Media-on-demand catalog viewing preference system

• US 20060026665A1
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Banker, Robert O., Rodriguez, Arturo A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,069,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/84 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The invention can be viewed as a system for providing media information to a user via an interactive media services client device coupled to a programmable television services server device. A method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes receiving user input and excluding one or more media titles from a media title list based on the user input.

Claims

1. An interactive media services client device for providing a user with media information received from a programmable television services server device, said client device comprising:

memory for storing data;

a media title list contained in said memory, the media title list having at least one media title, each media title being displayed in a title area;

a processor configured to cause a title area containing a media title identified by user input to be removed from said media title list; and

providing the user with a list of removed media titles.

2. The interactive media services client device of claim 1, wherein the user input is transmitted via a remote control device.

3. The interactive media services client device of claim 1, wherein the media title identified by said user is highlighted.

4. The interactive media services client device of claim 1, wherein the media title identified by said user input is a video-on-demand media title.

5. The interactive media services client device of claim 1, wherein said media title list is displayed via a television.

6. A programmable television services server device for providing media information to a user via an interactive media services client device, said server device comprising:

memory for storing data;

a media title list contained in said memory;

the media title list having at least one media title, each media title being displayed in a title area; and

a processor configured to cause a title area containing a media title identified by user input to be removed from said media title list;

said processor being further configured to provide the user with a list of removed media titles.

7. The programmable television services server device of claim 6, wherein the user input is transmitted via a remote control device.

8. The programmable television services server device of claim 6, wherein the media title identified by said user is highlighted.

9. The programmable television services server device of claim 6, wherein the media title identified by said user input is a video-on-demand media title.

10. The programmable television services server device of claim 6, wherein said media title list is displayed via a television.

11. A method for providing media information to a user via an interactive media services client device coupled to a programmable television services server device, said method comprising:

receiving user input identifying a filtering criterion;

identifying a media title from a media title list based on said filter criterion;

excluding a title area containing said media title that meets said filtering criterion from said media title list;

displaying said media title list that has at least one title area containing at least one media title except said title area containing said media title that meets said filter criterion; and

providing the user with a list of removed media titles.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the media title is a media title that is received by the client device from the server device at a future time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the media title list is presented to the user at a future time.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the user input is transmitted via a remote control device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the filtering criterion identified by said user is highlighted.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said media title list contains video-on-demand media titles.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein said media title list is displayed via a television.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said filtering criterion is selected from a group consisting of:

a release year, a movie classification, an actor/actress, a critic rating, a category, and a rental fee.

31. The method of claim 11, wherein said client device is a television set-top box.

33. The method of claim 11, wherein said filtering criterion is whether said user had previously been provided with a media presentation corresponding to said media title.

34. The method of claim 11, wherein said filtering criterion is a text string entered by said user.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising comparing said text string to other text strings;

and providing said user with alternative text string selections.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising prompting said user to select a filtering criterion that corresponds to said text string.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising prompting said user to select an alternative text string.

38. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving user input identifying a second filtering criterion; and

excluding a media title that does not meet said second filtering criterion from said media title list.

39. The method of claim 11, wherein a video presentation identified by said media title is currently available to said user via said client device.

40. The method of claim 11, wherein a video presentation identified by said media title is not currently available to said user via said client device.

19. An interactive media services client device for providing a user with media information received from a programmable television services server device, said client device comprising:

memory for storing data;

a media title list contained in said memory, the media title list having at least one media title, each media title being displayed in a title area; and

a processor configured to cause a title area containing a media title corresponding to a filtering criterion identified by user input to be excluded from said media title list, said processor being further configured to display said media title list without said title area containing said media title that corresponded to said filtering criterion;

said processor being further configured to provide the user with a list of removed media titles.

20. The client device of claim 19, wherein the user input is transmitted via a remote control device.

21. The client device of claim 19, wherein the filtering criterion identified by said user is highlighted.

22. The client device of claim 19, wherein said media title list contains video-on-demand media titles.

23. The client device of claim 19, wherein said media title list is displayed via a television.

24. The client device of claim 19, wherein said filtering criterion is selected from a group consisting of:

a release year, a movie classification, an actor/actress, a critic rating, a category, and a rental fee.

32. The method of claim 20, wherein data corresponding to said filtering criterion is stored in non-volatile memory.

25. A programmable television services server device for providing media information to a user via an interactive media services client device, said server device comprising:

memory for storing data;

a media title list contained in said memory, the media title list having at least one media title, each media title being displayed in a title area; and

a processor configured to cause a title area containing a media title corresponding to a filtering criterion identified by user input to be excluded from said media title list;

said processor being further configured to provide the user with a list of removed media titles.

26. The server device of claim 25, wherein the user input is transmitted via a remote control device.

27. The server device of claim 25, wherein the filtering criterion identified by said user is highlighted.

28. The server device of claim 25, wherein said media title list contains video-on-demand media titles.

29. The server device of claim 25, wherein said media title list is displayed via a television.

30. The server device of claim 25, wherein said filtering criterion is selected from a group consisting of:

a release year, a movie classification, an actor/actress, a critic rating, a category, and a rental fee.

41. A media services system for providing media information to a user via an interactive media services client device coupled to a programmable media services server device, said system comprising:

memory having a media title list that includes at least one media title, each media title being displayed in a title area; and

logic stored in said memory, said logic being configured to cause a title area containing a media title corresponding to a filtering criterion identified by user input to be excluded from a media title list;

said logic being further configured to provide the user with a list of removed media titles.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein each of a plurality of users provides user input identifying a filtering criterion.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein a plurality of filtering criteria corresponding to a plurality of users are stored in memory.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein each of said plurality of users is presented with a media title list.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein said filtering criterion is based on whether said user had previously been provided with a media presentation corresponding to said media title.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein said user input is a text string.

47. The system of claim 46, further comprising logic configured to cause said client device to prompt said user to select a filtering criterion that corresponds to said text string.

48. The system of claim 46, further comprising logic configured to cause said client device to prompt said user to select an alternative text string.

49. The system of claim 41, further comprising logic configured to cause a media title that does not meet a second filtering criterion identified by user input to be excluded from said media title list.

50. The system of claim 41, wherein a video presentation identified by said media title is currently available to said user via said client device.

51. The system of claim 41, wherein a video presentation identified by said media title is not currently available to said user via said client device.