U.S. patent application number 13/619299 was filed with the patent office on 2013-01-10 for systems and methods for controlling an electronic device.
This patent application is currently assigned to UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.. Invention is credited to Kam Ming Lau, Chi Kwong So, Man Fai Tam.
Application Number | 20130013090 13/619299 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45021831 |
Filed Date | 2013-01-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130013090 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lau; Kam Ming ; et
al. |
January 10, 2013 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE
Abstract
The invention, in one embodiment, is directed to a controller
apparatus for controlling an electronic device by sensing and
processing a user's interactions with an object and, particularly,
for controlling and interacting with a media guidance application
implemented on an interactive user equipment device. The controller
apparatus may include a platform, a liquid container, and a
stirring rod. The platform may include sensors of various kinds for
detecting a user's interactions with any one of the components of
the user interface system. The controller apparatus may also
include sensors for sensing environmental conditions and use the
sensed conditions to interact with the media guidance application
or any other applications or electronic devices.
Inventors: |
Lau; Kam Ming; (Yuen Long,
HK) ; So; Chi Kwong; (Tseung Kwan O, HK) ;
Tam; Man Fai; (Lamtin, HK) |
Assignee: |
UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES,
INC.
Santa Clara
CA
|
Family ID: |
45021831 |
Appl. No.: |
13/619299 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12788070 |
May 26, 2010 |
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13619299 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
700/90 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/4821 20130101;
H04N 21/42206 20130101; G06F 3/0346 20130101; H04N 21/422 20130101;
H04N 21/42202 20130101; G06F 3/0485 20130101; G06F 3/0362 20130101;
G06F 3/0488 20130101; G06F 3/0482 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
700/90 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/00 20060101
G06F017/00 |
Claims
1. A remote control apparatus for an electronic device comprising:
a platform for supporting a liquid container; a stirring rod for
stirring a liquid in the liquid container; and a controller
including: at least one sensor for sensing a condition of at least
one of the stirring rod and the container; a communications
interface for sending control data to the electronic device; and a
processor, in communication with at least one sensor and the
communications interface, configured for i) receiving sensor data
from at least one sensor, ii) processing the sensor data into the
control data, and iii) sending the control data to the
communications interface.
2-51. (canceled)
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention generally relates to systems and methods for
controlling an electronic device. More particularly, the invention
relates to a controller that supports user control of an
interactive user equipment system.
[0002] An interactive user equipment system allows a user to access
information available on one or more electronic devices connected
to an interactive user equipment system. In particular, a media
guidance application, which is typically located at a user set-top
box, allows a user to navigate through a wide variety of media
content accessible by the user equipment system.
[0003] Typically, a user interacts with a media guidance
application via a user input device, such as a remote controller.
However, remote controllers include numerous push-down buttons with
each dedicated to control one feature of the interactive user
application. For example, a conventional remote controller may have
buttons dedicated to pause an on-demand show, increase/decrease
volume, increment/decrement a channel, turn the device on/off,
mute, etc.
[0004] A typical remote controller for controlling an electronic
device, such as a television system or cable set-top box, often has
a large number of buttons, many of which are rarely used by a
viewer. Therefore, there exists a need for a controller that more
efficiently supports a user's control needs.
[0005] As existing remote controllers typically have complex button
arrangements where users often find it difficult to remember what
each of the buttons controls, there also exists a need for a more
intuitive and simple remote controller system that enables a user
to control one or more operations of an electronic device.
[0006] Furthermore, existing remote controllers are often simple
input devices not capable of anticipating certain user behavior.
Accordingly, there also exists a need for a controller capable of
anticipating certain user control inputs.
[0007] Finally, existing electronic device controllers, such as
typical remote controllers, are stand-alone devices that often
require a user to cease performing a particular activity in order
to operate the remote controller. Accordingly, there exists a need
for a controller that can enable a user to perform more than one
activity, such as controlling the operation of an electronic device
and performing another activity concurrently.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The invention, in various embodiments, addresses
deficiencies in the prior art by providing systems, methods, and
devices for controlling an electronic device based on a user's
interactions with another item or object. The systems and devices
may be configured to detect a user's interactions with a number of
items commonly found in various settings such as a user's home or
office. Such items may include a tool, utensil, household item,
instrument, appliance and the like. A user's interactions with an
item may be configured to control a plurality of devices such as a
television equipment system, a phone, a stove, a computer, etc. The
present application, in the following description, refers to
systems and methods directed to controlling the operation of an
electronic device by monitoring a user's interactions with a
beverage container.
[0009] For the beverage container example, an interface may be
employed to monitor various conditions of the beverage container,
such as its position, movement, weight, temperature, or whether it
emanates one or more sounds. The user of the beverage container may
also interface with an electronic system such as a personal
computer (PC) and/or interactive program guide. Thus, certain
interactions by the user with the beverage container may be used to
manipulate an operation of the electronic device. For example, the
user may stir the liquid in the container in a clockwise direction
to scroll up a list of programs displayed in a program guide. The
user may stir the liquid in a counter-clockwise direction to scroll
down the list of programs. A user may also tap the liquid container
using an object to `click` or `select` an option. A number of
interactions and/or conditions of the item, in this case the
beverage container, may be monitored and used to control an
electronic device.
[0010] The present application describes, in certain embodiments,
an intuitive, simplified, and intelligent controller interface
and/or system that enables a user to perform certain everyday
manipulations of an existing item while also enabling the user to
control an operation of an electronic device.
[0011] In one aspect, a remote control apparatus for controlling an
electronic device is provided. The remote control apparatus may
comprise a platform, a stirring rod, and a controller. The platform
may be used to support a liquid container. The stirring rod may be
used to allow a user to stir a liquid in the liquid container. The
controller may include at least one sensor for sensing a condition
of at least one of the stirring rod and the container. The
controller may also include a communications interface for sending
control data to the electronic device. Furthermore, the controller
may include a processor that may communicate with a sensor and the
communications interface. The processor may be configured to
receive sensor data from the sensor, process the sensor data into
the control data, and send the control data to the communications
interface.
[0012] In one configuration, the platform includes a portion of the
controller and a coaster. The platform may include a top surface in
communications with the at least one sensor. The at least one
sensor may include one of a reed relay, magnetic sensor, hall
effect sensor, acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, a weight sensor,
an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, an optical sensor, an
temperature sensor, and a location sensor. The control data, as
processed by the processor for controlling an operation of the
electronic device, may be based on pressure data, acoustic data,
position data, location, movement data, weight data, volume data,
and/or orientation data associated with at least one of the
container and the stirring rod. The communications interface may
include a wireless interface and/or a wired interface. The wireless
interface may include an infrared interface. The sensor may include
a microphone for detecting a sound generated by a user contacting
the stirring rod with another object. The container may include a
cup and the sensor may be configured to sense the amount of liquid
in the cup. The control data as described above may include
information based on the amount of liquid in the cup.
[0013] In another aspect, a user interface system for controlling
an electronic device may comprise a sensor for sensing a user's
interactions with a beverage container and a processor for
converting the user's interactions into control information for
controlling an operation of the electronic device. The electronic
device may include an interactive program guide. In one
configuration, a portion of the user interface system may be
included in the electronic device. In another configuration, the
user interface system may be located remotely from and in
communication with the electronic device. The user interface system
may communicate with the electronic device wirelessly. A user's
interactions as sensed by the sensor, may include at least one
drinking from the container, lifting the container, stirring the
beverage clockwise, stirring the beverage counter-clockwise,
tapping the container, tapping the container with a stirring rod,
the temperature of the beverage, amount of beverage in the
container, the weight of the container, and a change in a condition
of the container. Each of the user's interactions may be associated
with a selected operation of the electronic device such that the
electronic device operation is in response to each of the user's
interactions. The platform may include a sensor and be configured
to support the beverage container. The platform may further include
a coaster.
[0014] In a further respect, an interactive program guide system
may comprise a user equipment device configured for receiving
programs and program guide information and for receiving user
control information. The system may further comprise a display for
displaying the program guide information and a first remote
controller. The first remote controller may include at least one
sensor for sensing a user's interactions with a beverage container,
and a processor for generating the user control information in
response to the user's interactions. The first remote controller
may further include a communications interface for sending the user
control information to the user equipment device. In one
configuration, the interactive program guide system may further
comprise a second remote controller for receiving user inputs via a
user interface and may send user control information to the user
equipment device. The first remote controller may further include a
platform for supporting the liquid container and a stirring rod for
stirring a liquid in the beverage container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The above and other objects and advantages of the invention
will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed
description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout,
and in which:
[0016] FIGS. 1 and 2 show illustrative display screens that may be
used to provide media guidance application listings in accordance
with one embodiment of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 shows an illustrative user equipment device in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram of an illustrative
interactive media system in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0019] FIG. 5 shows a view of a conventional remote controller;
[0020] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative controller system according to
one embodiment of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a controller system according
to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;
[0022] FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating one or
more remote controllers in communications with an interactive user
equipment according to one embodiment of the invention;
[0023] FIG. 9 shows a top down view of the surface of a controller
system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 10 shows an illustrative controller system according to
an embodiment of the invention;
[0025] FIG. 11 shows an illustrative controller system according to
an embodiment of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 12 shows a flow diagram of a method for controlling an
electronic device using a controller system according to an
illustrative embodiment of the invention;
[0027] FIG. 13 shows a flow diagram of another method for
controlling an electronic device using a controller system
according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; and
[0028] FIG. 14 shows a third flow diagram of a further method for
controlling an electronic device using a controller system
according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The invention, in various embodiments, addresses
deficiencies in the prior art by providing systems, methods, and
devices for controlling an electronic device based on a user's
interactions with another item or object. The item may be a tool,
utensil, household item, instrument, appliance, device, and the
like. Any item that a person typically manipulates at home, work,
or another setting may be used to manipulate the operation of an
electronic device. By way of example, the present application, in
the following description, refers to systems and methods directed
to controlling the operation of an electronic device by monitoring
a user's interactions with a beverage container. However, it should
be understood by those of ordinary skill that the following
exemplary description may be applied to controlling the operation
of a wide variety of electronic devices.
[0030] The types of electronic devices that can be controlled may
include, without limitation, a computer system, a consumer
electronic device, an appliance, a communications device, an
interactive programming guide, a television, a music player, a
video player, media recorder, media player, entertainment system,
vehicle, a monitoring system, an environmental control system, an
information system, an electronic interface to a second system, and
the like, including an application running on any one of the
electronic devices. The types of items that a user can manipulate
may include, without limitation, a tool, utensil, instrument
(musical, writing, etc. . . . ), apparel, and the like. A cup,
beverage container, bowl, fork, knife, stirring rod, straw, or
spoon may be considered a type of tool or utensil used for eating
and/or drinking.
