System and method to facilitate selection and programming of an associated audio/visual system

• US 20050267994A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Curtis, Drucker, Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/177,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20050267994A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system and method to facilitate selection and programming of at least one of audio and visual program are disclosed. A first computer is operative to connect to a second computer for filtering through a plurality of audio and/or visual programs based on selection criteria to provide a filtered representation of programs. A program from the filtered representation of programs may be selected at the first computer so as to cause a token indicative of the selected program to be assigned to a recipient operative to receive the token. The recipient may be a user at the first computer, a third computer, or an entertainment appliance. The token represents the selected program with sufficient particularity to program an entertainment system based on the token to record the program represented by the token.

Claims

1. A system to facilitate selection of at least one of an audio and visual program, comprising:

a first computer that connects to a second computer for filtering through a plurality of at least one of audio and visual programs based on selection criteria to provide a filtered representation of programs;

wherein a program from the filtered representation of programs is selectable at the first computer so as to cause a token indicative of the selected program to be sent to a recipient, the token representing the selected program with sufficient particularity to enable the recipient to program a recording system based on the associated token to record the program represented by the token.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computer provides a signal to the second computer for selecting at least one program from the filtered representation of programs, at least one token for the selected at least one program being sent to the recipient in response to initiating a send process at the second computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the token is sent to the recipient as part of a message.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the message is a text email message, the token is associated with the email message.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the token is an attachment to the email message.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computer is a server having an associated database including at least some of the plurality of programs, the server searching providing results including the programs substantially matching the selection criteria.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the token includes a universal program identifier for the program.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria is provided at the first computer and employed by the second computer to provide the filtered representation of programs.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria is established at the second computer and employed to provide the filtered representation of programs.

10. A system to facilitate selection of at least one of an audio and visual program, comprising:

a first computer programmed provide a first signal to a second computer for instructing the second computer to sort through information related to a plurality of at least one of audio and visual programs, the first computer receiving a second signal from the second computer indicative of a filtered representation of programs, the first computer providing a third signal to the second computer for causing a message having an associated token to be sent to a recipient;

wherein the token represents at least one of an audio and visual program of the filtered representation of programs so as to enable the recipient thereof to program a recording system based on the associated token to record the program represented by the token.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first computer sends a fourth signal to the second computer for selecting a program from the filtered representation of programs, the token representing the selected program.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the message is a text email message, the token is associated with the email message.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the token is an attachment of the email message.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first signal further includes computer executable instructions for instructing the second computer to provide the filtered representation of programs based on program criteria stored at the second computer.

15. A computer implemented method that facilitates programming of an associated device, the method comprising:

selecting at a remote computer a program from program information provided by a server system identifying at least one of an audio and visual program; and

sending a message to a recipient, the message having a token that represents the selected program with sufficient particularity to program a recording system based on the token to record the program represented by the token.

16. The method of claim 15 further including filtering through the program information based on selection criteria provided from the remote computer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selected program is selected from the filtered information.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving a message at the remote computer having the requested token in response to the request.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising filtering through information in response to a request from the remote computer to provide a filtered representation of at least one of an audio and visual program;

and

sending to a recipient a message having an associated token based on the filtered representation, the token including program criteria sufficient to program a recording system based on the token to record a predetermined program represented by the token.

20. The method of claim 19 having further comprising selecting a program from the filtered representation, the token representing the selected program.