Method and apparatus for channel surfing through multiple sources based on user-definable preferences

• US 20040019908A1
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, Christopher D Williams, David N. Hackson, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki, Kenneth Alan Moore
• Original Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, Christopher D Williams, David N. Hackson, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki, Kenneth Alan Moore
• Inventors: Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Williams, Christopher D., Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Hackson, David N., Moore, Kenneth Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for channel surfing through multiple sources based on user-definable preferences includes accessing a user-definable preferences list that identifies a plurality of channels from a plurality of different sources. One of the plurality of identified channels is selected for provision to a user.

Claims

1. A method of choosing a preferences list comprising:

receiving a user identification for a current user;

identifying multiple preferences lists corresponding to the current user by searching a set of preferences lists, at least some of the preferences lists of the set of preferences lists corresponding to specific users, each of the preferences lists containing multiple entertainment programming channel identifiers;

selecting one of the multiple identified preferences lists by receiving a user choice of one of the multiple identified preferences lists; and

accessing the chosen preferences list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a category identification from the current user;

wherein identifying comprises searching the set of preferences lists also for the identified category; and

wherein selecting one of the identified preferences lists includes the identified preferences lists for the identified category.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying comprises searching the set of preferences lists also for generic preferences lists not corresponding to a specific user, and wherein selecting one of the identified preferences lists includes the identified generic preferences lists.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences lists each correspond to at least one of a user and a category.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entertainment programming identifiers identify particular communication paths for entertainment programming from any one of a wide variety of different transport media.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a new channel request; and

determining a channel from the chosen preferences list to provide in response to the new channel request.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising tuning a component of an entertainment system to the determined channel once the next channel is determined by sending a message to a component controller indicating an appropriate device within the entertainment system that is a source for the determined channel, as well as an identifier of the determined channel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the chosen preferences list includes information that identifies a component within the entertainment system to tune to the determined channel.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising accessing an electronic programming guide (EPG) database to identify a component for tuning to the determined channel.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an update request from a user; and

updating the chosen preferences list in accordance with a received user input.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the update request includes an indication of the particular preferences list that is to be updated.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication of the particular preferences list comprises a user selection from a list display.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein if a reorder channel listings input is received, updating comprises changing the order of the channels in the list in accordance with the reorder channel listings input.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising verifying that the identified user is authorized to access the lists and if the user is not authorized, then not updating the preferences list.

15. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user identification for a current user;

identifying multiple preferences lists corresponding to the current user by searching a set of preferences lists, at least some of the preferences lists of the set of preferences lists corresponding to specific users, each of the preferences lists containing multiple entertainment programming channel identifiers;

selecting one of the multiple identified preferences lists by receiving a user choice of one of the multiple identified preferences lists; and

accessing the chosen preferences list.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the series of instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

receiving a category identification from the current user;

wherein the instructions for identifying comprise instructions for searching the set of preferences lists also for the identified category; and

wherein the instructions for selecting one of the identified preferences lists includes the identified preferences lists for the identified category.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for identifying comprise instructions for searching the set of preferences lists also for generic preferences lists not corresponding to a specific user, and wherein the instructions for selecting one of the identified preferences lists includes the identified generic preferences lists.

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein the preferences lists each correspond to at least one of a user and a category.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein the chosen preferences list includes information that identifies a component within an entertainment system to tune to the determined channel.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a user interface to receive a user identification from the current user of the entertainment system;

a preferences database to store a set of preferences lists, at least some of the preferences lists corresponding to specific users, and each of the preferences lists containing multiple entertainment programming channel identifiers; and

a channel selector to identify multiple preferences lists corresponding to the current user by searching the set of preferences lists, to select one of the identified multiple preferences lists by giving the user a choice of one of the multiple identified preferences lists, and to access the chosen preferences list.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user interface is further to receive a category identification, and wherein the channel selector is further to search the set of preferences lists for the identified category and to give the user a choice including preferences list for the identified category.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the user interface further comprises a remote control device with at least one of a particular category button, channel selection keys corresponding to a particular category, and an alphanumeric input.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the channel selector is further to search the set of preferences lists also for generic preferences lists not corresponding to a specific user, and to give the user a choice including the generic preferences lists.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user interface is further to receive a new channel request, and the channel selector is further to determine the next channel, based on the information within the accessed preferences list.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a channel selection controller to maintain a record of the current channel being provided to the user;

and wherein the channel selector is further to compare the current channel being provided to the chosen preferences list, and if the current channel being provided is in the chosen preferences list, then to determine that the channel in the preferences list subsequent to the current channel being provided is the next channel.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a component controller and wherein the channel selection controller is further to send a message to the component controller indicating a device within an entertainment system that is a source for the determined channel, as well as an identifier of the determined channel.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the component controller is to send a signal to the indicated device of the entertainment system to tune to and provide the determined channel.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the preferences lists include information that identifies components within an entertainment system to tune to channels.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising an electronic programming guide (EPG) database to identify a component for tuning to the determined channel.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user interface is further to receive an update request from the user, the apparatus further comprising a preferences control to retrieve the chosen preferences list, to display the chosen preferences list to the user and to update the chosen preferences list in accordance with a user input.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the channel selection controller is further to verify that the current user is authorized to access the chosen preferences list and to not update the chosen preferences list if the current user is not authorized.

32. An entertainment system controller comprising:

a remote control, operable by a user;

a user interface to receive a user identification from the remote control;

a preferences database to store a set of preferences lists, at least some of the preferences lists corresponding to specific users, and each of the preferences lists containing multiple entertainment programming channel identifiers; and

a channel selector to identify multiple preferences lists by searching the set of preferences lists for the current user of the entertainment system, to select one of the identified multiple preferences lists by giving the user a choice of one of the multiple identified preferences lists, and to access the chosen preferences list; and

a component controller to send a signal to a device of the entertainment system to tune the device to a channel from the accessed preferences list.

33. The controller of claim 32, further comprising an electronic programming guide (EPG) database to identify the component for tuning to the channel.