Systems and methods for providing program suggestions in an interactive television program guide

• US 20050102696A1
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Westberg, Thomas E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An interactive television program guide application is provided that queries a user regarding the user'"'"'s interest in television programs and suggests television programs to the user based the user'"'"'s responses. The interactive television program guide application identifies a television program that is potentially of interest to the user. The interactive television program guide application then queries the user regarding the user'"'"'s interest using questions that are formulated based on attributes associated with the identified television program. Using the user'"'"'s responses to the questions, the interactive television program guide application identifies and suggests one or more television programs to the user.

Claims

1. A method for aiding a user to locate programs of interest using an interactive television program guide application, the method comprising:

determining that a television program is potentially of interest to the user;

querying the user using one or more questions that are formulated based on one or more attributes associated with the television program; and

identifying one or more suggested television programs based on the user'"'"'s responses to the one or more questions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the television program is potentially of interest to the user comprises:

determining that the user'"'"'s viewing pattern associated with the television program satisfies one or more predetermined criteria for determining whether a television program is a potential television program of interest; and

marking the television program as a potential television program of interest.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is continuous viewing time.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is cumulative viewing time.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is repeated viewing.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein marking the television program as a potential television program of interest comprises inserting a flag in data associated with the television program to indicate that the television program is a potential television program of interest.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein marking the television program as a potential television program of interest comprises encoding a variable indicating that the television program is a potential television program of interest in a datastream associated with the television-program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the user comprises providing the user with an opportunity to add the television program to a favorites list.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the user comprises providing the user with an opportunity to set a reminder for the television program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the user comprises:

identifying a suitable time to display the one or more questions to the user; and

displaying the one or more questions to the user at the identified time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying a suitable time to display the one or more questions to the user comprises determining when the user interacts with an interactive television program guide.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying a suitable time to display the one or more questions to the user comprises determining when the television program ends.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs to the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising prominently displaying at the top of a screen one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs that are about to start.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying one or more listings of one or more previously watched television programs to the user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing an opportunity for the user to add the one or more listings of the one or more previously watched television programs to a favorites list associated with the user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one television program that is available within a time frame that the user is currently browsing, wherein the at least one television program is selected from a group consisting of a favorite television program and a suggested television program; and

displaying to the user one or more listings of the at least one television program that is available within the time frame.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes are predetermined by a content provider.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the content provider is a television program distributor.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a category of the television program.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a genre of the television program.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a cast member of the television program.

23. A system for aiding a user to locate programs of interest using an interactive television program guide application, the system comprising:

means for determining that a television program is potentially of interest to the user;

means for querying the user using one or more questions that are formulated based on one or more attributes associated with the television program; and

means for identifying one or more suggested television programs based on the user'"'"'s responses to the one or more questions.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for determining that the television program is potentially of interest to the user comprises:

means for determining that the user'"'"'s viewing pattern associated with the television program satisfies one or more predetermined criteria for determining whether a television program is a potential television program of interest; and

means for marking the television program as a potential television program of interest.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is continuous viewing time.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is cumulative viewing time.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is repeated viewing.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the means for marking the television program as a potential television program of interest comprises means for inserting a flag in data associated with the television program to indicate that the television program is a potential television program of interest.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the means for marking the television program as a potential television program of interest comprises means for encoding a variable indicating that the television program is a potential television program of interest in a datastream associated with the television program.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for querying the user comprises means for providing the user with an opportunity to add the television program to a favorites list.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for querying the user comprises means for providing the user with an opportunity to set a reminder for the television program.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for querying the user comprises:

means for identifying a suitable time to display the one or more questions to the user; and

means for displaying the one or more questions to the user at the identified time.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the means for identifying a suitable time to display the one or more questions to the user comprises means for determining when the user interacts with an interactive television program guide.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the means for identifying a suitable time to display the one or more questions to the user comprises means for determining when the television program ends.

35. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for displaying one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs to the user.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for prominently displaying at the top of a screen one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs that are about to start.

37. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for displaying one or more listings of one or more previously watched television programs to the user.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for providing an opportunity for the user to add the one or more listings of the one or more previously watched television programs to a favorites list associated with the user.

39. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for identifying at least one television program that is available within a time frame that the user is currently browsing, wherein the at least one television program is selected from a group consisting of a favorite television program and a suggested television program; and

means for displaying to the user one or more listings of the at least one television program that is available within the time frame.

40. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more attributes are predetermined by a content provider.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the content provider is a television program distributor.

