System and Method to Send Information Identifying Reccomended Media Content Items

• US 20100251299A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott, Scott, Charles, Mukerji, Ankur
• Application Number:
  US12/413,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20100251299A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases 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 21/4583 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score

Abstract

A method includes accessing an electronic program guide (EPG). The method includes identifying recommended media content items using the EPG and selecting one or more addresses of recipients. The method further includes sending information identifying recommended media content items to the selected addresses.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

accessing an electronic program guide (EPG) at a computing device;

identifying recommended media content items using the EPG;

selecting one or more addresses of recipients; and

sending information identifying the recommended media content items to the selected addresses.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one item of media content from the recommended media content items is scheduled for recording at a media recorder device associated with the recipient.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein all of the recommended media content items are scheduled for recording at a media recorder device associated with at least one of the recipients in response to receiving a user selection selecting all items of the recommended media content items.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one item of media content from the recommended media content items is automatically scheduled for download at a media recorder device.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile telephony device.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the addresses is associated with a mobile telephony device.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the addresses is associated with a set-top box device.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the addresses comprises an email address.

9. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving information identifying recommended media content items at a computing device;

receiving a user selection of at least one item of media content from the recommended media content items;

when the at least one item of media content is a scheduled program, automatically scheduling recording of the at least one item of media content at a media recorder device; and

when the at least one item of media content includes on demand media content, automatically placing the at least one item of media content in an on demand items queue.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising automatically scheduling a download of the at least one item of media content at a media download device in response to the user selection when the at least one item of media content includes downloadable media content.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein scheduling the at least one item of media content for download comprises:

setting a priority of the at least one item of media content; and

placing the at least one item of media content in a download queue.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether scheduling a recording of the at least one item of media content would conflict with a previously scheduled recording at the media recorder device; and

automatically identifying a second presentation of a program associated with the previously scheduled recording or the at least one item of media content.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a second user selection indicating that the second presentation should be scheduled for recording; and

scheduling the second presentation for recording at the media recorder.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein scheduling a recording of the at least one item of media content comprises accessing an electronic program guide.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the computing device comprises a set-top box (STB) device.

16. A computer-readable storage medium comprising operational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

send a first graphical user interface (GUI) to a first computing device, wherein the first GUI enables selection of recommended media content items, and wherein the first GUI enables access to an electronic program guide (EPG);

receive, via the first GUI, selections identifying recommended media content items;

receive, via the first GUI, addresses of recipients; and

send information identifying the recommended media content items to the addresses of the recipients.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send a second GUI to a second computing device, wherein the second GUI enables selection of at least one item of media content from the recommended media content items.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive, via the second GUI, a user selection of at least one item of media content from the recommended media content items; and

send data to a third computing device, wherein the data causes the third computing device to schedule recording of the at least one item of media content.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

before sending the data, determine whether scheduling a recording of the at least one item of media content would conflict with a previously scheduled recording at the third computing device; and

when scheduling the recording of the at least one item of media content would conflict with the previously scheduled recording, identify a second presentation of a program associated with the previously scheduled recording or the at least one item of media content, wherein the data sent to the third computing device causes the third computing device to automatically schedule the second presentation for recording at the third computing device.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive, via the second GUI, a user selection selecting all of the recommended media content items;

when the at least one item of media content includes a scheduled program, automatically instruct a third computing device to record at least one item of media content from the recommended media content items;

when the at least one item of media content includes on demand media content, automatically identify the at least one item of media content in an active content list associated with the third computing device; and

when the at least one item of media content includes downloadable media content, automatically instruct the third computing device to schedule download of the at least one item of media content at the third computing device.

21. A system, comprising:

a first computing device, to access an electronic program guide (EPG), to identify recommended media content based on selections from the EPG, and to send information identifying the recommended media content to addresses associated with selected recipients;

wherein the EPG includes data identifying scheduled media content and on demand media content.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first computing device is responsive to a remote control device to enable a user to browse the EPG and to identify the recommended media content by selecting media content items from the EPG.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the remote control device is further operable to enable the user to select the recipients from a set of recipients.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the remote control device is further operable to enable the user to add a recipient and an address associated with the recipient to the set of recipients.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a second computing device associated with one of the addresses to receive the information identifying the recommended media content and to automatically make the media content items associated with the user selection available for playback at a set-top box (STB) device.