Interactive media guidance system having multiple devices

• US 20070157260A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Todd
• Application Number:
  US11/324,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157260A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

When selecting a television program for recording, a user may configure the delivery of the selected television program and associated data and interactive applications to different user equipment devices in a home network, which may have different capabilities. Because the user equipment devices in the home network may have different capabilities, the user may wish to deliver different types and amount of content, different amounts of data, and different versions of interactive applications to the user equipment devices in the home network.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user equipment device with a bandwidth-appropriate version of content stored on a network comprising:

allowing the user equipment device to access content stored on the network;

determining the bandwidth capabilities of the user equipment device; and

condensing the substance of the content such that the user equipment device is able to receive the condensed version of the content in a predetermined amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein condensing the content comprises splitting the content into segments at one or more locations and joining a subset of the segments to form a condensed version of the content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the locations at which to split the content is based on any of closed-captioning data, audience information, metadata, audio cues, scene changes, and commercial breaks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein condensing the content comprises splitting the content into segments at one or more locations, condensing each of the segments, and joining the condensed segments to form a condensed version of the content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein condensing the content comprises creating an audio or text version of the content.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising condensing the audio or text version of the content.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the text version of the content is created using closed-captioning data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the condensed content is translated into a format that is suitable to be played by the user equipment device.

9. A system for providing a user equipment device with a bandwidth-appropriate version of content stored on a network comprising:

a user equipment device configured to access content stored on the network;

a server accessible by the user equipment over the network configured to;

determine the bandwidth capabilities of the user equipment device; and

condense the substance of the content such that the user equipment device is able to receive the condensed version of the content in a predetermined amount of time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein condensing the content comprises splitting the content into segments at one or more locations and joining a subset of the segments to form a condensed version of the content.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining the locations at which to split the content is based on any of closed-captioning data, audience information, metadata, audio cues, scene changes, and commercial breaks.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein condensing the content comprises splitting the content into segments at one or more locations, condensing each of the segments, and joining the condensed segments to form a condensed version of the content.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein condensing the content comprises creating an audio or text version of the content.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to condense the audio or text version of the content.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the text version of the content is created using closed-captioning data.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the condensed content is translated into a format that is suitable to be played by the user equipment device.

17. A method for providing a user equipment device with a bandwidth-appropriate version of a recorded television program stored on, a network comprising:

allowing the user equipment device to access the recorded television program stored on the network, wherein an interactive program guide is implemented on the user equipment device and the user accesses the recorded television program using the interactive program guide;

determining the bandwidth capabilities of the user equipment device; and

condensing the substance of the recorded television program such that the user equipment device is able to receive the condensed version of the recorded television program in a predetermined amount of time.