System and method of providing a television content guide

• US 20060179468A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Pearson, Larry B.
• Application Number:
  US11/052,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179468A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of providing a content guide includes receiving a request for a content guide. The request for the content guide is transmitted to a web server. Thereafter, the content guide is received from the web server. Further, the content guide is modified according to one or more parental controls after determining that the one or more parental controls are enabled. The method also includes retrieving the one or more parental controls from a database within a set top box server before modifying the content guide. The one or more parental controls can prevent one or more programs from being available at a television coupled to the set top box at least partially based on a rating associated with the one or more program. Further, the content guide is modified to delete information associated with the one or more programs not available at the television.

Claims

1. A method of providing a content guide, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a content guide;

transmitting the request for the content guide to a web server;

receiving the content guide from the web server; and

modifying the content guide according to one or more parental controls after determining that the one or more parental controls are enabled.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving the one or more parental controls from a database within a set top box server before modifying the content guide.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parental controls prevents one or more programs from being available at a television coupled to the set top box at least partially based on a rating associated with the one or more program.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content guide is modified to delete information associated with the one or more programs not available at the television.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising retrieving a service level agreement from the database within the set top box server.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising modifying the content guide according to the service level agreement.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the service level agreement defines one or more channels to be received at the set top box and one or more channels not to be received at the set top box.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the content guide is modified to delete information associated with the one or more channels not to be received at the set top box.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting a modified content guide to the set top box.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting the modified content guide to a television.

11. A method of providing a content guide, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a content guide from a computer at a web server; and

modifying a content guide according to one or more parental controls after determining that the one or more parental controls are enabled.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising retrieving the one or more parental controls from a set top box server before modifying the content guide.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising retrieving a service level agreement from the set top box server.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising modifying the content guide according to the service level agreement.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating the modified content guide to the computer.

16. A method of communicating one or more settings to a set top box, the method comprising:

receiving at least one parental control setting at a set top box server; and

transmitting the at least one parental control setting from the set top box server to a plurality of set top boxes at a customer location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parental control setting is received from a set top box.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one parental control setting is received from a computer via a web server.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a programming setting for a digital video recorder at the set top box server.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting the programming setting to a digital video recorder at a customer location.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the programming setting is received remotely from a computer via the web server.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising applying the programming setting at the digital video recorder.