System and method for delivering radio programs and related schedule information

• US 20040244042A1
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Broadband Incorporated
• Inventors: Billmaier, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,340,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/4532 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/47 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages

Abstract

An Internet-enabled television system provides an electronic program guide for the radio (radio EPG) depicting radio programs available via the Internet. The radio EPG displays the programming available for a plurality of radio stations and time slots. The radio EPG is interactive in that a user may select a radio program for immediate playback or future recording. Radio programs are continuously received and cached by the Internet-enabled television system such that a user may be able to select and listen to an earlier-broadcast radio program listed in the radio EPG.

Claims

1. A method for delivering radio programs and related schedule information using an Internet-enabled television system, the method comprising:

retrieving schedule information pertaining to radio programs available via the Internet;

formatting the schedule information into an interactive schedule grid comprising first and second axes and a plurality of elements, the first axis corresponding to a plurality of Internet-accessible radio stations, the second axis corresponding to a plurality of time slots, each element corresponding to a radio program; and

displaying the interactive schedule grid on a television associated with the Internet-enabled television system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio program schedule information is retrieved from a remote database.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

caching the radio program schedule information within the Internet-enabled television system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive schedule grid is displayed on the television in response to a user activating a specifically-designated button on a remote control device for the Internet-enabled television system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one element of the interactive schedule grid corresponds to a radio program to be broadcast in the future over the Internet.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of an element corresponding to a radio program to be broadcast in the future;

scheduling a task to receive the selected radio program at a time indicated by the interactive schedule grid; and

in response to the selected radio program being received, caching the radio program within the Internet-enabled television system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

visually indicating within the interactive schedule grid that a task has been scheduled for receiving the selected radio program.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

playing the cached radio program using the Internet-enabled television system in response to a user command.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one element corresponds to a radio program broadcast over the Internet at an earlier time.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selectively receiving a plurality of radio programs via the Internet; and

caching the received radio programs within the Internet-enabled television system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of radio programs are selectively received in response to specified user preferences.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of radio programs are selectively received in response to historical user selections.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of radio programs comprise all of the programming broadcast by a particular radio station for a period of time.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of an element corresponding to a previously-broadcast and cached radio program; and

playing the cached radio program using the Internet-enabled television system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one element corresponds to a radio program being currently broadcast over the Internet.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of an element corresponding to a radio program being currently broadcast;

receiving the radio program via the Internet; and

playing the radio program using the Internet-enabled television system.

17. A system for delivering radio programs and related schedule information comprising:

a schedule retrieval component configured to retrieve schedule information pertaining to radio programs available via the Internet;

a formatting component configured to format the schedule information into an interactive schedule grid comprising first and second axes and a plurality of elements, the first axis corresponding to a plurality of Internet-accessible radio stations, the second axis corresponding to a plurality of time slots, each element corresponding to a radio program; and

a display component configured to show the interactive schedule grid on a television associated with the Internet-enabled television system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the radio program schedule information is retrieved from a remote database.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a caching component configured to cache the radio program schedule information within the Internet-enabled television system.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive schedule grid is displayed on the television in response to a user activating a specifically-designated button on a remote control device for the Internet-enabled television system.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one element of the interactive schedule grid corresponds to a radio program to be broadcast in the future over the Internet.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a user selection component configured to receive a user selection of an element corresponding to a radio program to be broadcast in the future;

a scheduling component configured to schedule a task to receive the selected radio program at a time indicated by the interactive schedule grid;

a radio program reception component configured to receive the selected radio program; and

a caching component configured to cache the selected radio program within the Internet-enabled television system in response to the selected radio program being received.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the formatting component is further configured to visually indicate within the interactive schedule grid that a task has been scheduled for receiving the selected radio program.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

a playback component configured to play the cached radio program using the Internet-enabled television system in response to a user command.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one element corresponds to a radio program broadcast over the Internet at an earlier time.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a radio program reception component configured to selectively receive a plurality of radio programs via the Internet; and

a caching component configured to cache the received radio programs within the Internet-enabled television system.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the plurality of radio programs are selectively received in response to specified user preferences.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the plurality of radio programs are selectively received in response to historical user selections.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the plurality of radio programs comprise all of the programming broadcast by a particular radio station for a period of time.

30. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

a user selection component configured to receive a user selection of an element corresponding to a previously-broadcast and cached radio program; and

a playback component configured to play the cached radio program using the Internet-enabled television system.

31. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one element corresponds to a radio program being currently broadcast over the Internet.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a user selection component configured to receive a user selection of an element corresponding to a radio program being currently broadcast;

a radio program reception component configured to receive the radio program via the Internet; and

a playback component configured to play the radio program using the Internet-enabled television system.