thus, an environment for configuration and utilization of UI is provided. In an implementation, the head end is configured to be the authoritative source for client state data in the environment as previously described. In addition, the head end may have the capacity to recognize capabilities of devices, such as a Web browser accessible over the Internet, a set-top box communicatively coupled to a standard definition television, a set-top box communicatively coupled to a high-definition television, a wireless phone, a PDA, and so on, both by client affiliation and by the hardware and/or software capabilities.
Although the invention has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claimed invention.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US3956745||Jun 12, 1974||May 11, 1976||The Marconi Company Limited||Programmable keyboard arrangements|
|US4535333||Sep 23, 1982||Aug 13, 1985||Chamberlain Manufacturing Corporation||Transmitter and receiver for controlling remote elements|
|US4626848||May 15, 1984||Dec 2, 1986||General Electric Company||Programmable functions for reconfigurable remote control|
|US5579055 *||Jun 7, 1993||Nov 26, 1996||Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.||Electronic program guide and text channel data controller|
|US5734853 *||Dec 2, 1993||Mar 31, 1998||Discovery Communications, Inc.||Set top terminal for cable television delivery systems|
|US5784123 *||May 8, 1996||Jul 21, 1998||Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.||Television signal display apparatus with picture quality compensation|
|US5914713 *||Sep 23, 1996||Jun 22, 1999||Fmr Corp.||Accessing data fields from a non-terminal client|
|US5969696 *||Nov 13, 1995||Oct 19, 1999||Sun Microsystems, Inc.||Standard interface system between different LCD panels and a common frame buffer output|
|US5977964 *||Jan 5, 1998||Nov 2, 1999||Intel Corporation||Method and apparatus for automatically configuring a system based on a user's monitored system interaction and preferred system access times|
|US5990927 *||Dec 2, 1993||Nov 23, 1999||Discovery Communications, Inc.||Advanced set top terminal for cable television delivery systems|
|US6002394 *||Apr 11, 1997||Dec 14, 1999||Starsight Telecast, Inc.||Systems and methods for linking television viewers with advertisers and broadcasters|
|US6005561 *||Dec 14, 1994||Dec 21, 1999||The 3Do Company||Interactive information delivery system|
|US6020881 *||Feb 18, 1997||Feb 1, 2000||Sun Microsystems||Graphical user interface with method and apparatus for interfacing to remote devices|
|US6020912 *||Jul 9, 1996||Feb 1, 2000||U.S. Philips Corporation||Video-on-demand system|
|US6025837 *||Mar 29, 1996||Feb 15, 2000||Micrsoft Corporation||Electronic program guide with hyperlinks to target resources|
|US6028600 *||Jun 2, 1997||Feb 22, 2000||Sony Corporation||Rotary menu wheel interface|
|US6127941 *||Feb 3, 1998||Oct 3, 2000||Sony Corporation||Remote control device with a graphical user interface|
|US6130726 *||May 15, 1998||Oct 10, 2000||Evolve Products, Inc.||Program guide on a remote control display|
|US6154209 *||Apr 26, 1999||Nov 28, 2000||Sun Microsystems, Inc.||Graphical user interface with method and apparatus for interfacing to remote devices|
|US6166778 *||Mar 27, 1997||Dec 26, 2000||Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.||Broadcast receiving apparatus|
|US6201536 *||Dec 2, 1994||Mar 13, 2001||Discovery Communications, Inc.||Network manager for cable television system headends|
|US6215467 *||Apr 26, 1996||Apr 10, 2001||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Display control apparatus and method and display apparatus|
|US6216237 *||Jun 19, 1998||Apr 10, 2001||Lucent Technologies Inc.||Distributed indirect software instrumentation|
|US6229524 *||Jul 17, 1998||May 8, 2001||International Business Machines Corporation||User interface for interaction with video|
|US6292187 *||Sep 27, 1999||Sep 18, 2001||Sony Electronics, Inc.||Method and system for modifying the visual presentation and response to user action of a broadcast application's user interface|
