System for accessing content
First Claim
1. A system for accessing content over a network of computers, the system comprising:
- a database system that contains a mapping of a plurality of channel codes to a plurality of network addresses and a plurality of content descriptions, where each channel code comprises a genre code and a numerical code, and where each network address identifies a unit of content;
a content provider interface to the database system that allows content providers to enter the network addresses and the content descriptions into the database system for the units of content;
a viewer interface to the database system, comprising a guide, a virtual remote control, and a network browser application on one of the computers connected to the computer network;
where the guide shows the content descriptions for units of content and allows a viewer to select one of the channels for viewing through the network browser application; and
where the virtual remote control allows the viewer to access the units of contents through the network browser application by inputting a channel code or by selecting a genre code and browsing through the channel codes of that genre code, wherein the virtual remote control is independently displayed from the network browser application.
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Abstract
A system for accessing content over a network of computers. The system includes a database system, a content provider interface, a viewer interface, and a virtual remote control. The database system maps channels codes to network addresses as well as to content descriptions. The network address identifies a unit of information or entertainment content. The channel codes include a genre code and a numerical code. The content provider interface assists content providers in entering the network addresses and the content descriptions for their information and entertainment content into the database system. The viewer interface includes a guide (which may be printed or electronic) and a network browser. The viewer interface displays the content descriptions and allows the user to select and view the unit of content on a channel. The virtual remote control is software implemented and allows the viewer to access the channels or to surf through the channels for a given genre. In some embodiments, the viewer can use a microphone, game pad, infra red controller, mouse, keyboard or other computer peripheral to control the virtual remote control or the viewer interface. In one embodiment, a speech recognition module and speech synthesizer module are included. In some embodiments, only channels associated to units of content are accessible while the viewer surfs through channels. In some embodiments, the viewer can assign channels associated to units of content to the viewer'"'"'s favorites list.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for accessing content over a network of computers, the system comprising:
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a database system that contains a mapping of a plurality of channel codes to a plurality of network addresses and a plurality of content descriptions, where each channel code comprises a genre code and a numerical code, and where each network address identifies a unit of content;
a content provider interface to the database system that allows content providers to enter the network addresses and the content descriptions into the database system for the units of content;
a viewer interface to the database system, comprising a guide, a virtual remote control, and a network browser application on one of the computers connected to the computer network;
where the guide shows the content descriptions for units of content and allows a viewer to select one of the channels for viewing through the network browser application; and
where the virtual remote control allows the viewer to access the units of contents through the network browser application by inputting a channel code or by selecting a genre code and browsing through the channel codes of that genre code, wherein the virtual remote control is independently displayed from the network browser application. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 7)
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- 5. A virtual remote control for a system for accessing content over a network of computers, wherein the virtual remote control is software run by one of the computers on the network of computers, and wherein the virtual remote control comprises a channel scan function that allows a user to cycle through channels within a genre.
- 8. A remote control for a system for accessing content over a network of computers, wherein the remote control is adapted to accept channel codes consisting of a genre code and a numerical code.
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12. A virtual remote control for a system for accessing content over a network of computers, wherein the virtual remote control is software in one of the computers from the network of computers;
- and wherein the virtual remote control comprises a channel scan function that allows a user to cycle through channels, where only the channels having content are accessible by the channel scan function.
- View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A system for accessing content over a network of computers, the system comprising a plurality of favorites lists on one of the computers, wherein each user of the computer is assigned one of the plurality of favorites lists, and wherein each user can associate units of content to the favorites list of that user;
- and wherein the system sorts the units of content associated to the favorites lists by genre.
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15. A virtual remote control for a system for accessing content over a network of computers, wherein the virtual remote control is software in one of the computers from the network of computers;
- and wherein a user of one of the computers can access units of content with the virtual remote control via a peripheral device connected to the computer, where the peripheral device can be a microphone, an infra-red controller which accepts commands from a traditional television remote control, or a game pad.
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16. A content player for a computer from a network of computers for accessing units of content with spoken commands from a user, the content player comprising:
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a database system that contains a mapping of a plurality of channel codes to a plurality of network addresses, where each channel code comprises a genre code and a numerical code, and where each network address identifies a unit of content;
a network browser which plays a selected unit of content from the network of computers to the user; and
a user interface module comprising a speech recognition module and a speech synthesizer module, for accepting spoken commands from the user and for verbally responding to the user, wherein the user interface module reacts to a spoken command from the user by retrieving the network address from the database system mapped to one of the channel codes and instructs the network browser to retrieve and play the unit of content located at the network address.
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17. A system for organizing on-line content from a network of computers, the system comprising:
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a database system that contains a mapping of a plurality of channel codes to a plurality of network addresses and a plurality of content descriptions, where each channel code comprises a genre code and a numerical code, and where each network address identifies a unit of content; and
a content provider interface coupled to the database system, for allowing a user to enter one of the plurality of network addresses and one of the plurality of content descriptions into the database system for a unit of content, wherein the content provider interface associates the network address and the content description to one of the plurality of channel codes. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification