System and method for managing television programs within an entertainment system

• US 20050155067A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Ventures Inc. (Vulcan, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: McKenna, Thomas P. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US11/021,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20050155067A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 21/4782 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Television programs are represented by program interface objects (PIOs) within an interactive television system. The program interface objects may be represented by visual indicator for quick identification of the represented television program, one or more attributes providing information concerning the represented television program, and one or more actions that may be performed on or in connection with the represented television program. The PIOs may be sorted, filtered, and/or managed based on user-provided criteria. The PIOs may also be linked to allow an operation performable in connection to one PIO to be performed in connection with the linked PIO(s).

Claims

1. A method for providing access to television programs and related information, the method comprising:

storing at least two program interface objects within an entertainment system, each program interface object comprising one or more attributes including information about a television program and one or more user-selectable actions performable by the entertainment system in connection with the television program, wherein the program interface object is to be represented by a visual indicator displayable in a graphical user interface to facilitate user interaction with the program interface object;

linking the at least two program interface objects, such that an operation performed in connection with one program interface object may also be performed in connection with the other program interface object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a stored program interface object for transmission to another entertainment system;

transmitting the selected program interface object to the other entertainment system; and

transmitting a program interface object linked to the selected program interface object to the other entertainment system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of an action associated with a stored program interface object;

executing the selected action in connection with the stored program interface object; and

executing the selected action in connection with a program interface object linked to the stored program interface object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a stored program interface object;

determining whether a program interface object linked to the selected program interface object is stored in the entertainment system;

in response to a linked program interface object not being stored in the entertainment system, retrieving the linked program interface object; and

storing the retrieved program interface object in the entertainment system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein retrieving comprises:

establishing a network connection with a program interface object server storing the linked program interface object;

receiving the linked program interface object via the network connection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying a visual indicator of a program interface object to provide a visual cue to a user that the program interface object is linked to another program interface object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein linking comprises:

storing within a first program interface object a reference to a second program interface object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein linking further comprises:

storing within the second program interface object a reference to the first program interface object.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference is an attribute of the first program interface object.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference comprises at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a file name, and a memory location.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that a second program interface object linked to a first program interface object has been moved to a new location; and

updating the reference in the first program interface object to reference the new location of the second program interface object.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that a second program interface object linked to a first program interface object has been deleted; and

removing the reference in the first program interface object referring to the second program interface object.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one program interface object is linked to at least two different program interface objects.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of program interface objects are linked according to a one of a ring configuration, a chain configuration, and a star configuration.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a first program interface object is linked to a second program interface object, the second program interface object being stored within a different entertainment system.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two program interface objects are linked according to genre.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two program interface objects are linked according to a rating for the associated television programs.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two linked program interface objects correspond to television programs that have been previously recorded.

19. A system for providing access to television programs and related information, the system comprising:

computer-readable medium for storing least two program interface objects, each program interface object comprising one or more attributes including information about a television program and one or more user-selectable actions performable by an entertainment system in connection with the television program, wherein the program interface object is to be represented by a visual indicator displayable in a graphical user interface to facilitate user interaction with the program interface object; and

a linking component for linking the at least two program interface objects, such that an operation performed in connection with one program interface object may also be performed in connection with the other program interface object.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a selection component that receives a user selection of a stored program interface object for transmission to another entertainment system; and

a transmission component that transmits the selected program interface object and a program interface object linked to the selected program interface object to the other entertainment system.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a selection component that receives a user selection an action associated with a stored program interface object; and

an action component that executes the selected action in connection with the stored program interface object and in connection with a program interface object linked to the stored program interface object.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a selection component that receives a user selection of a stored program interface object; and

a communication component that, in response to determining that a program interface object linked to the selected program interface object is not stored in the entertainment system, retrieves and stores the linked program interface object in a storage device of the entertainment system.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the communication component establishes a network connection with a program interface object server storing the linked program interface object and receives the linked program interface object via the network connection.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the linking component is configured to modify a visual indicator of a linked program interface object to provide a visual cue to a user that the program interface object is linked to another program interface object.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the linking component stores within a first program interface object a reference to a second program interface object.

26. The system of claim 32, wherein the linking component stores within the second program interface object a reference to the first program interface object.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the reference is an attribute of the first program interface object.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the reference comprises at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a file name, and a memory location.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the linking component, in response to a determination that a second program interface object linked to a first program interface object has been moved to a new location, updates the reference in the first program interface object to reference the new location of the second program interface object.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the linking component, in response to a determination that a second program interface object linked to a first program interface object has been deleted, removes the reference in the first program interface object referring to the second program interface object.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one program interface object is linked to at least two different program interface objects.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein a plurality of program interface objects are linked according to one of a ring configuration, a chain configuration, and a star configuration.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein a first program interface object is linked to a second program interface object, the second program interface object being stored within a different entertainment system.

34. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least two program interface objects are linked according to genre.

35. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least two program interface objects are linked according to a rating for the associated television programs.

36. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least two linked program interface objects correspond to television programs that have been previously recorded.