METHOD AND SYSTEM TO NAVIGATE VIEWABLE CONTENT

• US 20110090402A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Kanarck, Jordan, Merkoski, David A., Pering, Celine, Huntington, Matthew, Terada, Gina, Wagner, Joshua, Nazarian, David Scott, Zeldis, Andrew, Marr, Jared, Rottler, Benjamin A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,701,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/564
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739

Abstract

A method and system to navigate viewable content in the context of television entertainment is provided. In one example embodiment, the system comprises a presentation module to present main content on a display screen, a communications module to receive a first request associated with a first directional key on a remote control device, a navigation mode detector to determine a navigation mode associated with the first request; a margin menu module to activate a margin menu associated with the determined navigation mode. The margin menu may be presented along one of the margins of a display screen, while permitting viewing of the main content.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a presentation module to present main content on a display screen;

a communications module to receive a first request associated with a first directional key on a remote control device;

a navigation mode detector to determine a navigation mode associated with the first request;

a margin menu module to activate a margin menu associated with the determined navigation mode, the margin menu to be presented along one of margins of a display screen, while permitting viewing of the main content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the presentation module is to display the margin menu at a position on a display screen, the position being related to a direction indicated on the first directional key.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first directional key is an “

Up”

directional key; and

the margin menu module is to display the margin menu the margin menu is along a top border of the display screen.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the presentation module is to display the content item on a television screen; and

the communications module is to receive the first request from a remote control device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the communications module is to receive a second request, the second request associated with a second directional key;

the navigation mode detector is to determine that the second directional key is associated with a direction that is opposite to a direction associated with the first directional key; and

a deactivating module to deactivate the navigation mode in response to the second request.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the communications module is to receive a third request;

the navigation mode detector is to determine that the third request is associated with the first directional key; and

the presentation module is to display an expanded interface associated with the margin menu to provide expanded functionality associated with the navigation mode.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the presentation module is to display the expanded interface while obscuring the main content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the margin menu is to permit a viewer to navigate library content items.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the margin menu is to permit a viewer to navigate search results.

10. The system of claim 1, including an anticipation engine to generate one or more of recommended content items, wherein the margin menu is to include the one or more recommended content items.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the margin menu is to include the one or more recommended content items, the one or more recommended content items generated based on a profile of a viewer.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the margin menu module is to:

detect a request associated with a further directional key, a direction associated with the further directional key being at 90 degrees with respect to the first directional key; and

in response to the request, shift focus to a next content item in the margin menu.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the margin menu module is to:

detect a preview request associated with a next content item in the margin menu

activate a preview of the next content item in the margin menu; and

activate a preview mode for the next content item.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the margin menu is to facilitate access to content from sources, the sources selected from a group consisting of a currently playing broadcast source, a video on demand source, a local content repository, a local network source, and the Internet.

15. A system comprising:

a communications module to receive a first request associated with a first directional key on a remote control device;

a navigation mode detector to determine that an active navigation mode is associated with the first directional key, the active navigation mode being associated with a currently active margin menu;

an expanded interface module to activate an expanded navigation interface associated with the currently active margin menu.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein;

the active margin menu is a recommendation margin menu; and

the expanded interface is a recommendation grid.

17. The system of claim 16, including:

an anticipation engine to locate one or more of recommended content items based on metadata associated with a currently viewed content item; and

a presentation module to present one or more of recommended content items for viewing.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the anticipation engine is to:

detect a first request to select a first recommended content item;

determine a first directional key associated with the first request;

detect a second request to select a second recommended content item;

determine that a directional key associated with the second request is the first directional key;

determine a keyword associated with the second recommended content item; and

create an association between a direction associated with the first directional key and the keyword.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the recommendation grid includes a source content item and a plurality of recommended content items.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the recommendation grid includes refined recommended content items in addition to the source content item and the plurality of recommended content items, the anticipation engine to locate the refined recommended content items based on an item from the recommended content items.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein;

the active margin menu is a library margin menu; and

the expanded interface is a library grid, the library grid to present content items designated by a viewer as being of interest.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the content items presented in the library grid are arranged according to a plurality of categories.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of categories includes one or more categories defined by the viewer.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the active margin menu is a search margin menu; and

the expanded interface is a search grid.

25. A system comprising:

a communications module to receive a first request associated with a first directional key on a remote control device;

a navigation mode detector to determine that an active navigation mode is associated with the first directional key, the active navigation mode being associated with broadcast content navigation; and

an expanded interface module to activate a broadcast grid.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the expanded interface module is to display a currently playing content item from the broadcast grid as streaming video.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the expanded interface module is to visually emphasize one or more content items displayed within the broadcast grid to indicate a recommendation.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the recommendation is associated with a profile of a viewer.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the expanded interface module is to:

detect a navigation request associated with a channel brand; and

present content items associated with the channel brand.