IBM Seeks Patent For Twitter, Facebook Remote Control
IBM has filed for a patent for new technology that allows services such as Facebook and Twitter to be managed with a television remote control.
The new system would apparently facilitate two-way blogging as users watch television.
"One of the joys of watching television is discussing with one’s friends the juicy bits of a favorite show or the latest television program,” IBM said.
Documents filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office describe the new platform as one that enables “automatic blogging of media viewing using an enhanced remote controller, suitable for use while viewing media programming and content.”
The system "allows a viewer to autoblog about currently experienced media programming in real-time without having to resort to direct interaction with a computer to perform the autoblogging,” the patent documents read.
"One of the joys of watching television is discussing with one’s friends the juicy bits of a favorite show or the latest television program.”
"The enhanced remote controller allows the viewer to both communicate with a blogging server, and thus to a blogging service, as well as display responses to and from other bloggers with whom the viewer is communicating," read the patent documents, which were filed earlier this year but discovered only recently by bloggers.
"These blog communications may be accomplished without the viewer having to leave the broadcast receiver of the television," according to the documents.
The remote control would be ideal for use with Web sites like Twitter, Facebook and Joost, according to the patent documents, which did disclose when, or even if, IBM would commercially produce the technology.
Big Blue’s move to secure a patent for the system could indicate the company’s desire for a larger role in the social media sphere. Until now, the company’s efforts have been focused on providing back-end hardware and services that support Web 2.0 sites.
The six-page patent application, entitled “Automatic blogging during media viewing” can be viewed here.