Systems and methods for episode tracking in an interactive media environment

• US 20070157249A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Todd, Cordray, Charles, Armaly, Samir
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 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 21/42204 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 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• 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 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring a user'"'"'s viewing progress of media in a series are provided. The user may setup a media profile containing a list of program series to be monitored. The interactive media monitoring application may track the user'"'"'s viewing progress of programs in the program series on the user equipment and update the user'"'"'s media profile. The user may request and watch programs in the series at the user'"'"'s leisure while peripheral media content may be filtered to be consistent with the user'"'"'s viewing progress in the series.

Claims

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

receiving a request for viewing media content;

determining if the requested media content is serial programming; and

in response to determining that the requested media content is serial programming, presenting at least one viewing option to the user, wherein the at least one viewing option includes at least one option for allowing the user to interact with the requested media content.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to determining that the requested media content is not serial programming, presenting the requested media content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining if the requested media content is serial programming comprises analyzing metadata associated with the requested media content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the metadata associated with the requested media content indicates other media content that should be presented to the user before or after the requested media content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining if the requested media content is serial programming comprises analyzing the type of requested media content.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the type of requested media content is selected from the group consisting of broadcast media, on-demand media, pay-per-view media, recorded media, and Internet media.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for viewing media content is made on behalf of the user after some user event.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user event is an event selected from the group consisting of powering on a device associated with the user equipment, creating a media profile reminder, logging onto an application running on the user equipment, logging off of an application running on the user equipment, a program selection, and a user equipment tuning event.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting at least one viewing option to the user comprises presenting a display screen to the user including the at least one viewing option.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting at least one viewing option to the user comprises presenting an overlay to the user including the at least one viewing option.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one viewing option is selected from the group consisting of viewing the requested media content, viewing a summary of the requested media content, scheduling the requested media content for viewing at a later time, and skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

scheduling the requested media content for viewing at the later time; and

automatically presenting the scheduled requested media content at the later time.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

presenting the summary of the requested media content to the user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the summary is derived from a data source.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the summary is created from closed captioning data associated with the requested media content.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

presenting the requested media content to the user after presenting the summary to the user.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content after presenting the summary to the user.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content comprises viewing the subsequent media content.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content comprises viewing a summary of the subsequent media content.

20. A system for presenting media content to a user at user equipment, the system comprising:

a memory for storing media content; and

control circuitry for presenting at least one viewing option to the user, wherein the control circuitry is configured to;

receive a request for viewing media content;

determine if the requested media content is serial programming;

in response to determining that the requested media content is serial programming, present the at least one viewing option to the user, wherein the at least one viewing option includes at least one option for allowing the user to interact with the requested media content.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

in response to determining that the requested media content is not serial programming, present the requested media content.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry is configured to analyze metadata associated with the requested media content to determine if the requested media content is serial programming.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the metadata associated with the requested media content indicates other media content that should be presented to the user before or after the requested media content.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry is configured to analyze the type of requested media content to determine if the requested media content is serial programming.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the type of requested media content is selected from the group consisting of broadcast media, on-demand media, pay-per-view media, recorded media, and Internet media.

26. The system of claim 20 wherein the request for viewing media content is made on behalf of the user after some user event.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the user event is an event selected from the group consisting of powering on a device associated with the user equipment, creating a media profile reminder, logging onto an application running on the user equipment, logging off of an application running on the user equipment, a program selection, and a user equipment tuning event.

28. The system of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to present a display screen to the user including the at least one viewing option.

29. The system of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to present an overlay to the user including the at least one viewing option.

30. The system of claim 20 wherein the at least one viewing option is selected from the group consisting of viewing the requested media content, viewing a summary of the requested media content, scheduling the requested media content for viewing at a later time, and skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

schedule the requested media content for viewing at the later time; and

automatically present the scheduled requested media content at the later time.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

present the summary of the requested media content to the user.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the summary is derived from a data source.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein the summary is created from closed captioning data associated with the requested media content.

35. The system of claim 32 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

present the requested media content to the user after presenting the summary to the user.

36. The system of claim 32 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

skip the requested media content and advance to subsequent media content of the requested media content after presenting the summary to the user.

37. The system of claim 30 wherein skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content comprises viewing the subsequent media content.

38. The system of claim 30 wherein skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content comprises viewing a summary of the subsequent media content.

39. An interactive program guide for presenting media content to a user at user equipment, the interactive program guide configured to:

receive a request for viewing media content;

determine if the requested media content is serial programming; and

present at least one viewing option to the user in response to the determination that the requested media content is serial programming, wherein the at least one viewing option includes at least one option for allowing the user to interact with the requested media content.

40. The interactive program guide of claim 39 further configured to present the requested media content in-response to the determination that the requested media content is not serial programming.

41. The interactive program guide of claim 39 further configured to analyze metadata associated with the requested media content.

42. The interactive program guide of claim 41 wherein the metadata associated with the requested media content indicates other media content that should be presented to the user before or after the requested media content.

43. The interactive program guide of claim 39 further configured to analyze the type of requested media content.

44. The interactive program guide of claim 43 wherein the type of requested media content is selected from the group consisting of broadcast media, on-demand media, pay-per-view media, recorded media, and Internet media.

45. The interactive program guide of claim 39 wherein the request for viewing media content is made on behalf of the user after some user event.

46. The interactive program guide of claim 45 wherein the user event is an event selected from the group consisting of powering on a device associated with the user equipment, creating a media profile reminder, logging onto an application running on the user equipment, logging off of an application running on the user equipment, a program selection, and a user equipment tuning event.

47. The interactive program guide of claim 39 further configured to present a display screen to the user including the at least one viewing option.

48. The interactive program guide of claim 39 further configured to present an overlay to the user including the at least one viewing option.

49. The interactive program guide of claim 39 wherein the at least one viewing option is selected from the group consisting of viewing the requested media content, viewing a summary of the requested media content, scheduling the requested media content for viewing at a later time, and skipping the requested media content and advancing to subsequent media content of the requested media content.

50. The interactive program guide of claim 49 further configured to:

schedule the requested media content for viewing at the later time; and

automatically present the scheduled requested media content at the later time.

51. The interactive program guide of claim 49 further configured to:

present the summary of the requested media content to the user.

52. The interactive program guide of claim 51 wherein the summary is derived from a data source.

53. The interactive program guide of claim 51 wherein the summary is created from closed captioning data associated with the requested media content.

54. The interactive program guide of claim 51 further configured to:

present the requested media content to the user after presenting the summary to the user.

55. The interactive program guide of claim 51 further configured to:

skip the requested media content and advance to subsequent media content of the requested media content after presenting the summary to the user.

56. The interactive program guide of claim 49 further configured to view the subsequent media content.

57. The interactive program guide of claim 49 further configured to view a summary of the subsequent media content.