|US6295057 *||Apr 3, 2000||Sep 25, 2001||Sony Corporation||Internet content and television programming selectively displaying system|
|US6337717 *||Feb 5, 1999||Jan 8, 2002||Xsides Corporation||Alternate display content controller|
|US6392664 *||Nov 30, 1998||May 21, 2002||Webtv Networks, Inc.||Method and system for presenting television programming and interactive entertainment|
|US6421067 *||Jan 16, 2000||Jul 16, 2002||Isurftv||Electronic programming guide|
|US6426762 *||Jul 16, 1999||Jul 30, 2002||Xsides Corporation||Secondary user interface|
|US6437836 *||Sep 21, 1998||Aug 20, 2002||Navispace, Inc.||Extended functionally remote control system and method therefore|
|US6442755 *||Jan 8, 1999||Aug 27, 2002||United Video Properties, Inc.||Electronic program guide using markup language|
|US6445398 *||Jun 24, 1998||Sep 3, 2002||Corporate Media Partners||Method and system for providing user interface for electronic program guide|
|US6449767 *||Jun 30, 2000||Sep 10, 2002||Keen Personal Media, Inc.||System for displaying an integrated portal screen|
|US6476825 *||Nov 12, 1999||Nov 5, 2002||Clemens Croy||Hand-held video viewer and remote control device|
|US6515680 *||Sep 12, 1997||Feb 4, 2003||Discovery Communications, Inc.||Set top terminal for television delivery system|
|US6556221 *||May 31, 2000||Apr 29, 2003||Sony Corporation||Extended elements and mechanisms for displaying a rich graphical user interface in panel subunit|
|US6587125 *||Aug 1, 2000||Jul 1, 2003||Appswing Ltd||Remote control system|
|US6600496 *||Sep 26, 1997||Jul 29, 2003||Sun Microsystems, Inc.||Interactive graphical user interface for television set-top box|
|US6614457 *||Oct 26, 1999||Sep 2, 2003||Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.||Focus control device that moves a focus in a GUI screen|
|US6628302 *||Nov 30, 1998||Sep 30, 2003||Microsoft Corporation||Interactive video programming methods|
|US6630943 *||Sep 20, 2000||Oct 7, 2003||Xsides Corporation||Method and system for controlling a complementary user interface on a display surface|
|US6637029 *||Jun 30, 1998||Oct 21, 2003||Nds Limited||Intelligent electronic program guide|
|US6639613 *||Aug 4, 1999||Oct 28, 2003||Xsides Corporation||Alternate display content controller|
|US6677964 *||Nov 28, 2000||Jan 13, 2004||Xsides Corporation||Method and system for controlling a complementary user interface on a display surface|
|US6681395 *||Mar 18, 1999||Jan 20, 2004||Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, Ltd.||Template set for generating a hypertext for displaying a program guide and subscriber terminal with EPG function using such set broadcast from headend|
|US6717596 *||Nov 28, 2000||Apr 6, 2004||Xsides Corporation||Method and system for controlling a complementary user interface on a display surface|
|US6721954 *||Jun 23, 1999||Apr 13, 2004||Gateway, Inc.||Personal preferred viewing using electronic program guide|
|US6727918 *||Nov 28, 2000||Apr 27, 2004||Xsides Corporation||Method and system for controlling a complementary user interface on a display surface|
|US6750886 *||Jan 22, 2001||Jun 15, 2004||Donald B. Bergstedt||Method and software for displaying information on a display area of a screen of an electronic device|
|US6754905 *||Apr 15, 1999||Jun 22, 2004||Diva Systems Corporation||Data structure and methods for providing an interactive program guide|
|US6760046 *||Mar 22, 2001||Jul 6, 2004||Hewlett Packard Development Company, L.P.||Location-dependent user interface|
|US6778559 *||Aug 26, 2002||Aug 17, 2004||Kabushiki Kaisha Infocity||Information transmission, information display method and information display apparatus|
|US6804825 *||Nov 30, 1998||Oct 12, 2004||Microsoft Corporation||Video on demand methods and systems|
|US6816841 *||Aug 29, 2000||Nov 9, 2004||Sony Corporation||Program providing apparatus and method, program receiving apparatus and method|
|US6820278 *||Nov 5, 1998||Nov 16, 2004||United Video Properties, Inc.||Cooperative television application system having multiple user television equipment devices|
