Supplemental Set-Top Box Using Optical Character Recognition for Universal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interactive television technologies face inefficiencies in determining what a consumer is watching to deliver matched functionality and services, as they require provider-specific APIs for communication between primary and supplemental set-top boxes, making it challenging to scale across various provider platforms and manage additional services.
Innovation Solution
The system determines what a consumer is watching by capturing display data, extracting text using OCR, and comparing it with known media program fingerprints, allowing a supplemental set-top box to operate without provider-specific APIs and identify channel lineups, including non-subscription content, enabling universal remote control functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If provider-specific APIs are used for communication between primary and supplemental set-top boxes, then reliable control and information exchange are achieved, but device complexity and difficulty of scaling increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (supplemental set-top box) that captures display output from the primary set-top box and uses OCR technology to extract information. This intermediary approach allows control and information exchange without requiring direct API integration with the primary set-top box, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/software interface (APIs) with an optical interface. Instead of using provider-specific application program interfaces for communication, the system uses optical character recognition on display output to extract information, substituting a visual/optical mechanism for a software interface mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If provider-specific APIs are developed for each cable or satellite television provider, then accurate program information is obtained, but development time and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The supplemental set-top box performs self-service by capturing its own display output and using OCR to extract program information autonomously. This eliminates the need for external API development and cooperation with each television provider, significantly reducing development time while maintaining information accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a visual copy of the display output and processes it through OCR to extract information. This copying approach bypasses the need for direct software integration and API development, allowing rapid deployment without provider-specific development cycles.
3Ease of operation
If custom APIs are required for each primary set-top box device, then service control capability is achieved, but scalability across multiple platforms is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The supplemental set-top box implements a universal control mechanism that works with any primary set-top box device regardless of provider or platform. By using OCR on display output rather than provider-specific APIs, the system achieves multi-functionality and broad adaptability while maintaining ease of operation for controlling services.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the need for provider-specific APIs, enabling efficient delivery of Internet-accessible services and control of media content without custom APIs, improving scalability and reliability across different platforms and services.
Implementation Method 1
an optical character recognition module operable to extract the text from the captured display data
Data Source
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Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
Features of various implementations are used to control operation of a second electronic device from a first electronic device using indirect control methods and optical character recognition. In some implementations, communication between a primary set-top box and a supplemental set-top box is configured in order to avoid the need for one or more provider-specific APIs. For example, one aspect of the disclosure is a method of identifying commands that can be used to control one or more features of a primary set-top box (e.g., DVR or VOD features) by a supplemental set-top box issuing commands to the primary set- top box via a wireless (e.g., IR) transmitter, and then using optical character recognition to identify the outcomes of those commands as displayed on a primary TV display or secondary display.