AUTOMATED PROGRAMMING RECORDING

• US 20100329644A1
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Rosenfeld, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,584,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/297
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• 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 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• 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 21/4334 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A method and system of providing access to television programs without requiring a user to operate an electronic programming guide or to independently determining information required to access the television program. Optionally, access to the television program may be facilitated by scheduling a recording of the televisions program or providing instructions to facilitate accessing an on-demand showing of the television program.

Claims

1. For use within a television system, a method of accessing a first or second television program advertised during playback of a third television program comprising:

embedding information within signaling tuned to by an output device that outputs related images to a display used to view the third program, the embedded information including information to facilitate accessing the first program in the event an access request is received during a first portion of the third program and information to facilitate accessing the second program in the event the access request is received during a second portion of the third program; and

providing access instructions for accessing the first or second program according to the embedded information based on whether the access request is received during the first or second portion of the third program.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the access instructions to the output device such that the output device automatically tunes to an on-demand showing of the first or second program.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the access instructions to a recorder associated with the output device such that the recorder automatically schedules a recording of the first or second program.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the access instructions to a user profile associated with a user making the access request such that a favorites folder within the user profile is automatically updated to facilitate access to first or second program.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the access request is received during the first or second portion of the third program depending on a segment ID associated with the images showing proximate in time to receipt of the access request.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising instructing the output device to transmit the segment ID within a message sent to an access controller, the access controller providing the access instructions for accessing the first and second programs.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the output device includes an electronic programming guide (EPG) application for displaying user navigable options to facilitate selecting programs for on-demand viewing or to facilitate selecting programs for automated recording, and wherein the method further comprises determining the access request while the EPG application is not displaying the user navigable options and images related to the third program are being output to the display.

8. A method of scheduling a recorder to record a program from an upcoming linear television broadcast in which the program is to be shown during a particular time period and on a particular channel, the recorder requiring recording information that identifies the time period and channel of the program in order to schedule the recording, the method comprising:

associating the program with a reference id;

cross-referencing the reference id with the recording information;

associating the reference ID with a commercial to be played during playback of another program other than the program;

in response to receiving a recording request, determining whether the recording request resulted from playback of the commercial;

if the request resulted from playback of the commercial, identifying the reference ID associated with the commercial;

retrieving the recording information cross-referenced with the reference ID identified in the recording request; and

transmitting a scheduling request to the recorder to schedule the recording of the program, the scheduling request including the retrieved recording information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a device supports playback of the another program by tuning to television channels and outputting related images to a display, and the method further comprises determining the recording request to result from playback of the commercial if the recording request is received from the device while the device was tuned to the another program at a time proximate to playback of the commercial.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising instructing the device to provide a pop-up icon to prompt a user to request the recording.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein associating the reference ID with the another program includes embedding the reference ID within the broadcast of the another program to be retrieved by the device.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising associating the reference ID with the commercial by embedding data used to identify the reference ID within a segment of the another program used to carry the commercial.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the data identifies the reference ID.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the data identifies a segment ID of the segment and the method further comprises:

prior to transmission of the another program, associating the reference ID with the commercial by cross-referencing the segment ID of the commercial with the reference ID; and

after receiving the request, identifying the reference ID from the cross-referenced segment ID.

15. A method of scheduling a recorder to record a first program from a television transmission, the method comprising:

during playback of a second program other than the first program, transmitting recording instructions to the recorder to schedule the recording of the first program in response to determining a recording request for the first program, wherein at least a part of the recording instructions are determined based on information carried within the second program.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining the recording request if a record input is received while a user watches a commercial associated with the first program during playback of the second program.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising transmitting all of the recording instructions needed by the recorder to schedule the recording solely from data embedded within a transport stream used to transport the second program.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising including instructions within the recording instructions transmitted to the recorder to prompt the recorder to request at least a portion of the recording instructions from a remote server, wherein the recorder identifies the at least the portion of the recording instructions from information carried within the second program.

19. A system for providing access to television programs comprising:

a service provider for transmitting television signals to a plurality of subscribers, the television signals being tuned to by an output device to facilitate playback of a television program;

a controller configured to cross-reference segment IDs included within the television signals of a first program with second and third sets of instructions, the second and third sets of instructions being used to facilitate accessing second and third programs;

wherein the controller, upon receipt of segment IDs cross-referenced respectively with the second and third programs, transmits;

(i) the second set of instructions to the output device such that the output device automatically tunes to an on-demand showing of the second program; and

(ii) the third set of instructions to a recorder such that the recorder automatically records the third program.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising the controller is only configured to cross-reference segments ID occurring during advertisements with the second and third sets of instructions.