|US6828993 *||Aug 23, 2000||Dec 7, 2004||Discovery Communications, Inc.||Set top terminal that stores programs locally and generates menus|
|US6839903 *||Mar 24, 2000||Jan 4, 2005||Sony Corporation||Method of selecting a portion of a block of data for display based on characteristics of a display device|
|US6892359 *||Nov 28, 2000||May 10, 2005||Xside Corporation||Method and system for controlling a complementary user interface on a display surface|
|US6897833 *||Sep 10, 1999||May 24, 2005||Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.||Portable user interface|
|US6904610 *||Jun 27, 2000||Jun 7, 2005||Sedna Patent Services, Llc||Server-centric customized interactive program guide in an interactive television environment|
|US6918136 *||Feb 1, 2001||Jul 12, 2005||Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.||Control of interconnected audio/video devices|
|US6934965 *||Jun 17, 2003||Aug 23, 2005||Sedna Patent Services, Llc||System for generating, distributing and receiving an interactive user interface|
|US6941520 *||May 9, 2000||Sep 6, 2005||International Business Machines Corporation||Method, system, and program for using a user interface program to generate a user interface for an application program|
|US6958759 *||Aug 28, 2001||Oct 25, 2005||General Instrument Corporation||Method and apparatus for preserving, enlarging and supplementing image content displayed in a graphical user interface|
|US6973619 *||Jun 30, 1999||Dec 6, 2005||International Business Machines Corporation||Method for generating display control information and computer|
|US6978424 *||Oct 15, 2001||Dec 20, 2005||General Instrument Corporation||Versatile user interface device and associated system|
|US7016963 *||Jul 24, 2001||Mar 21, 2006||Glow Designs, Llc||Content management and transformation system for digital content|
|US7039938 *||Dec 13, 2002||May 2, 2006||Sony Corporation||Selective encryption for video on demand|
|US7076734 *||Jun 22, 2001||Jul 11, 2006||Microsoft Corporation||Systems and methods for providing a dynamically controllable user interface that embraces a variety of media|
|US7089499 *||Feb 28, 2001||Aug 8, 2006||International Business Machines Corporation||Personalizing user interfaces across operating systems|
|US7093003 *||May 20, 2002||Aug 15, 2006||Universal Electronics Inc.||System and method for upgrading the remote control functionality of a device|
|US7095456 *||Nov 21, 2001||Aug 22, 2006||Ui Evolution, Inc.||Field extensible controllee sourced universal remote control method and apparatus|
|US7106383 *||Jun 9, 2003||Sep 12, 2006||Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.||Method, system, and apparatus for configuring a signal processing device for use with a display device|
|US7111242 *||Jan 27, 1999||Sep 19, 2006||Gateway Inc.||Method and apparatus for automatically generating a device user interface|
|US7117440 *||Jul 22, 1999||Oct 3, 2006||Sedna Patent Services, Llc||Method and apparatus for providing a menu structure for an interactive information distribution system|
|US7124424 *||Dec 18, 2000||Oct 17, 2006||Sedna Patent Services, Llc||Method and apparatus for providing interactive program guide (IPG) and video-on-demand (VOD) user interfaces|
|US7130623 *||Apr 17, 2003||Oct 31, 2006||Nokia Corporation||Remote broadcast recording|
|US7134133 *||Nov 8, 1999||Nov 7, 2006||Gateway Inc.||Method, system, and software for creating and utilizing broadcast electronic program guide templates|
|US7137135 *||Mar 7, 2002||Nov 14, 2006||Starsight Telecast, Inc.||Electronic program guide with interactive areas|
|US7155681 *||Feb 14, 2001||Dec 26, 2006||Sproqit Technologies, Inc.||Platform-independent distributed user interface server architecture|
|US7176943 *||Jun 27, 2003||Feb 13, 2007||Microsoft Corporation||Intelligent windows bumping method and system|
|US7234111 *||Sep 28, 2001||Jun 19, 2007||Ntt Docomo, Inc.||Dynamic adaptation of GUI presentations to heterogeneous device platforms|