[0031] One type of device and/or application that is readily
adaptable to utilizing a controller based on manipulation of an
item by a user is an interactive media guidance application. The
amount of media available to users in any given media delivery
system can be substantial. Consequently, many users desire a form
of media guidance through an interface that allows users to
efficiently navigate media selections and easily identify media
that they may desire. An application which provides such guidance
is referred to herein as an interactive media guidance application
or, sometimes, a media guidance application or a guidance
application.
[0032] Interactive media guidance applications may take various
forms depending on the media for which they provide guidance. One
typical type of media guidance application is an interactive
television program guide. Interactive television program guides
(sometimes referred to as electronic program guides) are well-known
guidance applications that, among other things, allow users to
navigate among and locate many types of media content including
conventional television programming (provided via traditional
broadcast, cable, satellite, Internet, or other means), as well as
pay-per-view programs, on-demand programs (as in video-on-demand
(VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming media,
downloadable media, Webcasts, etc.), and other types of media or
video content. Guidance applications also allow users to navigate
among and locate content related to the video content including,
for example, video clips, articles, advertisements, chat sessions,
games, etc. Guidance applications also allow users to navigate
among and locate multimedia content. The term multimedia is defined
herein as media and content that utilizes at least two different
content forms, such as text, audio, still images, animation, video,
and interactivity content forms. Multimedia content may be recorded
and played, displayed or accessed by information content processing
devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also
be part of a live performance. It should be understood that the
invention embodiments that are discussed in relation to media
content are also applicable to other types of content, such as
video, audio and/or multimedia.
[0033] With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and
high-speed wireless networks, users are accessing media on personal
computers (PCs) and other devices on which they traditionally did
not, such as hand-held computers, personal digital assistants
(PDAs), mobile telephones, or other mobile devices. On these
devices users are able to navigate among and locate the same media
available through a television. Consequently, media guidance is
necessary on these devices, as well. The guidance provided may be
for media content available only through a television, for media
content available only through one or more of these devices, or for
media content available both through a television and one or more
of these devices. The media guidance applications may be provided
as on-line applications (i.e., provided on a web-site), or as
stand-alone applications or clients on hand-held computers, PDAs,
mobile telephones, or other mobile devices. The various devices and
platforms that may implement media guidance applications are
described in more detail below.
[0034] One of the functions of the media guidance application is to
provide media listings and media information to users. FIGS. 1-2
show illustrative display screens that may be used to provide media
guidance, and in particular media listings. The display screens
shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 5-7 may be implemented on any suitable
device or platform. While the displays of FIGS. 1-2 and 5-7 are
illustrated as full screen displays, they may also be fully or
partially overlaid over media content being displayed.
[0035] A user may indicate a desire to access media information by
selecting a selectable option provided in a display screen (e.g., a
menu option, a listings option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) or
pressing a dedicated button (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remote
control or other user input interface or device. In response to the
user's indication, the media guidance application may provide a
display screen with media information organized in one of several
ways, such as by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel,
by media type, by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, children,
or other categories of programming), or other predefined,
user-defined, or other organization criteria.
[0036] FIG. 1 shows illustrative grid program listings display 100
arranged by time and channel that also enables access to different
types of media content in a single display. Display 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 different channel or media type available; and
(2) a row of time identifiers 106, where each time identifier
(which is a cell in the row) identifies a time block of
programming. Grid 102 also includes cells of program listings, such
as program listing 108, where each listing provides the title of
the program provided on the listing's associated channel and time.
With a user input device, a user can select program listings by
moving highlight region 110. Information relating to the program
listing selected by highlight region 110 may be provided in program
information region 112. Region 112 may include, for example, the
program title, the program description, the time the program is
provided (if applicable), the channel the program is on (if
applicable), the program's rating, and other desired
information.
[0037] In addition to providing access to linear programming
provided according to a schedule, the media guidance application
also provides access to non-linear programming which is not
provided according to a schedule. Non-linear programming may
include content from different media sources including on-demand
media content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g., streaming media,
downloadable media, etc.), locally stored media content (e.g.,
video content stored on a digital video recorder (DVR), digital
video disc (DVD), video cassette, compact disc (CD), etc.), or
other time-insensitive media content. On-demand content may include
both movies and original media content provided by a particular
media provider (e.g., HBO On Demand providing "The Sopranos" and
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by
Time Warner Company L. P. et al. and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR
ENTHUSIASM are trademarks owned by the Home Box Office, Inc.
Internet content may include web events, such as a chat session or
Webcast, or content available on-demand as streaming media or
downloadable media through an Internet web site or other Internet
access (e.g. FTP).
[0038] Grid 102 may provide listings for non-linear programming
including on-demand listing 114, recorded media listing 116, and
Internet content listing 118. A display combining listings for
content from different types of media sources is sometimes referred
to as a "mixed-media" display. The various permutations of the
types of listings that may be displayed that are different than
display 100 may be based on user selection or guidance application
definition (e.g., a display of only recorded and broadcast
listings, only on-demand and broadcast listings, etc.). As
illustrated, listings 114, 116, and 118 are shown as spanning the
entire time block displayed in grid 102 to indicate that selection
of these listings may provide access to a display dedicated to
on-demand listings, recorded listings, or Internet listings,
respectively. In other embodiments, listings for these media types
may be included directly in grid 102. Additional listings may be
displayed in response to the user selecting one of the navigational
icons 120. (Pressing an arrow key on a user input device may affect
the display in a similar manner as selecting navigational icons
120.)
[0039] Display 100 may also include video region 122, advertisement
124, and options region 126. Video region 122 may allow the user to
view and/or preview programs that are currently available, will be
available, or were available to the user. The content of video
region 122 may correspond to, or be independent from, one of the
listings displayed in grid 102. Grid displays including a video
region are sometimes referred to as picture-in-guide (PIG)
displays. PIG displays and their functionalities are described in
greater detail in Satterfield et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,378,
issued May 13, 2003 and Yuen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,239,794, issued
May 29, 2001, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in
their entireties. PIG displays may be included in other media
guidance application display screens of the present invention.
[0040] Advertisement 124 may provide an advertisement for media
content that, depending on a viewer's access rights (e.g., for
subscription programming), is currently available for viewing, will
be available for viewing in the future, or may never become
available for viewing, and may correspond to or be unrelated to one
or more of the media listings in grid 102. Advertisement 124 may
also be for products or services related or unrelated to the media
content displayed in grid 102. Advertisement 124 may be selectable
and provide further information about media content, provide
information about a product or a service, enable purchasing of
media content, a product, or a service, provide media content
relating to the advertisement, etc. Advertisement 124 may be
targeted based on a user's profile/preferences, monitored user
activity, the type of display provided, or on other suitable
targeted advertisement bases.
[0041] While advertisement 124 is shown as rectangular or banner
shaped, advertisements may be provided in any suitable size, shape,
and location in a guidance application display. For example,
advertisement 124 may be provided as a rectangular shape that is
horizontally adjacent to grid 102. This is sometimes referred to as
a panel advertisement. In addition, advertisements may be overlaid
over media content or a guidance application display or embedded
within a display. Advertisements may also include text, images,
rotating images, video clips, or other types of media content.
Advertisements may be stored in the user equipment with the
guidance application, in a database connected to the user
equipment, in a remote location (including streaming media
servers), or on other storage means or a combination of these
locations. Providing advertisements in a media guidance application
is discussed in greater detail in, for example, Knudson et al.,
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0110499, filed Jan.
17, 2003, Ward, III et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,997, issued Jun. 29,
2004, and Schein et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,714, issued May 14,
2002, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their
entireties. It will be appreciated that advertisements may be
included in other media guidance application display screens of the
present invention.
[0042] Options region 126 may allow the user to access different
types of media content, media guidance application displays, and/or
media guidance application features. Options region 126 may be part
of display 100 (and other display screens of the present
invention), or may be invoked by a user by selecting an on-screen
option or pressing a dedicated or assignable button on a user input
device. The selectable options within options region 126 may
concern features related to program listings in grid 102 or may
include options available from a main menu display. Features
related to program listings may include searching for other air
times or ways of receiving a program, recording a program, enabling
series recording of a program, setting program and/or channel as a
favorite, purchasing a program, or other features. Options
available from a main menu display may include search options, VOD
options, parental control options, access to various types of
listing displays, subscribe to a premium service, edit a user's
profile, access a browse overlay, or other options.
[0043] The media guidance application may be personalized based on
a user's preferences. A personalized media guidance application
allows a user to customize displays and features to create a
personalized "experience" with the media guidance application. This
personalized experience may be created by allowing a user to input
these customizations and/or by the media guidance application
monitoring user activity to determine various user preferences.
Users may access their personalized guidance application by logging
in or otherwise identifying themselves to the guidance application.
Customization of the media guidance application may be made in
accordance with a user profile. The customizations may include
varying presentation schemes (e.g., color scheme of displays, font
size of text, etc.), aspects of media content listings displayed
(e.g., only HDTV programming, user-specified broadcast channels
based on favorite channel selections, re-ordering the display of
channels, recommended media content, etc.), desired recording
features (e.g., recording or series recordings for particular
users, recording quality, etc.), parental control settings, and
other desired customizations.
[0044] The media guidance application may allow a user to provide
user profile information or may automatically compile user profile
information. The media guidance application may, for example,
monitor the media the user accesses and/or other interactions the
user may have with the guidance application. Additionally, the
media guidance application may obtain all or part of other user
profiles that are related to a particular user (e.g., from other
web sites on the Internet the user accesses, such as
www.tvguide.com, from other media guidance applications the user
accesses, from other interactive applications the user accesses,
from a handheld device of the user, etc.), and/or obtain
information about the user from other sources that the media
guidance application may access. As a result, a user can be
provided with a unified guidance application experience across the
user's different devices. This type of user experience is described
in greater detail below in connection with FIG. 4. Additional
personalized media guidance application features are described in
greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication
No. 2005/0251827, filed Jul. 11, 2005, Boyer et al., U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/437,304, filed Nov. 9, 1999, and Ellis et
al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0174430, filed
Feb. 21, 2002, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in
their entireties.
[0045] Another display arrangement for providing media guidance is
shown in FIG. 2. Video mosaic display 200 includes selectable
options 202 for media content information organized based on media
type, genre, and/or other organization criteria. In display 200,
television listings option 204 is selected, thus providing listings
206, 208, 210, and 212 as broadcast program listings. Unlike the
listings from FIG. 1, the listings in display 200 are not limited
to simple text (e.g., the program title) and icons to describe
media. Rather, in display 200 the listings may provide graphical
images including cover art, still images from the media content,
video clip previews, live video from the media content, or other
types of media that indicate to a user the media content being
described by the listing. Each of the graphical listings may also
be accompanied by text to provide further information about the
media 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 may be
selectable to view video in full-screen or to view program listings
related to the video displayed in media portion 214 (e.g., to view
listings for the channel that the video is displayed on).
[0046] The listings in display 200 are of different sizes (i.e.,
listing 206 is larger than listings 208, 210, and 212), but if
desired, all the listings may be the same size. Listings may be of
different sizes or graphically accentuated to indicate degrees of
interest to the user or to emphasize certain content, as desired by
the media provider or based on user preferences.
