Dynamic adjustment of electronic program guide displays based on viewer preferences for minimizing navigation in VOD program selection

• US 20100325655A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Inventors: Perez, Milton Diaz
• Granted Patent: US 9,344,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/4312 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 21/47202 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 of using an individual electronic program guide (EPG) for management of links to on-demand TV programs on a TV services platform of a digital TV service provider, which is of the type employing a closed system of pre-screened and pre-programmed video content selectable for viewing by TV service subscribers upon request using their TV remote control units to control set-top boxes connected to their TV display equipment, comprising:

(a) establishing a viewer-individualized EPG by enabling an individual viewer to access an individual EPG for an on-demand channel or other video-on-demand (VOD) application through a Log-In step by which the individual viewer can be uniquely identified;

(b) enabling the individual viewer while logged in to the individual EPG to select a title of an on-demand TV program listed on the individual EPG as a link to the on-demand TV program for later reference; and

(c) enabling the selected link to the on-demand TV program to be saved as a bookmark address which can be retrieved by the individual viewer for later reference.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each title for an on-demand TV program listed on the individual EPG is associated with metadata structured as a string of category and subcategory terms separated by delimiters corresponding to the position of the title in a hierarchically categorized ordering of categories and subcategories of the individual EPG.

3. A method according to claim 2 further comprising:

enabling receipt on the TV services platform of the digital TV service provider of converted and uploaded video content from a video content provider on the Internet into a formatted on-demand TV program with associated metadata for specifying position of its title in the hierarchically categorized ordering of categories and subcategories of the individual EPG.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the bookmark address corresponds to a URL address for the video content on the Internet in a common addressing scheme with the on-demand TV program on the individual EPG.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the video content is provided from one or more sources of the group consisting of:

(a) user-generated content from Internet users;

(b) web-based content from video content websites;

(c) digital video from mobile platforms; and

(d) digital video from Internet-connected portable devices.

6. A method according to claim 3 wherein the on-demand TV programs with associated metadata are received from a web-based content management system for providers of video content corresponding to the on-demand TV program content.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the web-based content management system is enabled to receive a saved bookmark address for an on-demand TV program on the individual EPG and use it in the URL address for the video content on the Internet in a common addressing scheme with the on-demand TV program on the electronic program guide.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the saved bookmark address is used by sending it to another TV service subscriber of the digital TV services provider system for addressing the on-demand TV program on the other TV service subscriber'"'"'s individual EPG.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the saved bookmark address is used by sending it in email to a user on the Internet to enable access to corresponding video content at a URL address containing the bookmark address.

10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

enabling an individual viewer to register a name and a personal identification number (PIN) to uniquely identify that individual viewer, and for the Log-In step the viewer selects their name from a list of previously registered viewers and enters their PIN.

11. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

tracking the individual viewer'"'"'s selections of on-demand TV programs on the individual EPG as selection data, and saving the selection data as a past history of the viewer'"'"'s TV program preferences.

12. A method according to claim 11 further comprising:

using the viewer past history of selection data for determining an order of relevance of categories of on-demand TV programs preferred by the viewer, and at the start of each session when the individual viewer logs in to the individual EPG, ordering a current display listing of categories for on-demand TV programs on the individual EPG in accordance with the categories preferred by the individual viewer based on said determined order of relevance.

13. A method according to claim 12, 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.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the current display listing of categories is ordered by listing a predetermined number of categories of higher relevance on the display listing, and maintaining all other categories of lower relevance out-of-sight on a following display.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the other category names of lower relevance are accessed by activating a “

More”

button on the EPG display listing.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein the ordering of categories is updated upon transition of the viewer from a generalized EPG for all viewers of the on-demand channel or other VOD application to the viewer-individualized EPG.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein the display listing of the viewer-individualized EPG displays a listing of top level categories for viewing on-demand TV programs based on relevance for all viewers of the on-demand channel or other VOD application.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the display listing of the viewer-individualized EPG displays a listing of subcategories for each category for viewing on-demand TV programs based on relevance for all viewers on the on-demand channel or other VOD application.

19. A method according to claim 12, wherein a “

favorites”

category is created on the viewer-individualized EPG and populated with links to on-demand TV programs most frequently selected by the viewer.

20. A method according to claim 12, wherein a “

saved bookmarks”

category is created on the viewer-individualized EPG and populated with links to on-demand TV programs selected by the viewer to be saved as bookmark addresses.