Channel switching subscription service according to predefined content patterns

• US 20060159128A1
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu
• Application Number:
  US11/039,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20060159128A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/486
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/372 Programme
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side

Abstract

A monitor service which monitors the content of a plurality of broadcast channels, and characterizes the content of the broadcast programs, operatively coupled to an evaluator which considers the content of broadcast programs over time compared to a personal channel control schema, and further cooperating with a channel change commander to effect changes in channel, signal source, or both, of an enhanced broadcast receiver so as to allow a user to view content from a plurality of sources and channels in real-time according to his or her preferences, whilst automatic changes in the channels and signal sources are made.

Claims

1. A system for automatically controlling a broadcast receiver, comprising:

a plurality of broadcast content monitors that generate broadcast advisory messages upon change in broadcast content for one or more broadcast channels;

a personal channel control schema including definitions of a user'"'"'s preferences for broadcast content reception; and

a channel change commander configured to receive said advisory messages, evaluate advisory messages against said personal channel control schema, and to issue commands to a broadcast receiver to change channel, change signal source, or both, in accordance with said control schema.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a transmission media for transmitting said advisory messages from a monitoring center to one or more subscribing broadcast receiver devices.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a transmission media for transmitting said commands from an update service to one or more subscribing broadcast receiver devices.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising keywords disposed in said personal channel control schema, and wherein said channel change commander is further configured to search said advisory messages for content of keywords and to command changes in channel, signal source, or both, upon finding said keywords.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said broadcast content monitors comprise at least one element from the group of a human monitor using a broadcast receiver and advisory message generator, a text keyword searcher for searching a closed caption signal associated with a program, a text keyword searcher for searching the output of a voice recognizer configured to recognize words in an audio signal portion of a program, and an image recognizer configured to recognized images in a visual signal portion of a program.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said channel and signal source change commands comprise a time to change indicator.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said time to change indicator comprises an indicator selected from the group of an absolute time to change, a relative time to change, and an offset time to change.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said advisory messages are stored for later retrieval upon query by said channel change commander

9. A method for automatically controlling a broadcast receiver, comprising the steps of:

generating broadcast advisory messages by a plurality of broadcast content monitors responsive to changes in broadcast content for one or more broadcast channels;

providing a personal channel control schema including definitions of a user'"'"'s preferences for broadcast content reception;

evaluating said advisory messages against said personal channel control schema; and

issuing commands to a broadcast receiver to change channel, change signal source, or both, in accordance with said control schema.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising transmitting said advisory messages from a monitoring center to one or more subscribing broadcast receiver devices.

11. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising transmitting said commands from an update service to one or more subscribing broadcast receiver devices.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising:

disposing one or more keywords in said personal channel control schema;

searching said advisory messages for content of keywords; and

commanding changes in channel, signal source, or both, upon finding said keywords.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprises a step selected from the group of providing a human monitor with a broadcast receiver and an advisory message generator, searching a closed caption signal associated with a program using a text searcher, searching the output of a voice recognizer configured to recognize words in an audio signal portion of a program using a text searcher, and recognizing an image in a visual signal portion of a program.

14. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprise providing a time to change indicator in association with said channel change command.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said time to change indicator comprises an indicator selected from the group of an absolute time to change, a relative time to change, and an offset time to change.

16. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising storing said advisory messages for later retrieval upon query by said channel change commander.

17. A computer readable medium encoded with software for automatically controlling a broadcast receiver, the software performing the steps of:

generating broadcast advisory messages by a plurality of broadcast content monitors responsive to changes in broadcast content for one or more broadcast channels;

providing a personal channel control schema including definitions of a user'"'"'s preferences for broadcast content reception;

evaluating said advisory messages against said personal channel control schema; and

issuing commands to a broadcast receiver to change channel, change signal source, or both, in accordance with said control schema.

18. The medium as set forth in claim 17 further comprising software for transmitting said advisory messages from a monitoring center to one or more subscribing broadcast receiver devices.

19. The medium as set forth in claim 17 further comprising software for transmitting said commands from an update service to one or more subscribing broadcast receiver devices.

20. The medium as set forth in claim 17 further comprising software for:

disposing one or more keywords in said personal channel control schema;

searching said advisory messages for content of keywords; and

commanding changes in channel, signal source, or both, upon finding said keywords.

21. The medium as set forth in claim 17 further comprising software for performing a step selected from the group of providing a human monitor with a broadcast receiver and an advisory message generator, searching a closed caption signal associated with a program using a text searcher, searching the output of a voice recognizer configured to recognize words in an audio signal portion of a program using a text searcher, and recognizing an image in a visual signal portion of a program.

22. The medium as set forth in claim 17 further comprising software for providing a time to change indicator in association with said channel change command.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22 wherein said time to change indicator comprises an indicator selected from the group of an absolute time to change, a relative time to change, and an offset time to change.

24. The medium as set forth in claim 17 further comprising software for storing said advisory messages for later retrieval upon query by said channel change commander.

25. A method for providing an personal channel change service comprising the steps of:

establishing a subscription to a channel change service to a subscribing broadcast receiver, and a personal channel change schema containing preferences for content reception by a subscriber;

characterizing over time the content of a plurality of channels by monitoring the broadcasts of said channels;

evaluating over time said characterization of said channel content with respect to said personal channel change schema; and

issuing a channel change command to said subscribing broadcast receiver responsive to maintaining a maximized correlation between said change schema and channel content which said subscriber is receiving at any given time.

26. The method as set forth in claim 25 further comprising providing an enhanced broadcast receiver configured to receive messages containing said channel content characterization, and to implement said channel change commands.

27. The method as set forth in claim 25 further comprising providing an enhanced broadcast receiver configured to receive channel change commands containing said at least one indicator selected from the group of a channel to receive, a signal source to receive, an absolute time at which to make a channel change, a relative time at which to make a change, and an offset time value at which time to make a change.

28. The method as set forth in claim 25 wherein said step of establishing a personal channel control schema comprises providing a template channel control schema.

29. The method as set forth in claim 25 wherein said step of establishing a personal channel control schema comprises providing a user interface to a control schema editor.

30. The method as set forth in claim 29 wherein said user interface comprises one or more menus or prompts provided on the screen of a video monitor.

31. The method as set forth in claim 29 wherein said user interface comprises one or more menus or prompts provided on a web page.