Method and system for reconfiguring a selection system based on layers of categories descriptive of recordable events

• US 20060150123A1
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Networks North America, Inc. (Masimo Corporation)
• Inventors: Westerhoff, David Allen, Seto, Lynda Kitlyn, Goodwin, Mark D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,290,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/841
• 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 21/47 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A method and system for selection of recordable events from among a set of recordable events, based on categories and sub-categories, that cumulatively describe a substantial portion of the entire set of recordable events. After receiving a first set of categories, and first sets of sub-categories corresponding to the first set of categories, at a device, the device is configured to use the first set of categories and the first set of sub-categories, to guide a user in selecting a series of recordable events to experience and/or record. Thereafter, the device receives a second set of categories and respective second sets of sub-categories that correspond to the categories of the second set of categories, and the device responsively configures itself to use the second set of categories and the second sets of sub-categories, to guide a user in selecting a series of recordable events to experience and/or record.

Claims

1. A method of selection among a set of recordable events, the method comprising:

providing on a display of a local device, a set of categories that cumulatively describe a substantial portion of a set of recordable events;

receiving a user selection of a given category of the set of categories; and

displaying a set of sub-categories corresponding to the given category, wherein the local device is configured to receive updates from a remote server, and wherein the remote server may reconfigure (i) the categories of the set of categories and/or (ii) one or more of the sub-categories of the set of sub-categories.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user selection for a given sub-category, and responsively displaying a set of one or more series of recordable events that correspond to the given sub-category.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a user selection for a given series of recordable events of the one or more series of recordable events, and responsively scheduling to record the given series of recordable events.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a set of rules executable via a rules engine at the local device;

executing the rules via the rules engine so as to associate recordable events with one or more sub-categories; and

displaying recordable events associated with a given sub-category when the given sub-category is selected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the categories involves receiving a substitute set of categories and thereafter displaying the substitute set of categories instead of the set of categories, and wherein reconfiguring a given set of sub-categories involves receiving a substitute set of sub-categories and thereafter displaying the substitute set of sub-categories instead of the given set of sub-categories.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the categories involves receiving a given category of the set of categories and a substitute category, and thereafter displaying the substitute category instead of the given category, when displaying the set of categories, and wherein reconfiguring one of the sub-categories involves receiving a given sub-category of a given set of sub-categories and a substitute sub-category, and thereafter displaying the substitute sub-category instead of the given sub-category, when displaying the given set of sub-categories.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a set of recordable events data that describes the set of recordable events, wherein each recordable event of at least a substantial portion of the recordable events identified in the set of recordable events data is correlated with an identifier, wherein each identifier indicates at least one category and at least one sub-category.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising analyzing the set of recordable events data and the identifier for each recordable event, for categorizing each recordable event into the category(ies) and the sub-category(ies) identified by the identifier, and for displaying a descriptor for each of the one or more sets of recordable events that are categorized into a given category and a given sub-category in response to receiving a user selection for the given category and the given sub-category.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the set of categories and the set of sub-categories, and responsively storing the set of categories and the set of sub-categories in data storage.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising reverting back to the set of categories as defined prior to reconfiguring the set of categories, and/or reverting back to the set of sub-categories as defined prior to reconfiguring the set of sub-categories, after a given period of time has passed.

11. A method for configuring a selection system based on categories of recordable events and sub-categories of the categories, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of categories and a respective first set of sub-categories for each of the categories of the first set;

configuring a selection system in a first mode where the selection system uses the first set of categories and the respective first sets of sub-categories to guide user selection of recordable events;

receiving a second set of categories and one or more respective second sets of sub-categories for each of the categories of the second set; and

reconfiguring the selection system in a second mode where the selection system uses the second set of categories and the respective second sets of sub-categories to guide user selection of recordable events.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying the first set of categories in response to receiving a first signal when the selection system is configured in the first mode, wherein the first signal indicates to display a set of categories;

displaying the second set of categories in response to receiving the first signal when the selection system is configured in the second mode;

displaying a given first set of sub-categories of a given category of the first set in response to receiving a second signal when the selection system is configured in the first mode, wherein the second signal indicates to display a set of sub-categories of a given category; and

displaying a given second set of sub-categories from among the respective second sets of sub-categories in response to receiving the second signal when the selection system is configured in the second mode.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising reconfiguring the selection system to the first mode.

14. A system for selection of a series of recordable events from among a set of recordable events, the system comprising:

a communication interface for receiving (i) a first set of categories, (ii) a respective first set of sub-categories for each of the categories, and (iii) a first communication for updating the first set of categories and/or a given first set of sub-categories from among the respective first sets of sub-categories;

a processor communicatively coupled to the communication interface, the processor for executing a set of program instructions;

a user interface for displaying (i) the first set of categories, and (ii) the respective first set of sub-categories for a category in response to receiving a user selection of the category; and

data storage communicatively coupled to the processor, the data storage for storing (i) the first set of categories, (ii) the respective first sets of sub-categories, and (iii) the set of program instructions, wherein the set of program instructions include instructions, executable in response to receiving the first communication, for creating an updated set of categories for displaying at the user interface instead of the first set of categories, and/or creating an updated set of sub-categories for displaying at the user interface instead of the given first set of sub-categories.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the communication interface includes an interface selected from the group consisting of (i) a cable television interface, (ii) a radio-frequency interface for receiving signals from at least a terrestrial transmitter, (iii) a radio-frequency interface for receiving signals from at least a non-terrestrial transmitter, (iv) a land-line telephone system telephone line, and (v) an Internet connection.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the communication interface is arranged to receive a set of recordable events data, wherein each recordable event of at least a substantial portion of the recordable events identified in the set of recordable events data is correlated with an identifier, and wherein each identifier indicates at least one category and at least one sub-category.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the recordable events are selected from the group consisting of (i) television shows, (ii) radio programs, and (iii) Internet transmissions.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the user interface is arranged to (i) receive a user selection of a sub-category, and responsively display a set of one or more sets of recordable events based on identifiers correlated with the selected sub-category, and (ii) receive a user selection of a given set of recordable events of the one or more sets of recordable events, and responsively signal the processor to schedule the given set of recordable events to be recorded.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the user interface is arranged to display a message that a user must affirmatively respond to before the processor executes the program instructions for creating the updated set of categories and/or creating the updated set of sub-categories.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the program instructions further include instructions for reverting back to displaying (i) the first set of categories instead of the updated set of categories, and/or (ii) the given first set of sub-categories instead of the updated set of sub-categories, wherein the instructions to revert back are executed after a pre-defined period of time has passed.