MEDIA CONTENT RETRIEVAL SYSTEM AND PERSONAL VIRTUAL CHANNEL

• US 20100299701A1
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wu, Ying, Ning, Wei, Discolo, Anthony Vincent, Hollingum, Rathe, Bordelet, Renaud, Ma, Zhen, Liu, Min
• Granted Patent: US 8,813,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

A system is disclosed for media content search and retrieval, and a virtual television channel capable of using that system. The present system may be implemented on a computing device, such as for example a media service server, and a client device, such as for example a set top box for a television system, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant or a gaming console. A first aspect of the present system relates to a media download control engine which enables a client device with limited capabilities to play media content which comes from a website in a format not supported by the client device. A second aspect of the present system may make use of the media download control engine to obtain media content and create customized virtual channels. The second aspect in particular relates to a virtual channel engine that schedules a continuous stream of content for the user, which content is selected based on topics of interest to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for programming a processor of a computing device to perform a method of enabling a client device networked to the computing device to play media files, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting the media file formats supported by the client device;

(b) directing the client device to contact the computing device to obtain a media file in a format not supported by the client device;

(c) directing the client device to contact a remote location directly to obtain a media file in a format supported by the client device;

(d) receiving a request from the client device to obtain a media file in a format not supported by the client device;

(e) obtaining the media file requested in said step (d);

(f) transcoding the media file obtained in said step (e) into a format supported by the client device; and

(g) forwarding the media file transcoded in said step (f) to the client device for playing by the client device.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(h) receiving a request from the client device to perform a search of media files,

(i) contacting a remote location,

(j) obtaining categories of available media files from the remote location,

(k) formatting the categories into data structures including links to the categories of available media files at the remote location, and

(l) sending the formatted data structures to the client device.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, further comprising the step of receiving a request from the client device to view one or more of the categories of available media files and contacting the remote location to obtain the requested one or more categories.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said steps (b) and (c) comprise the step of sending data structures to the client device for use by the client device in obtaining the media files.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, further comprising the step of the data structures specifying links to be used by the client device in requesting the media files.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein said step (b) of directing the client device to contact the computing device to obtain a media file in a format not supported by the client device comprises the step of sending the client device a data structure having a link specifying a connection to the computing device.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein said step (c) of directing the client device to contact a remote location directly to obtain a media file in a format supported by the client device comprises the step of sending the client device a data structure having a link specifying a direct connection to the location of the requested media file.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said step (g) of forwarding the media file transcoded in said step (f) to the client device comprises the step of forwarding the media file transcoded in said step (f) to one of a set top box associated with a television system, a mobile phone and a gaming console.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for programming a processor to perform a method of enabling a client device to play media files on virtual television channel, the client device networked to a computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a root search query;

(b) generating search results for the root search query;

(c) generating one or more derivative search queries from the root search query;

(d) generating search results for the one or more derivative search queries;

(e) creating the virtual television channel including content from the search results of the root query generated in said step (b) and including content from the search results of the one or more derivative search queries in said step (d);

(f) detecting by the computing device the file formats supported by the client device;

(g) obtaining the content included in the virtual television channel, content in a format supported by the client device being sent directly from a source of the supported content to the client device, and content in a format not supported by the client device being sent from a source of the unsupported content to the computing device;

(h) transcoding content sent to the computing device in said step (g) into a file format supported by the client device; and

(i) sending content transcoded in said step (h) to the client device.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising the step of dividing the content on the virtual channel into programs of predefined length.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein said step of dividing the content on the virtual channel into programs comprises the step of dividing the content into programs, each program relating to the root search query or a different derivative search query.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising the step of playing the content on the virtual television channel according to a schedule setting the time for content playback some predetermined period of time into the future.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising the step of the client device directly contacting a source of the supported contact to request the supported content.

14. A method of generating a virtual channel including media content, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a root search query;

(b) generating search results for the root query;

(c) generating one or more derivative search queries from the root search query;

(d) generating search results for the one or more derivative search queries;

(e) creating the virtual television channel including content from the search results of the root query generated in said step (b) and including content from the search results of the one or more derivative search queries in said step (d);

(f) parsing the content into different programs, each program created from the root search query results and the one or more derivative search query results; and

(g) displaying the programs to a user without the user specifying the content to be displayed.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of generating one or more additional derivative search queries from the one or more derivative search queries, and generating search results for the one or more additional derivative search queries.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of playing the content on the virtual television channel according to a predetermined schedule setting the time for content playback some predetermined period of time into the future.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of adjusting the schedule of programs to omit originally scheduled programs and/or add new programs based on a step of receiving feedback received from the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of receiving feedback from the user comprises the step of storing instances of skipping, fast forwarding and/or rewinding of content in a program.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said step (g) of displaying the programs to a user comprises the step of displaying the programs to a user via an electronic program guide, where the virtual television channel appears along with other channels in the electronic program guide and the different programs for the virtual television channel are presented along with programs on the other channels.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of assigning a name to the virtual channel and programs on the virtual channel, the name of the virtual channel taken from the root search query, and the names of programs taken from the derivative search queries.