Television viewer interface system

• US 10,587,925 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2017
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Look, Howard, Vallone, Robert, Brown, David Avraham, Bedard, Karen, Van Stam, Wijnand, McKendrick, Ain
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Joshua D
• Application Number:
  US15/594,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20170251266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A television viewer interface system provides a viewer interface that allows the viewer to access different functions of a system. A highlight bar is responsive to the user'"'"'s commands and is used to indicate the current menu item that can be selected by the user. Information is presented in a successive disclosure format where the user navigates through menus by moving the highlight bar to the right to obtain more information or to the left to see less information and return to the previous location. The background colors of each set of menus remains consistent throughout the user'"'"'s experience such that the user intuitively knows what menu area he is in through the color cues. The invention provides indicators that tell the user that more information is available in a particular direction for a menu item.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a media guidance application, for recording a media asset by recording and combining a first and a second portion of the media asset:

buffering a first portion of a media asset in one or more buffers, concurrently with receiving the media asset;

generating for display at least a part of the first portion of the media asset, concurrently with receiving the media asset;

receiving a request to record the media asset, concurrently with receiving the media asset; and

in response to receiving the request to record the media asset;

recording a second portion of the media asset, the second portion of the media asset being subsequent to the first portion of the media asset;

recording the first portion of the media asset; and

combining the first portion of the media asset and the second portion of the media asset.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the request to record the media asset, providing trick play functionality for the part of the first portion of the media asset generated for display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a request to switch channels, discarding all contents of the one or more buffers and temporarily buffering a new media asset received over a new input channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the media asset comprises receiving the media asset in one of:

a broadcast transmission, a satellite transmission, or a cable transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the media asset and the second portion of the media asset are stored as MPEG streams.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the program comprises a third portion, prior to the first portion, that was outputted to the display device while the media asset was received, but no longer buffered in the one or more buffers when the request was received.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining comprises copying the first portion from the one or more buffers to one or more storage devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more buffers are stored in a memory that is different than the one or more storage devices, wherein the one or more buffers are of limited size.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more storage devices are one or more hard disks, and the recording is a file in a file system stored on the one or more hard disks.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the program is currently showing in the media asset, allowing a user to submit an instruction to save the program as it is currently showing, record the program a next time that the program is scheduled to show, or obtain a season pass for the program, wherein receiving the request to record the program that is currently showing in the media asset is responsive to said allowing.

11. A system for recording a media asset by recording and combining a first and a second portion of the media asset, the system comprising:

one or more memory buffers;

control circuitry including one or more processors programmed and configured with instructions to cause the one or more processors to;

buffer a first portion of a media asset in the one or more buffers, concurrently with receiving the media asset;

generate for display at least a part of the first portion of the media asset, concurrently with receiving the media asset;

receive a request to record the media asset, concurrently with receiving the media asset; and

in response to receiving the request to record the media asset;

recording a second portion of the media asset, the second portion of the media asset being subsequent to the first portion of the media asset;

recording the first portion of the media asset; and

combining the first portion of the media asset and the second portion of the media asset.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed and configured to cause the one or more processors to:

prior to the request to record the media asset, providing trick play functionality for the part of the first portion of the media asset generated for display.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed and configured to cause the one or more processors to:

responsive to a request to switch channels, discarding all contents of the one or more buffers and temporarily buffering a new media asset received over a new input channel.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed and configured to cause the one or more processors, when receiving the media asset, to:

receive the media asset in one of;

a broadcast transmission, a satellite transmission, or a cable transmission.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the media asset and the second portion of the media asset are stored as MPEG streams.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the program comprises a third portion, prior to the first portion, that was outputted to the display device while the media asset was received, but no longer buffered in the one or more buffers when the request was received.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed and configured, when combining, to:

copy the first portion from the one or more buffers to one or more storage devices.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more buffers are stored in a memory that is different than the one or more storage devices, wherein the one or more buffers are of limited size.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more storage devices are one or more hard disks, and the recording is a file in a file system stored on the one or more hard disks.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed and configured to cause the one or more processors to:

while the program is currently showing in the media asset, allowing a user to submit an instruction to save the program as it is currently showing, record the program a next time that the program is scheduled to show, or obtain a season pass for the program, wherein receiving the request to record the program that is currently showing in the media asset is responsive to said allowing.