Digital video recorder having skip-to-interval-from-end button

• US 20070036519A1
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Littlemore Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: White, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/234
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71

Abstract

A user interface for a digital video recorder (DVR) comprises a graphical button that is user-selectable to cause the DVR to skip to a particular point in a program recorded by the DVR. The particular point is at a particular time interval before an end of the program. If the particular point is untagged, the graphical button has a first label when a playback position of the DVR is at a beginning of the program and a second label when the playback position of the DVR is at the end of the program. The first label differs from the second label. If the particular point is tagged, e.g. by a content owner of the program, the graphical button has a third label that differs from the first and second labels.

Claims

1. A user interface for a digital video recorder (DVR), the user interface comprising:

a graphical button that is user-selectable to cause the DVR to skip to a particular point in a program recorded by the DVR, the particular point being at a particular time interval before an end of the program, the graphical button having a first textual label when a playback position of the DVR is at a beginning of the program, the graphical button having a second textual label when the playback position of the DVR is at the end of the program, wherein the first textual label differs from the second textual label.

2. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the first textual label describes a skip to the particular time interval from the end, and the second textual label describes a skip back of the particular time interval.

3. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the first textual label describes a skip to the particular time interval from the end.

4. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the second textual label describes a skip back of the particular time interval.

5. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the graphical button is included in a program data screen.

6. The user interface of claim 5 further comprising a fast forward button on a remote control, the fast forward button being user-selectable to cause the DVR to fast forward the program directly from the program data screen.

7. The user interface of claim 5 further comprising a rewind button on a remote control, the rewind button being user-selectable to cause the DVR to rewind the program directly from the program data screen.

8. The user interface of claim 5 further comprising a skip forward button on a remote control, the skip forward button being user-selectable to cause the DVR to skip forward in the program directly from the program data screen.

9. The user interface of claim 5 further comprising a skip back button on a remote control, the skip back button being user-selectable to cause the DVR to skip back in the program directly from the program data screen.

10. A user interface for a digital video recorder (DVR), the user interface comprising:

a graphical button that is user-selectable to cause the DVR to skip to a particular point in a program recorded by the DVR, the particular point at a particular time interval before an end of the program, the graphical button having a first textual label when a playback position of the DVR is before the particular point in the program, the graphical button having a second textual label when the playback position of the DVR is after the particular point in the program, wherein the first textual label differs from the second textual label.

11. The user interface of claim 10 wherein the first textual label describes a skip to the particular time interval from the end, and the second textual label describes a skip back of the particular time interval from the end.

12. The user interface of claim 10 wherein the first textual label describes a skip to the particular time interval from the end.

13. The user interface of claim 10 wherein the second textual label describes a skip back of the particular time interval from the end.

14. The user interface of claim 10 wherein the graphical button is included in a program data screen.

15. A user interface for a digital video recorder (DVR), the user interface comprising:

a skip-to-reveal button that is user-selectable in connection with each of a plurality of programs recorded by the DVR to cause the DVR to skip to a respective reveal point, each of the plurality of programs having one and only one respective reveal point.

16. The user interface of claim 15 wherein the skip-to-reveal button has a textual label that includes “

reveal”

.

17. The user interface of claim 15 wherein the plurality of programs include a first program having a first reveal point and a second program having a second reveal point, wherein the first reveal point is located at a first interval of time from an end of the first program, wherein the second reveal point is located at a second interval of time from an end of the second program, and wherein the first interval differs from the second interval.

18. The user interface of claim 17 wherein the first reveal point is tagged by a first content owner of the first program, and wherein the second reveal point is tagged by a second content owner of the second program.

19. The user interface of claim 17 wherein the skip-to-reveal button, when user selected, causes the DVR to augment content of at least one of the plurality of programs with an advertisement.

20. The user interface of claim 17 wherein the DVR outputs a signal to display the advertisement with at least part of the content of the at least one program.