System and method for displaying editorial content through television navigation controls and electronic program guides

• US 20070028265A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sedna Patent Services LLC
• Inventors: Plotnick, Bruce, Palazzo, Francis, D'Souza, Errol
• Application Number:
  US11/543,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20070028265A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/45
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 333/22 Radicals substituted by doubly bound hetero atoms, or by two hetero atoms other than halogen singly bound to the same carbon atom
• 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: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method for delivering editorial content via at least one distribution network. The system includes an operations center that receives editorial content items and for modifies the editorial content items to a standard format for presentation via an electronic program guide (EPG). The EPG is associated with an editorial content index page including pointers to modified editorial content items. At leasta portion of the modified editorial content items are adapted for local subscriber storage.

Claims

1. A system for delivering editorial content via at least one distribution network, the system comprising:

an operations center, for receiving editorial content items and for modifying the editorial content items to a standard format for presentation via an electronic program guide (EPG);

the EPG being associated with an editorial content index page including pointers to modified editorial content items, at least a portion of the modified editorial content items being adapted for local subscriber storage.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each distribution network utilizes a respective editorial content index page for use with the EPG.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each distribution network stores each of the adapted editorial content items at a head end, and a portion of the adapted editorial content items at subscriber set top terminals (STTs).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each STT includes presentation software adapted to request display scripts from a data carousel in the respective distribution network.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the display scripts comprise content pages adapted for providing display imagery for presentation via a STT.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the presentation software presents a navigation tool in response to the detection of a use interaction.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a request for an editorial content item comprises the detection of a editorial content index page selection via the EPG.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein a request for an editorial content item comprises the detection of a editorial content index page selection via the presentation software.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein video data associated with an editorial content item is delivered to a STT using a video on demand (VOD) function.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein video data associated with an editorial content item is delivered to a STT using an in-band communications channel.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a data network, coupled to said operations center, a plurality of editorial content providers and said at least one distribution network;

said data network transporting said editorial content items from said editorial content providers to said operations center;

said data network transporting said EPG and modified editorial content items from operations center to said at least one distribution network.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one distribution network comprises a cable television system headed in communication with a plurality of subscriber terminals.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said at least one distribution network comprises a data carousel adapted for delivering data to subscribers according to a carousel process.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the data carousel stores the editorial content index page.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the data carousel stores the modified editorial content items.

16. A method for delivering editorial content to subscribers, comprising:

modifying editorial content items to a standard format for presentation via an electronic program guide (EPG);

forwarding the modified editorial content items to at least one distribution network;

forwarding the EPG to subscribers of the at least one distribution network, the EPG being associated with an editorial content index page including pointers to modified editorial content items, at least some of the modified editorial content items being adapted for subscriber set top terminal (STT) storage.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the standard format comprises a predetermined format for each of a plurality of editorial content item media types.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving the editorial content items from one or more editorial content contributors via a data network; and

forwarding the modified editorial content items and EPG via the data network.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, at a data carousel within a distribution network, a request for a display script associated with a detected user interaction, said display script comprising a content page adapted for providing display imagery for presentation via a STT; and

forwarding the requested display script to the STT associated with the detected user interaction.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

said display script comprises one or more of an EPG page, an editorial content index page and a navigation tool.