System, method and interface for managing content at a set top box

• US 20060156372A1
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Marc Andrew, Kortum, Philip Ted, Williams, Alyssa Lenorah Noll, Cansler, James L. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US11/034,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20060156372A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/134
• 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 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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

Abstract

A method for managing content at a set top box is provided and includes receiving a request to view content and indicating that the content is available for downloading for a predetermined time period. Further, the method includes downloading the content to a memory device within a set top box and indicating that the downloaded content will remain within the memory device for a predetermined time. A device is also provided and includes a housing, a broadband input connection, a broadband output connection, and a processor. The processor includes a computer readable medium and a computer program that includes instructions to display a graphical user interface at a display device. The graphical user interface comprises a ready list, a queue list, and an action list. The ready list includes a list of movies that are available for viewing at the display device and an expiration date for each movie.

Claims

1. A method for managing content at a set top box, the method comprising:

receiving a request to view content;

indicating that the content is available for downloading for a predetermined time period;

downloading the content to a memory device within a set top box; and

indicating that the downloaded content will remain within the memory device for a predetermined time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a menu of available content.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a content selection.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising querying a user as to whether selected content is to be downloaded or queued.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising adding a title of the selected content to a queue list.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the queue list includes at least one title for queued content, a rating of the queued content, a cost of downloading the queued content, and an indication of when the queued content will expire.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the queue list further includes an indication that the queued content has expired.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising adding a title of the selected content to a ready list.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the ready list includes at least one title for downloaded content, a rating of the downloaded content, a cost of downloading the downloaded content, and an indication of when the downloaded content will expire.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to view downloaded content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising indicating that the downloaded content can be repeatedly viewed during a predetermined time period.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting selected content to a display device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising deleting the selected content from the memory device after the predetermined time period has expired.

14. A graphical user interface for managing content at a set top box, the graphical user interface comprising:

a ready list comprising;

a list of titles that correspond to movies that are available for viewing;

a rating for each movie on the list of titles;

a cost for downloading each movie on the list of titles; and

an expiration date for each movie on the list of titles.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein the expiration date for each movie on the list of titles indicates when each movie can no longer be viewed at a display device coupled to the set top box.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 15, further comprising a queue list comprising a list of movies.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 16, further comprising a rating for each movie on the queue list.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 17, further comprising a cost of downloading each movie on the queue list.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 18, further comprising an expiration date for each movie on the queue list.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 19, wherein the expiration date for each movie on the queue list indicates when each movie on the queue list is no longer available to be downloaded to the set top box.

21. A device for managing video content, the device comprising:

a housing;

a broadband input connection extending from the housing;

a broadband output connection extending from the housing;

a processor, the processor comprising a computer readable medium and a computer program embedded within the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to display a graphical user interface at a display device, the graphical user interface comprising a ready list, a queue list, and an action list, wherein;

the ready list comprises a list of movies that are available for viewing at the display device and an expiration date for each movie on the ready list.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the expiration date for each movie on the ready list indicates when each movie on the ready list can no longer be viewed at the display device.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the queue list comprises a list of movies that a user may want to download at a future time and an expiration date for each movie on the queue list.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the expiration date for each movie on the queue list indicates when each movie on the queue list is no longer available to be downloaded.

25. A system for managing video content, the system comprising:

a display device;

a remote control device;

a set top box coupled to the display device and responsive to the remote control device, the set top box comprising;

a housing;

a broadband input connection;

a broadband output connection;

a processor, the processor coupled to a computer readable memory, the computer readable memory comprising;

a graphical user interface program comprising;

instructions to display a ready list and a queue list, wherein;

 

the ready list includes a list of movies that are available for viewing at the display device and an expiration date for each movie on the ready list, the expiration date indicating when each movie on the ready list is no longer available for viewing at the display device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the queue list comprises a list of movies a user may want to download at a future time and an expiration date for each movie on the queue list, the expiration date indicating when each movie on the queue list is no longer available for downloading to the set top box.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising a computer program embedded within the computer readable memory, the computer program comprising instructions to receive a request to view available content.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to indicate that the available content is available for downloading for a predetermined time period.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to receive content at the computer readable memory.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to indicate that downloaded content will remain within a memory device for a predetermined time period.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to indicate that the downloaded content can be repeatedly viewed for a predetermined time period after the downloaded content is initially viewed.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to delete the downloaded content from the memory device after a predetermined time period expires.