Scheduling the recording of television programs

• US 20050196138A1
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Blackketter, Dean J., Zigmond, Daniel J., Matheny, John R., Park, Timothy F., Glusker, Sharon F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/238
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47214 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A television receiving system displays an advertisement for a future television program. If the future television program is identified as recordable, the system also displays an option to set a reminder for the advertised program and/or an option to record the advertised program on a video recorder. If a viewer of the advertisement selects the reminder option, then a reminder is programmed in the system. If the viewer selects the record option, then the system automatically programs the video recorder to record the advertised program. If the viewer has established an interactive session during a television advertisement, and has not completed the interactive session when the advertisement ends, then the current television program is paused until the interactive session is completed.

Claims

1. A method of pausing a current television program, the method comprising:

offering to establish an interactive session with a viewer of the current television program during a television advertisement;

if the viewer of the current television program establishes an interactive session and has not completed the interactive session when the television advertisement ends, then;

preventing display of the current television program;

recording the current television program; and

playing the recorded television program when the viewer of the current television program completes the interactive session.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further including continuing to record the remainder of the current television program while playing the recorded television program.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the current television program is recorded on a video recorder.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the video recorder includes a storage medium to store data, and wherein the video recorder is capable of reading from and writing to the storage medium in a random manner.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the current television program is paused without requiring any action by the viewer.

6. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 1.