System and method for providing television program information to an entertainment device

• US 20030018748A1
• Filed: 10/02/2001
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: McKenna, Thomas P. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US09/969,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20030018748A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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

Television programs are represented by program interface objects (PIOs) within an interactive television system. The PIOs provide a visual indicator for quick identification of the represented television program, attributes providing information concerning the represented television program, and actions that may be performed on or in connection with the represented television program. The PIOs may be sorted, filtered, and/or managed based on user-provided criteria. The PIOs may be transmitted between a variety of electronic devices and software applications.

Claims

1. A method for providing television program information to an entertainment device, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of program interface objects (PIOs) within a server, each PIO comprising a plurality of attributes carrying information about a television program, a plurality of user-selectable actions performable by an entertainment device in connection with the television program, and at least one visual indicator displayable in a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate user interaction with the PIO;

selecting at the server at least one stored PIO for transmission to an entertainment device; and

transmitting the at least one selected PIO from the server to the entertainment device via a network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting comprises:

receiving a request from the entertainment device; and

selecting the at least one stored PIO for transmission based on the request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request comprises selection criteria, the method further comprising:

searching the stored PIOs for ones satisfying the selection criteria.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selection criteria relates to at least one attribute of a PIO.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server comprises demographic data pertaining to a user of the entertainment device, and wherein selecting comprises:

selecting at least one PIO for transmission based on the demographic data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the demographic data comprises at least one of age, gender, household income, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and occupation.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one attribute of a PIO includes demographic data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a set of user preferences, and wherein selecting comprises:

searching the stored PIOs for ones satisfying the user preferences.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user preferences relate to at least one attribute of a PIO.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the user preferences specify at least one attribute that a PIO must include in order to be selected for transmission.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the user preferences specify at least one attribute that a PIO must not include in order to be selected for transmission.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one stored PIO relates to a television signal being currently broadcast from the server to the entertainment device, and wherein selecting comprises:

selecting at least one PIO related to the television signal being currently broadcast.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one stored PIO relates to a television signal scheduled to be broadcast from the server to the entertainment device, and wherein selecting comprises:

selecting at least one PIO related to a television signal scheduled to be broadcast.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting comprises:

addressing the at least one selected PIO with a network address of the entertainment device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of a cable television network, a direct satellite broadcast (DBS) network, an Internet, an intranet, and a home radio frequency (RF) network.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the entertainment device is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an interactive television (ITV) system, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, and a pager.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one visual indicator is selected from the group consisting of a graphical icon, an animated image, a video clip, and a text description.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one PIO is selected from the group consisting of a JavaBean object, a Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) object, and an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) object.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one attribute is selected from the group consisting of a title, a starting time, a running time, a description, an indication of a channel on which a television program is broadcast, an Internet link, and a storage location of a television program.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user-selectable action is selected from the group consisting of recording a television program associated with a corresponding PIO, displaying a previously-recorded television program associated with a corresponding PIO, and displaying an attribute of a corresponding PIO.

21. A system for providing television program information to an entertainment device, the system comprising:

a storage device that stores a plurality of program interface objects (PIOs) within a server, each PIO comprising a plurality of attributes carrying information about a television program, a plurality of user-selectable actions performable by an entertainment device in connection with the television program, and at least one visual indicator displayable in a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate user interaction with the PIO;

a selection component that selects at the server at least one stored PIO for transmission to an entertainment device; and

a transmission component that transmits the at least one selected PIO from the server to the entertainment device via a network.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a request reception component that receives a request from the entertainment device; and

wherein the selection component is further configured to select the at least one stored PIO for transmission based on the request.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the request comprises selection criteria, the system further comprising:

searching the stored PIOs for ones satisfying the selection criteria.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the selection criteria relates to at least one attribute of a PIO.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the server comprises demographic data pertaining to a user of the entertainment device, and wherein the selection component is further configured to selecting at least one PIO for transmission based on the demographic data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the demographic data comprises at least one of age, gender, household income, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and occupation.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one attribute of a PIO includes demographic data.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the server comprises a set of user preferences, and wherein the selection component is further configured to search the stored PIOs for ones satisfying the user preferences.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the user preferences relate to at least one attribute of a PIO.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the user preferences specify at least one attribute that a PIO must include in order to be selected for transmission.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the user preferences specify at least one attribute that a PIO must not include in order to be selected for transmission.

32. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one stored PIO relates to a television signal being currently broadcast from the server to the entertainment device, and wherein the selection component is further configured to select at least one PIO related to the television signal being currently broadcast.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one stored PIO relates to a television signal scheduled to be broadcast from the server to the entertainment device, and wherein the selection component is further configured to select at least one PIO related to a television signal scheduled to be broadcast.

34. The system of claim 21, wherein the transmission component is further configured to address the at least one selected PIO with a network address of the entertainment device.

35. The system of claim 21, wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of a cable television network, a direct satellite broadcast (DBS) network, an Internet, an intranet, and a home radio frequency (RF) network.

36. The system of claim 21, wherein the entertainment device is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an interactive television (ITV) system, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, and a pager.

37. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one visual indicator is selected from the group consisting of a graphical icon, an animated image, a video clip, and a text description.

38. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one PIO is selected from the group consisting of a JavaBean object, a Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) object, and an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) object.

39. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one attribute is selected from the group consisting of a title, a starting time, a running time, a description, an indication of a channel on which a television program is broadcast, an Internet link, and a storage location of a television program.

40. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one user-selectable action is selected from the group consisting of recording a television program associated with a corresponding PIO, displaying a previously-recorded television program associated with a corresponding PIO, and displaying an attribute of a corresponding PIO.

41. A system for providing television program information to an entertainment device, the system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of program interface objects (PIOs) within a server, each PIO comprising a plurality of attributes carrying information about a television program, a plurality of user-selectable actions performable by an entertainment device in connection with the television program, and at least one visual indicator displayable in a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate user interaction with the PIO;

means for selecting at the server at least one stored PIO for transmission to an entertainment device; and

means for transmitting the at least one selected PIO from the server to the entertainment device via a network.