System and method for event driven programming

• US 20040205698A1
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sportvision, Inc. (Sportsmedia Technology Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sportvision, Inc. (Sportsmedia Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Wise, Timothy, Weiland, Christopher William, Schliesmann, Barry Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/034,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205698A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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 system and method for actively alerting the viewer of any television program to the occurrence of one or more content-based events previously specified as desired by the user that occur in other programs and giving that user the opportunity to tune to, record or perform other functions with those programs. The system integrates data obtained from a data feed with corresponding electronic program data to generate content-based events that the user is alerted to, based on his or her preferences.

Claims

1. A system for generating alerts to events in a program not currently being viewed comprising:

a user preference application for capturing information on which programs a user wants to monitor and what events a user wants to be alerted to;

a data feed containing event information about the programs selected for monitoring; and

an alert generation application which compares the data feed event information to the captured user preferences and generates an alert for the user for each event that matches a captured user preference.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an electronic program guide having viewing channel information; and

a mapping application which maps the data feed event information to a specific viewing channel.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising, an alert generation and tuning application which compares the mapped event information to the captured user preferences, generates an alert for the user for each event that matches a captured user preference and provides a mechanism for the user to tune to the program which the alert concerned.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the provided mechanism for tuning is a generated user interface which provides a prompt allowing the user to tune to the program which the alert concerned.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the provided mechanism for tuning is a generated user interface which provides a prompt allowing the user to record the program which the alert concerned.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the provided mechanism for tuning is a generated user interface which provides a prompt allowing the user to view the program which the alert concerned in a picture-in-picture display.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the captured user preference information is stored to a persistent storage device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the data feed contains event information about a sports program.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the data feed contains event information about the financial markets.

10. A system for generating alerts to events in a program not currently being viewed comprising:

a user preference application for capturing information on which programs a user wants to monitor and what events a user wants to be alerted to;

a data feed containing event information about the programs selected for monitoring;

a mapping application which maps the data feed event information to a viewing channel; and

an alert generation and tuning application which compares the mapped event information to the captured user preferences, generates an alert for the user for each event that matches a captured user preference and provides a mechanism for the user to tune to the program which the alert concerned.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the provided mechanism for tuning is a generated user interface which provides a prompt allowing the user to tune to the program which the alert concerned.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the provided mechanism for tuning is a generated user interface which provides a prompt allowing the user to record the program which the alert concerned.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the provided mechanism for tuning is a generated user interface which provides a prompt allowing the user to view the program which the alert concerned in a picture-in-picture display.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the captured user preference information is stored to a persistent storage device.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the data feed contains event information about a sports program.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the data feed contains event information about the financial markets.

17. A system for generating alerts to events in a program not currently being viewed comprising:

means for capturing information on which programs a user wants to monitor and what events a user wants to be alerted to;

a data feed containing event information about the programs selected for monitoring;

means for mapping data feed event information to a viewing channel; and

means for alert generation and tuning which compares the mapped event information to the captured user preferences, generates an alert for the user for each event that matches a captured user preference and provides a means for the user to tune to the program which the alert concerned.

18. A system for automatically mapping data feed information to a specific viewing channel comprising:

a data feed containing at least one program identifier;

an electronic program guide having at least one program identifier and program viewing channel information; and

a mapping application which automatically compares the data feed program identifier information with the program guide program identifier information and for each data feed and program guide having similar identifiers, maps the data feed to the program guide so that the data feed information is mapped to a specific viewing channel.

19. A method for generating alerts to events in a program not currently being viewed comprising:

capturing information on which programs a user wants to monitor and what events a user wants to be alerted to;

providing a data feed containing event information about the programs selected for monitoring;

mapping data feed event information to a viewing channel;

comparing the mapped event information to the captured user preferences;

generating an alert for the user for each event that matches a captured user preference; and

providing a mechanism for the user to tune to the program which the alert concerned.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the provided mechanism for tuning is a generated user interface which provides a prompt allowing the user to tune to the program which the alert concerned.