SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR ASSOCIATING APPLICATIONS WITH AN ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE

• US 20120023525A1
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rothschild, Keith Alan, Bagley, Julius Bert, Ames, Robert Lee Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,739,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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

Systems and methods for associating applications with an electronic program guide are provided. An electronic program guide that includes television schedule information organized in a grid by time and channel may be generated. The electronic program guide may be configured for presentation to a user by an electronic program guide application executed by a programming processing component associated with the user. A second application different from the electronic program guide application may be associated with an entry in the grid of the electronic program guide. The second application may be configured for execution by the programming processing component based at least in part upon the user selecting the entry. Once generated, the electronic program guide may be output for receipt by the programming processing component.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a data server, an electronic program guide comprising television schedule information organized in a grid by time and channel, wherein the electronic program guide is presented to a user by an electronic program guide application executed by a programming processing component associated with the user;

associating, by the data server with an entry in the grid of the electronic program guide, a second application different from the electronic program guide application, wherein the second application is executed by the programming processing component based at least in part upon the user selecting the entry; and

directing, by the data server, the output of the electronic program guide for receipt by the programming processing component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating a second application comprises embedding the second application in data associated with the entry in the grid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein associating a second application comprises including a link to the second application in the data associated with the entry in the grid.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second application is accessed by the programming processing component from one of (i) a memory associated with the data server, (ii) a local memory associated with the programming processing component, or (iii) a carousel data stream that is accessible by the programming processing component.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the data server from the programming processing component, a request for the second application; and

directing, by the data server to the programming processing component, the communication of information associated with the second application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the data server from the programming processing component based upon an execution of the second application by the programming processing component, information associated with the second application; and

processing, by the data server, the received information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application is executed by the programming processing component in parallel with the electronic program guide application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution of the electronic program guide application is suspended once the second application is executed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application comprises one of (i) an Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) application, (ii) a Java application, (iii) an AppleScript application, (iv) a Virtual Basic for Applications (VBA) application, (v) a Common List Object System (CLOS) application, (vi) an Eiffel application, (vii) a Sather application, (viii) a Perl application, or (ix) an Obliq application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application comprises one of (i) an application that facilitates the purchase of an on demand or pay-per-view program, (ii) an application that facilitates the scheduling of a program by a recording device, (iii) an application that facilitates the purchase of goods or services, or (iv) an application that facilitates the rating of a program.

11. A data server, comprising:

at least one communications interface configured to communicate an electronic program guide to a programming processing component associated with a user, wherein the electronic program guide is presented to the user by an electronic program guide application executed by the programming processing component; and

at least one processor configured to (i) generate the electronic program guide, the guide comprising television schedule information organized in a grid by time and channel, (ii) associate, with an entry in the grid, a second application different from the electronic program guide application, wherein the second application is executed by the programming processing component based at least in part upon the user selecting the entry, and (iii) direct the at least one communications interface to communicate the electronic program guide to the programming processing component.

12. The data server of claim 11, wherein:

the at least one communications interface is further configured to receive guide data from one or more content providers, and

the at least one processor is further configured to generate the electronic program guide based at least in part on the received guide data.

13. The data server of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor associates the second application with the entry by embedding the second application in data associated with the entry.

14. The data server of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor associates the second application with the entry by including a link to the second application in the data associated with the entry.

15. The data server of claim 14, wherein the second application is accessed by the programming processing component from one of (i) a memory associated with the data server, (ii) a local memory associated with the programming processing component, or (iii) a carousel data stream that is accessible by the programming processing component.

16. The data server of claim 11, wherein:

the at least one communications interface is further configured to receive, from the programming processing component based upon an execution of the second application by the programming processing component, information associated with the second application, and

the at least one processor is further configured to process the received information.

17. The data server of claim 11, wherein the second application is executed by the programming processing component in parallel with the electronic program guide application.

18. The data server of claim 11, wherein the execution of the electronic program guide application is suspended once the second application is executed.

19. The data server of claim 11, wherein the second application comprises one of (i) an Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) application or (ii) a Java application, (iii) an AppleScript application, (iv) a Virtual Basic for Applications (VBA) application, (v) a Common List Object System (CLOS) application, (vi) an Eiffel application, (vii) a Sather application, (viii) a Perl application, or (ix) an Obliq application.

20. The data server of claim 11, wherein the second application comprises one of (i) an application that facilitates the purchase of an on demand or pay-per-view program, (ii) an application that facilitates the scheduling of a program by a recording device, (iii) an application that facilitates the purchase of goods or services, or (iv) an application that facilitates the rating of a program.

21. A programming processing component comprising:

at least one communications interface configured to receive a broadband signal comprising electronic program guide data, the electronic program guide data comprising television schedule information that is organized in a grid by time and channel for presentation to a user;

at least one user interface configured to receive user input associated with a displayed grid associated with the electronic program guide data; and

at least one processor configured to execute an electronic program guide application that (i) formats the grid for display to the user, wherein an entry of the grid is associated with a second application different from the electronic program guide application, (ii) outputs the grid for display to the user, and (iii) receives a user selection of the entry of the grid,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the second application based upon the received user selection.