Video services receiver that provides a notification of upcoming program events having content that is preferred by the user, and related operating methods

• US 10,110,958 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EchoStar Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EchoStar Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Shovkoplias, Iurii
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Somera, Caroline
• Application Number:
  US14/357,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20150150045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 725 13, 725 34, 725 46, 725 36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

A video services receiver for presenting video content, and related methods of operating the video services receiver, are presented here. An exemplary operating method identifies, at the video services receiver, an upcoming program event having content preferred by a user of the video services receiver. The method continues by generating, at the video services receiver, a graphical program notification comprising information related to the upcoming program event. The graphical program notification is provided for presentation on a display associated with the video services receiver.

Claims

1. A method of operating a video services receiver, the method comprising:

configuring the video services receiver for identifying an upcoming program event having similarity in at least one of a context relationship or a content of a recent program event wherein data of the upcoming program event is delivered to the video services receiver prior to a scheduled broadcast;

automatically identifying, at the video services receiver by the configuring of the video services receiver, in a first instance, an upcoming program event scheduled for delivery by a designated video service with similarity in the context relationship to the recent program event, and in a second instance, based only on previously saved content matching criteria and without further user action, an upcoming program event having content preferred by a user of the video services receiver, wherein the previously saved content matching criteria does not explicitly identify the upcoming program event, the automatically identifying further comprising;

searching available program listing for other program events having a contextual relationship to the current program event by;

obtaining and analyzing program-designating and content-defining information for a current program event that matches a user specified criteria wherein the content-defining information comprises;

entered data in a formatted database of recorded programs at the video services receiver wherein the searching of the available program listing is performed using types, fields and metadata listed in connection with descriptions of the recorded programs in the formatted database wherein identifying the upcoming program event comprises searching with a plurality of search terms, with the video services receiver, available program listings for upcoming program events having a designated genre that matches a genre of the current program event;

providing a current program event for presentation on a display associated with the video services receiver;

generating, at the video services receiver, a graphical program notification comprising information related to the upcoming program event, the graphical program notification further comprising an auto start command element that accommodates user interaction;

providing the graphical program notification for presentation on the display concurrently with the current program event wherein the graphical program notification further comprises;

a channel change command element that accommodates user interaction operating the video services receiver to tune to the designated video service in response to user interaction with the channel change command element and a record command element that accommodates user interaction operating the video services receiver to record the upcoming program event in response to user interaction with the record command element;

receiving a user-initiated command in response to user interaction with the auto start command element; and

after receiving the user-initiated command, operating the video services receiver to automatically tune to the designated video service at the beginning of the upcoming program event.

2. A video services receiver for presenting video content, the video services receiver comprising:

a receiver interface to receive data associated with video services;

a display interface for a display operatively coupled to the video services receiver, the display interface facilitating presentation of program events on the display;

a content identification module coupled to the receiver interface to analyze programming data associated with program events and the video services; and

a processor coupled to the receiver interface, the content identification module, and the display interface, wherein;

the processor generates an interactive program notification when the content identification module identifies in a first mode, an upcoming program event scheduled for delivery by a designated video service with similarity in a context, and in a second mode, an upcoming program event having content preferred by a user of the video services receiver, wherein the upcoming program event is scheduled for delivery by the designated video service, the content identification module automatically identifies the upcoming program event based only on previously saved content matching criteria and without further user action, and the previously saved content matching criteria does not explicitly identify the upcoming program event, the content identification module is configured to identify upcoming program events by;

searching available program listing for other program events having a contextual relationship to the current program event with a plurality of search terms by;

obtaining and analyzing program-designating and content-defining information for a current program event that matches a user specified criteria wherein the content-defining information comprises;

entered data in a formatted database of recorded programs at the video services receiver wherein the searching of the available program listing is performed using types, fields and metadata listed in connection with descriptions of the recorded programs in the formatted database wherein the content identification module is configured to identify upcoming program events having designated content that is consistent using the plurality of search terms with content of a current program event that is currently being presented and with user-specified content preferences for the user;

the interactive program notification comprises information related to the upcoming program event, and further comprises an auto start command element that accommodates user interaction;

the display interface presents the interactive program notification window for rendering on the display;

the processor receives a user-initiated command in response to user interaction with the auto start command element; and

after receiving the user-initiated command, the processor operates the video services receiver to automatically tune to the designated video service at the beginning of the upcoming program event or alternatively, in response to user entering a predefined sequence of characters or a predefined sequence of button entries presentation of a channel-specific recorded content is initiated.