Scheduler apparatus employing a gopher agent that sends E-mail messages for use in a television receiver

• US 20020083139A1
• Filed: 12/27/2000
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Menez, Benoit Pol
• Granted Patent: US 7,315,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/4755 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 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• 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 5/782 on tape

Abstract

In a television system in which at least program title information for programs which are to be transmitted in the future is transmitted in advance to form a channel guide listing, apparatus is provided for searching the listing for specific user-entered information, and upon successful conclusion to the search, the apparatus schedules the tuning of the desired program, or in the alternative, notifies the viewer of the availability of the program by sending an e-mail message to an address provided by the viewer. In those instances where descriptive text accompanies the program listing, apparatus of the invention performs a search of the text for a particular text string which may relate to the title, the star, the director, or the context of the program, among other search criteria.

Claims

1. In a television system in which at least program title information for programs which are to be transmitted in the future is transmitted in advance to form a channel guide list, apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing data representing said channel guide list and at least one e-mail address, said memory means storing user-entered data;

data entry means for entering said user-entered data;

control means for performing a search of said channel guide listing for a match to specific user-entered information;

on-screen display means for displaying text or graphics under control of said control means; and

means for selecting a television program for viewing;

upon successful conclusion of said search, said control means providing at least one of the following actions;

     1) notifying said user of an availability of said television program and

     2) sending an e-mail message to the user at the at least one e-mail address to notify said user of an availability of said television program.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, when television program-descriptive text accompanies said channel guide list, said control means performs a search of said television program-descriptive text for a particular text string which may relate to title, star, director, or context of said television program.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein, in response to user-entered data said control means controls said on-screen display means to display a list of user-entered search criteria, and user-entered instructions for execution after successful completion of each search.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein, said on-screen user-entered instructions for execution after successful completion of each search include instructions to record said television program and instructions to notify the user of an availability of said television program by sending and e-mail message to said user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, said control means notifies said user of said availability of said television program by sending an e-mail message to said user.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a remote control unit wherein, said user-entered data is entered by means of a screen displayed keyboard operated by selecting keys of said keyboard via cursor commands transmitted by said remote control unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, said user-entered search criteria form logically-ORed search terms.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, said user-entered search criteria form logically-ANDed search terms.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, said user-entered search criteria form logical compound statements employing logic operators, such as AND, OR, NOT, or XOR to logically-connect search terms.

10. In a system in which at least program title information for television programs which are to be transmitted in the future is transmitted to form a channel guide list, apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing both data representing said channel guide list and at least one e-mail address, said memory means storing user-entered data;

data entry means for entering said user-entered data;

control means for performing a search of said channel guide listing for a match to specific user-entered information;

on-screen display means for displaying text under control of said control means; and

upon successful conclusion of said search, said control means sends an e-mail message to the at least one e-mail address to notify said user of an availability of said television program.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein, when television program-descriptive text accompanies said channel guide list, including the further step of:

performing a search of said television program-descriptive text for a particular text string which may relate to title, star, director, or context of said television program.

11. In a television system in which at least program title information for programs which are to be transmitted in the future is transmitted in advance to form a channel guide list,

a television program searching method, comprising the steps of:

storing in a memory means data representing said channel guide list, at least one e-mail address, and storing user-entered data;

entering said user-entered data via a data entry means;

performing a search of said channel guide listing for a match to specific user-entered information; and

upon successful conclusion of said search, notifying said user of an availability of said television program or sending an e-mail message to at least one e-mail address in response to a user request.