[0047] Various systems and methods for graphically accentuating
media listings are discussed in, for example, Yates, U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/324,202, filed Dec. 29, 2005, which is
hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0048] Users may access media content and the media guidance
application (and its display screens described above and below)
from one or more of their user equipment devices. FIG. 3 shows a
generalized embodiment of illustrative user equipment device 300.
More specific implementations of user equipment devices are
discussed below in connection with FIG. 4. User equipment device
300 may receive media content and data via input/output
(hereinafter "I/O") path 302. I/O path 302 may provide media
content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demand programming,
Internet content, and other video or audio) and data to control
circuitry 304, which includes processing circuitry 306 and storage
308. Control circuitry 304 may be used to send and receive
commands, requests, and other suitable data using I/O path 302. I/O
path 302 may connect control circuitry 304 (and specifically
processing circuitry 306) to one or more communications paths
(described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more of
these communications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG.
3 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.
[0049] Control circuitry 304 may be based on any suitable
processing circuitry 306 such as processing circuitry based on one
or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal
processors, programmable logic devices, etc. In some embodiments,
control circuitry 304 executes instructions for a media guidance
application stored in memory (i.e., storage 308). In client-server
based embodiments, control circuitry 304 may include communications
circuitry suitable for communicating with a guidance application
server or other networks or servers. Communications circuitry 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 involve the Internet or any other suitable
communications networks or paths (which is described in more detail
in connection with FIG. 4). In addition, communications circuitry
may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication of
user equipment devices, or communication of user equipment devices
in locations remote from each other (described in more detail
below).
[0050] Memory (e.g., random-access memory, read-only memory, or any
other suitable memory), hard drives, optical drives, or any other
suitable fixed or removable storage devices (e.g., DVD recorder, CD
recorder, video cassette recorder, or other suitable recording
device) may be provided as storage 308 that is part of control
circuitry 304. Storage 308 may include one or more of the above
types of storage devices. For example, user equipment device 300
may include a hard drive for a DVR (sometimes called a personal
video recorder, or PVR) and a DVD recorder as a secondary storage
device. Storage 308 may be used to store various types of media
described herein and guidance application data, including program
information, guidance application settings, user preferences or
profile information, or other data used in operating the guidance
application. Nonvolatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch a
boot-up routine and other instructions).
[0051] Control circuitry 304 may include video generating circuitry
and tuning circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or
more MPEG-2 decoders or other digital decoding circuitry,
high-definition tuners, or any other suitable tuning or video
circuits or combinations of such circuits. Encoding circuitry
(e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog, or digital signals to
MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. Control circuitry
304 may also include scaler circuitry for up-converting and
down-converting media into the preferred output format of the user
equipment 300. Circuitry 304 may also include digital-to-analog
converter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry for
converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and
encoding circuitry may be used by the user equipment to receive and
to display, to play, or to record media content. The tuning and
encoding circuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The
circuitry described herein, including for example, the tuning,
video generating, encoding, decoding, scaler, and analog/digital
circuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or more
general purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may be
provided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., watch and
record functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions,
multiple-tuner recording, etc.). If storage 308 is provided as a
separate device from user equipment 300, the tuning and encoding
circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated with
storage 308.
[0052] A user may control the control circuitry 304 using user
input interface 310. User input interface 310 may be any suitable
user interface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad,
keyboard, touch screen, touch pad, stylus input, joystick, voice
recognition interface, or other user input interfaces. Display 312
may be provided as a stand-alone device or integrated with other
elements of user equipment device 300. Display 312 may be one or
more of a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for
a mobile device, or any other suitable equipment for displaying
visual images. In some embodiments, display 312 may be
HDTV-capable. Speakers 314 may be provided as integrated with other
elements of user equipment device 300 or may be stand-alone units.
The audio component of videos and other media content displayed on
display 312 may be played through speakers 314. In some
embodiments, the audio may be distributed to a receiver (not
shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers 314.
[0053] The guidance application may be implemented using any
suitable architecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone
application wholly implemented on user equipment device 300. In
such an approach, instructions of the application are stored
locally, and data for use by the application is downloaded on a
periodic basis (e.g., from the VBI of a television channel, from an
out-of-band feed, or using another suitable approach). In another
embodiment, the media guidance application is a client-server based
application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented on
user equipment device 300 is retrieved on-demand by issuing
requests to a server remote to the user equipment device 300. In
one example of a client-server based guidance application, control
circuitry 304 runs a web browser that interprets web pages provided
by a remote server.
[0054] In yet other embodiments, the media guidance application is
downloaded and interpreted or otherwise run by an interpreter or
virtual machine (run by control circuitry 304). In some
embodiments, the guidance application may be encoded in the ETV
Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received by control circuitry 304
as part of a suitable feed, and interpreted by a user agent running
on control circuitry 304. For example, the guidance application may
be a EBIF widget. In other embodiments, the guidance application
may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files that are received
and run by a local virtual machine or other suitable middleware
executed by control circuitry 304. In some of such embodiments
(e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital media encoding
schemes), the guidance application may be, for example, encoded and
transmitted in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the MPEG audio and
video packets of a program.
[0055] User equipment device 300 of FIG. 3 can be implemented in
system 400 of FIG. 4 as user television equipment 402, user
computer equipment 404, wireless user communications device 406, or
any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing media, such
as a non-portable gaming machine. For simplicity, these devices may
be referred to herein collectively as user equipment or user
equipment devices. User equipment devices, on which a media
guidance application is implemented, may function as a standalone
device or may be part of a network of devices. Various network
configurations of devices may be implemented and are discussed in
more detail below.
[0056] User television equipment 402 may include a set-top box, an
integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellite
television, a television set, a digital storage device, a DVD
recorder, a video-cassette recorder (VCR), a local media server, or
other user television equipment. One or more of these devices may
be integrated to be a single device, if desired. User computer
equipment 404 may include a PC, a laptop, a tablet, a WebTV box, a
personal computer television (PC/TV), a PC media server, a PC media
center, or other user computer equipment. WEBTV is a trademark
owned by Microsoft Corp. Wireless user communications device 406
may include PDAs, a mobile telephone, a portable video player, a
portable music player, a portable gaming machine, or other wireless
devices.
[0057] It should be noted that with the advent of television tuner
cards for PC's, WebTV, and the integration of video into other user
equipment devices, the lines have become blurred when trying to
classify a device as one of the above devices. In fact, each of
user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, and
wireless user communications device 406 may utilize at least some
of the system features described above in connection with FIG. 3
and, as a result, include flexibility with respect to the type of
media content available on the device. For example, user television
equipment 402 may be Internet-enabled allowing for access to
Internet content, while user computer equipment 404 may include a
tuner allowing for access to television programming. The media
guidance application may also have the same layout on the various
different types of user equipment or may be tailored to the display
capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user computer
equipment, the guidance application may be provided as a web site
accessed by a web browser. In another example, the guidance
application may be scaled down for wireless user communications
devices.
[0058] In system 400, there is typically more than one of each type
of user equipment device but only one of each is shown in FIG. 4 to
avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user may
utilize more than one type of user equipment device (e.g., a user
may have a television set and a computer) and also more than one of
each type of user equipment device (e.g., a user may have a PDA and
a mobile telephone and/or multiple television sets).
[0059] The user may also set various settings to maintain
consistent media guidance application settings across in-home
devices and remote devices. Settings include those described
herein, as well as channel and program favorites, programming
preferences that the guidance application utilizes to make
programming recommendations, display preferences, and other
desirable guidance settings. For example, if a user sets a channel
as a favorite on, for example, the web site www.tvguide.com on
their personal computer at their office, the same channel would
appear as a favorite on the user's in-home devices (e.g., user
television equipment and user computer equipment) as well as the
user's mobile devices, if desired. Therefore, changes made on one
user equipment device can change the guidance experience on another
user equipment device, regardless of whether they are the same or a
different type of user equipment device. In addition, the changes
made may be based on settings input by a user, as well as user
activity monitored by the guidance application.
[0060] The user equipment devices may be coupled to communications
network 414. Namely, user television equipment 402, user computer
equipment 404, and wireless user communications device 406 are
coupled to communications network 414 via communications paths 408,
410, and 412, respectively. Communications network 414 may be one
or more networks including the Internet, a mobile phone network,
mobile device (e.g., Blackberry) network, cable network, public
switched telephone network, or other types of communications
network or combinations of communications networks. BLACKBERRY is a
service mark owned by Research In Motion Limited Corp. Paths 408,
410, and 412 may separately or together include one or more
communications paths, such as, a satellite path, a fiber-optic
path, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications
(e.g., IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other
wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless
communications path or combination of such paths. Path 412 is drawn
with dotted lines to indicate that in the exemplary embodiment
shown in FIG. 4 it is a wireless path and paths 408 and 410 are
drawn as solid lines to indicate they are wired paths (although
these paths may be wireless paths, if desired). Communications with
the user equipment devices may be provided by one or more of these
communications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 to
avoid overcomplicating the drawing.
[0061] Although communications paths are not drawn between user
equipment devices, these devices may communicate directly with each
other via communication paths, such as those described above in
connection with paths 408, 410, and 412, as well other short-range
point-to-point communication paths, such as USB cables, IEEE 1394
cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x,
etc.), or other short-range communication via wired or wireless
paths. BLUETOOTH is a certification mark owned by Bluetooth SIG,
INC. The user equipment devices may also communicate with each
other directly through an indirect path via communications network
414.
[0062] System 400 includes media content source 416 and media
guidance data source 418 coupled to communications network 414 via
communication paths 420 and 422, respectively. Paths 420 and 422
may include any of the communication paths described above in
connection with paths 408, 410, and 412. Communications with the
media content source 416 and media guidance data source 418 may be
exchanged over one or more communications paths, but are shown as a
single path in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In
addition, there may be more than one of each of media content
source 416 and media guidance data source 418, but only one of each
is shown in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. (The
different types of each of these sources are discussed below.) If
desired, media content source 416 and media guidance data source
418 may be integrated as one source device. Although communications
between sources 416 and 418 with user equipment devices 402, 404,
and 406 are shown as through communications network 414, in some
embodiments, sources 416 and 418 may communicate directly with user
equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 via communication paths (not
shown) such as those described above in connection with paths 408,
410, and 412.
[0063] Media content source 416 may include one or more types of
media distribution equipment including a television distribution
facility, cable system headend, satellite distribution facility,
programming sources (e.g., television broadcasters, such as NBC,
ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distribution facilities and/or
servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers, and other
media content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by the National
Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by the ABC,
INC., and HBO is a trademark owned by the Home Box Office, Inc.
Media content source 416 may be the originator of media content
(e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc.) or may
not be the originator of media content (e.g., an on-demand media
content provider, an Internet provider of video content of
broadcast programs for downloading, etc.). Media content source 416
may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand
providers, Internet providers, or other providers of media content.
