Television program guide with a digital storage device

• US 20080187280A1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Hassell, Joel G., Berezowski, David M., Hedges, L. Joe, Knudson, Edward B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,087,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/52
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/327 Table of contents
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/328 on a tape [TTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• 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 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 : by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 : Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 : Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4358 : for generating different versions, e.g. for different peripheral devices
• 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 21/43622 : Interfacing an external recording device
• 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 21/458 : Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/47214 : 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 21/47217 : 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 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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 21/482 : 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 21/4825 : using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 : End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4856 : for language selection, e.g. for the menu or subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 : involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• 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 21/8455 : involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85406 : involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

An interactive television program guide system with digital storage is provided. The program guide gives users the ability to select a program for recording onto the digital storage device. The program guide may then provide the user a list of programs that includes at least one listing for a recorded program. The user may select a recorded program listing and the program guide will transfer the corresponding program from the digital storage device to a secondary storage device.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method of playing back programs using user equipment, comprising:

receiving programs with the user equipment from a server;

storing the programs on a digital storage device, wherein the digital storage device is included in the user equipment; and

creating a playback sequence with the user equipment, wherein the playback sequence includes two or more of the programs stored on the digital storage device and wherein the playback sequence specifies an order that the programs will be played back by the user equipment.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the two or more of the programs have a common theme.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

generating a list of programs based on the playback sequence; and

displaying the list of programs, wherein the list of programs;

includes listings associated with the two or more programs, and

indicates to a user the playback sequence.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the order specified by the playback sequence is unrelated to when the programs were stored on the digital storage device.

28. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating the user'"'"'s desire to add another program to the playback sequence; and

adding the program to a user specified point in the playback sequence.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the user specified point is the end of the playback sequence.

30. The method of claim 24 further comprising playing back the programs in the playback sequence in the order specified.

31. The method of claim 24 further comprising storing the playback sequence.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising transferring the playback sequence to a secondary storage device.

33. The method of claim 24 further comprising editing the playback sequence.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein editing the playback sequence comprises re-ordering the playback sequence.

35. A system for playing back programs comprising:

a display screen;

a digital storage device for storing programs; and

an interactive program guide implemented at least partially on circuitry configured to;

create a playback sequence, wherein the playback sequence includes two or more of the programs stored on the digital storage device and wherein the playback sequence specifies an order that the programs will be played back.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the two or more of the programs have a common theme.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the interactive program guide is further configured to:

generate a list of programs based on the playback sequence; and

display the list of programs, wherein the list of programs;

includes listings associated with the two or more programs, and

indicates to a user the playback sequence.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the order specified by the playback sequence is unrelated to when the programs were stored on the digital storage device.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein the interactive program guide is further configured to:

receive a user input indicating the user'"'"'s desire to add another program to the playback sequence; and

add the program to a user specified point in the playback sequence.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the user specified point is the end of the playback sequence.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the interactive program guide is further configured to play back the programs in the playback sequence in the order specified.

42. The system of claim 35, wherein the interactive program guide is further configured to store the playback sequence on the digital storage device.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the interactive program guide is further configured to transfer the playback sequence to a secondary storage device from the digital storage device.

44. The system of claim 35, wherein the interactive program guide is further configured to edit the playback sequence.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the interactive program guide is further configured to re-order the playback sequence.

46. A method of playing back a program using user equipment comprising:

storing one or more programs on a digital storage device, wherein the digital storage device is included in the user equipment;

generating one or more non-sequential program segments from the one or more programs;

combining, in a specified order, at least two of the one or more non-sequential program segments into a super program; and

in response to receiving a command to playback the super-program, playing back the at least two of the one or more non-sequential program segments in the specified order.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the one or more non-sequential program segments exclude advertisements.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein playing back further comprises:

providing program data associated with the super-program.

49. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

in response to receiving a command to store the super-program, storing the super-program.