Aggregated EPG manager

• US 20040078807A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Fries, Robert M., Bishop, Alan G., Wray, Jonathan A.
• Application Number:
  US10/184,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078807A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42669 the medium being removable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4755 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

Described herein is a technology for electronic program guides and multimedia presentation devices. One implementation, described herein, provides a unified access to multiple electronic program guides (EPGs) from multiple programming and guide data sources (e.g., local broadcast, satellite broadcast, DVR, VoD, etc.). With this implementation, multiple EPGs from a variety of sources are presented in a single common user interface (UI). Therefore, the television viewer may search/browse the EPG of all sources concurrently. The scope of the exemplary e-commerce facilitation is pointed out in the appending claims.

Claims

1. In a multimedia presentation system, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the system, performs a method comprising:

obtaining program data from multiple electronic program guide (EPG) providers;

aggregating the obtained program data;

providing the aggregated program data.

2. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing comprises presenting the aggregated program data for display.

3. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing comprises sending the aggregated program data to a program module.

4. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the multiple EPG providers includes local EPG providers, remote EPG providers, or both.

5. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the multiple EPG providers comprises local EPG providers configured to communicate with remote EPG providers.

6. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the multiple EPG providers are

selected from a group consisting of:

a local television broadcaster;

a cable television broadcaster;

satellite television broadcaster;

a VoD service provider;

a Web page;

an Internet instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a non-removable storage medium;

a removable storage medium;

digital video recorder;

a smart card; and

a portable multimedia device.

7. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises acquiring program data from the multiple EPG providers via one or more data communication media, which are selected from a group consisting of:

in-band data of a broadcast;

out-of-band data;

a web page;

an e-mail message;

an instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a string of plain text;

a smart card;

a removable storage medium; and

a non-removable storage medium.

8. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises querying one or more of the multiple EPG providers to obtain program data therefrom.

9. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the medium comprises one or more application programming interfaces (APIs).

10. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises searching the aggregated program data.

11. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing comprises concurrently displaying program data from more than one EPG provider.

12. A presentation device comprising:

an audio/visual output;

a medium as recited in claim 1.

13. In a multimedia presentation system, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the system, performs a method comprising:

obtaining program data from multiple electronic program guide (EPG) providers;

aggregating the obtained program data.

14. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises searching the aggregated program data.

15. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises providing the aggregated program data.

16. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises presenting the aggregated program data for display.

17. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises sending the aggregated program data to a program module.

18. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the multiple EPG providers includes local EPG providers, remote EPG providers, or both.

19. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the multiple EPG providers comprises local EPG providers configured to communicate with remote EPG providers.

20. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the multiple EPG providers are selected from a group consisting of:

a local television broadcaster;

a cable television broadcaster;

satellite television broadcaster;

a VoD service provider;

a Web page;

an Internet instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a non-removable storage medium;

a removable storage medium;

digital video recorder;

a smart card; and

a portable multimedia device.

21. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the obtaining comprises acquiring program data from the multiple EPG providers via one or more data communication media, which are selected from a group consisting of:

in-band data of a broadcast;

out-of-band data;

a web page;

an e-mail message;

an instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a string of plain text;

a smart card;

a removable storage medium;

digital video recorder; and

a non-removable storage medium.

22. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises querying one or more of the multiple EPG providers to obtain program data therefrom.

23. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the medium comprises one or more application programming interfaces (APIs).

24. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprise concurrently displaying program data from more than one EPG provider.

25. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprise providing the aggregated program data to a module of the multimedia presentation system.

26. A presentation device comprising:

an audio/visual output;

a medium as recited in claim 13.

27. In a multimedia presentation system, a method comprising:

obtaining program data from multiple electronic program guide (EPG) providers;

aggregating the obtained program data.

28. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising presenting the aggregated program data.

29. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising searching the aggregated program data.

30. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising providing the aggregated program data.

31. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising presenting the aggregated program data for display.

32. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising sending the aggregated program data to a program module.

33. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the multiple EPG providers includes local EPG providers, remote EPG providers, or both.

34. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the multiple EPG providers comprises local EPG providers configured to communicate with remote EPG providers.

35. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the multiple EPG providers are selected from a group consisting of:

a local television broadcaster;

a cable television broadcaster;

satellite television broadcaster;

a VoD service provider;

a Web page;

an Internet instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a non-removable storage medium;

a removable storage medium;

digital video recorder;

a smart card; and

a portable multimedia device.

36. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the obtaining comprises acquiring program data from the multiple EPG providers via one or more data communication media, which are selected from a group consisting of:

in-band data of a broadcast;

out-of-band data;

a web page;

an e-mail message;

an instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a string of plain text;

a smart card;

a removable storage medium;

digital video recorder; and

a non-removable storage medium.

37. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the method further comprises querying one or more of the multiple EPG providers to obtain program data therefrom.

38. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the medium comprises one or more application programming interfaces (APIs).

39. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising concurrently displaying program data from more than one EPG provider.

40. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising providing the aggregated program data to a module of the multimedia presentation system.

41. A presentation device comprising:

one or more electronic program guide (EPG) provider interfaces configured to obtain program data from multiple EPG providers;

an EPG manager component configured to aggregate the obtained program data.

42. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the EPG manager component is further configured to display the aggregated program data.

43. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the EPG manager component is further configured to present an EPG user-interface (UI) having program data from multiple EPG providers.

44. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the EPG manager component is further configured to provide the aggregated program data from multiple EPG providers to another component of the presentation device.

45. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the multiple EPG providers are selected from a group consisting of:

a local television broadcaster;

a cable television broadcaster;

satellite television broadcaster;

a VoD service provider;

a Web page;

an Internet instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a non-removable storage medium;

a removable storage medium;

digital video recorder;

a smart card; and

a portable multimedia device.

46. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the one or more EPG provider interfaces are further configured to acquire program data from the multiple EPG providers via one or more data communication media, which are selected from a group consisting of:

in-band data of a broadcast;

out-of-band data;

a web page;

an e-mail message;

an instant message;

an Internet transmission;

a string of plain text;

a smart card;

a removable storage medium;

digital video recorder; and

a non-removable storage medium.

47. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the EPG manager component is configured to query one or more of the multiple EPG providers to obtain program data therefrom.

48. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the one or more EPG provider interfaces comprise one or more application programming interfaces (APIs).

49. A presentation device as recited in claim 41, wherein the EPG manager components comprises one or more application programming interfaces (APIs).

50. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure comprising an aggregate of program data from multiple EPG providers.