Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110131620 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACCESSING RECOVERABLE PROGRAM CONTENT - Content delivery systems and methods are operable to provide recoverable program content to a media device. An exemplary embodiment detects an occurrence of a qualifying event, wherein the qualifying event is associated with an unavailable portion of a program of interest; communicates a request to establish a backchannel between the media device and a program content device in response to detecting the occurrence of the qualifying event; communicates a request for a recoverable portion of the program of interest from the media device to the program content device over the backchannel, wherein the requested recoverable portion of the program of interest corresponds to the unavailable portion of the program of interest; and receives at the media device the recoverable portion of the program of interest from the program content device. | 06-02-2011 |
20110321089 | Apparatus and Methods for Accessing Content Using Alternative Identifiers - Apparatus and methods are described for allowing users to access channels of a receiving device using custom channel identifiers rather than content provider assigned channel identifiers. A receiving device receives a first set of channel identifiers assigned by a content provider for a plurality of channels. The receiving device further receives a second set of custom channel identifiers identifying the plurality of channels. At least a portion of the first set of channel identifiers maps to the second set of channel identifiers. The user provides user input specifying one of the second identifiers to access and the receiving device correlates the user input to a corresponding first identifier to determine the selected channel the user desires to access. | 12-29-2011 |
20120019633 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC SYNCHRONIZATION OF AUDIO AND VIDEO SIGNALS - Described herein are techniques which facilitate the automatic synchronization of audio and video signals between an entertainment device and a presentation device. A sensing device detects and records timing information from a video test pattern generated by an entertainment device and output by a presentation device. Using the timing information from the sensing device, the entertainment device synchronizes the audio and video signals it outputs to one or more presentation devices. The presentation device exhibits synchronized audio and video to a user. | 01-26-2012 |
20120081527 | APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF 3-D SHUTTER GLASSES TO ONE OF A PLURALITY OF PRESENTATION DEVICES - Systems and methods enable three dimensional (3-D) program content viewing in a media environment with different media presentation devices. An exemplary embodiment detects a first synchronization signal transmitted from a first synchronization signal source, wherein the first synchronization signal is associated with first 3-D program content and includes a first signal identifier; detects a second synchronization signal transmitted from a second synchronization signal source, wherein the second synchronization signal is associated with second 3-D program content and includes a second signal identifier; receives a selection of one of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal; discriminates between the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal based upon the first signal identifier and the second signal identifier; and controls a left lens and a right lens of 3-D shutter glasses in accordance with the selected one of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal. | 04-05-2012 |
20120291901 | FLUID VALVE FITTING - A fluid valve fitting has an incoming conduit with an inlet, an outlet, and a coupling assembly for its outlet, and an outgoing conduit with an inlet, an outlet, and a coupling assembly for its inlet. The fitting also has a bypass conduit between the incoming and the outgoing conduits, an inflow valve in the incoming conduit, an outflow valve in the outgoing conduit, and a bypass valve in the bypass conduit. An actuator assembly is coupled to lock mechanisms of the coupling assemblies, the inflow valve, the outflow valve, and the bypass valve. Operation of the actuator assembly concurrently operates the lock mechanisms, the inflow valve, the outflow valve, and the bypass valve. | 11-22-2012 |
20120311171 | APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING THE TRANSMISSION OF MEDIA CONTENT EVENTS - Systems and methods are operable for monitoring the transmission of media content events. An exemplary embodiment receives a media content stream at a media device from a media content transmission device at a first transmission rate, wherein the media content stream comprises at least one media content event selected for presentation on a media presentation device; stores at least a portion of the media content stream in a media device buffer; calculates a buffer metric; transmitting the buffer metric to the media content transmission device; and receives the media content stream from the media content transmission device at a second transmission rate based on the transmitted buffer metric. | 12-06-2012 |
20140245362 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACCESSING RECOVERABLE PROGRAM CONTENT - Content delivery systems and methods are operable to provide recoverable program content to a media device. An exemplary embodiment detects an occurrence of a qualifying event, wherein the qualifying event is associated with an unavailable portion of a program of interest; communicates a request to establish a backchannel between the media device and a program content device in response to detecting the occurrence of the qualifying event; communicates a request for a recoverable portion of the program of interest from the media device to the program content device over the backchannel, wherein the requested recoverable portion of the program of interest corresponds to the unavailable portion of the program of interest; and receives at the media device the recoverable portion of the program of interest from the program content device. | 08-28-2014 |
20150160623 | MAINTAINING UP-TO-DATE HOME AUTOMATION MODELS - Embodiments detailed herein may involve a first status update of a home automation device installed as part of a home automation system in a home being received. An entry of a plurality of entries in a master home automation model may be updated based on the first status update of the home automation device. The master home automation model may be maintained by the home automation host system. The plurality of entries may correspond to home automation device characteristics of the plurality of home automation devices. A numerical identifier used to track status updates related to the home automation system in the home may be incremented. Within the master home automation model, the incremented numerical identifier may be assigned to the updated entry in the master home automation model. | 06-11-2015 |
20150160634 | HOME AUTOMATION BUBBLE ARCHITECTURE - Systems and methods for controlling a plurality of devices in a home automation system may include providing a device proxy for a device connected to the home automation system and setting a new value in a value box of the device proxy, whereby the value box corresponds to at least one of a sensor, control, and metadata of the device. The systems and methods may further include determining one or more rules associated with the device proxy and running the determined one or more rules, whereby the determined one or more rules are indicative of interactive relationships between the device proxy and one or more other device proxies corresponding to one or more other devices connected to the home automation system. | 06-11-2015 |
20150160635 | Multi-Tiered Feedback-Controlled Home Automation Notifications - Various arrangements for providing home automation notifications to users are detailed. A selection of a home automation event to trigger transmission of a home automation notification and a first group of users may be received. When the event occurs, the home automation notification may be transmitted to the first group of users. A first communication path associated with each user of the first group of users may be used for transmitting the home automation notification. For a time, monitoring can be performed to determine if a receipt response from each of the plurality of destinations is received. For users for which the receipt response was not received, the home automation notification may be sent via an alternate communication path. | 06-11-2015 |
20150163412 | Home Monitoring and Control - Various arrangements for monitoring and control applications are presented. A television receiver may be configured to monitor sensor reading and or provide signals to control units for monitoring and home automation applications. | 06-11-2015 |
20150163560 | CREDIT-BASED TELEVISION COMMERCIAL SYSTEM - Various arrangements are provided for earning and using credit. Via one or more tuners, a first commercial may be received and stored, wherein the first commercial comprises video and audio. The commercial may be output for presentation for viewing by a user of the television receiver system, wherein the first commercial is associated with a first predefined amount of credit. It may then be confirmed that the first commercial has been viewed by the user. In response to confirming that the first commercial has been viewed by the user, an account of the user may be credited with the first predefined amount of credit. This credit may be used for viewing other content, such as pay-per-view (PPV) content, services, and/or products. | 06-11-2015 |