Electronic mail reminder for an internet television program guide

• US 20050138660A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Demers, Timothy B., Blackwell, Bruce A., Boyer, Franklin E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• 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 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An Internet television program guide electronic-mail (e-mail) reminder system is provided. The system allows a user at a multimedia system to order and receive e-mail message reminders of scheduled television events over the Internet. The user can order e-mail reminders after selecting a program from the program listings or by supplying [a program title directly] specific user program preferences without having to consult the program listings. The user can specify when and how often the reminders will be generated and received. If desired, the user can view a list of all currently requested e-mail reminders. Entries can be added to the list or the user can cancel a previously ordered reminder. The user can order e-mail reminders for scheduled pay-per-view programs using the system. The user can also have reminder information periodically updated and available directly on the user'"'"'s multimedia system.

Claims

1. An Internet television program guide e-mail reminder system for providing e-mail reminder messages of scheduled television events to a user at a multimedia system over the Internet comprising:

a web server for providing web pages of television program listings over the Internet, wherein the web server;

provides the user with an opportunity to select a television program from the television program listings web pages provided over the Internet;

provides the user with an opportunity to order at least one e-mail reminder message for the television program; and

automatically generates and sends the e-mail reminder message to the multimedia system via e-mail over the Internet to remind the user when the television program is to be broadcast.

2. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the web server:

provides the web pages with an e-mail reminder option which the user selects to order e-mail reminder messages;

provides the user with an opportunity to select the e-mail reminder options; and

provides an e-mail reminder web page in response to the user selecting the e-mail reminder option.

4. The system defined in claim 2 wherein the e-mail reminder web page provides at least one selectable option comprising at least one of:

.

a how soon option for determining how soon before the broadcast of the television program the e-mail reminder message is to be generated and sent to the user; and

a how often option for determining how often the e-mail reminder message is to be generated and sent to the user.

9. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the web pages provide one of:

a view current e-mail reminders option for receiving a list of current e-mail reminder orders; and

a new e-mail reminders option for ordering an e-mail reminder message by entering a program title.

19. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the web server provides a pay-per-view order web page which provides an e-mail reminder option for ordering an e-mail reminder message.

39. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the web pages provide a user preference profile option for ordering an e-mail reminder message by selecting from various e-mail reminder preferences.

40. The system defined in claim 39 wherein the user preference profile option includes at least one selectable option.

41. The system defined in claim 40 wherein the selectable option is a genre option for ordering an e-mail reminder message by entering at least one of a program genre, an actor'"'"'s name, a complete program title, or a partial program title.

45. The system defined in claim 2 wherein the e-mail reminder web page receives e-mail address designations for a plurality of destinations to which the e-mail reminder message is to be sent.

46. The system defined in claim 9 wherein the new e-mail reminders web page receives e-mail address designations for a plurality of destinations to which the e-mail reminder message is to be sent.

3. (canceled)

5-8. -8. (canceled)

10-18. -18. (canceled)

20. A method for providing e-mail reminder messages of scheduled television events to a user at a multimedia system over the Internet using an Internet television program guide system, the method comprising:

providing web pages of television program listings over the Internet;

selecting providing the user with an opportunity to select a television program from the web pages of television program listings provided over the Internet;

providing the user with an opportunity to order at least one e-mail reminder message for the television program;

automatically generating the e-mail reminder message; and

providing the e-mail reminder message to the multimedia system via e-mail over the Internet to remind the user when the television program is to be broadcast.

21. The method defined in claim 20 further comprising providing an e-mail reminder option which the user selects to order e-mail reminder messages and presenting an e-mail reminder web page when the user selects the e-mail reminder option.

23. The method defined in claim 21 wherein the presenting of the e-mail reminder web page further comprises providing selectable options displayed on the e-mail reminder web page when the user is presented with the e-mail reminder web page, wherein the selectable option is one of

a how soon option for determining how soon before the broadcast of the television program the e-mail reminder message is to be generated and sent to the user;

and

a how often option for determining how often the e-mail reminder message is to be generated and sent to the user.

28. The method defined in claim 20 further comprising providing one of:

a view current e-mail reminders option for receiving a list of current e-mail reminder orders; and

a new e-mail reminders option for ordering an e-mail reminder message by entering a program title.

38. The method defined in claim 20 further comprising providing a pay-per-view order web page and providing an e-mail reminder option for ordering an e-mail reminder message.

42. The method defined in claim 20 further comprising providing a user preference profile option for ordering an e-mail reminder message by selecting from various e-mail reminder preferences.

43. The method defined in claim 42 wherein the providing of the user preference profile option further comprises providing at least one selectable option.

44. The method defined in claim 43 wherein the selectable option is a genre option which the user selects to order an e-mail reminder message by entering a program genre, an actor'"'"'s name, an exact program title, or a partial program title.

47. The method defined in claim 23 further comprising accepting through the e-mail reminder web page e-mail address designations of a plurality of destinations to which the e-mail reminder message is to be sent.

48. The method defined in claim 28 further comprising accepting through the new e-mail reminders web page e-mail address designations of a plurality of destinations to which the e-mail reminder message is to be sent.

22. (canceled)

24-27. -27. (canceled)

29-37. -37. (canceled)