APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE COMBINING ASSET LISTINGS

• US 20110040755A1
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Vickers, Mark A., Hindle, James, Scheyen, Peter G. N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,967,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2358 for generating different versions, e.g. for different recipient devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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

Abstract

A system, method and API for processing and providing a unified list of the content offerings of multiple content sources.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

processing, by a processor, a list of records identifying assets remotely stored by a data source and that satisfy a search criterion, wherein at least one record in the list comprises an extension portion and a priority portion indicating that a first class of a plurality of classes of devices is to process the extension portion;

querying a local storage to obtain a list of locally stored assets that conform to the search criterion; and

merging the list of locally stored assets with the list of records to create a combined list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority portion indicates which of the plurality of classes is to store the extension portion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one record comprises a base portion that is processable by each of the plurality of classes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the extension portion refers to the base portion in the at least one record and comprises a data field with information specific to the base portion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the extension portion is one of a plurality of extension portions each being associated with a respective priority portion.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the extension portion in response to determining by the processor that a device associated with the processor is within the first class.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a filter object corresponding to a request for content schedule information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a first plurality of records from the combined list in response to the filter object; and

providing a second plurality of records from the combined list in response to a command.

9. A method comprising:

querying each of a plurality of data sources using a search criterion;

merging, by a processor, a list of records provided by each of the queried data sources into a combined list, wherein at least one record in the combined list comprises an extension portion and a priority portion indicating that a first class of a plurality of classes of devices is to process the extension portion; and

causing communication of the combined list to a device for merging with a second list resulting from querying of a storage device local to the device using the search criterion.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising limiting a number of results associated with the search criterion.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the priority portion indicates whether each of the plurality of classes is to store the extension portion.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one record comprises a base portion that is processable by all of the plurality of classes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the extension portion refers to the base portion in the at least one record and comprises a data field with information specific to the base portion.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the extension portion is one of a plurality of extension portions each being associated with a respective priority portion.

15. A method comprising:

processing a data record received from a database;

segmenting, by a processor, the data record into a base record comprising basic data for implementing an application and an extension record comprising extended data for providing additional features of the application; and

causing communication of the data record.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the processing of the data record further comprises identifying the data record as having a first type of a plurality of types.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first type comprises an event type, a service type, an event detail, or an application detail.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising adding a priority level to the data record.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the priority level indicates a class of device capable of processing the extended data.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the extension record refers to the base record and comprises a data field with information specific to the base record.