# US 2013/0159876 A1 · Supporting multiple attention-based, user-interaction modes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0159876 A1 - Document ID: US20130159876A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/326,574 - Filed: 2011-12-15 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-15 - Assignees: General Instrument Corporation - Inventors: Nitya Narasimhan; Silviu Chircescu; Venugopal Vasudevan; Joseph F. Wodka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130159876A1 ## CPC - H04N 21/44218: {Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45)} - H04N 21/6543: for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording {(remote booting in general G06F9/4416)} - H04N 21/6547: comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The present invention monitors a user's activities to determine how much attention he is paying to one or more devices. Based on the information gathered about the user's current “attention profile,” a “user-interaction parameter” is set that reflects where the user's attention is focused and, ideally, how much of his attention is given to each device. Then, based on the user-interaction parameter, the user interface of at least one of the user's devices is configured to optimize the user's interactions, given the amount of attention he is currently giving to this user interface. If the user is giving the majority of his attention to the television, for example, then the user interface of a companion device can be configured to emphasize the types of interactions available to a user who is not actively watching the companion device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 In a communications environment where a user has access to both a first media-consumption device and to a second media-consumption device, the two devices distinct, a method for a server, distinct from the first and second devices, to support multiple user-interaction modes, the method comprising: receiving, by the server from the first device, a user-interaction parameter; and sending, by the server to a recipient device, a message, the message based, at least in part, on the received user-interaction parameter; wherein the recipient device is selected from the group consisting of: the first device and the second device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second devices are selected from the group consisting of: a set-top box, a television, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, an electronic picture frame, a tablet computer, and a gaming console. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the server is selected from the group consisting of: a computer and a plurality of computers. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the message directs the recipient device to configure a user interface on the recipient device, the configuring based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4: wherein the user-interaction parameter is set to lean-forward; and wherein configuring the user interface comprises enabling a keyboard input and a display output. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4: wherein the user-interaction parameter is set to lean-back; and wherein configuring the user interface comprises enabling a sensor input, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a touch sensor, a microphone, a motion sensor, a camera, and a position sensor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein configuring the user interface comprises setting a display modality of the user interface. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: selecting, by the sever, media content; wherein the message comprises the selected media content; and wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on the received user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: selecting, by the sever, an activity; wherein the message comprises a command to perform the selected activity; and wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on the received user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving, by the server from the first device, further information; wherein the message is further based, at least in part, on the received further information; and wherein the further information is selected from the group consisting of: interaction-context information, device information, information about a user-interface configuration set by the first device, and information about a selection made by the first device based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 11 A server configured for supporting multiple user-interaction modes in a communications environment where a user has access to both a first media-consumption device and to a second media-consumption device, the two devices and the server all distinct, the server comprising: a transceiver configured for receiving, from the first device, a user-interaction parameter; and a processor operatively connected to the transceiver and configured for: sending, via the transceiver to a recipient device, a message, the message based, at least in part, on the received user-interaction parameter; wherein the recipient device is selected from the group consisting of: the first device and the second device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The server of claim 11 wherein the server is selected from the group consisting of: a computer and a plurality of computers. ### Claim 13 In a communications environment where a user has access to both a first media-consumption device and to a second media-consumption device, the two devices distinct, a method for a server, distinct from the first and second devices, to support multiple user-interaction modes, the method comprising: receiving, by the server from the first device, first information associated with an amount of attention paid to the first device; receiving, by the server from the second device, second information associated with an amount of attention paid to the second device; based, at least in part, on the received first and second attention information, setting a user-interaction parameter for a recipient device; and sending, by the server to the recipient device, a message, the message based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter; wherein the recipient device is selected from the group consisting of: the first device and the second device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the first and second devices are selected from the group consisting of: a set-top box, a television, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, an electronic picture frame, a tablet computer, and a gaming console. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the server is selected from the group consisting of: a computer and a plurality of computers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the message directs the recipient device to configure a user interface on the recipient device, the configuring based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16: wherein the user-interaction parameter is set to lean-forward; and wherein configuring the user interface comprises enabling a keyboard input and a display output. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16: wherein the user-interaction parameter is set to lean-back; and wherein configuring the user interface comprises enabling a sensor input, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a touch sensor, a microphone, a motion sensor, a camera, and a position sensor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein configuring the user interface comprises setting a display modality of the user interface. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising: selecting, by the sever, media content; wherein the message comprises the selected media content; and wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising: selecting, by the sever, an activity; wherein the message comprises a command to perform the selected activity; and wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 22 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising: receiving, by the server from the first device, further information; wherein the message is further based, at least in part, on the received further information; and wherein the further information is selected from the group consisting of: interaction-context information, device information, information about a user-interface configuration set by the first device, and information about a selection made by the first device based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter. ### Claim 23 A server configured for supporting multiple user-interaction modes in a communications environment where a user has access to both a first media-consumption device and to a second media-consumption device, the two devices and the server all distinct, the server comprising: a transceiver configured for receiving, from the first device, first information associated with an amount of attention paid to the first device and for receiving, from the second device, second information associated with an amount of attention paid to the second device; and a processor operatively connected to the transceiver and configured for: based, at least in part, on the received first and second attention information, setting a user-interaction parameter for a recipient device; and sending, via the transceiver to the recipient device, a message, the message based, at least in part, on the user-interaction parameter; wherein the recipient device is selected from the group consisting of: the first device and the second device. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The server of claim 23 wherein the server is selected from the group consisting of: a computer and a plurality of computers.