US 8,544,047 B2 · Automatically reconfigurable multimedia system with interchangeable personality adapters

Automatically reconfigurable multimedia system with interchangeable personality adapters

AssigneesSony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.

InventorsEdgar Tu, David Boyden, Takashi Hironaka, Thomas Dawson, George Williams, Ludovic Douillet, Rajesh Rao, Peter Rae Shintani, Djung Nguyen, Milton Frazier, Ian Charles Matthews, Behram Mario Dacosta, Robert Hardacker, Nicholas James Colsey, Mark Hanson, Jason R. Meerbergen, Leo Mark Pedlow, Rolf Toft

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A TV-set is equipped with HDMI and USB connections that allow it to display and run audio-video content from a variety of conventional consumer devices. The TV-set is further equipped to provide a secure HDMI-USB interface that will allow the transfer of licensed high definition content and Internet subscriber services. Such secure HDMI-USB interface also enables a selection of proprietary application modules to be attached. Downloadable user interface templates, much like XML style sheets, are rendered to a user interface displayed on the screen. These are associated with corresponding thumbnails and URI's that allow a user to surf through lists and catalogs of materials, and then to play them in the appropriate formats and provide the machine with a customized controller. A remote commander is simplified, yet expanded to control all the attached devices through interactions with the user interface. The functions of the remote commander's keys change depending on where the user is navigating and what device is being controlled, similar to so-called soft-keys.

Claims43

Dependent claims

An automatically reconfigurable multimedia system, comprising:

a first device having a video display and an audio output;
a second device configured for connection to said first device;
a secure communications interface between said first device and said second device configured for communicating between said first device and said second device including receiving audio-video content and a configuration template from said second device to said first device;
and
said first device having a configuration rendering engine for generating a user interface on said video display based on information contained in said configuration template;
wherein said secure communications interface comprises at least a first and a second communications connection which cooperate in authorizing multimedia content transfers across the secure communications interface, to prevent unlicensed materials from being output by the second device and/or being accepted by the first device;
wherein authentication of the second device is performed over the combination of said first and second communications connections to ensure that the first and second communications connections are made on the same first device.

4 more elements

An automatically reconfigurable television apparatus, comprising:

a television subsystem having a user interface, video display, audio output, and media selection tuner which is configured for playing video and audio media content in response to input from a user;
a first interface over which audio-video content can be received from an external device configured for operation with said television apparatus;
a second interface paired with said first interface which enables communication with said external device for controlling operation of said external device through said television apparatus;
a dynamic menu that automatically reconfigures in response to connection of said external device to said television apparatus and through which operation of said external device is controlled and audio-video content from said external device is accessed;
and
a configuration rendering engine that receives a configuration template from said external device and controls reconfiguration of said dynamic menu;
wherein first interface and second interface form a secure communication interface;
wherein said first interface and said second interface cooperate in authorizing multimedia content transfers across the secure communications interface, to prevent unlicensed materials from being output by the external device and/or from being accepted by said television apparatus;
wherein said secure communications interface is configured for authorizing interoperation of the external device with said television apparatus;
and for determining that said first and second interfaces are connected between said television apparatus and the external device;
wherein authentication of the external device is performed over the combination of said first and second interfaces.

8 more elements

An automatically reconfigurable television apparatus, comprising:

a television subsystem having a user interface, video display, audio output, and media selection tuner which is configured for playing video and audio media content in response to input from a user;
a first interface over which audio-video content can be received from an external device configured for operation with said television apparatus;
a second interface paired with said first interface which enables communication with said external device for controlling operation of said external device through said television apparatus;
a dynamic menu that automatically reconfigures in response to connection of said external device to said television apparatus and through which operation of said external device is controlled and audio-video content from said external device is accessed;
a configuration rendering engine that receives a configuration template from said external device and controls reconfiguration of said dynamic menu;
wherein first interface and second interface form a secure communication interface;
wherein said first interface and said second interface cooperate in authorizing multimedia content transfers across the secure communications interface, to prevent unlicensed materials from being output by the external device and/or from being accepted by said television apparatus;
wherein said secure communications interface is configured for authorizing interoperation of the external device with said television apparatus;
and for determining that said first and second interfaces are connected between said television apparatus and the external device;
and
a high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) circuit for authorizing said external device when connected to said television apparatus to deliver high-definition audio-video content to said television apparatus;
wherein authentication of the external device is performed over the combination of said first and second interfaces.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

13/182,592Filed 14 Jul 2011 · continuation

Priority

18 Aug 2006

Published

US 2011/0271296 A13 Nov 2011

Granted

24 Sep 2013

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

H04N 5/46
Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards: for receiving on more than one standard…
H04N 5/775
Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus: between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
H04N 7/163
Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing: by receiver means only
H04N 7/1675
Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible: providing digital key or authorisation information for…

Family

Application60/838,942Us provisional application · filed 18 Aug 2006

Application60/838,940Us provisional application · filed 18 Aug 2006

Application11/580,781Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 13 Oct 2006

Application11/601,973Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 20 Nov 2006

Application11/702,280Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Feb 2007

Application11/673,522Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Feb 2007

Application11/711,299Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Feb 2007

Application11/724,631Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 15 Mar 2007

Application11/726,558Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 22 Mar 2007

Application11/803,989Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 May 2007

Application11/840,189Parent of this continuation · filed 16 Aug 2007

US 2011/0271296 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Nov 2011

US 7,996,869 B2Parent of this continuation

Application11/840,189Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,577,908 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,788,727 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 8,144,266 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 8,156,545 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,856,104 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2008/0046943 A1Published application

US 2008/0092246 A1Published application

US 2008/0120683 A1Published application

US 2008/0134237 A1Published application

US 2008/0186403 A1Published application

US 2008/0196086 A1Published application

US 2008/0204984 A1Published application

US 2008/0228963 A1Published application

US 2008/0235736 A1Published application

US 8,544,047 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.