Patent Application
20080315986
The present invention relates to using a signal processing device to distribute a received signal to multiple signal processing devices and in particular, to control of remote signal processing devices from a local signal processing device co-located with the signal processing device that receives and distributes the received signals.
Current products that distribute signals received at one signal processing device (physical unit) to two signal processing devices are designed so that the physical unit decodes a signal, e.g., a satellite signal and sends that signal to two different (other) signal processing devices, one that is located in the same room (co-located) as the physical unit, and one that can be located elsewhere in the house/structure/building. The two user interfaces could be controlled by the same physical unit, which includes one set of front panel buttons that are by default located at the signal processing device co-located with the physical unit. Therefore, were the user allowed to control a remote second signal processing device via the front panel buttons of the local signal processing device (co-located with the physical unit), the user would be provided with no feedback to indicate the results of the actions taken. Similarly, were the user/viewer provided with a second set of front panel buttons at the local signal processing device to control a remote signal processing device, the user/viewer would still be provided with no feedback to indicate the results of the actions taken.
There is a further need for the user/viewer to be able to distinguish the two user interfaces. However, any naming convention put in place by the manufacturer (e.g. local versus remote, signal processing device TV1 versus signal processing device TV2), will likely have very little meaning to/for the user/viewer. For example, with the naming convention of Remote versus Local, the user/viewer might consider the Local signal processing device to be the one he/she is currently interacting with, while the Remote signal processing device is the one the user is not interacting with, whereas the manufacturer intended Local signal processing device to always refer to the signal processing device co-located with the physical unit and Remote signal processing device to refer to the signal processing device not co-located with the physical unit. Therefore, there is a need for the user to be able to enter his/her own names for the separate user interfaces.
The present invention is directed to use of a local user interface of a signal processing device to control remote signal processing devices. The present invention provides a method of controlling a plurality of signal processing devices from a first signal processing device, wherein the first signal processing device generates a signal representing an on-screen display, the method including enabling an on-screen display associated with a user interface for one of the plurality of signal processing devices at the first signal processing device, selecting a control feature of one of the plurality of signal processing devices and providing feedback at the user interface of one of the plurality of signal processing devices associated with the selected control feature. The present invention also includes a system for implementing the above method.
Signal processing devices may include, but are not limited to, set top boxes (STBs), video cassette players and recorders (VCPs and VCRs), digital video disc players (DVDs) as well as televisions (TVs). Typically, a signal processing device that receives and distributes the received signals is, for example, a set top box (STB) also denoted herein as “physical unit” to distinguish it from the local and remote signal processing devices to which the physical unit/signal processing device/STB distributes signals. The local and remote signal processing devices are typically TVs, VCPs, VCRs, DVDs and the like.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Communications between the distributing signal processing device and the other signal processing devices is standard NTSC analog output. The signal processing device co-located with the distributing signal processing device is connected with RCA jacks or a channel 3/4 modulator. The signal processing device not co-located with the distributing signal processing device is connected through a coax to an agile modulator. The distributing signal processing device depicted in
In many ways, the two user interfaces (UIs) of the system operate as a single system since the two interfaces are controlled by the same physical unit. For example, editing of the channel list set up, rating limits, spending limits, etc, are carried over from one user interface to the other, and purchases and timers are accessible and changeable from both signal processing devices. In other ways, the two user interfaces operate as separate systems. Channel tuning on one unit does not affect the other, and the two UIs maintain some separate settings (e.g. picture size, display options, etc). However, there are some instances in which the user interfaces overlap, but do not operate as one system. For example, the user/viewer/owner has the ability to modify the lock status of either user interface from either user interface. In other words, the user/viewer/owner is able to lock or unlock the UI associated with signal processing device TV2 from signal processing device TV1 without affecting the lock status of signal processing device TV1, and vice versa.
