System and method for displaying a summary menu of stored user profiles

• US 20040078806A1
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Stuart, Anthony Edward, Randall, Darrel Wayne, Johnson, Carolynn Rae, Kiefer, Marc Aaron
• Application Number:
  US10/468,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078806A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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

Abstract

A method for controlling viewing of television programs comprising storing user profile records comprising fields having values in a memory; providing a user interface having a list of the stored user profile records; and upon user command, displaying a stored user profile record in summary form in the user interface. Preferably, the user command comprises highlighting a stored user profile record in the list, resulting in the values of the highlighted stored user profile record being displayed in summary form in the user interface.

Claims

1. A method for controlling viewing of television programs comprising:

storing user profile records comprising fields having values in a memory;

providing a user interface having a list of the stored user profile records; and

upon user command, displaying a stored user profile record in summary form in the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user command comprises highlighting a stored user profile record in the list, resulting in the values of the highlighted stored user profile record being displayed in summary form in the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising upon a second user command, accessing a second user interface for editing the values of the displayed stored user profile record.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the fields comprise one or more parental control fields.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more parental control fields are selected from the group consisting of ratings limit, viewing hour limit, spending limit, user profile locked status, and blocked and viewable channels.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the fields comprise one or more personal settings fields.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the one or more personal settings field are selected from the group consisting of default guide, guide sorting, color scheme, translucency, animation, fetch, and information help.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the user profile record is displayed in summary form on the user interface in a format wherein the values are displayed next to headings corresponding to the fields.

9. An apparatus for controlling viewing of television programs comprising a memory storing user profile records;

a user interface for displaying a list of the stored user profile records and a summary of current settings for the stored user profile records;

means for entering user commands; and

wherein upon a user command, a summary of current settings for a stored user profile record is displayed in the user interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the user command is highlighting a stored user profile record in the list, resulting in a summary of the current settings for the highlighted stored user profile record being displayed in the user interface.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising means for selecting the stored user profile record that is summarized in the user interface and accessing a second user interface for modifying the stored user profile record corresponding to the selected profile name.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the second user interface comprises means for saving the modified user profile record in the memory.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising processor means for receiving user commands, getting stored user profile records from memory and generating corresponding display information in summary form, receiving and implementing user modifications to the stored user profile records, and storing the modified user profiles in the memory.