DYNAMIC ADJUSTMENT OF ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE DISPLAYS BASED ON VIEWER PREFERENCES FOR MINIMIZING NAVIGATION IN VOD PROGRAM SELECTION

• US 20070250864A1
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Inventors: DIAZ PEREZ, Milton
• Granted Patent: US 9,584,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Items of video content offered for viewing on a video-on-demand (VOD) platform of a digital TV service provider are each assigned a respective title and hierarchical address corresponding to hierarchically-arranged categories and subcategories within which the title for the video content is to be categorized. The title is listed in a location of an electronic program guide (EPG) using the same categories and subcategories as its hierarchical address. Any TV subscriber can access the EPG and navigate through its categories and subcategories to find a title for viewing on the TV. The EPG dynamically adjust its display listings of each level of categories, subcategories, and titles in order to minimize the number of remote control keypresses needed for a viewer to navigate to a title of interest. In one basic form, the EPG display is reordered by listing more frequently visited categories or subcategories first, and other less frequently visited categories or subcategories lower on the listing or out-of-sight on another page of the display.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic adjustment of an electronic program guide (EPG) for navigating to video content offered on a video-on-demand (VOD) platform of a digital TV service provider comprising:

(a) maintaining a listing of category names for respective categories of video content to which a viewer can navigate using the EPG for the VOD platform;

(b) tracking a viewer'"'"'s past history of selections of category names for video content in the EPG and determining an order of relevance of the category names for viewer selection of video content based on said past history; and

(c) reordering a current display listing of the category names based on said determined order of relevance.

2. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 1, wherein the order of relevance is determined in order of frequency of selection of category names based on the viewer'"'"'s past history of category name selection.

3. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 1, wherein the order of relevance is determined based on a parameter of viewer selection from the group consisting of:

time-of-day;

weekday or weekend; and

preference indicated by past selections of TV program titles.

4. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 1, wherein the current display listing of category names is reordered by listing a predetermined number of category names of higher relevance on the display listing;

, and maintaining all other category names of lower relevance out-of-sight on a following display.

5. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 4, wherein the other category names of lower relevance are accessed by activating a “

More”

button on the display listing.

6. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 1, wherein the video content offered for viewing on the VOD platform are accessed by navigation through hierarchically-arranged categories and subcategories down to individual titles for individual items of video content.

7. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 6, wherein the hierarchical arrangement of categories and subcategories down to an individual title for an individual item of video content is indicative of a unique hierarchical address for the item of video content.

8. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchical address comprises a string of category and subcategory terms and the title delimited by standard delimiters.

9. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 1, wherein the reordering of category names is provided by linking the viewer from a generalized EPG for all viewers on the VOD platform to a viewer-individualized EPG.

10. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 9, wherein the viewer-individualized EPO is accessed through a LogIn step by which the individual viewer currently operating the system is identified.

11. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 10, wherein the LogIn step enables a viewer to register their name and a personal identification number (PIN), and in a subsequent LogIn step the viewer only needs to select their name from a list of previously registered viewers and enter their selected PIN.

12. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 9, wherein a top level display of the viewer-individualized EPG displays a reordered listing of category names of top level categories for the TV programs offered for viewing on demand.

13. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 12, wherein each subsequent level display of the viewer-individualized EPG displays a reordered listing of subcategory names of subcategories for the TV programs offered for viewing on demand.

14. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 9, wherein upon access by a current viewer to the viewer-individualized EPG, the categories and subcategories the viewer clicks on is tracked until the viewer logs off or the TV viewing session is ended, and the tracking of viewer clicks is added to the viewer'"'"'s past history.

15. A method for dynamic adjustment of an EPG according to claim 9, wherein upon access by a current viewer to the viewer-individualized EPGO the categories and subcategories for video content the viewer clicks on is tracked, and used to automatically create a new category for TV programs of the type most frequently clicked on by the viewer.

16. An electronic program guide (EPG) for viewer navigation to titles for items of video content stored on a video-on-demand (VOD) platform comprising:

(a) each item of video content being assigned a title and a hierarchical address corresponding to hierarchically-arranged categories and subcategories within which the title for the video content is to be categorized;

(b) a listing of at least a top level of category names for respective categories of video content maintained by the EPG for the video content;

(d) a viewer'"'"'s past history of selections of category names for video content maintained in association with the EPG and used to determine an order of relevance of category names for viewer selection of video content based on said past history; and

(e) a current display listing of category names for the EPG in which the category names are reordered based on said determined order of relevance.

17. An EPG according to claim 16, wherein the order of relevance is determined in order of frequency of selection of category names based on the viewer'"'"'s past history of category name selection.

18. An EPG according to claim 16, wherein the current display listing of category names is reordered by listing a predetermined number of category names of higher relevance on the display listing, and maintaining all other category names of lower relevance out-of-sight on a following display.

19. An EPG according to claim 16, wherein each title for an item of video content is listed in a location in the EPG corresponding to the hierarchically-arranged categories and subcategories for categorizing the title, and constitutes a unique the hierarchical address for the video content.

20. An EPG according to claim 16, wherein the reordering of category names is provided by linking the viewer from a generalized EPG for all viewers on the VOD platform to a viewer-individualized EPG.