Media content source 416 may also include a remote media server
used to store different types of media content (including video
content selected by a user), in a location remote from any of the
user equipment devices. Systems and methods for remote storage of
media content, and providing remotely stored media content to user
equipment are discussed in greater detail in connection with Ellis
et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/332,244, filed Jun. 11,
1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
[0064] Media guidance data source 418 may provide media guidance
data, such as media listings, media-related information (e.g.,
broadcast times, broadcast channels, media titles, media
descriptions, ratings information (e.g., parental control ratings,
critic's ratings, etc.), genre or category information, actor
information, logo data for broadcasters' or providers' logos,
etc.), media format (e.g., standard definition, high definition,
etc.), advertisement information (e.g., text, images, media clips,
etc.), on-demand information, and any other type of guidance data
that is helpful for a user to navigate among and locate desired
media selections.
[0065] Media guidance application data may be provided to the user
equipment devices using any suitable approach. In some embodiments,
the guidance application may be a stand-alone interactive
television program guide that receives program guide data via a
data feed (e.g., a continuous feed, trickle feed, or data in the
vertical blanking interval of a channel). Program schedule data and
other guidance data may be provided to the user equipment on a
television channel sideband, in the vertical blanking interval of a
television channel, using an in-band digital signal, using an
out-of-band digital signal, or by any other suitable data
transmission technique. Program schedule data and other guidance
data may be provided to user equipment on multiple analog or
digital television channels. Program schedule data and other
guidance data may be provided to the user equipment with any
suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, a user-specified
period of time, a system-specified period of time, in response to a
request from user equipment, etc.). In some approaches, guidance
data from media guidance data source 418 may be provided to users'
equipment using a client-server approach. For example, a guidance
application client residing on the user's equipment may initiate
sessions with source 418 to obtain guidance data when needed. Media
guidance data source 418 may provide user equipment devices 402,
404, and 406 the media guidance application itself or software
updates for the media guidance application.
[0066] Media guidance applications may be, for example, stand-alone
applications implemented on user equipment devices. In other
embodiments, media guidance applications may be client-server
applications where only the client resides on the user equipment
device. For example, media guidance applications may be implemented
partially as a client application on control circuitry 304 of user
equipment device 300 and partially on a remote server as a server
application (e.g., media guidance data source 418). The guidance
application displays may be generated by the media guidance data
source 418 and transmitted to the user equipment devices. The media
guidance data source 418 may also transmit data for storage on the
user equipment, which then generates the guidance application
displays based on instructions processed by control circuitry.
[0067] Media guidance system 400 is intended to illustrate a number
of approaches, or network configurations, by which user equipment
devices and sources of media content and guidance data may
communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing media and
providing media guidance. The present invention may be applied in
any one or a subset of these approaches, or in a system employing
other approaches for delivering media and providing media guidance.
The following three approaches provide specific illustrations of
the generalized example of FIG. 4.
[0068] In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with
each other within a home network. User equipment devices can
communicate with each other directly via short-range point-to-point
communication schemes describe above, via indirect paths through a
hub or other similar device provided on a home network, or via
communications network 414. Each of the multiple individuals in a
single home may operate different user equipment devices on the
home network. As a result, it may be desirable for various media
guidance information or settings to be communicated between the
different user equipment devices.
[0069] For example, it may be desirable for users to maintain
consistent media guidance application settings on different user
equipment devices within a home network, as described in greater
detail in Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005. Different types of user equipment
devices in a home network may also communicate with each other to
transmit media content. For example, a user may transmit media
content from user computer equipment to a portable video player or
portable music player.
[0070] In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user
equipment by which they access media content and obtain media
guidance. For example, some users may have home networks that are
accessed by in-home and mobile devices. Users may control in-home
devices via a media guidance application implemented on a remote
device. For example, users may access an online media guidance
application on a website via a personal computer at their office,
or a mobile device such as a PDA or web-enabled mobile telephone.
The user may set various settings (e.g., recordings, reminders, or
other settings) on the online guidance application to control the
user's in-home equipment. The online guide may control the user's
equipment directly, or by communicating with a media guidance
application on the user's in-home equipment. Various systems and
methods for user equipment devices communicating, where the user
equipment devices are in locations remote from each other, is
discussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 10/927,814, filed Aug. 26, 2004, which is hereby
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0071] In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside
and outside a home can use their media guidance application to
communicate directly with media content source 416 to access media
content. Specifically, within a home, users of user television
equipment 404 and user computer equipment 406 may access the media
guidance application to navigate among and locate desirable media
content. Users may also access the media guidance application
outside of the home using wireless user communications devices 406
to navigate among and locate desirable media content.
[0072] It will be appreciated that while the discussion of media
content has focused on video content, the principles of media
guidance can be applied to other types of media content, such as
music, images, etc.
[0073] FIG. 5 shows a view of conventional remote controller 500.
The remote controller 500 includes an on/off button 502, a cable
button 504, a guide button 506, an info. button 508, a channel
button 510, a volume button 512, a set button 514, a keypad 516, a
navigation button 518, a fast-forward button 520, a rewind button
522, a floating button 524, a pause button 526, and an infrared
communication interface (not shown).
[0074] In operation, a user may press the on/off button 502 to turn
an electronic device on or off. If the conventional remote
controller 500 is used to control a cable set-top box, the cable
button 504 may be used to turn on/off the set-top box connected
usually to a television system. Other buttons, such as the guide
button 506 and the info. button 508, may allow a user to interact
with a media guide according to the descriptions for FIGS. 1-4. A
user may further increment or decrement a channel using the channel
button 510. Similarly, a user may change the volume by interacting
with the volume button 512.
[0075] The set button 514 may be used in various ways. In some
situations, the set button 514 may allow a user to implement a
highlighted program. In other situations, the set button 514 may
allow a user to configure settings of an electronic device through
interacting with a user interface application such as the media
guidance application. The navigation button 518 allows a user to
move a highlight region 110 on a user interface in two dimensions
by moving the highlight region 110 up/down or left/right. The fast
forward and rewind buttons 520 and 522, respectively, may allow a
user to fast forward or rewind a recorded show, an on-demand show,
or any media content.
[0076] The floating button 524 may be a button reserved for a user
to program additional functionalities into the conventional remote
controller 500. In some embodiments, the remote controller 500 may
be configured to work cooperatively with another remote controller
system, such as the remote controller system as illustrated in
FIGS. 6, 8-11. Upon receiving a user pressing the floating button
524, the user may be allowed to access a look-up table of commands
currently registered with the electronic device and the
conventional remote controller 500. A user may be allowed to use
buttons on the remote controller 500, such as the keypad 516, to
input any user defined commands for programming the look-up table
or any other aspects of the user interface application for
controlling the electronic device. As an example, a user may wish
to add a binary string that may correspond to either a user
selected command that the electronic device may have configured to
execute or, alternatively, a new command created by the user.
[0077] In some embodiments, in addition to having the remote
controller 500, a user can also interact with an additional remote
controller system such as the remote controller system 600 for
controlling the same electronic device. Both the remote controller
system 600 and the conventional remote controller may control the
same operations associated with a device. Alternatively, the
controller 500 and the system 600 may each contain additional
functionalities not shared with each other. Accordingly, because a
user can switch between the controller 500 and the system 600, the
application may be configured to communicate with the controller
500 and/or the system 600.
[0078] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative controller system 600 according
to an embodiment of the invention. The controller system 600
includes a liquid container 602, a platform 604, and a stirring rod
608. The stirring rod 608 includes a magnet 722 and/or a magnet
tip. The liquid container 602 can hold various liquids and may be
made of various materials, such as glass, aluminum, wood,
porcelain, etc. The platform 604 includes internal circuitry and
sensors for detecting a condition of the container 602 and/or rod
608, or a user interaction with the controller system 600. The
platform 604 may be made of and/or include various materials, such
as, without limitations, glass, polymers, rubber, cloth, metal, and
the like.
[0079] Functionally, the platform 604 supports the liquid container
602. The platform 604 may include a stirring rod 608 holder for
holding the stirring rod 608 when not in use. The platform 604 may
also support additional liquid containers and/or stirring rods (not
shown).
[0080] In operation, a user may stir the liquid in the liquid
container 602 to control one or more operations of an electronic
device connected, through a communications interface, to the
controller system 600. The controller 600 may sense, through one or
more sensors, a user stirring the liquid in a clockwise direction
and use the sensed interaction as a user input to control an
operation of an electronic device. In one embodiment, the
electronic device includes a set top box and/or television running
a media guidance application.
[0081] Stirring a liquid in the liquid container 602 may correspond
to various different kinds of commands, depending on the
configuration. In some embodiments, a user can move the highlighted
region 110 by stirring the stirring rod 608 clockwise. To access or
select a program under the highlighted region 110, the user may tap
the liquid container 602. The user may tap the container 602 using
the rod 608, another item, and/or their finger. In some
embodiments, the sound of tapping the liquid container 602
corresponds to a user selection action, like a `click` using a
computer mouse or click wheel. Similarly, a user may stir the
stirring rod 608 counter-clockwise to fast forward through a
program listing in time.
[0082] In other embodiments, a user can stir the liquid in the
container 602 in a counter-clockwise direction to turn a television
on. Similarly, the television may be turned off upon detecting that
a user is stirring the liquid in a counterclockwise direction.
Additionally, stirring the liquid in one direction multiple times
may indicate a different user input and would, therefore, control
the electronic device to implement a different function, such as to
access a media guide or to access additional information of a
television show.
[0083] A user may tap the stirring rod 608 or another item against
various objects, such as the liquid container. Sounds generated
from tapping may be used to control an operation of an electronic
device. The tapping sounds may be sensed by an acoustic sensor 714
of the remote controller system 600. Characteristics of the sound
that may be detected include: frequency, pitch, and/or dynamics
such that tapping different objects (using different items) can be
detected. Each distinct sound profile may control a different
operation of an electronic device. In some embodiments, the
acoustic sensor 714 of the platform 604 can detect the acoustical
shockwaves generated by a user tapping the stirring rod 608 against
the liquid container 602.
[0084] The controller 600 may be configured to differentiate among
various acoustic waves or sounds. For example, when the liquid
container 602 is filled with liquid, tapping the stirring rod 608
against the liquid container 602 may generate a sound profile
different from sound generated by tapping the liquid container 602
when it is without any liquid. Therefore, each of the two sound
profiles may correspond to a respective user input capable of
controlling the electronic device to, for example, turn on the
television when the liquid container 602 is full and turn the
television off when the liquid container 602 is empty. Similarly, a
user may mute a television by tapping the liquid container 602
twice, regardless of whether it is filled or empty. The same user
interaction may also be programmed to pause the television system.
It should be appreciated that a user can control a plurality of
operations of an electronic device by interacting with the
controller system 600 and its components in various ways without
limitations.
