VIRTUAL MEDIA SHELF

• US 20110289445A1
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Trenz, Daniel Wright
• Application Number:
  US12/875,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20110289445A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85406 involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A computer-implemented system and method for providing a virtual media shelf user interface for content browsing and selection in a content system are disclosed. The system and method in an example embodiment include: gathering available content information related to particular items of content from at least one source of a plurality of content sources via a data network; processing the content information, by using a processor, to provide a digital representation of a content item, the digital representation corresponding to a spine of physical media associated with the content item; receiving a selection of the content item, the selection being in response to a user action performed on the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item; and displaying an expanded set of information associated with the content item in response to receiving the selection of the content item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

gathering available content information related to particular items of content from at least one source of a plurality of content sources via a data network;

processing the content information, by using a processor, to provide a digital representation of a content item, the digital representation corresponding to a spine of physical media associated with the content item;

receiving a selection of the content item, the selection being in response to a user action performed on the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item; and

displaying an expanded set of information associated with the content item in response to receiving the selection of the content item.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 including normalizing the gathered content information by using an ingestion engine.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the content information includes spine image information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item includes representing a spine image.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the selection being in response to a user mouse click performed on the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 including processing the content information by extracting metadata from the content information.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the expanded set of information associated with the content item includes a digital representation of a front cover design corresponding to the physical media.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the expanded set of information associated with the content item includes a digital representation of a back cover design corresponding to the physical media.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 including providing a user interface object to enable a user to select between a view of a digital representation of a front cover design corresponding to the physical media or a view of a digital representation of a back cover design corresponding to the physical media.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 including delivering a selected item of content to a user platform of a user.

11. A system comprising:

one or more data processors;

a data network interface in communication with the one or more data processors;

a database for storing processed content information and accessible to the one or more data processors;

a user interface component having a data network interface, the user interface component being executable by the one or more data processors to;

gather available content information related to particular items of content from at least one source of a plurality of content sources via a data network;

process the content information to provide a digital representation of a content item, the digital representation corresponding to a spine of physical media associated with the content item;

receive a selection of the content item, the selection being in response to a user action performed on the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item; and

display an expanded set of information associated with the content item in response to receiving the selection of the content item.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the user interface component being configured to normalize the gathered content information by using an ingestion engine.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the content information includes spine image information.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item includes representing a spine image.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the selection being in response to a user mouse click performed on the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the user interface component being configured to process the content information by extracting metadata from the content information.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the expanded set of information associated with the content item includes a digital representation of a front cover design corresponding to the physical media.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the expanded set of information associated with the content item includes a digital representation of a back cover design corresponding to the physical media.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the user interface component being configured to provide a user interface object to enable a user to select between a view of a digital representation of a front cover design corresponding to the physical media or a view of a digital representation of a back cover design corresponding to the physical media.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the user interface component being configured to deliver a selected item of content to a user platform of a user.

21. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable storage medium having machine executable instructions embedded thereon, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

gather available content information related to particular items of content from at least one source of a plurality of content sources via a data network;

process the content information to provide a digital representation of a content item, the digital representation corresponding to a spine of physical media associated with the content item;

receive a selection of the content item, the selection being in response to a user action performed on the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item; and

display an expanded set of information associated with the content item in response to receiving the selection of the content item.

22. A user platform with a data network interface, the user platform comprising:

a content information cache; and

a user interface component being executable by one or more data processors to;

gather available content information related to particular items of content from at least one source of a plurality of content sources via a data network;

process the content information to provide a digital representation of a content item, the digital representation corresponding to a spine of physical media associated with the content item;

receive a selection of the content item, the selection being in response to a user action performed on the digital representation corresponding to the spine of physical media associated with the content item; and

display an expanded set of information associated with the content item in response to receiving the selection of the content item.