The present invention includes an assisted setup that appears the first time that the signal processing device is powered on. This setup guides the user/viewer/owner through key screens that must be completed prior to accessing the satellite signal, such as dish pointing coordinates, dish type selection and the signal meter. Also included in this assisted setup or as a separate system option, the user/viewer/owner is presented with a screen similar to that seen in
The user/viewer/owner is then presented with screens similar to those in
Once the user selected or entered names for the user interfaces/tuners, anytime that the system needed to reference these locations on-screen the names specified by the user/viewer/owner is displayed. This reduces any confusion as to which UI/tuner was being referenced by the system.
In many ways the two user interfaces of the system operate as a single system, since the two interfaces are controlled by the same physical unit. In the present invention the parental controls created by the system user/owner affect what can be viewed on either user interface. In other ways the user interfaces act independently; for example, one user can tune different channels and can access most areas of the menu system without affecting the other user interface. Because separate channels can be tuned on either signal processing device, the two user interfaces can be temporarily unlocked independently of one another, so that the parental controls can be by-passed on one user interface without affecting the other user interface.
This feature of the present invention allows the system owner/user to unlock the signal on the remote signal processing device without the need to be in the physical presence of that signal processing device. For example, if the second/remote signal processing device is located in a child's upstairs bedroom, and the parent wished to unlock that unit so that the child could watch a program that might normally be blocked, he/she is able to do so from the primary/local unit, which might be located in the living room, close to where he/she is already located.
When the user summons/enables the display screen that controls the lock status of the system, rather than merely being presented with an option to unlock the user interface for the signal processing device he/she is currently watching, an additional option allows the user to choose to change the status of a remote interface.
In the example in
Similarly, when the user chooses the relock option from either interface, he/she is presented with an indication of which TVs were unlocked and is given the option to relock any or all unlocked TVs.
Referring to
As can be seen in the example of
Another option in this menu/display screen of the user interface informs the user of the lock status of the user interface associated with signal processing device TV2 and allows the user to unlock signal processing device TV2—or relock it if it were currently unlocked (see
Although not shown, in an alternative embodiment, access to this menu/display screen of the user interface is password protected to limit use of this menu to the system owner, and though this particular implementation is limited to basic control of the second tuner/user interface, additional embodiments could easily add other elements of signal processing device TV2 control to this menu.
In further embodiments, control of other capabilities is provided in the menus/ display screen of the user interface but the menus/ display screen of the user interface described above allows the user to watch programming on any channel. Purchases for pay-per-view systems can be watched by first purchasing them on signal processing device TV1 in the embodiment that is assumed herein above but if this were not the case, pay-per-view purchasing could be added to the capabilities facilitated by the menus/ display screen of the user interface in an alternative embodiment.
Yet another embodiment includes a warning if the user interface of signal processing device TV2 is currently being accessed by a user at the signal processing device TV2 location, or to provide a screen lock function so that this menu cannot be used to alter the lock status of signal processing device TV2 if any screen on signal processing device TV2 has been accessed that can also change the lock status, or cannot be used to change the channel or change the power/active status if a timer is active in signal processing device TV2.
It is to be understood that the present invention may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination thereof, for example, within a mobile terminal, access point, or a cellular network. Preferably, the present invention is implemented as a combination of hardware and software. Moreover, the software is preferably implemented as an application program tangibly embodied on a program storage device. The application program may be uploaded to, and executed by, a machine comprising any suitable architecture. Preferably, the machine is implemented on a computer platform having hardware such as one or more central processing units (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), and input/output (I/O) interface(s). The computer platform also includes an operating system and microinstruction code. The various processes and functions described herein may either be part of the microinstruction code or part of the application program (or a combination thereof), which is executed via the operating system. In addition, various other peripheral devices may be connected to the computer platform such as an additional data storage device and a printing device.
It is to be further understood that, because some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying figures are preferably implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components (or the process steps) may differ depending upon the manner in which the present invention is programmed. Given the teachings herein, one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the present invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2005/006047 | 2/28/2005 | WO | 00 | 8/27/2007 |