[0085] The controller system 600 may further be configured to
differentiate among various source profiles generated by and/or
received from multiple sources. For example, when a door bell
rings, the user typically has to answer the door. Therefore, the
remote controller 600 may anticipate a user going away from
watching a television program to answer the door and would,
therefore, automatically pause a show the user is watching.
Alternatively, the remote controller system 600 may automatically
mute the television, or perform any other operations depending the
specific settings a user wishes to have on the remote controller
system 600. Other sound sources that may generate sounds proceeding
predictable user inputs may include: a telephone ring, a kitchen
timer, a wake-up alarm, a fire alarm, a pager, etc.
[0086] The controller system 600 may be pre-configured with
settings that may interpret a certain user interaction as a
particular user input for controlling an operation of an electronic
device. However, a user may also have the option to program the
remote controller system 600 such that a certain user interactions
will be used to control a specific operation as selected or
programmed by the user. For example, while the default setting of
the controller system 600 may be to pause a television show and/or
on-demand program when sensing a user tapping the liquid container
twice or a door bell ringing, the user may, instead, program the
remote controller 600 to mute the television show audio
instead.
[0087] In certain embodiments, the system 600 includes a memory
and/or data store for storing interface control information. For
example, the data store may include a database and/or list of user
interactions with an item (e.g., the container) and/or detected
conditions of an item (e.g., the amount of liquid in a cup). The
database and/or list may associate each of the user interactions
and/or item conditions or changes in an item's condition with one
or more operations of an electronic device including, for example,
an interactive media guidance application running on a set-top box.
The data store may be integrated with the system 600, integrated
with the electronic device, and/or located at a remote location.
One such remote location may be a distribution facility of a media
provider.
[0088] The user may be given the option to program the controller
600 to use the same user interactions for controlling different
operations of multiple devices simultaneously. For example, tapping
the stirring rod 608 against the liquid container 602 may select a
media program while at the same time roll down a curtain to create
a better viewing environment. Similarly, if a door bell is ringing,
the remote controller system 600 may pause the television show and
at the same time use the interaction to ignore an incoming call
because the user is probably answering the door and will be unable
to answer the phone. The remote controller system 600 may then,
upon receiving the sound of a user shutting the door, automatically
resume the program the user was watching. Evidently, all operations
are executed without an explicit user input because the remote
controller system 600 is anticipating predictable user behaviors
that are indicative of user inputs for controlling one or more
electronic devices. A user may pre-program the remote controller
system 600 by recording other sound profiles not initiated by a
user, such as the sound of a door bell, telephone ring tone, etc.,
so that each sound profile may correspond to a user selected
command for controlling an operation of an electronic device.
[0089] Although the liquid container 602 may include containers
such as a cup, a can, a glass, a mug, a wine glass, a plastic water
bottle, and the like, the liquid container 602 may also include
special or custom made container including sensors that may work
separately from or in addition to sensors of the platform 604. For
example, the liquid container 602 may contain one or more sensors
to sense the amount of liquid contained in the liquid container. In
some embodiments, the sensors of the liquid container 602 may send
information about the amount of liquid contained in container 602
to a set-top box through either a wired connection or a wireless
connection so that certain operations may be implemented
automatically. For example, when the liquid container 602 is or
close to being empty, the sensed data may be sent to a processor
located underneath the platform 604 or remotely at a different
device. The processor may then decide to pause the current program
being watched because the user will shortly refill the liquid
container 602 and, therefore, will not be watching the television
program in the meantime.
[0090] The liquid container 602 may further contain sensors capable
of identifying or estimating the content of the liquid. Upon a
user's consent, such information may be sent to a user equipment
system such as a television system so that commercials or
advertisements related to the liquid being consumed will be present
to the user. For example, if a user is currently watching super
bowl and the liquid container 602 has detected that the liquid
being consumed is beer, the television system may automatically
present to the user commercials related to beer. Similarly, if the
user is currently watching Iron Chef America and is consuming wine,
the television system may present recommendations or commercials
related to wine to a user.
[0091] In some embodiments, sensors for sensing the amount of
liquids left in the beverage container may be embedded within the
platform 604. The sensors can be any pressure sensors, weight
sensors, heat sensors, and the like. The platform 604 may further
include an array of sensors and/or sensor arrays mapped throughout
the platform to track the movement of the liquid container 602 as
controlled by a user. The platform 604 may further include a touch
screen panel, sensors, and circuitry. If the platform 604 includes
a touch screen, the touch screen may further allocate areas for
icons that a user may interact with by moving the liquid container
602 to the top of an icon. The platform 604 may include a sensor
for detecting a vertical movement of the liquid container 602. The
container 602 and/or rod 608 may include a sensor, such as, for
example, an accelerometer and/or thermometer. If a user decides to
refill the liquid container 602, the platform 604 may detect the
difference between a user picking up the liquid container 602 for
consuming the liquid and picking up the liquid container 602 for
refilling. Therefore, once a sensor has detected that the liquid
container 602 has been lifted for either substantial amount of time
or high in space that is unlikely to be the height of a user's
mouth relative to the platform 604, the platform 604 may use the
information to automatically pause a media program since a user is
likely going to be away from watching the media program.
[0092] In operation, various methods may be employed for
differentiating one user interaction, item manipulation, and/or
item condition from another. For example, one implementation may
only require the controller system 600 to include pressure sensors
and/or a clock, counter, or other time sensors. In the situation
where a user has gotten up to refill the liquid container 602, the
amount of time away may be longer than the time it takes for a user
to consume the liquid. Therefore, coupled with the pressure sensor
data indicating that the liquid container 602 has been lifted from
the platform 604, a processor may determine that the liquid
container 602 has been taken up for a refill. Additionally, the
pressure sensor may measure the weight difference during a measured
time interval (e.g. pressure 1 at t1 and pressure 2 at t2). To
ensure accuracy, both methods may be incorporated to determine
whether a user is about to get a refill. In certain situations,
other data, such as time of day, user's previous activity, and/or
user preferences, may also be utilized and incorporated into the
decision-making process. Therefore, the processor 710 of the
controller system 600 may utilize one or more algorithms and/or
predictive models to predict the appropriate control input for an
electronic device based on prior user actions.
[0093] FIG. 7 includes a circuit diagram 700 of the controller
system 600 according to an illustrative embodiment of the
invention. The circuit diagram 700 includes a stirring rod 608,
proximity sensors 704, 706, and 708, a processor 710, a
communications interface 712, an acoustic sensor 714, acoustic
amplifier 716, voltage detector 718, shunt resistors 724, and a
platform (not shown). A sensor 704-708 may include a reed relay,
hall effect sensor/switch, pressure sensor, temperature sensor,
magnetic sensor, optical sensor, RFID tag, and the like. The
processor 710 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, a
state machine, or other controller circuitry.
[0094] In some embodiments, the processor 710 may include an Atmel
AT89S52 microcontroller. The communications interface 712 may
include a wireless interface 720 and may support the Digital Living
Network Alliance, DLNA, standards, a wired standard, a wireless
standard, and the like. The communications interface 712 may also
include a wired interface (not shown). The wireless interface may
support any one of a number of wireless protocols such as, without
limitation, Infrared, Radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and the like. The
wired interface may support any one of a number of network
protocols such as, without limitation, USB, Serial, Ethernet, PCI,
and the like. The platform 604, although not shown, may be of the
type described with respect to FIGS. 6, 9-11. The stirring rod 608
may include a magnet 722 and/or magnetic tip or any one of the
types of sensors mentioned above.
[0095] In operation, a user of an electronic device may employ
controller system 600 as an interface to effect control of the
operation of the electronic device. The system 600 may include a
platform on which the user places a liquid container 602 holding a
beverage that the user consumes. The user may use a stirring rod
608 to stir the liquid, e.g., coffee, in the container. The
platform 604 may include one or more sensors such as, without
limitation, sensors 704, 706, and 708. In one embodiment, the
sensors 704, 706, and 708 include reed relays capable of sensing
magnetic fields induced by the magnet 722 on the tip of the
stirring rod 608. Using reed relays 704, 706, and 708, the relative
position of the magnetic rod may be deduced. It should be noted
that additional sensors such as the sensors 704-708 may be added to
the controller system 600 to enhance its sensitivity and accuracy.
Any portion of the system 600 may be integrated with a user
equipment 802. For example, one or more sensors, the processor 712,
or any other components may be integrated with the user equipment
802.
[0096] In one embodiment, in determining that a user is stirring
the stirring rod 608 in a clockwise direction, sensor 704 will
first sense the magnetic field induced by the magnet 722.
Subsequently, sensors 706 and 708 will then sense the induced
magnetic fields respectively in that order as the magnet 722 moves
within vicinity of each sensor. The processor 710 may record the
sequence of sensors that have detected the induced magnetic fields.
The processor 710 may then determine that the detected sequence
corresponds to a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion. In certain
embodiments, the processor 710 accesses a look-up table stored in
memory located either on board with the processor 710 or at a
remote location accessible by the communications interface 712 to
identify the command that corresponds to a clockwise and/or
counter-clockwise motion. For example, stirring the stirring rod
608 clockwise may correspond to the command to scroll down on a
media listing as seen on display 100. Such user interaction with
the remote controller system 600 may be programmed by a user as a
user input for controlling an electronic device to perform any
number of functions or operations such as, without limitation, to
pause an on-demand show, mute a television programming, move a
cursor on a display up or down, increase/decrease volume,
increment/decrement channels, fast forward a program listing in
time, access additional information of a highlighted region 110,
roll up an electrically controlled curtain, answer a call, disable
a message box appearing on a media guide, request a flight
attendant's attention, request a waitress' attention for refilling
up a drink, and so on.
[0097] Similarly, a user may stir the stirring rod 608
counter-clockwise. Consequently, proximity sensor 708 may first
detect the induced magnetic field from the magnet 722, follows by
the proximity sensor 706 and 704 in that order as the magnet 722
moves within vicinity of each sensor. Alternate techniques for
detecting the motion of the stirring rod 608 may be employed. For
example, the rod 608 may include an accelerometer that detects
motion and/or rotation. Those of ordinary skill may employ other
known detection techniques to sense rotation and/or movement of the
stirring rod 608 and/or fluid.
[0098] A clockwise motion may include the following proximity
detection sequences: 706-708-704, 708-704-706, 704-706-708.
Similarly, the following sequences may be used to indicate a
counter-clockwise motion: 704-708-706, 708-706-704, 706-704-708.
Thus, in certain embodiments a clockwise or counter-clockwise
motion is detected by the processor 710 using relative positional
movement to determine the direction of motion.