|US7263666 *||Apr 9, 2002||Aug 28, 2007||Triveni Digital, Inc.||Targeted remote GUI for metadata generator|
|US7337217 *||Jul 19, 2001||Feb 26, 2008||Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.||Architecture for home network on world wide web|
|US7444336 *||Sep 30, 2003||Oct 28, 2008||Broadcom Corporation||Portable media processing unit in a media exchange network|
|US7451401 *||Oct 17, 2001||Nov 11, 2008||Nokia Corporation||Real-time, interactive and personalized video services|
|US20020053084 *||Oct 22, 2001||May 2, 2002||Escobar George D.||Customized electronic program guide|
|US20020054086 *||Apr 11, 2001||May 9, 2002||Van Oostenbrugge Robert Leslie||Method and apparatus for adapting a graphical user interface|
|US20020059425||Jun 22, 2001||May 16, 2002||Microsoft Corporation||Distributed computing services platform|
|US20020059586 *||Apr 23, 2001||May 16, 2002||John Carney||Method and system for personalization and authorization of interactive television content|
|US20020059596 *||Apr 12, 2001||May 16, 2002||Kenji Sano||Device and method for distributing program information and terminal and device relating to the same|
|US20020069415 *||Sep 6, 2001||Jun 6, 2002||Charles Humbard||User interface and navigator for interactive television|
|US20020078467 *||Sep 6, 2001||Jun 20, 2002||Robert Rosin||Client and server system|
|US20020109718 *||Feb 14, 2001||Aug 15, 2002||Mansour Peter M.||Platform-independent distributed user interface server architecture|
|US20020111995 *||Feb 14, 2001||Aug 15, 2002||Mansour Peter M.||Platform-independent distributed user interface system architecture|
|US20020163540 *||Apr 24, 2002||Nov 7, 2002||Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.||GUI display processor|
|US20020184626 *||Apr 9, 2002||Dec 5, 2002||Darbee Paul V.||Program guide on a remote control|
|US20020196268 *||Jun 22, 2001||Dec 26, 2002||Wolff Adam G.||Systems and methods for providing a dynamically controllable user interface that embraces a variety of media|
|US20030043191 *||Aug 17, 2001||Mar 6, 2003||David Tinsley||Systems and methods for displaying a graphical user interface|
|US20030066085 *||Nov 1, 2002||Apr 3, 2003||United Video Properties, Inc., A Corporation Of Delaware||Internet television program guide system|
|US20030093495||Oct 22, 2001||May 15, 2003||Mcnulty John Edward||Data synchronization mechanism for information browsing systems|
|US20030103088 *||Nov 6, 2002||Jun 5, 2003||Universal Electronics Inc.||User interface for a remote control application|
|US20030137539 *||Oct 1, 2002||Jul 24, 2003||Walter Dees||Method of styling a user interface and device with adaptive user interface|
|US20030192047 *||Mar 22, 2002||Oct 9, 2003||Gaul Michael A.||Exporting data from a digital home communication terminal to a client device|
|US20030208762 *||Apr 18, 2001||Nov 6, 2003||Tomoyuki Hanai||Recording schedule reservation system for reserving a recording schedule of a broadcast program through a network|
|US20030220100 *||May 5, 2003||Nov 27, 2003||Mcelhatten David||Technique for effectively accessing programming listing information in an entertainment delivery system|
|US20030231205 *||Apr 7, 2003||Dec 18, 2003||Sony Corporation/Sony Electronics, Inc.||Extended elements and mechanisms for displaying a rich graphical user interface in panel subunit|
|US20030234804 *||Jun 19, 2002||Dec 25, 2003||Parker Kathryn L.||User interface for operating a computer from a distance|
|US20040100490 *||Nov 21, 2002||May 27, 2004||International Business Machines Corporation||Skin button enhancements for remote control|
|US20040177370 *||Dec 10, 2003||Sep 9, 2004||Mydtv, Inc.||Storage and use of viewer preference data in a device remote from a set-top box|
|US20040237104 *||Nov 8, 2002||Nov 25, 2004||Cooper Jeffery Allen||System and method for recording and displaying video programs and mobile hand held devices|
|US20050235319 *||Dec 8, 2000||Oct 20, 2005||Carpenter Kenneth F||Features for use with advanced set-top applications on interactive television systems|
