VIEWING HISTORY

• US 20100262986A1
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Jasra, Daksh, Adimatyam, Venkata S.
• Application Number:
  US12/420,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20100262986A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method may include capturing descriptive information associated with viewed television content as it is being viewed. The captured information may be stored. A request to display viewing history information may be received. At least some of the captured information may be retrieved and displayed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing descriptive information associated with viewed television content;

storing the captured information;

receiving a request to display viewing history information;

retrieving at least some of the captured information; and

displaying the retrieved information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a profile associated with at least one television viewer;

determining that the profile is active;

associating the captured information with the profile; and

storing the captured information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the profile is active comprises receiving log in information associated with the profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with viewed television content comprises metadata corresponding to television content displayed on a display device,

wherein the metadata includes at least time information and descriptive information, the time information comprising date information, a start viewing time, and a stop viewing time.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

disregarding the captured information when it is determined that the stop viewing time is within a threshold amount of the start viewing time.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the metadata further includes at least one of title information, channel information, content type information, genre information, rating information, video format information, actor information, director information, or producer information.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

obtaining program guide information corresponding to available content; and

capturing the information associated with the viewed television content from the obtained program guide information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the request to display viewing history information is received from an authorized user; and

retrieving and displaying at least some of the captured information when the request to display viewing history information is received from an authorized user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the authorized user is an account holder associated with a device used to view the television content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to display viewing history information designates a viewing history time period associated with the request.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the time period is a default time period.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the captured information further comprises:

displaying a timeline element corresponding to the viewing history time period; and

displaying a content marker on the timeline element, wherein the content marker is associated with the television content viewed during the viewing history time period.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the viewed television content comprises more than one television program viewed during the viewing history time period, the method further comprising:

displaying more than one content marker on the timeline element, the more than one content marker corresponding to the more than one television program viewed during the viewing history time period.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the captured information further comprises storing the captured information on a device remote from a device used to view the television content, and

wherein the request to display viewing history information is received at the remote device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the device used to view the television content comprises a set-top box (STB).

16. A device, comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive television content,

wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive descriptive information relating to the television content;

a memory to store at least some of the descriptive information relating to the television content;

an output interface for displaying selected elements of the received television content; and

logic configured to;

receive a request to display a first selected element of the received television content;

output the first selected element of received television content on the output interface; and

store information associated with the first selected element of the received television content in the memory,

wherein the stored information comprises descriptive information associated with the first selected element of the received television content and time information corresponding to a start time of the output.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the information associated with the first selected element of the received television content is stored as a content viewing entry in a database in the memory.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the first selected element of received television content comprises live television content, recorded television content, on-demand television content, games content, or widgets content.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the logic is further configured to:

receive a request to display a second selected element of the received television content that is different than the first selected element;

store a stop time associated with the request to display the second selected element with the information associated with the first selected element of the received television content;

output the second selected element on the output interface; and

store information associated with the second selected element in the memory, including a start time of the output of the second selected element.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the logic is further configured to:

receive a request to display viewing history information;

retrieve the stored information associated the captured first selected element of the received television content; and

output overview viewing history information based on at least some of the stored information on the output interface.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the request to display viewing history information designates a viewing history time period associated with the request.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the logic configured to output the overview viewing history information is further configured to:

output a viewing history interface that includes;

a timeline element corresponding to the viewing history time period; and

a content marker on the timeline element, wherein the content marker is associated with the first selected element during the viewing history time period.

23. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive television content, the television content having a number of content programs provided therein,

receive a request to view a selected content program from the number of content programs;

capture descriptive information associated with selected content program,

wherein the captured information includes a start time and a stop time associated with the viewing;

store the captured information;

receive a request to display viewing history information;

retrieve the captured information; and

display at least some of the captured information.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further including instructions for causing the at least one processor to:

establish a profile associated with at least one television viewer;

determine that the profile is active;

associate the captured information with the profile; and

store the captured information.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions for storing the captured information further comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to store the captured information on a device remote from a device used to view the television content, and

wherein the request to display viewing history information is received at the remote device.