[0099] In some situations, a user may start at a position that is
of equal distance to two of the three proximity sensors: 704, 706,
and 708 and, therefore, both sensors may sense the induced magnetic
field from the magnet 722. However, since the stirring rod 608
moves away from one of the two sensors while moving closer to the
other, the processor 710 can resolve such an uncertainty by
tracking the position or relative distances of the stirring rod 608
with respect to the two sensors. For example, if the stirring rod
608 starts in between sensor 704 and 708 and moves clockwise
towards 706, the processor 710 may collect data points along the
path the rod 608 has taken. The processor 710 may calculate that
the stirring rod 608 has moved closer to 704 as opposed to 708, and
if the sensor 706 subsequently detects the magnetic field, the
processor 710 may resolve the uncertainty by determining that the
rod 608 has started at a position closer to the sensor 704 and has
moved from 704 to 706, which corresponds to a clockwise motion.
[0100] Other methods exist for resolving the position and/or motion
of the stirring rod 608. For example, the processor 710 may receive
signal strength and/or magnetic field strength data from the
sensors 704, 706 and 708. If 704 and 708 both detect an equal
amount of magnetic field induced by the magnet 722 because the rod
608 has started at a position in between the two sensors, as the
stirring rod 608 moves away from one and toward the other, the
difference in signal strengths as detected by sensor 704 and 708
will increase. In the situation in which a user stirs the stirring
rod 608 in a clockwise direction, the signal strength of the signal
detected by sensor 704 increases as the signal strength for sensor
708 decreases. Therefore, the processor 710 determines that the rod
608 has started at a position closer to 704 and uses this as a
starting point to determine the rotation of the stirring rod. Other
methods for resolving the movement of the stirring rod 608 as known
by those of ordinary skill may be employed. To simplify the
illustration, only three sensors are drawn in FIG. 7. Therefore,
increasing the number of sensors may increase sensitivity and
resolution of detection of the controller system 600.
[0101] The acoustic sensor 714 may be used to support additional
functionalities that may accompany functionalities supported by the
proximity sensors 704, 706, and 708. The acoustic sensor 714 may be
any type of acoustic sensors capable of detecting acoustic signals,
such as sounds, created by a user interacting with an object. In
some embodiments, the acoustic sensor 714 include a microphone.
[0102] According to one embodiment, when a user taps the liquid
container 602 with the stirring rod 608, sound waves propagate from
the point of contact to the acoustic sensor 714 located either on
top of, embedded within, or in the vicinity of the platform 604.
Depending on the type of acoustic sensor and its capability, the
acoustic sensor 714 may also be located remotely from the platform
604. The received acoustic signals may first be processed by
various analog and/or digital circuits designed for signal
processing before reaching the processor 710.
[0103] The acoustic sensor 714 may receive sounds other than a user
tapping the liquid container 602 with the stirring rod 608. For
example, a user may have to pause an on-demand program or recorded
media program currently being watched in response to some other
activity or event. That other activity or event may affect an
condition of the item or environment surrounding the system 600. In
one instance, the event may result as a sound or change in ambient
sound conditions. For example, if a neighbor or friend is ringing a
door bell, the system 700 via an acoustic sensor may sense the
ringing sound of the bell and pause the play of a media program for
a period of time while the user answers the door. The system 600
may pause the media program until a subsequent user interaction is
detected to indicate that the user is ready for the media program
to resume.
[0104] The acoustic sensor 714 may detect the acoustic waves sent
by the ringing bell and pause a television program for the user
automatically. Similarly, when a house phone or cell phone rings,
the acoustic sensor 714 may detect such sounds and, again, pause an
off-line program (e.g. on-demand, a recorded program, a DVD movie)
that a user is watching. Alternatively, the controller system 600
may mute a television program the user is watching, whether it is a
broadcast, recorded, or on-demand program. The second situation is
especially useful in that users, before answering a call or while
talking on the phone, often must first look for a remote controller
and then, while being distracted by this process, find the mute
button to mute the media program.
[0105] In certain embodiments, while a person is cooking and is
receiving a call, the remote controller system 600 can
automatically turn off the stove or lower the heat of a stove to
avoid ruining a meal. In some other embodiments, for safety reasons
or to avoid ruining a meal, an acoustic sensor may detect the oven
timer alarm and, depending on the commands pre-programmed into the
processor 710, the controller system 600 can automatically pause
the media program the user is currently watching and/or lower the
volume of the program to allow the user to more clearly hear the
timer's alarm. Many scenarios or situations may exist in which a
user may benefit from the controller system 600 that is capable of
coordinating the operation of one electronic device in response to
the operation of another device, system, and/or item, or the
surrounding environmental conditions.
[0106] Acoustic signals associated with common door bells, timer
alarms, telephone ring tones may be first pre-recorded and then
stored in memory located either on board with the processor 710 or
at a remote location accessible by the processor 710.
Alternatively, the system 600 may be trained by sensing various
conditions, e.g., a user's door bell, and storing the sensed sound
associated with the particular item. A user may program the
controller system 600 so that certain recorded sounds are
associated with commands as defined by the user. The user may first
record certain sounds by playing the sounds to the acoustic sensor
714 located on, within, or in proximity to the remote controller
system 600.
[0107] In some embodiments, the remote controller system 600 is
configured to allow a user to select from a list of commands for
assigning certain commands to certain user interactions or sounds.
In other embodiments, the controller system 600 or 700 is
configured to allow a user to program customer or user-defined
commands where the controlled electronic device supports
user-defined command programming. The system 600 may support
user-defined interactions and/or conditions that can be associated
with control data and/or commands for controlling an electronic
device.
[0108] Depending on the amount and/or kinds of functionalities a
user desires, in some embodiments, the controller system 600 can
contain only a certain type of sensor and limited types of sensors.
For example, the system 600 or 700 may include the acoustic sensor
714 for sensing sounds. The system 600 may include the proximity
sensors 704, 706, and 708, for sensing movement of an item. The
system 600 may include other sensors for sensing other conditions.
One or more of the types of sensors used for detection certain
conditions may be used, at certain times, for controlling an
electronic device.
[0109] Once the sensed acoustic signals are received by the
acoustic sensor 714, the signals may be processed by a signal
processing circuit. One component of analog signal processing may
include an operational amplifier, such as the acoustic amplifier
716, to first amplify the received signals. Other filters, such as
a low pass filter, may be included in the acoustic amplifier 716,
to assist with filtering out any unwanted ambient noise signals. In
some embodiments, the acoustic amplifier 716 may further include a
band-pass filter capable of filtering out frequencies outside a
pre-defined range of frequencies, as defined by a designer or
adjusted by a user.
[0110] In certain embodiments, frequency ranges to be filtered are
adjustable so that a user can customize the types of acoustic noise
that the system should filter out to enhance the signal to noise
ratio, SNR, of the received acoustic signals. For example, a user
may wish to eliminate noises from the received acoustic signals to
reduce interference. The system 600 may record sound profiles
associated with noise to be filtered, which may include, for
example, ambient noise or a barking noise from a dog, and then
store the sound profile so that the system 600 may filter sounds of
this profile from received audio signals. By recording sound
profiles of common noises and eliminating these sound profiles from
the received acoustic signals, the signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, of
any acoustic signal may be increased. Accordingly, the accuracy of
determining what each received acoustic signal may correspond to
may also be increased.
[0111] After the received signals have been filtered by the
acoustic amplifier 716, the voltage detector 718 may convert the
acoustic signals into voltages. Various techniques may be employed
for encoding the received acoustic signals. For example, the
frequencies of an acoustic signal may correspond to discrete
voltage levels. In other instances, the amplitudes of the acoustic
signals may correspond to discrete voltages. In some embodiments,
both frequency and amplitude information may be encoded together to
correspond to discrete voltage levels. The voltage detector 718 may
also include or be connected to an analog to digital converter, so
that voltages corresponding to the frequencies and/or amplitudes of
the acoustical signals may be encoded as binaries to be processed
by the processor 710.
[0112] The processor 710 may contain a look-up table from which the
processor 710 can determine which control command a sound profile
may correspond to. For example, tapping an empty liquid container
may mean that the user wants to pause an on-demand television and
would like to refill a liquid container. However, if the liquid
container contains a substantial amount of liquid, the tapping of
the container may generate a different sound profile, SP1, than the
sound profile of tapping an empty glass, SP2 and, therefore, the
processor 710 may look up the commands that correspond to each of
these sound profiles. For example, in the look-up table, SP1 may
indicate a `select` command. SP2, may indicate a `pause` command as
the tapping of an empty glass would probably mean that the user
desires to get up to refill the liquid container 602 and would,
therefore, be away from watching the media program.
[0113] The processor 710 may perform additional processing and,
particularly, digital signal processing using various signal
processing techniques, such as Fourier transform, Laplacian
transform, Wavelet Transform, and/or any other time-domain and/or
spatial domain dependent signal processing techniques.
[0114] The processor 710 may include any type of microprocessor or
microcontroller. In certain embodiments, the processor includes an
Atmel AT89S52, 8-bit microcontroller. In other embodiments, the
processor 710 is an embedded processor in which the architecture
and various other components were customized for the remote
controller system 600. The processor 710 may also include a
Field-Programmable-Gate-Array that a user may program
functionalities that the user wishes to include in the remote
controller system 600. The processor 710 may be located within the
controller system 600. Alternatively, the processor 710 may be
located at a remote location accessible through the communications
interface 712. The controller system 600 may offload a portion of
processing to a more powerful processor located remotely.
[0115] The processor 710 may receive sensor data from the proximity
sensors 704-708 and/or the acoustic sensor 714, or some other
sensor. Although the received sensor data may have been filtered
and/or processed, the processor may contain additional signal
processing components as described above for further processing the
data into a desirable format. The processor 710 may be built on the
same board as the communications interface and may communicate with
the communications interface 712 through on-board buses.
Alternatively, the communications interface 712 may be located on a
separate chip and/or board from the processor 710 and may
communicate with the processor 710 using any of existing known
serial and/or parallel communication protocols. Once the processor
710 receives signals sensed by the sensors, the processor 710 may
then retrieve the corresponding command from a look-up table. In
some embodiments, to maintain data integrity, such as to avoid
interference or degradation of signal in transport, the processor
710 may include error bits, such as parity bits, in the binary code
of a user input command. Other known encryption techniques may be
employed. The processor 710 will then send the encoded data to the
communications interface 712.
[0116] The communications interface 712 handles communications
between the processor 710 and/or any other electronic devices. The
communications interface may receive from the processor 710 encoded
binary data representative of commands to be executed. In some
embodiments, the communications interface 712 includes the wireless
interface 720. If the wireless communications protocol for the
wireless interface 720 is infrared, the wireless interface 720 may
include light emitting diodes, LEDs, that may transmit infrared
signals to a receiver located remotely at an electronic device. The
LEDs may send out a series of light pulses corresponding to the
appropriate binary codes sent by the processor 712.