|EP0987868A2||Sep 14, 1999||Mar 22, 2000||Phone.Com, Inc.||Method and architecture for interactive two-way communication devices to interact with a network|
|JP2001236286A||Title not available|
|JP2002238041A||Title not available|
|JP2003319360A||Title not available|
|JP2004348380A||Title not available|
|KR20030058397A||Title not available|
|MX266817A||Title not available|
|WO1989003085A1||Sep 28, 1988||Apr 6, 1989||Fox James C||Automatic program selector|
|WO2001069380A2||Mar 14, 2001||Sep 20, 2001||Edapta, Inc.||A system and method for enabling dynamically adaptable user interfaces for electronic devices|
|1||"Foreign Office Action", Japanese Application No. 2005-000783, (Apr. 1, 2011),8 pages.|
|2||"Foreign Office Action", Japanese Application No. 2005-000783, (Sep. 22, 2011),9 pages.|
|3||"Foreign Office Action", Korean Application No. 10-2005-0000724, (May 26, 2011),5 pages.|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US8782711 *||Mar 31, 2004||Jul 15, 2014||The Directv Group, Inc.||Satellite television network and near real-time method for downloading and verifying a subscriber remote record request|
|US8788944 *||Mar 9, 2011||Jul 22, 2014||Amazon Technologies, Inc.||Personalized mobile device application presentation using photograph-based capability detection|
|US8884981 *||Sep 4, 2007||Nov 11, 2014||Apple Inc.||Dynamically reconfigurable graphics layer system and method|
|US8970647||Feb 22, 2011||Mar 3, 2015||Apple Inc.||Pushing a graphical user interface to a remote device with display rules provided by the remote device|
|US9009661||Dec 18, 2008||Apr 14, 2015||Adobe Systems Incorporated||Platform sensitive application characteristics|
|US9009662 *||Dec 18, 2008||Apr 14, 2015||Adobe Systems Incorporated||Platform sensitive application characteristics|
|US9176651||Sep 27, 2013||Nov 3, 2015||Apple Inc.||Pushing a user interface to a remote device|
|US9285968||Mar 21, 2014||Mar 15, 2016||Apple Inc.||User interface including content from a remote device|
|US9311115||Jun 15, 2011||Apr 12, 2016||Apple Inc.||Pushing a graphical user interface to a remote device with display rules provided by the remote device|
|US9335907||Mar 25, 2014||May 10, 2016||Apple Inc.||User interface including content from an accessory|
|US20050229212 *||Mar 31, 2004||Oct 13, 2005||Hughes Electronics Corporation||Satellite television network and real-time method for downloading and verifying a subscriber remote record request|
|US20090058872 *||Sep 4, 2007||Mar 5, 2009||Apple Inc.||Dynamically reconfigurable graphics layer system and method|
|US20090284476 *||May 13, 2008||Nov 19, 2009||Apple Inc.||Pushing a user interface to a remote device|
|US20100293462 *||Nov 18, 2010||Apple Inc.||Pushing a user interface to a remote device|
|US20110113088 *||May 12, 2011||Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.||Method and apparatus for providing remote user interface service|
|US20110145863 *||Jun 16, 2011||Apple Inc.||Pushing a graphical user interface to a remote device with display rules provided by the remote device|
|US20130219376 *||Dec 18, 2008||Aug 22, 2013||Adobe Systems Incorporated||Platform sensitive application characteristics|
|US20130227426 *||Feb 24, 2012||Aug 29, 2013||Sony Corporation||Customized user web-page setting techniques|
|U.S. Classification||715/718, 725/39, 715/716, 715/747, 715/744, 725/44, 715/745, 715/765, 715/717, 715/746, 715/740|
|International Classification||H04L29/08, G06F13/00, G06F15/16, G06F9/44, G06F3/00, G06F3/01, G06F15/00|
|Jan 5, 2004||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: MICROSOFT CORPORATION, WASHINGTON
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BARRETT, PETER T.;REEL/FRAME:014881/0069
Effective date: 20040105
|Dec 9, 2014||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC, WASHINGTON
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MICROSOFT CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:034541/0477
Effective date: 20141014
|Nov 19, 2015||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4