PROGRAMMING DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

• US 20070240193A1
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starz Entertainment, LLC (Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Starz Entertainment, LLC (Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation)
• Inventors: Basawapatna, Ganesh, Sie, John, Sabraw, Martin, Deprez, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 7,950,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/88
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method is provided for distributing programming. A first set of programs is transmitted in real time according to a schedule of programming. A second set of programs is stored on a server, with at least one of the first set of programs having a counterpart in the second set of programs. A request from a user for program control over one of the programs in the first set of programs is detected. A determination whether the requested program has a counterpart program stored on the server is made. If so, the counterpart program form the server is played under the control of the user.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A system for distributing programming, the system comprising:

a program server configured to;

store a first set of programs; and

play one or more of the stored first set of programs under control of a user;

a subscriber server configured to transmit a second set of programs in real time according to a schedule of programming, at least one of the second set of programs having a counterpart in the first set of programs, wherein the counterpart in the first set of programs is substantially identical to the at least one of the second set of programs;

a subscriber management system, in communication with the program server and subscriber server, and configured to;

identify when the user has tuned to a particular broadcast program having the counterpart in the first set of programs;

transmit a first signal causing a notification symbol to be superimposed on the particular broadcast program to distinguish the particular broadcast program from other broadcast programs not available to be played under control of the user from the program server; and

transmit a second signal to the program server to permit the user to control the play of at least a part of the identified counterpart program from the program server.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the subscriber management system is further configured to:

control switching from the transmission of the particular broadcast program according to the schedule of programming directly to transmission of the identified counterpart program.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the subscriber management system is further configured to:

receive a program-control signal initiated by the user, wherein the switching to transmission of the identified counterpart program is based at least in part on the program-control signal.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein,

the subscriber management system is further configured to ascertain a temporal position for the transmission of the particular broadcast program when a program-control signal is received from the user;

and

the program server is configured to play the identified counterpart program from the program server from the ascertained temporal position.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the subscriber management system is further configured to:

detect a request from the user for program control over the particular broadcast program, the request made at a first temporal position in the particular broadcast program; and

transmit a signal to the program server to play the identified counterpart program from the program server from a second temporal position earlier than the first temporal position.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the identified counterpart is stored on the program server at a substantially different time than the particular broadcast program is transmitted.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the program server is located remotely from the user.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the subscriber management system is located remotely from the user.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the subscriber management system further comprises the program server and the subscriber server.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein the first set of programs and the second set of programs are each transmitted wirelessly.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the program server stores the counterpart program before the particular broadcast program is transmitted from the subscriber server.

36. The system of claim 25, wherein the particular broadcast program and the identified counterpart program each contain different promotional information and advertising.

37. The system of claim 25, wherein the particular broadcast program and the identified counterpart program each are stored and transmitted according to different standards.

38. The system of claim 25, wherein the notification symbol is an icon or an alphanumeric string.

39. A method for distributing programming, the method comprising:

storing a first set of programs;

transmitting a second set of programs in real time according to a schedule of programming, at least one of the second set of programs having a counterpart in the first set of programs, wherein the counterpart in the first set of programs is substantially identical to the at least one of the second set of programs;

identifying when the user has tuned to a particular broadcast program having the counterpart in the first set of programs;

transmitting a first signal causing a notification symbol to be superimposed on the particular broadcast program to distinguish the particular broadcast program from other broadcast programs not among the first set of stored programs available to be played under control of the user; and

playing at least a part of the stored counterpart program under the control of the user.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

switching from the transmission of the particular broadcast program according to the schedule of programming directly the playing of a received transmission of the at least part of the stored counterpart program.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

receiving a program-control signal from the user, wherein the switching step is triggered by the program-control signal.

42. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

ascertaining a temporal position for the transmission of the particular broadcast program when a program-control signal is received from the user, wherein the playing step comprises fast forwarding the stored counterpart from substantially the ascertained temporal position to a later temporal position.

43. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

detecting a request from the user for program control over the particular broadcast program, the request made at a first temporal position in the particular program, wherein the stored counterpart program is played from the program server from the first temporal position or from a second temporal position in the particular program earlier than the first temporal position.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein the storing of the counterpart program occurs at a substantially different time than the transmitting of the particular broadcast program.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein the storing step is performed by a device located remotely from the user.

46. The method of claim 39, wherein the playing step is performed by a device located remotely from the user.

47. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting the counterpart program to the user.

48. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

receiving a program-control signal at a first time, wherein the playing step occurs at a second time that is substantially different than the first time.

49. The method of claim 39, wherein the storing of the counterpart program occurs before or at the same time as the transmitting of the particular broadcast program.

50. A system for distributing programming, the system comprising:

a set top box configured to;

receive and store a first set of programs transmitted from a remote location; and

play one or more of the stored first set of programs under control of a user;

a subscriber server configured to transmit a second set of programs in real time according to a schedule of programming, at least one of the second set of programs having a counterpart in the first set of programs, wherein the counterpart in the first set of programs is substantially identical to the at least one of the second set of programs; and

a subscriber management system, communicatively coupled with the program server and subscriber server, and configured to;

identify when the user has tuned to a particular broadcast program having the counterpart in the first set of programs;

transmit a first signal causing a notification symbol to be superimposed on the particular broadcast program to distinguish the particular broadcast program from other broadcast programs not stored at the set top box and available to be played under control of the user; and

transmit a control signal to the set top box to allow at least a part of the identified counterpart program to be played under the control of the user.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the set top box is further configured to:

control switching from display of the transmission of the particular broadcast program directly to display of the identified counterpart program.

