How Remote Servers Automatically Adjust Your TV Settings
A method for a remote server to automatically configure a TV's picture and sound settings by analyzing what other users with similar viewing habits prefer.
Original patent title: “Method and system for configuring media-playing sets”
A method for a remote server to automatically configure a TV's picture and sound settings by analyzing what other users with similar viewing habits prefer. Granted to Sharp Laboratories of America Inc in 2014 with 14 claims and 4 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a system where a remote server helps users configure their televisions without manual tweaking. The server collects data from many users to identify 'mutually integrable' settings—groups of settings like brightness, contrast, and audio levels that work well together. When a user specifies their viewing context, the server pushes the most popular, statistically favored configuration to their TV. The system also includes a feedback loop where users can use 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' buttons on their remote to accept or reject suggested settings, allowing the server to refine its recommendations over time.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover local-only configuration where settings are stored and applied solely on the TV hardware without a remote server.
- Does not cover manual configuration methods that require the user to navigate through traditional on-screen menus.
- Does not cover systems that adjust settings based on real-time ambient light sensors rather than statistical user preference data.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The system treats TV settings as a collaborative statistical problem, using 'mutually integrable' combinations—meaning it doesn't just set one value, but ensures a group of settings (like brightness and color balance) are compatible with each other based on what worked for other people.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Smart TV cloud-based picture mode presets
Remote diagnostic and configuration services for consumer electronics
Crowdsourced calibration profiles for high-end displays
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent addresses the frustration of complex TV calibration. By shifting the burden of configuration from the user to a cloud-based statistical model, it aims to ensure that consumers get optimal picture and sound quality based on the collective experience of others, rather than relying on their own technical knowledge.
Filed
March 3, 2006
Granted
April 1, 2014
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Sharp Laboratories, as the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, developed this during the transition to digital, networked televisions. Today, major smart TV manufacturers like Samsung, LG, and Sony utilize similar cloud-based telemetry to push configuration updates and optimize display settings based on aggregate user data.
Market impact
This patent represents an early effort to move consumer electronics configuration into the cloud. It helped establish the framework for 'connected' appliances that improve their performance over time through remote updates rather than remaining static after leaving the factory.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a system where a remote server helps users configure their televisions without manual tweaking. The server collects data from many users to identify 'mutually integrable' settings—groups of settings like brightness, contrast, and audio levels that work well together. When a user specifies their viewing context, the server pushes the most popular, statistically favored configuration to their TV. The system also includes a feedback loop where users can use 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' buttons on their remote to accept or reject suggested settings, allowing the server to refine its recommendations over time.
The clever bit
The system treats TV settings as a collaborative statistical problem, using 'mutually integrable' combinations—meaning it doesn't just set one value, but ensures a group of settings (like brightness and color balance) are compatible with each other based on what worked for other people.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover local-only configuration where settings are stored and applied solely on the TV hardware without a remote server.
- Does not cover manual configuration methods that require the user to navigate through traditional on-screen menus.
- Does not cover systems that adjust settings based on real-time ambient light sensors rather than statistical user preference data.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
14/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
9/20
Moderate scope
Recency
5/20
Granted 10–20 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$8K – $25K
Midpoint $16K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
14 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Feather, G. A., Hallberg, B. S., Shivaji-Rao, V., & Borden, G. R. (2014). How Remote Servers Automatically Adjust Your TV Settings (U.S. Patent No. 8,689,253). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8689253/netflix-recommendation-engine
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Remote Servers Automatically Adjust Your TV Settings cover?
A method for a remote server to automatically configure a TV's picture and sound settings by analyzing what other users with similar viewing habits prefer.
Who owns patent US 8689253?
Sharp Laboratories of America Inc owns this patent, granted in 2014.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on April 1, 2034, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 8689253 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 4 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent addresses the frustration of complex TV calibration. By shifting the burden of configuration from the user to a cloud-based statistical model, it aims to ensure that consumers get optimal picture and sound quality based on the collective experience of others, rather than relying on their own technical knowledge.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover local-only configuration where settings are stored and applied solely on the TV hardware without a remote server.
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