DYNAMIC PROGRAM GUIDE INFORMATION

• US 20110162008A1
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: ALDREY, Raul, KASSAM, Shafiq
• Granted Patent: US 8,528,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup

Abstract

A set-top box may receive program guide information from a server. The program guide information may identify a group of programs and specify, for each program, an indicator of set-top boxes tuned to the each program or providing the each program. The set-top box may further provide, to a display and using the received program guide information, a program guide, where the program guide represents each program, in the group of programs, as a shape, and where a size of each shape corresponds to the indicator of set-top boxes tuned to the represented program or providing the represented program. The set-top box may also receive updated program guide information from the server and dynamically increase or decrease at least one shape in the program guide, based on the updated program guide information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a set-top box to;

receive, from a server, program guide information, the program guide information relating to a group of programs and specifying, for each program, an indicator of set-top boxes tuned to the each program or providing the each program,

provide, to a display and using the received program guide information, a program guide, the program guide representing the programs, in the group of programs, as shapes, where a size of each shape corresponds to the indicator of set-top boxes tuned to the represented program or providing the represented program,

receive, from the server and subsequent to the providing, updated program guide information, and

dynamically increase or decrease sizes of the shapes based on the updated program guide information.

2. The system of claim 1, where the set-top box is further to:

detect a trigger, and

transmit a request for the program guide information in response to detecting the trigger,

where the trigger includes at least one of;

a first signal representing that the set-top box has been tuned to a particular television channel,

a second signal representing that a program guide menu item has been selected, or

a third signal representing that the set-top box has received a fourth signal from a remote control indicating a desire to initiate the program guide.

3. The system of claim 1, where the set-top box is further to:

receive, from a user, first information identifying the shapes, and

receive, from the user, second information identifying a quantity of programs to be provided in the program guide, and

where the set-top box provides the program guide based on the first information and the second information.

4. The system of claim 1, where the received program guide information includes, for each program in the group of programs, text indicating a time period at which the each program airs, and

where, when providing the program guide, the set-top box is further to:

cause the text to be displayed, in the program guide, in association with the shapes.

5. The system of claim 1, where the received program guide information includes, for each program in the group of programs, information indicating a program category with which the each program is associated, and

where, when providing the program guide, the set-top box is further to:

cause the shapes to be grouped, in the program guide, based on the information indicating the program category with which each program is associated.

6. The system of claim 1, where the received program guide information includes, for each program in the group of programs, information indicating a source category with which the each program is associated, and

where, when providing the program guide, the set-top box is further to:

cause the shapes to be grouped, in the program guide, based on the information indicating the source category with which each program is associated.

7. The system of claim 1, where the received program guide information includes information identifying one or more geographic regions, and

where, when providing the program guide, the set-top box is further to:

cause the shapes to be grouped, in the program guide, based on the information identifying the one or more geographic regions.

8. The system of claim 1, where the set-top box is further to:

receive a set of program guide configuration parameters from a user, and

where, when providing the program guide, the set-top box is to;

provide the program guide in accordance with the received set of program guide configuration parameters.

9. The system of claim 1, where the set-top box is further to:

detect selection of one shape in the program guide, and one of;

tune, in response to detecting the selection, to the program represented by the one shape,

present, in response to detecting the selection, an opportunity to download the program represented by the one shape, or

present, in response to detecting the selection, an opportunity to purchase the program represented by the one shape.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server, program information from a plurality of set-top boxes, the program information including information identifying programs to which the plurality of set-top boxes are tuned or that are being provided by the plurality of set-top boxes;

accumulating, by the server, the received program information to obtain a quantity value for at least one program identified in the program information, the quantity value representing a quantity of set-top boxes, of the plurality of set-top boxes, tuned to the at least one program or currently providing the at least one program; and

providing, by the server and to the one set-top box, information identifying the at least one program and information relating to the obtained quantity value, the information identifying the at least one program and the information relating to the obtained quantity value being used by the one set-top box in providing a program guide.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

maintaining a database that associates programs with quantity values that represent quantities of set-top boxes tuned to the programs or providing the programs; and

updating the quantity values in real time.

12. The method of claim 11, where the database further associates the programs with images or links to images associated with the programs, and

where the providing the information identifying the at least one program and the information relating to the obtained quantity value includes:

providing an image associated with the at least one program.

13. The method of claim 11, where the database further associates the programs with text that provides information related to the programs, and

where the providing the information identifying the at least one program and the information relating to the obtained quantity value includes:

providing text associated with the at least one program.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

updating the quantity value for the at least one program; and

transmitting information relating to the updated quantity value to the one set-top box.

15. A system comprising:

a server to;

receive, from a plurality of set-top boxes, program information that identifies, for each set-top box of the plurality of set-top boxes, a program to which the each set-top box is tuned or which the each set-top box is providing,

determine, for a plurality of programs identified in the program information, quantity indicators, each quantity indicator representing, for each program in the plurality of programs, a quantity of set-top boxes that are tuned to or providing the each program, and

provide program guide information, the provided program guide information including information identifying the plurality of programs and the determined quantity indicators,

a first set-top box to;

receive the program guide information from the server,

provide, to a display and using the received program guide information, a program guide, the program guide representing one or more of the plurality of programs as shapes, where a size of each shape is based on the quantity indicator of the represented program.

16. The system of claim 15, where the server is further to:

send, to the set-top box, an update to the quantity indicators, and

where the set-top box is further to;

dynamically increase or decrease the sizes of the shapes based on the update.

17. The system of claim 16, where, when dynamically increasing or decreasing the sizes of the shapes, the set-top box is to:

increase a first shape when the update indicates that the associated quantity indicator increased, and

decrease a second shape when the update indicates that the associated quantity indicator decreased.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, by a set-top box, program guide information from a server, the program guide information identifying a group of programs and specifying, for each program, an indication of set-top boxes tuned to the each program or providing the each program;

providing, from the set-top box to a display and using the received program guide information, a program guide, the program guide representing each program, in the group of programs, as a shape, where a size of each shape corresponds to the indication of set-top boxes tuned to the represented program or providing the represented program;

receiving updated program guide information from the server; and

dynamically increasing or decreasing at least one shape in the program guide, based on the updated program guide information.

19. The method of claim 18, where the providing the program guide includes:

providing the program guide as a sidebar or scroll bar on the display while a program is being provided by the set-top box to the display.

20. The method of claim 18, where the received program guide information includes, for each program in the group of programs, information indicating a program category with which the each program is associated, and

where the providing the program guide includes:

causing the shapes to be grouped, in the program guide, based on the information indicating the program category with which each program is associated.

21. The method of claim 18, where the received program guide information includes, for each program in the group of programs, information indicating a source category with which the each program is associated, and

where the providing the program guide includes:

causing the shapes to be grouped, in the program guide, based on the information indicating the source category with which each program is associated.

22. The method of claim 18, where the received program guide information includes information identifying one or more geographic regions, and

where the providing the program guide includes:

causing the shapes to be grouped, in the program guide, based on the information identifying the one or more geographic regions.