42. The system of claim 23, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a category of the television program.

43. The system of claim 23, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a genre of the television program.

44. The system of claim 23, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a cast member of the television program.

45. A system for aiding a user to locate programs of interest using an interactive television program guide application, the system comprising:

a user input interface;

a display device; and

control circuitry configured to;

determine that a television program is potentially of interest to the user;

query the user using one or more questions displayed on the display device, wherein the one or more questions are formulated based on one or more attributes associated with the television program; and

identify one or more suggested television programs based on the user'"'"'s responses to the one or more questions received through the user input interface.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine that the user'"'"'s viewing pattern associated with the television program satisfies one or more predetermined criteria for determining whether a television program is a potential television program of interest; and

mark the television program as a potential television program of interest.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is continuous viewing time.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is cumulative viewing time.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is repeated viewing.

50. The system of claim 46, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to insert a flag in data associated with the television program to indicate that the television program is a potential television program of interest.

51. The system of claim 46, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to encode a variable indicating that the television program is a potential television program of interest in a datastream associated with the television program.

52. The system of claim 45, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to provide the user with an opportunity to add the television program to a favorites list using the user input interface.

53. The system of claim 45, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to provide the user with an opportunity to set a reminder for the television program using the user input interface.

54. The system of claim 45, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

identify a suitable time to display the one or more questions on the display device; and

display the one or more questions on the display device at the identified time.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine when the user interacts with an interactive television program guide.

56. The system of claim 54, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine when the television program ends.

57. The system of claim 45, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to display one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs on the display device.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to prominently display at the top of a screen on the display device one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs that are about to start.

59. The system of claim 45, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to display one or more listings of one or more previously watched television programs on the display device.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to provide an opportunity for the user to add the one or more listings of the one or more previously watched television programs to a favorites list associated with the user.

61. The system of claim 45, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

identify at least one television program that is available within a time frame that the user is currently browsing, wherein the at least one television program is selected from a group consisting of a favorite television program and a suggested television program; and

display one or more listings of the at least one television program that is available within the time frame on the display device.

62. The system of claim 45, wherein the one or more attributes are predetermined by a content provider.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein the content provider is a television program distributor.

64. The system of claim 45, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a category of the television program.

65. The system of claim 45, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a genre of the television program.

66. The system of claim 45, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a cast member of the television program.

67. Machine-readable media for aiding a user to locate programs of interest using an interactive television program guide application, the machine-readable media comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for:

determining that a television program is potentially of interest to the user;

querying the user using one or more questions that are formulated based on one or more attributes associated with the television program; and

identifying one or more suggested television programs based on the user'"'"'s responses to the one or more questions.

68. The machine-readable media of claim 67, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for:

determining that the user'"'"'s viewing pattern associated with the television program satisfies one or more predetermined criteria for determining whether a television program is a potential television program of interest; and

marking the television program as a potential television program of interest.

69. The machine-readable media of claim 68, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is continuous viewing time.

70. The machine-readable media of claim 68, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is cumulative viewing time.

71. The machine-readable media of claim 68, wherein one of the one or more predetermined criteria is repeated viewing.

72. The machine-readable media of claim 68, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for inserting a flag in data associated with the television program to indicate that the television program is a potential television program of interest.

73. The machine-readable media of claim 68, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for encoding a variable indicating that the television program is a potential television program of interest in a datastream associated with the television program.

74. The machine-readable media of claim 68, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for providing the user with an opportunity to add the television program to a favorites list.

75. The machine-readable media of claim 67, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for providing the user with an opportunity to set a reminder for the television program.

76. The machine-readable media of claim 67, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for:

identifying a suitable time to display the one or more questions to the user; and

displaying the one or more questions to the user at the identified time.

77. The machine-readable media of claim 76, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for determining when the user interacts with an interactive television program guide.

78. The machine-readable media of claim 76, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for determining when the television program ends.

79. The machine-readable media of claim 67, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for displaying one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs to the user.

80. The machine-readable media of claim 79, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for prominently displaying at the top of a screen one or more listings of the one or more suggested television programs that are about to start.

81. The machine-readable media of claim 67, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for displaying one or more listings of one or more previously watched television programs to the user.

82. The machine-readable media of claim 81, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for providing an opportunity for the user to add the one or more listings of the one or more previously watched television programs to a favorites list associated with the user.

83. The machine-readable media of claim 67, further comprising machine-readable instructions recorded thereon for:

identifying at least one television program that is available within a time frame that the user is currently browsing, wherein the at least one television program is selected from a group consisting of a favorite television program and a suggested television program; and

displaying to the user one or more listings of the at least one television program that is available within the time frame.

84. The machine-readable media of claim 67, wherein the one or more attributes are predetermined by a content provider.

85. The machine-readable media of claim 84, wherein the content provider is a television program distributor.

86. The machine-readable media of claim 67, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a category of the television program.

87. The machine-readable media of claim 67, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a genre of the television program.

88. The machine-readable media of claim 67, wherein one of the one or more attributes associated with the television program is a cast member of the television program.