[0117] For example, a binary code corresponding to pausing a
television may be 001 0001. The infrared, or any other wireless
communication schemes, may use space coding in which the length of
spaces between pulses of infrared light may represent a one or a
zero. The illustrative code above includes a 4-bits command
following the 3-bits address. Upon receiving the 7 bits code, the
receiver may first verify that it is the intended recipient by
matching the device address with the binary 001 of the received
binary string. The receiver may then interpret the command code
following the address code by accessing a look-up table containing
commands and their corresponding binary codes. The 4-digit command
code may then be sent to a processor located at the electronic
device on which the command will be implemented. In the
illustrative embodiment, 0001 corresponds to pausing a television
program. The processor of the electronic device, such as a cable
set-top box, may pause the television program currently being
provided by the set-top box.
[0118] In some embodiments, the communications interface 712
include a wired interface that connects the remote controller 600
to a computer. The connection may be implemented using a USB cable.
A user may use the computer to download new command codes to and/or
modify any existing command codes of the processor 710 in the
remote controller system 600. The computer may contain software
tools that may help a user to program the remote controller
600.
[0119] FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram 800 illustrating one or
more remote controllers 806 and 808 in communications with an
interactive user equipment 802 according to one embodiment of the
invention. The functional block diagram 800 includes an interactive
user equipment 802, a first remote controller interface 806, a
second remote controller interface 808, a first communications
channel 810, and a second communications channel 812. The
interactive user equipment 802 also includes a user input interface
310. The first remote controller interface 806 may correspond to
the communications interface 712 of the remote controller system
600. The second remote controller interface 808 may be the
communication interface of the conventional remote controller 500.
The communications channels 810 and 812 may support any of the
above-mentioned communications protocols, such as, infrared, wi-fi,
and radio for wireless protocols and USB, PCI, Serial, Ethernet,
and the like for wired protocols.
[0120] The interactive user equipment 802 may be controlled by the
first and second remote controller interfaces 806 and 808 of the
controller 500 and the controller system 600, respectively.
However, at any moment in time, only one user input or both inputs
may be received from the two remote controller interface 806 and
808.
[0121] In some embodiments, the first remote controller interface
806 includes a different software application and/or support a
different communications protocol than the second remote controller
interface 808. The user input interface 310 may be configured to
communicate with both interfaces. For example, the first remote
controller interface 806 may be part of the remote controller
system 600 and contain a list of input commands, such as
automatically recording a television program, that are not
currently available on the second remote controller system 808,
such as the conventional remote controller 500. The user interface
310 may be configured to execute commands received from either
interfaces 806 or 808 regardless whether the controller 500 and the
controller system 600 support the same functionalities.
[0122] The first and second remote controller interfaces 806 and
808 may utilize different communications protocols when
communicating with the user input interface 310. For example, the
second remote controller interface 808 may communicate with the
user input interface 310 using an infrared wireless protocol while
the remote controller interface 806 may use Bluetooth for
communicating with the user input interface 310. The user input
interface 310 may then contain applications, drivers, and hardware
receivers for working with both types of communications
protocols.
[0123] The system 600 and/or controller 500 may be configured to
allow a user to enable/disable certain commands such that one of
the system 600 and controller 500 is able to initiate particular
control operations. In some embodiments, a portion of commands may
be initiated by both the system 600 and controller 500
independently.
[0124] If a particular electronic device or user equipment 802
requires particular command codes, the system 600 and controller
500 may cooperate to ensure that either system is configured with
the necessary command codes. For example, a user may have the
option to transfer certain controls and/or command codes between
the conventional remote controller 500 and the controller system
600 through the first and second remote controller interfaces 806
and 808. To support transferring commands from one to the other,
the communications channel 810 may be a bi-directional
communication channel to enable the remote controller 600 to
receive the command codes from the conventional remote controller
500. In some embodiments, the controller system 600 may retrieve
command codes from the conventional remote controller 500 by
communicating directly with the communications interface, such as
the second remote controller interface of the conventional remote
controller system 500.
[0125] In other embodiments, since the conventional remote
controller 500 has the same look-up table containing the same
command codes as what is stored on the interactive user equipment
802, the first remote controller interface 806 can communicate
directly with the user input interface 310 and retrieve the command
codes from the interactive user equipment 802 to the remote
controller system 600. This way, a user no longer has to program a
new remote controller system 600 to include all the functionalities
and features of the conventional remote controller 500. However,
this does not mean that the remote controller system 600 is
confined to the same list of command codes as that of the
conventional remote controller 500. In fact, as described above, a
user may have the options to program or customize the
functionalities of the remote controller system 600.
[0126] The user interface 804 may prompt a user to indicate which
one of the controller 500 and controller system 600 the user wishes
to use to control the user equipment 802. Both remote controller
interfaces may be used to control the same device. Both controller
may be configured to control the same portion of operations. Each
controller 500 and 600 may be configured to control a different
portion of user equipment 802 operations. If the user equipment 802
includes multiple devices, the interface 804 may support
configuration of controller 500 and/or 600 to control certain
operations of each of the multiple devices.
[0127] FIG. 9 shows an illustrative top down view of the surface of
a controller system 900 in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. The controller system 900 includes a platform 604, and
sensors 902, 904, and 906. The platform 604 may house a sensor
array made from sensors such as the sensors 902, 904 and 906. The
sensors 902, 904, and 906 may correspond to sensors 704, 706, and
708 of the remote controller system 600. The sensors 902, 904, and
906 may include any types of sensors such as, without limitations,
reed relays, hall-effect sensors/switches, pressure sensors, weight
sensors, heat sensors, magnetic sensors, optic sensors, etc. The
platform 604 may further include other circuitry components (not
shown), such as the circuitry illustrated in FIG. 7. The sensors
may be distributed evenly throughout the platform 604. Depending on
the need, the platform 604 may also support sensors of different
kinds and distribute the different sensors on different parts of
the platform 604.
[0128] In operation, sensors 902, 904, and 906 may include pressure
and/or weight sensors used to detect the amount of pressure exerted
on the surface of the platform 604. Using the pressure data, the
remote controller detector 900 may determine a user input
corresponding to a user interaction with the sensor. For example,
sensors 902, 904, and 906 may be used to detect the pressure that
the liquid container 602 exerts on the surface of the platform 604.
As described earlier, remote controller system 900 may continuously
measure the amount of pressure exerted on the platform 604 while a
user is consuming the liquid in the liquid container 602. When the
liquid container 602 is first placed on the platform 604 of the
remote controller system 900, a pressure sensor may detect this
pressure and use this as the initial condition. The sensors 902,
904, and 906 may send the initial condition or other pressure data
to a memory preferably embedded within the remote controller system
900 and under the surface of the platform 604.
[0129] The pressure sensors 902, 904, and 906 may continuously
measure pressure exerted by an object, such as the liquid
container, resting on the top surface of the liquid remote
controller system 900. At some time, the liquid remote controller
system 900 may detect a substantial change in pressure (e.g. the
pressure has decreased to a level substantially below the initial
condition). Consequently, the liquid remote controller may control
one or more operations of the electronic device using the change in
pressure. For example, when the pressure has decreased
substantially after some time, t, the remote controller system 900
may anticipate the user getting up to refill the liquid container
602. Accordingly, the remote controller system 600 may
automatically execute a command in response to a substantial change
in pressure that may indicate an empty container.
[0130] The pressure change may also be used to control other
operations of an electronic device such as, without limitations, to
turn off a TV, to turn on a TV, to begin recording a show because
the user is not watching and the tuner can now be tuned to record a
show, heat up an oven, begin heating/microwaving a beverage the
user was drinking (e.g. more hot water for tea), play an audio
commercial as the user may still hear the sound, not play a video
commercial if the advertiser would like to only play the commercial
when the user is watching the television, remind users of calls
missed when watching the program, mute the television and/or
brightness of the display to conserve energy, roll up the curtain,
light up the lights in the kitchen, etc.
[0131] One or more of the operations may also be executed
sequentially. For example, when a user gets up to refill the liquid
container 602, the remote controller system 900 may first pause the
television program, such as an on-demand show or a recorded
program, and immediately record a show to a DVR or TiVo in the
background for the user.
[0132] Other methods for predicting a user behavior, such as to
refill a liquid container 604, may include detecting a close to
zero pressure exerted on the remote controller system 900, because
when a user lifts up the liquid container 604, no pressure would be
exerted on the liquid remote controller 900. To differentiate
between a user lifting up the liquid container 604 for a refill
with a user consuming the liquid, the remote controller system 900
may track the amount of time that the user has used while the
liquid container 604 was not in contact with the remote controller
system 600. For example, lifting up the container 604 for consuming
the liquid contained within would require less time than for going
to the kitchen for a refill.
[0133] To improve on the accuracy of the remote controller system
900, the system 900 may initially request a user to indicate to the
system 900 whether the previous user behavior was for consuming the
liquid or for refilling the container 604. That way, the system may
more reliably interpret a user behavior and accurately execute the
appropriate user command. Other sensors may exist to assist the
remote controller system 900 in making certain decisions. For
example, an optical sensor facing to the side of the remote
controller system 900 (not shown) may be included to detect whether
a user next to the optical sensor is getting up to leave the seat
or is sitting still. Presumably, a user may sit at the same seat
when consuming the liquid. The optical sensor may send light pulses
to a user and detect light reflected from or absorbed by the user.
Similarly, the sensor may include an acoustic wave sensor similar
to that of an ultrasound transducer that may propagate sound waves
to the user and detect waves reflected from or absorbed by the
user. Both methods utilize the fact that when a user is not
present, very little light and/or sound waves may be reflected or
absorbed as opposed to when a user is present. These techniques may
also be used to detect the presence or absence of an item, such a
cup on the platform 604.
[0134] The planar sensor array formed by sensors such as the
sensors 902, 904, and 906 may enable the remote controller system
900 to track a user moving an object resting on top of the system
900. The sensor array may include a two dimensional array where
each sensor, such as the sensor 902, is mapped to a specific
location of the platform 604. Each location may correspond to an
x-y coordinate on the surface of the platform 604. The system 900
may identify the position of an object on top of the system 900 at
any moment in time by detecting the pressure experienced by one or
more sensors 902-906 of the array of sensors. Other types of
contact, optical, friction, and/or surface sensor may be employed
as an alternative or to complement the pressure sensors. For
example, if a user is moving an object from where sensor 904 is
located to where the sensor 902 is located, the remote controller
system 900 may encode this sensed data as a user input for moving a
highlighted region 2010 up on the display 100.
[0135] In other embodiments, by moving an object, such as the
liquid container 602, towards the upper edge of the platform 604
can enable the controller system 900 to interpret this interaction
as moving the highlight region 110 up, even though no explicit
navigational regions or buttons are present. Similarly, by moving
the liquid container 602 towards the left side of the platform 605,
a user may move the highlighted region 110 to a cell left of where
the region was on previously. Various embodiments and
functionalities may exist to allow a user to interact with a media
guidance application and/or any other applications for controlling
electronic devices without explicit buttons and/or regions
appearing on the platform 604.