52. The system of claim 50, wherein the subscriber management system is further configured to:

receive a program-control signal initiated by the user, wherein the program-control signal triggers the identified counterpart to be played from the set top box.

53. The system of claim 50, wherein,

the subscriber management system is further configured to ascertain a temporal position for the transmission of the particular broadcast program when a program-control signal is received from the user;

and

the set top box is configured to play the identified counterpart program from the program server from the ascertained temporal position.

54. The system of claim 50, wherein the subscriber management system is further configured to:

detect a request from the user for program control over the particular broadcast program; and

transmit a signal to the set top box to restart the identified counterpart program from the program server.

55. The system of claim 50, wherein the identified counterpart program is stored on the set top box at a substantially different time than the particular broadcast program is transmitted.

56. The system of claim 50, wherein the identified counterpart program is played from the set top box at a substantially different time than the particular broadcast program is transmitted.

57. The system of claim 50, wherein the subscriber management system is located remotely from the user.

58. The system of claim 50, wherein the subscriber management system further comprises the set top box.

59. The system of claim 50, wherein the set top box is integrated into a display device.

60. A method for distributing programming, the method comprising:

transmitting a first set of programs for storage local to a user;

transmitting a second set of programs in real time according to a schedule of programming, at least one of the second set of programs having a counterpart in a first set of programs, wherein the counterpart in the first set of programs is substantially identical to the at least one of the second set of programs;

identifying when the user has tuned to a particular broadcast program having the counterpart in the first set of programs;

transmitting a first signal causing a notification symbol to be superimposed on the particular broadcast program to distinguish the particular broadcast program from other broadcast programs not available to be played from the storage local to the user under the control of the user; and

transmitting a second signal formatted to permit at least a part of the locally stored counterpart program to be played under the control of the user.

61. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

triggering a direct transition from playing the transmission of the particular program according to the schedule of programming to playing the locally stored counterpart program.

62. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

receiving a program-control signal from the user, wherein the triggering step is initiated by the program-control signal.

63. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

ascertaining a temporal position for the transmission of the particular broadcast program when a program-control signal is received from the user, wherein the locally stored counterpart program is fast forwarded from the ascertained temporal position to a later temporal position under the control of the user.

64. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

ascertaining a temporal position for the transmission of the particular broadcast program when a program-control signal is received from the user, wherein the locally stored counterpart program is rewinded from the ascertained temporal position to an earlier temporal position under the control of the user.

65. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

detecting a request from the user for program control over the particular broadcast program, the request made at a temporal position in the particular program, wherein the stored counterpart program is played from the program server from the temporal position.

66. The method of claim 60, wherein the transmitting of the counterpart program in the first set of programs occurs at a substantially different time than the transmitting of the particular broadcast program.

67. The method of claim 60, wherein the storage of the locally stored counterpart program occurs at a substantially different time than the transmitting of the particular broadcast program.

68. The method of claim 60, wherein,

the transmitting of the locally stored counterpart is performed wirelessly;

and

the transmitting of the particular broadcast program to the user is performed wirelessly.

69. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

receiving a program-control signal at a first time, wherein the locally stored counterpart is played under control of the user at a second time that is substantially different than the first time.

70. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

transmitting a signal to permit copying the locally stored counterpart program to another device, wherein the locally stored counterpart program is played under the control of the user by the another device.

71. The method of claim 60, wherein the locally stored counterpart is stored on a removable storage device detachable from a stationary device.

72. A method for distributing programming, the method comprising:

storing a first set of programs;

receiving a second set of programs transmitted in real time according to a schedule of programming, at least one of the second set of programs having a counterpart in a first set of programs, wherein the counterpart in the first set of programs is substantially identical to the at least one of the second set of programs;

identifying when the user has tuned to a particular broadcast program having the counterpart in the first set of programs;

superimposing a notification symbol on the particular broadcast program to distinguish the particular broadcast program from other broadcast programs not stored among the first set of programs; and

permitting at least a part of the stored counterpart program to be played under the control of the user, based at least in part on the identifying step.

73. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

switching from playing the received transmission of the particular program according to the schedule of programming to playing the stored counterpart program.

74. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

receiving a program-control signal from the user, wherein the switching step is triggered by the program-control signal.

75. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

ascertaining a temporal position for the transmission of the particular broadcast program when a program-control signal is received from the user, wherein the locally stored counterpart program is played by fast forwarding or rewinding from substantially the ascertained temporal position.

76. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

detecting a request from the user for program control over the particular broadcast program, the request made at a temporal position in the particular program, wherein the stored counterpart program is played from the program server from the temporal position.

77. The method of claim 72, wherein the storing of the counterpart program occurs at a substantially different time than the receiving of the particular broadcast program.

78. The method of claim 72, wherein a device performing the storing step, receiving step, and permitting step is a stationary communications device.

79. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

receiving the particular broadcast program at a first time, wherein the stored counterpart is played under control of the user at a second time that is substantially different than the first time.

80. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

permitting copies of the stored counterpart program to be made.

81. The method of claim 72, wherein the stored counterpart is stored on a removable storage device.