Searching digital cable channels based on spoken keywords using a telephone system

• US 20030163456A1
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hua, Shiyan S., Zaki, Ahmed N.
• Application Number:
  US10/087,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163456A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of searching TV programming information includes receiving a telephone call from a viewer (10) via a telephone system (22), generating a search query in response to the telephone call, and searching a database (30) in accordance with the search query. The database (30) contains TV programming information. Search results generated from the searching include entries from the database (30) that correspond to the search query. The search results are then sent to a TV receiver box (14) of the viewer (10) via a TV system (16) such that they are displayable upon a TV (12) operatively connected to the receiver box (14).

Claims

1. A method of searching television programming information comprising:

(a) receiving a telephone call from a viewer via a telephone system;

(b) generating a search query in response to the telephone call;

(c) searching a database in accordance with the search query, said database containing television programming information;

(d) generating search results from the searching, said search results including entries from the database that correspond to the search query; and

,

(e) sending the search results to a television receiver box of the viewer via a television system such that said search results are displayable upon a television operatively connected to the receiver box.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the viewer from which the telephone call is received via caller ID.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the search query is at least partially generated from spoken language from the viewer which is received via the telephone system and input into a voice recognition module.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein only current television programming information is maintained in the database.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein current television programming information and a period of future television programming information are maintained in the database.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

deactivating the search results after the telephone call has terminated such that they are no longer displayable on the television.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

announcing a summary of the search results to the viewer via the telephone system.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the search results include a list of channels showing programs which match the search query.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the viewer can selectively scroll through the list of channels.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the viewer can select a channel from the list of channels to view information about the program being shown on that channel.

11. A service control point connected to a telephone system and a television system, said service control point comprising:

query generating means for generating a search query in response to a telephone call received from a viewer via the telephone system;

a database in which television programming information is maintained; and

,

searching means for searching the database in accordance with the search query received from the query generating means, said searching means generating search results which are sent to a television receiver box of the viewer via the television system such that said search results are displayable upon a television operatively connected to the television receiver box.

12. The service control point of claim 11, wherein the query generating means includes a voice recognition module that receives spoken language from the viewer and converts it into at least a portion of the search query.

13. The service control point of claim 11, wherein only current television programming information is maintained in the database.

14. The service control point of claim 11, wherein current television programming information and a period of future television programming information are maintained in the database.

15. The service control point of claim 11, wherein the television system is selected from a group consisting of a digital cable television system, an analog cable television system, and a satellite television system.

16. The service control point of claim 11, wherein the television programming information includes abstractions of program content.

17. The service control point of claim 11, wherein the database includes a searchable field containing identification of program types.

18. The service control point of claim 11, further comprising:

identification means for identifying the viewer from which a call is received.

19. The service control point of claim 18, wherein the identification means comprises caller ID.

20. The service control point of claim 11, wherein the search results include a list of channels showing programs which match the search query.