[0136] FIG. 10 shows an illustrative controller system 1000
according to an embodiment of the invention. The remote controller
system 1000 includes the platform 604, a main menu region 1010, and
navigational regions. The navigational regions include the up
region 1002, the right region 1004, the down region 1006, and the
left region 1008. The main menu region 1010 may correspond to a
main menu button. Similarly, the up, right, down, and left regions
1002-1008 may correspond to an up, right, down, and left button
respectively. Each button may include a sensor, a switch, or any
controlling mechanism or user interface element that may allow a
user to trigger an event or to control some aspects of a machine or
a process. The remote controller system 1000 may also include a
communications interface (not shown), which may allow the system
1000 to communicate with an electronic device using any of the
above-mentioned communication channels. The system 1000 may also
include additional regions (not shown). By moving an object, such
as the liquid container 602 over on top of the various regions or
`buttons`, a user can control one or more operations of a media
guidance application or an electronic device.
[0137] In some embodiments, the remote controller system 1000
consists of a planar sensor array as described with respect to FIG.
9. The two dimensional sensor array may include sensors mapped
throughout the entire remote controller system 1000. The sensor
array may include sensors 704, 706, 708, 902, 904 and 906. These
sensors may detect an object resting upon the platform 604.
Alternatively, the system 1000 may include only sensors below the
regions so that only sensors beneath a region over which a user has
placed an object may be activated. The system 1000 does not
necessarily have to include the actual outlines of the regions as
illustrated in the figure and may be able to detect the various
navigational and/or functional inputs by sensing that a user is
moving the liquid container 602 up from the center or left from the
center, etc.
[0138] A user's interactions with the remote controller system 1000
may be detected by the various sensors underneath the surface of
and/or in contact with the surface of the platform 604. For
example, a user may interact with various regions of the remote
controller 1000 by moving a liquid container 602 across the surface
of the platform 604. While watching a television program, a user
may `push` the main menu `button` by moving the liquid container
602 on top of the main menu region 1010. In some embodiments, in
response to detecting the liquid container as currently on top, the
one or more sensors underneath the main menu region 1010 are
activated. Alternatively, a switch, such as a reed relay 704, may
be closed. The activated sensor or closed switch may be detected by
the processor 710 which then generates a command code corresponding
to the `button` for the main menu region 1010. The interactive user
equipment 802 may execute the command code (e.g. 001 0001) and
prompt a user to a main menu interface on the display 100.
[0139] Once the main menu button gets `pushed`, a user may interact
with a user interface application, such as a media guidance
application, by the use of the navigational buttons and/or input
mechanisms such as tapping the remote controller system 1100 with
an object. A user may move the highlight region 110 up and down by
moving the liquid container 602 to the up and down regions 1002 and
1006. To navigate a cursor on a display, a user may simply move the
liquid container 602 to the corresponding regions for
up/down/left/right. In some embodiments a user may have to tap the
up/down region 1002 and 1006 to increase/decrease a volume. In
other embodiments, a user may first select a `change volume` option
on the display 100 and then increase/decrease the volume by moving
an object to the up or down regions 1002 and 1006. Similarly, a
user may scroll media listings ordered based on time by moving an
object over on top of the left and right regions 1008 and 1004.
[0140] Other user interactions may also exist to better assist a
person in navigating a media guidance application and/or
controlling an electronic device through the user input interface
310. For example, a user may tap the main menu region 1010 for
accessing the main menu screen, which may either correspond to a
program guidance menu or some other user interface depending on the
device accessed and the interface associated with the device.
Moving the liquid container 602 over to the main menu region 1010
may correspond to a different user input than tapping the main menu
region 1010 once. Similarly, tapping the up region 1002 twice may
allow a user to fast scroll a media listing or any other listings.
Tapping the right region 1004 twice may fast forward the air time
to allow a user to quickly check what show may be aired on a
channel at a much later time.
[0141] Each region may correspond to a different command depending
on which screen a user is currently viewing. For example, once a
user is already in the main menu screen, moving an object over on
top of the main menu region 1010 may allow a user to `select` a
highlighted program. Before in the main menu screen, a user may
have to tap as opposed to just move the container 602 over on top
of the main menu `button` once to `select`.
[0142] Other features described with respect to previous
embodiments may also be employed in the remote controller system
1000 and vice versa. For example, the two dimensional sensor array
may detect the amount of liquid in the liquid container 604.
Accordingly, the sensors of the system 1000 may use the detected
pressure and/or weight information or any other sensed data to
perform operations on an electronic device automatically. For
example, a media program may be paused or a recording may start
automatically based on the amount of a liquid remaining in the
liquid container 604. In addition to interacting with the remote
controller system 1000 by moving an object across the surface of
the platform 604, the remote controller system 1000 may include a
stirring rod 608 that a user may use to tap the various regions of
the remote controller system 1000 or to tap the liquid container
602. Other features and functionalities associated with a user
interacting with a stirring rod 608 as described with respect to
FIGS. 6 and 7 may be included in the remote controller system
1000.
[0143] FIG. 11 shows an illustrative controller system 1100
according to an embodiment of the invention. The controller system
1100 includes a platform 604, an icon 1 region 1102, an icon 2
region 1104, an icon 3 region 1106, an icon 4 region 1114, an icon
5 region 1116, an icon 6 region 1118, an icon 7 region 1120, a
channel region 1108, a rest region 1110, and a volume region 1112.
Sensors of the types described throughout the application may be
implemented underneath the platform 604 for detecting a user moving
an object over on top of any one of the regions. Each region may
then correspond to one or more sensors placed underneath the region
below the surface of the platform 604.
[0144] In some embodiments, the remote controller system is on top
of or built into a table so that each icon can support a standard
size of liquid container. In other embodiments, the remote
controller system 1100 may be smaller if a user were to interact
with a small object that requires less surface space.
[0145] A user may interact with or control an electronic device
through the remote controller 1100 by moving an object, such as a
beer can, a coffee mug, a glass of wine, over on top of one of the
regions. Each icon regions, such as an icon 1 region 1102 and icon
2 region 1104, may correspond to a different user interface area of
the display 100. A user may move the liquid container 602 to any
one of the regions to access information provided by a media
guidance application and/or another user interface application of
an electronic device.
[0146] In some embodiments, the rest region 1110 may correspond to
the on/off button 502 of a conventional remote controller system
500. In some embodiments, tapping the liquid container 602 against
the top of the rest region 1110 can turn on an electronic device
and tapping the container 602 twice can turn off the electronic
device. Similarly, a user may move the liquid container 602 over on
top of icon 1 region 1102, which may correspond to the guide button
506. Alternatively, a user may tap the liquid container 602 against
the top of icon 1 region 1102 to access a media guide and display
the guide on the display 100. If a user wishes to access additional
information associated with a television program, the user may move
the liquid container 602 over on top of the icon 2 region 1104.
Other icons may correspond to similar functions of the conventional
remote controller 500 as described with respect to FIG. 5, or may
correspond to features and/or functionalities unique to the remote
controller systems 600, 900, 1000 and 1110.
[0147] A two dimensional array may be implemented in the remote
controller system 100 for detecting any movement changes to an
object placed on top of the surface of the platform 604. Such
sensors may include, without limitations, reed relays or hall
effect sensors if the liquid container contains a magnet, pressure
and acoustic sensors as described above, heat sensors as the point
of contact between an object and the surface of the platform 604
may create heat, optic sensors for measuring light absorbed or
reflected off an object, and acoustic wave or ultrasonic transducer
for measuring amount of sound waves reflected or absorbed by an
object, etc.
[0148] Alternatively, sensors may exist beneath the various regions
so that once a user has moved to a region under which there exists
one or more sensors, the sensors may be activated and may deliver
the sensed data to a processor either preferably located within the
remote controller system 1100 or located at remote location
accessible through a communications interface.
[0149] Other icons may correspond to various other functionalities
or features available to a user for accessing information or
content of a media guidance application or for controlling an
electronic device. In fact, the same remote controller system 1100
may be used to control multiple devices such as an interactive user
equipment 802 and devices connected to it, a curtain, a telephone,
a stove, a microwave, etc. Certain regions, such as Icon 4 region
1114 may be reserved for controlling a curtain in the living room.
Other regions, such as Icon 5 1116 may allow a user to access
recorded programs stored on a DVR or TiVo. Icon 6 region 1118 may
bring up a keypad as shown in FIG. 5 of the conventional remote
controller system to allow a user to enter a channel number.
[0150] In fact, the remote controller system 1100 may contain all
the functions and/or commands of a conventional remote controller
system. Similarly, a user may increment/decrement a channel by
moving to the corresponding up or down regions of the channel
region 1108. A user may also change the volume of a device by
moving an object 602 over on top of the volume change region 1112.
Additional regions may be added, or alternatively, a user can
program the remote controller to perform specific operations.
[0151] The remote controller system 1100 may also be configured to
detect user interactions with the liquid container 604 for
anticipating predicted user behaviors that may occur after a
detected user interaction. As described with respect to FIGS. 6 and
7, the remote controller 1100 may automatically pause an on-demand
show if the system 1110 detects that very little amount of liquid
is left in the container 602 and, therefore, the user may soon be
going away from watching the program to refill the container
602.
[0152] It should be noted that the various features,
functionalities, and designs of the controllers 600, 900, 1000 and
1110 may be integrated in various portions into a controller system
incorporating some or all of the features, functionalities, and
designs disclosed in relation to each system.
[0153] FIG. 12 shows a flow diagram 1200 of a method for
controlling an electronic device using a remote controller system
according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The flow
diagram 1200 includes steps 1202, 1204, 1206, 1208, 1210 and 1212.
At step 1202, a platform may be configured to support a liquid
container. At step 1204, the remote controller system may provide a
stirring rod to enable stirring a liquid in the liquid container.
At step 1206, at least one sensor may sense a condition of at least
one of the stirring rod and the container. At step 1208, the remote
controller system may generate sensing data in response to sensing
the condition. At step 1210, a processor of the remote controller
system may process the sensing data into control data. At step
1212, the remote controller system may send the control data to the
electronic device.
[0154] FIG. 13 shows a flow diagram 1300 of another method for
controlling an electronic device using a remote controller system
according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The flow
diagram 1300 includes steps 1302 and 1304. At step 1302, the remote
controller system may sense a user's interactions with a beverage
container. At step 1304, the remote controller system may convert
the user's interactions into control information for controlling an
operation of the electronic device.
[0155] FIG. 14 shows a flow diagram 1400 of a further method for
controlling an electronic device using a remote controller system
according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Flow
diagram 1400 includes steps 1402, 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410, 1412, and
1414. At step 1402, an interactive program guide system may receive
programs and program guide information from a user equipment
device. At step 1404, the system may further receive user control
information. At step 1406, the system may be configured to display
the program guide information. At step 1408, the system may control
the interactive program guide by first sensing via at least one
sensor a user's interactions with a beverage container (step 1410),
generating the user control information in response to the user's
interactions (step 1412), and sending the user control information
to the user equipment device (step 1414).
[0156] The above described embodiments of the present invention are
presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and
the present invention is limited only by the claims which
follow.
* * * * *
References