Portable Media Controller with Accrued History
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media control systems are inconvenient for users due to the distance between media devices and users, and remote controls often lack the necessary controls or are overly complex, while users also struggle to remember details about unfamiliar media.
Innovation Solution
A portable device that discovers and pairs with media devices, providing control and media information by decoding media signals, displaying relevant controls, and maintaining an accrued history of played media for later retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users control media devices through native control interfaces, then control precision is improved, but user convenience deteriorates due to the need to physically approach the device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a portable device as an intermediary between the user and the media device. The portable device receives broadcast media signals, decodes them to extract control information and media identifiers, and relays user commands back to the media device wirelessly. This mediator approach allows users to control media devices from a distance while maintaining precise control through the portable device's interface.
2Adaptability or versatility
If remote control devices include every possible control type, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases making them overly complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The portable device serves multiple functions: it acts as a remote control, a media information display device, and a history recording system. By consolidating these functions into a single portable device that processes broadcast signals, the system achieves versatility without requiring multiple specialized remote controls or complex interfaces on each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The media device automatically broadcasts control information and media identifiers through signal encoding. This self-service approach eliminates the need for users to manually configure complex control settings, as the system autonomously provides the necessary control interfaces and information through the portable device.
3Loss of information
If users attempt to remember media details manually, then information retention is improved, but time loss increases due to forgetting and needing to retrieve information later
Solution Approach 1:
The portable device automatically records media information and control settings when the media signal is first received and decoded. This preliminary action of storing media identifiers, metadata, and control parameters eliminates the need for users to manually remember details, and the information is readily available for future retrieval without time loss.
4Speed
If portable devices decode and process media signals in real-time, then control responsiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The portable device extracts only the essential information from the broadcast media signals, specifically the media identifiers and control parameters, rather than processing the entire media content. This selective extraction approach enables real-time control responsiveness while minimizing energy consumption by processing only the necessary data elements.
Data Source
AI summary
Pairing a portable electronic device with a media device that is playing media, providing control to the portable device, displaying information about the media being played on the portable electronic device, and providing a link to the media asset in an online store. Discovering that a media device that is currently publically playing media, receiving a media signal encoded with metadata describing the media being played, and displaying an accrued history of various instances of media items that have been overheard during a public play session as a list of media items associated with metadata describing the media items.