BROADCASTING METHOD AND SYSTEM WITH VARIABLE AUDIO/VIDEO PROGRAM MENU

• US 20110252448A1
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpha Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alpha Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: LEE, TUNG-CHOU
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

A broadcasting system for AV program selection comprising a network, an AV signal providing system, a user device and a digital AV signal processing device is proposed. The network, the AV signal providing system, the user device and the digital AV signal processing device are in communication with each other via the network. A broadcasting method is applied to the AV signal providing system. The broadcasting method comprises steps of: providing a plurality of AV programs for selection; and transmitting an AV signal corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of AV programs to the digital AV signal processing device in response to a user'"'"'s selecting operation on an AV program menu revealed by way of the digital AV signal processing device, wherein the AV program menu contains information of only partial the plurality of AV programs, and is created by way of the user device.

Claims

1. A broadcasting method of an audio/video (AV) signal providing system, the AV signal providing system being communicable with a user device and a digital AV signal processing device via a network, the method comprising steps of:

providing a plurality of AV programs for selection; and

transmitting an AV signal corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of AV programs to the digital AV signal processing device in response to a user'"'"'s selecting operation on an AV program menu revealed by way of the digital AV signal processing device, wherein the AV program menu contains information of only partial the plurality of AV programs, and is created by way of the user device.

2. The broadcasting method according to claim 1, wherein the AV program menu is retrieved by accessing a file folder.

3. The broadcasting method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

providing a program guide to be fetched by the user device for a user'"'"'s reference to create the AV program menu.

4. The broadcasting method according to claim 1, further comprising steps of:

receiving and storing the AV program menu created by way of the user device; and

transmitting the AV program menu to the digital AV signal processing device via the network to be revealed and selected.

5. The broadcasting method for AV program selection according to claim 4, wherein the AV program menu is transmitted to the digital AV signal processing device in response to a request from the digital AV signal processing device.

6. The broadcasting method according to claim 1, the AV program menu to be operated for selectively transmitting the AV program signal is transmitted from the user device to the digital AV signal processing device via the network.

7. The broadcasting method according to claim 1, wherein the AV program menu to be operated for selectively transmitting the AV program signal is editable by way of the digital AV signal processing device.

8. The broadcasting method according to claim 1 further comprising a step of creating the AV program menu through a user interface provided by the digital AV signal processing device.

9. A broadcasting system, comprising:

a network;

an AV signal providing system, in communication with the network, for providing a plurality of AV programs;

a user device, in communication with the network, for creating an AV program menu containing only partial the plurality of AV programs; and

a digital AV signal processing device, in communication with the network, for revealing the AV program menu received via the network, and playing a selected one of the plurality of AV programs in response to a user'"'"'s selecting operation on the AV program menu revealed thereby.

10. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the program menu is retrieved by accessing a file folder.

11. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the AV signal providing system further provides a program guide to be fetched by the user device for a user'"'"'s reference to create the AV program menu.

12. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the AV program menu created by way of the user device is optionally received and stored by the AV signal providing system, and transmitted to the digital AV signal processing device to be revealed via the network.

13. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the AV program menu created by way of the user device is optionally received and stored by the user device, and transmitted to the digital AV signal processing device to be revealed via the network.

14. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the AV program menu is transmitted to the digital AV signal processing device to be revealed in response to a request from the digital AV signal processing device.

15. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the digital AV signal processing device provides an editing function for the AV program menu.

16. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the AV program menu is created based on a user interface provided by the digital AV signal processing device.