Caavo Inc

Harman International Industries, Inc.

University of California

Snap Networks, Inc.

Gopinath, Vinod

Satheesh, Sharath Hariharpur

Kumar, Siddharth

Mittal, Neha

Aggarwal, Ashish

Niclavose, Bitto

Ashish Dharmpal Aggarwal

Sharath Harihapur Satheesh

Vinod K Gopinath

Andrew E Einaudi

Bitto Niclavose

Neha Mittal

Nino Vincenzo Marino

Siddharth Kumar

Conrad Savio Jude Gomes

Shivam Khandelwal

Pankaj Ramesh Chandra Katiyar

Pankaj Kashyap

Gadi Amit

Susan McKinney

Sravan Kumar Andavarapu

Shankara Raman Sundararajan

Amrit P Singh

Ulrich Horbach

Scott M Thibeault

Karthik Shrinarsi

Ellise N Smolenyak

Shankar Lakshmi Regunathan

Kenneth Rose

Todd S Welti

Pedro Manrique

Sharath Hariharpur Satheesh

Erik Askin

Rahul D Nakhate

Vinu Joseph

Anu Godara

Ashok Kumar Kethe

Jayanth Manklu

Subramanyam Kasibhat

Matthew G Pugmire

Nino V Marino

Shankara R Sundararajan

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for testing communication with a device. A multimedia receiver may be communicatively coupled to a media device, such as a source media device. The multimedia receiver may transmit a test command to control the source media device using a communication protocol. A video frame output by the source media device may be obtained. Based at least on the video frame, it may be determined whether the source media device received the test command. In response to a determination that the source media device received the test command, an indication may be stored that the source media device may be controlled using the communication protocol.

Automatic testing of home entertainment automation systems for controlling connected devices

A switching device is enabled to automatically perform one or more actions based on one or more notifications received thereby. A notification may be received by a device communicatively coupled to the switching device, or alternatively, may be internally-generated. Upon receiving the notification, the switching device utilizes a notification-to-action mapping to determine which action(s) are to be performed based on the notification received. The action(s) include automatically switching the switching device to a device coupled to a port thereof and/or automatically launching an application executing on that device in order to view the notification and/or content associated with the notification. In other example, the action(s) may include sending the notification to another device, such as a user's mobile phone and/or causing an application executing on the mobile phone to be launched in order to view the notification and/or content associated with the notification.

Automatic switching device operation determination based on received notifications

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for the automatic determination of a state of a consumer electronic device via power monitoring. A switching device receives a power signature signal associated with a consumer electronic device. The power signature signal is compared to one or more reference power signatures. A determination of whether a level of similarity between the power signature signal and the one or more reference power signatures meets a threshold condition is made. If so, a determination that the consumer electronic device is in a state associated with the one or more reference power signatures is made. In response to determining that the level of similarity between the power signature signal and the one or more reference power signatures does not meet the threshold condition, a corrective action is performed. In another aspect, a reference power signature is calibrated for a consumer electronic device.

Device state determination based on power signatures

Embodiments described herein enable a user to share content with another user. In embodiments, a portion of the multimedia content presented by an output device (e.g., a streaming media player, a set-top box, etc.) may be selected for sharing (e.g., with one or more user(s)). Information associated with the multimedia content may be further determined (e.g., metadata, a service or source device providing the content, a time, an identification, etc.). Upon receiving a selection to share the multimedia content, a user-interactive identifier (e.g., a hyperlink) and at least one of the information and the portion of the multimedia content may be transmitted to enable the user(s) to access the content. In this manner, access to multimedia content may be easily and quickly shared with another user with relatively low user effort.

Sharing of content viewed by a user

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for determining a power state of a device. Identification data may be received, e.g., in a media device hub, from one or more devices coupled to the device hub. In some example implementations, the devices coupled to the device hub may comprise an intermediate device coupled to the hub via a first multimedia cable and a sink media device coupled to the intermediate device via a second multimedia cable. Attributes may be identified in the received identification data, such as attributes relating to one or more of the coupled devices. The attributes may be associated with one or more of the devices that are coupled to the device hub. Based on an association of attributes, a power state of one or more of the devices coupled to the hub may be determined.

Device identification and power state determination using media device information

A system is described that includes an electronic program guide (EPG) data receiver and a media content catalog enhancer. The EPG receiver is configured to receive EPG data from an EPG data provider. The media content catalog enhancer is configured to determine that an item of media content identified by the EPG data comprises new media content and, in response to determining that the item of media content identified by the EPG data comprises new media content, to cause a web crawler to crawl a source website associated with the new media content to obtain information about the new media content and to store the obtained information about the new media content in a database, the database comprising a catalog of media content that is searchable by an end user to identify and access content for playback via an end user device.

Targeted crawler to develop and/or maintain a searchable database of media content across multiple content providers

Embodiments and techniques described herein advantageously permit multiple users in disparate physical locations, using different devices and media content providers, to each initiate playback of selected media content, and to continuously temporally synchronize each playback with every other playback through analysis of the information corresponding to each playback (e.g., audio recording of the playback, information corresponding to the video playback and/or closed captioning information).

System and method for social multi-platform media playback synchronization

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for automatically navigating a graphical user interface (GUI) of a media device. In embodiments, objects (e.g. selectable items) in device GUI menu screens may be located, identified, and selected by another device (e.g., a switch) using several types of image processing, image recognition, and automated screen navigation techniques. For instance, a device may receive an operation request, for example from a user, receive a video signal from the connected media device, extract a video frame, process the video frame using one or more algorithms, and automatically navigate the GUI of the device by transmitting one more navigation commands for application to the GUI. In this manner, multi-step, time-consuming manual GUI navigation to achieve a desired result may be reduced to an automated technique, allowing users to save time and frustration in navigating a GUI using a remote control to find a particular resource.

Automatic screen navigation for media device configuration and control

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for sharing content viewed by a user. Multimedia content may be presented by an output device to an audience. A selection of a portion of the multimedia content is selected for sharing by an audience member. Additionally, synchronized combinations of captured real-time media content with played-back digital content are generated by systems and devices. A media content stream from a source device that is to be played back by a sink device is buffered. Messages pertaining to the capture of a first media clip are received from a media capture device, and based on the messages, a portion of the buffered content stream is identified and extracted to generate a second media clip. Combined media content is generated by combining the first and the second media clips, and the combined media content is stored for later playback and sharing.

Synchronized combinations of captured real-time media content with played-back digital content

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for automatically determining a state signature for consumer electronic device(s) coupled to a switching device and/or other devices communicatively coupled to the consumer electronic device(s). The state signature is indicative of functional state(s) in which the consumer electronic device(s) are in. Such states include a power state, a proximity state, a communication state, and/or an operational state of the consumer electronic device(s). Based on the state signature(s), the switching device may infer which of the consumer electronic device(s) the user would like to use (or is using) and cause action(s) to be performed. Such actions include automatically switching to the AV port(s) to which such consumer electronic device(s) are connected, transmitting command(s) to such consumer electronic device(s), transmitting a notification message to such consumer electronic device(s), etc.

Determining state signatures for consumer electronic devices coupled to an audio/video switch

Growing community of inventors

Stevenson Ranch, CA, United States of America

Ashish Dharmpal Aggarwal