Method and apparatus for selecting a version of an entertainment program based on user preferences

• US 20010007147A1
• Filed: 02/08/2001
• Published: 07/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, Christopher D Williams, Gregory D. Buscheck, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki, Kenneth Alan Moore
• Original Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, Christopher D Williams, Gregory D. Buscheck, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki, Kenneth Alan Moore
• Inventors: Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Williams, Christopher D., Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Moore, Kenneth Alan, Buscheck, Gregory D.
• Application Number:
  US09/779,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20010007147A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting a version of an entertainment program based on user preference includes receiving entertainment programming input, identifying multiple available versions of an entertainment program, identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, accessing user preferences, and selecting one of the multiple versions for display based on a comparison of the descriptive information to the user preferences.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving entertainment programming input;

identifying multiple available versions of an entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version;

accessing user preferences; and

selecting one of the multiple versions for display based on a comparison of the descriptive information to the user preferences.

2. The method of

claim 1

, wherein identifying comprises identifying multiple versions of the entertainment program that start within a threshold period of time of one another.

3. The method of

claim 1

, wherein at least some of the multiple versions are provided on different transport media, the method further comprising:

identifying, for each of the one or more different channel transport media, a set of descriptive information regarding the channel transport medium; and

wherein selecting comprises comparing the sets of channel transport medium descriptive information to the user preferences.

4. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising receiving a selection of an entertainment program and wherein identifying multiple versions comprises identifying alternate versions of the selected entertainment program.

5. The method of

claim 1

, wherein selecting comprises selecting the one of the multiple versions having the set of descriptive information most closely resembling the set of user preferences.

6. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the descriptive information comprises a plurality of characteristics and wherein selecting comprises selecting the one of the multiple versions having the most number of characteristics that conform to the user preferences.

7. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the set of descriptive information for each of the multiple versions includes one or more of channel transport medium, duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version, screen format of the version, and color code of the version.

8. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising identifying a user of an entertainment system and wherein accessing user preferences comprises accessing a user preferences for the identified user.

9. The method of

claim 1

, wherein identifying multiple versions comprises searching through data of an electronic programming guide.

11. The storage medium of

claim 9

, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in identifying multiple versions of the entertainment program that start within a threshold period of time of one another.

12. The storage medium of

claim 9

, wherein at least some of the multiple versions are provided on different transport media, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in:

identifying, for each of the one or more different channel transport media, a set of descriptive information regarding the channel transport medium; and

selecting by comparing the sets of channel transport medium descriptive information to the user preferences.

13. The storage medium of

claim 9

, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in receiving a selection of an entertainment program and identifying alternate versions of the selected entertainment program.

14. The storage medium of

claim 9

, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in selecting the one of the multiple versions of the entertainment program having the set of descriptive information most closely resembling the set of user preferences.

15. The storage medium of

claim 9

, wherein the set of descriptive information for each of the multiple versions includes one or more of channel transport medium, duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version, screen format of the version, and color code of the version.

10. A storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by a processor, result in:

receiving entertainment programming input;

identifying multiple available versions of an entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version;

accessing user preferences; and

selecting one of the multiple versions for display based on a comparison of the descriptive information to the user preferences..

16. An apparatus comprising:

a program guide controller to receive entertainment programming input;

a selection controller coupled to the program guide controller to identify multiple available versions of an entertainment program, to identify, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, to access user preferences and to select one of the multiple versions for display based on a comparison of the descriptive information to the user preferences; and

a device controller, coupled to the selection controller, to display the selected one of the multiple versions of the entertainment program.

17. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the selection controller is also to identify multiple versions of the entertainment program that start within a threshold period of time of one another.

18. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein at least some of the multiple versions are provided on different transport media and wherein the selection controller is further to:

identify, for each of the one or more different channel transport media, a set of descriptive information regarding the channel transport medium; and

choose one of the multiple versions for display based on the sets of descriptive information.

19. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein in selecting one of the multiple versions for display, the selection controller is to select the one of the multiple versions of the entertainment program having the set of descriptive information most closely resembling the set of user preferences.

20. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the descriptive information comprises a plurality of characteristics and wherein in selecting the selection controller is to select the one of the multiple versions having the most number of characteristics that conform to the user preferences.

21. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the set of descriptive information for each of the multiple versions includes one or more of duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version, screen format of the version, and color code of the version.