Methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing interactive control of radio and other media

• US 20070016922A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koch, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A method for presenting content to a user through a content management device. The method includes receiving at a content management device content from a plurality of content providers. The content management device generates a supplemental programming data from the content providers. The content management device receives guide programming data from a content-independent programming data source. The content management device generates an interactive program guide in response to the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data, the interactive program guide presenting content available to the user.

Claims

1. A method for presenting content to a user, the method comprising:

receiving at a content management device content from a plurality of content providers;

receiving at the content management device supplemental programming data from the content providers;

receiving at the content management device guide programming data from a content-independent programming data source;

generating an interactive program guide in response to the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data, the interactive program guide presenting content available to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the interactive program guide includes presenting a current time, and start and stop time for content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the interactive program guide includes resolving a conflict between the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein resolving the conflict between the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data includes using the supplemental programming data instead of the guide programming data to generate the interactive program guide.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving at the content management device content from the plurality of content providers includes accessing user profile data, comparing the supplemental programming data to the user profile data, and altering the presentation of the interactive program guide based on matching characteristics between the user profile data and the supplemental programming data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein content is arranged in the interactive program guide in response to the degree of match between user profile data and the supplemental programming data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the interactive program guide presenting content available to the user includes presenting content stored on the content management device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein if a content identifier of content received from a content provider matches a content identifier of content stored on the content management device, then an indication indicating that the content is already stored on the content management device is associated with the content in the interactive program guide.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental programming data from the content provider includes call-in information, the generating the interactive program guide includes displaying a call-in availability indication associated with the content for which call-in is available.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising initiating a call to the content provider providing the content for which call-in is available upon receipt of a user selection of the call-in availability indication.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting an additional action indicator associated with content and initiating an additional action upon receipt of a user selection of the additional action indicator.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional action includes marking the content as a favorite, the generating the interactive program guide includes placing content marked as favorite at a preferred location in the interactive program guide.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional action includes initiating a request for downloading content to the content management device, wherein the request is for a limited number of plays of the downloaded content.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional action includes selecting future content, storing a station identifier for the future content and a start time for the future content, the content management device playing the future content when the current time matches the start time.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional action includes recording the content as received on the content management device.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional action includes a request for acquiring additional information related to the content upon user selection of the additional action indicator.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the content includes content broadcast via radio.

18. A method for presenting content to a user, the method comprising:

receiving at a content management device content from a plurality of content providers;

receiving at the content management device programming data related to the content;

generating an interactive program guide in response to the content and the programming data, the interactive program guide presenting content available to the user;

wherein if a content identifier of content received from a content provider matches a content identifier of content stored on the content management device, then an indicator indicating that the content is already stored on the content management device is associated with the content in the interactive program guide.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein generating the interactive program guide includes presenting a current time, and start and stop time for content.

20. A content management device comprising:

a content receiver receiving content from a content provider and receiving supplemental programming data from the content provider;

a data transceiver receiving guide programming data from a content-independent programming data source;

a user interface display controller generating an interactive program guide in response to the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data, the interactive program guide presenting content available to the user;

a display device coupled to the user interface display controller for displaying the interactive program guide.

21. The content management device of claim 20 wherein generating the interactive program guide includes presenting a current time, and start and stop time for content.

22. The content management device of claim 20 wherein the data transceiver provides communication with a data network to receive content from a content distribution application.