Media Guidance Control Assignment Across Multiple Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems face conflicts when multiple devices attempt to control a single device, leading to user control issues due to the rise in mobile technology and the ability to access media on various devices.
Innovation Solution
A media guidance application that distributes media guidance application operations between multiple devices based on criteria associated with each device, determining which device should manage specific operations based on user preferences, device capabilities, and media content context.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices are allowed to control a single device, then device accessibility and user flexibility are improved, but control conflicts and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control manager component that acts as an intermediary between multiple user devices and the target device. This control manager receives control requests from various user devices, determines the appropriate controlling device based on criteria such as device type, user preferences, and current context, and routes control commands accordingly. This mediator architecture resolves control conflicts without requiring direct peer-to-peer negotiation between devices, thereby maintaining system accessibility while managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes control parameters by adjusting which device has control authority based on varying conditions. The control manager evaluates multiple parameters including device type (smartphone, tablet, PC), user preferences stored in profiles, current application context, and device proximity to the target. By changing control parameters dynamically rather than assigning fixed control rights, the system achieves high adaptability while maintaining manageable complexity through automated parameter adjustment.
2Ease of operation
If multiple devices can access and control media content, then user convenience is improved, but control ambiguity and user conflicts worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The control manager implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring which user devices are connected, what applications are active, and what control operations are requested. It uses this feedback to dynamically determine control authority, ensuring that the most appropriate device controls the target at any given moment. The system also provides feedback to users about which device currently has control authority, reducing ambiguity and conflicts by making control status transparent.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-service mechanisms where user profiles and device capabilities are automatically analyzed to determine control authority without requiring manual user intervention. The control manager automatically resolves control conflicts by evaluating stored user preferences, device characteristics, and current context, thereby maintaining ease of operation while ensuring reliable control assignment through automated decision-making.
3Adaptability or versatility
If control operations are distributed among multiple devices, then system versatility is improved, but determining which device manages which operation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments control operations into distinct categories such as media playback control, volume adjustment, application launching, and settings management. Each type of operation can be independently assigned to different user devices based on their capabilities and user preferences. This segmentation allows the system to distribute control versatility across multiple devices while simplifying the assignment logic by handling each operation type separately rather than managing all operations as a single complex unit.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are disclosed herein for a media guidance application that distributes media guidance application operations between multiple devices based on one or more criteria associated with those devices. For example, the media guidance application may determine the plurality of operations performed by a target device and distribute the plurality of operations among devices near that target device.