System and Method for Displaying Media Usage

• US 20110131593A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott, Scott, Charles, Mukerji, Ankur
• Granted Patent: US 8,631,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

A system for executing a method is disclosed for monitoring video data, the method including but not limited to monitoring end user activity data for media usage for a plurality of end user client devices associated with a designated group of end users in an internet protocol television (IPTV) system; receiving from a first one of the end user client devices, avatar data indicating at least one search criterion within the end user activity data; searching the end user activity data based on the at least one search criterion; and sending to the first one of the end user client devices, search result data from the search based on the at least one search criterion.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring video data, the method comprising:

monitoring end user activity data for media usage for a plurality of end user client devices associated with a designated group of end users in an internet protocol television (IPTV) system;

receiving from a first one of the end user client devices, avatar data indicating at least one search criterion within the end user activity data;

searching the end user activity data based on the at least one search criterion; and

sending to the first one of the end user client devices, search result data from the search based on the at least one search criterion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result further comprises electronic program guide data indicating program listings and a plurality of avatars representing a plurality of end users whose media usage indicates the end users'"'"' status, wherein the status is selected from the group consisting of watching, recording and have recorded at least one of the program listings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media further comprises data selected from the group consisting of video streams, end user requests, video channel changes, DVR schedules, audio, telephone, and internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result further comprises search result avatar data further comprising avatar search result attribute data indicating the search result wherein the search result avatar attribute indicates an end user attribute for an end user indicated by the search result.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the search result avatar attributes indicates a current end user client device type for the end user indicated by the search result avatar attribute.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the search result criterion further comprises a search criterion indicating a buddy list for the first one of the end user devices and a list of current end user devices for the buddy list.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the search result further comprises a search result avatar attribute indicating a current end user device type for each end user on the list of end users.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the search result further comprises an IPTV network component associated with the end user device for determining end users and current end user device types currently associated with the IPTV network component, wherein the IPTV network component is selected from the group consisting of a video hub office, intermediate office, central office and a digital service line aggregator.

9. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising:

receiving an avatar selection datum from the first one of the end user devices, wherein the avatar selection datum indicates a second end user current end user device; and

establishing communication between a current end user device for the first end user and the current end user device for the second end user.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the end user attribute is selected from the group consisting of gender, age and location.

11. A computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a computer are useful for monitoring video data, the computer program comprising:

instructions to monitor end user activity data for media usage for a plurality of end user client devices associated with a designated group of end users in an internet protocol television (IPTV) system;

instructions to receive from a first one of the end user client devices, an avatar indicating at least one search criterion within the end user activity data;

instructions to search the end user activity data based on the at least one search criterion; and

instructions to send to the first one of the end user client devices, a search result from the search based on the at least one search criterion.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the search result further comprises an electronic program guide indicating program listings and a plurality of avatars representing a plurality of end users whose media usage indicates that the end users status is selected from the group consisting of watching, recording and have recorded at least one of the program listings.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein the media further comprises data selected from the group consisting of video streams, end user requests, video channel changes, DVR schedules, audio, telephone, and internet.

14. The medium of claim 11, wherein the search result further comprises a search result avatar further comprising an avatar search result attribute indicating the search result wherein the search result avatar attribute indicates an end user attribute for an end user indicated by the search result.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein at least one of the search result avatar attributes indicates a current end user client device type for the end user indicated by the search result avatar attribute.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the search result criterion further comprises a search criterion indicating a buddy list for the first one of the end user devices and a list of current end user devices for the buddy list.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the search result further comprises a search result avatar attribute indicating a current end user device type for each end user on the list of end users.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the search result further comprises an IPTV network component associated with the end user device for determining end users and current end user device types currently associated with the IPTV network component, wherein the IPTV network component is selected from the group consisting of a video hub office, intermediate office, central office and a digital service line aggregator.

19. The medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

instructions to receive an avatar selection datum from the first one of the end user devices, wherein the avatar selection datum indicates a second end user current end user device; and

instructions to establish communication between a current end user device for the first end user and the current end user device for the second end user.

20. The medium of claim 14, wherein the end user attribute is selected from the group consisting of gender, age and location.