AUTOMATIC CLIP GENERATION ON SET TOP BOX

• US 20120311633A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Mandrekar, Ishan, Cahnbley, Jens, Campana, David Anthony, Anderson, David Brian, Anthru, Shemimon Manalikudy
• Application Number:
  US13/578,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311633A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method of identifying and providing content to a user is described. The method is performed by a controller with an internet interface. A controller receives electronic program guide data, the electronic program guide data being selectively displayed on a primary display device. An attribute processor parses the received electronic program guide data to identify at least one program description attribute for a currently tuned program. A content processor searches the received electronic program guide and detects at least one further program having the identified at least one program description attribute. The content processor identifies the at least one further program as recommended content in step and a user interface generator generates, a user interface display including the recommended content user interface including a user selectable data item representing the recommended content for display on a secondary display device different from the primary display device.

Claims

1. A method of identifying and providing content to a user, the method performed by a controller with an internet interface, the method comprising:

a. receiving, by the controller, electronic program guide data, the electronic program guide data being selectively displayed on a primary display device;

b. parsing, by an attribute processor, the received electronic program guide data to identify at least one program description attribute for a currently tuned program;

c. searching, by a content processor, the received electronic program guide;

d. detecting, by the content processor, at least one further program having the identified at least one program description attribute;

e. identifying, by a content processor, the at least one further program as recommended content; and

f. generating, by a user interface generator, a user interface display including the recommended content including a user selectable data item representing the recommended content for display on a secondary display device different from the primary display device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching, by the internet interface, an external source of content information associated with a currently tuned program to identify metadata describing the currently tuned program; and

using the identified metadata and the identified at least one program description attribute in searching the electronic program guide data for the at least one further program to be identified as recommended content data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching, by the internet interface, at least one content provider for the at least one further program identified as recommended content data;

acquiring location information associated with the recommended content identifying a location on a communications network at which the recommended content may be accessed; and

providing the recommended content data and the location information to the user interface display processor for inclusion in the recommended content user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scrolling, via the controller, through a list of programs listed in the electronic program guide data; and

selecting, via the controller, a respective program in the list of programs by highlighting the respective program for a predetermined period of time; and

parsing, by an attribute processor, the received electronic program guide data to identify at least one program description attribute for a currently selected program;

searching, by a content processor, the received electronic program guide for at least one further program including the identified at least one program description attribute associated with the selected program and identified as recommended content; and

providing data representing the recommended content to the user interface display processor for including the recommended content in the recommended content user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

storing the information identifying recommended content including the identified program that corresponds to the at least one program description attribute in a in a memory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

generating user profile data including the at least one program description attribute;

and

associating the user profile data with a secondary display device using a unique device identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising

automatically updating the user profile data with a plurality of program description attributes derived from at least one of (a) tuning a program different from the currently tuned program and (b) selecting a program as an active program during program guide navigation.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising

parsing, by an attribute processor, the received electronic program guide data to identify at least one program description attribute that matches the user profile data;

searching, by a content processor, the received electronic program guide for at least one further program including the identified at least one program description attribute that matches the user profile data and identifying the at least one further program as recommended content; and

providing data representing the recommended content acquired using the user profile data to the user interface display processor for including the recommended content in the recommended content user interface.

9. A system that identifies and provides content to a user comprising:

a receiver that receives electronic program guide data, the electronic program guide data being selectively displayed on a primary display device;

an attribute processor that parses the received electronic program guide data to identify at least one program description attribute for a currently tuned program;

a content processor that searches the received electronic program guide for at least one further program including the identified at least one program description attribute and identifies the at least one further program as recommended content; and

a user interface generator that generates a recommended content user interface including a user selectable data item representing the recommended content for display on a secondary display device different from the primary display device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an internet interface that searches an external source of content information associated with a currently tuned program to identify metadata describing the currently tuned program; and

said content processor uses the identified metadata and the identified at least one program description attribute to search the electronic program guide data for the at least one further program to be identified as recommended content data.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an internet interface that searches at least one content provider for the at least one further program to be identified as recommended content data; and

said content processor acquires location information associated with the recommended content, the location information identifying a location on a communications network at which the recommended content may be accessed and provides the recommended content data and the location information to the user interface display processor for inclusion in the recommended content user interface.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a controller that enables a user to scroll through a list of programs listed in the electronic program guide data and selects a respective program in the list of programs by highlighting the respective program for a predetermined period of time;

wherein

said attribute processor parses the received electronic program guide data to identify at least one program description attribute for a currently selected program;

said content processor searches the received electronic program guide for at least one further program including the identified at least one program description attribute associated with the selected program and identified as recommended content; and

provides data representing the recommended content to the user interface display processor for including the recommended content in the recommended content user interface.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising

a memory that stores the information identifying recommended content including the identified program that corresponds to the at least one program description attribute.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said content processor generates user profile data including the at least one program description attribute and associates the user profile data with a secondary display device using a unique device identifier.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said content processor automatically updates the user profile data with a plurality of program description attributes derived from at least one of (a) tuning a program different from the currently tuned program and (b) selecting a program as an active program during program guide navigation.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said attribute processor parses the received electronic program guide data to identify at least one program description attribute that matches the user profile data;

and

said content processor;

searches the received electronic program guide for at least one further program including the identified at least one program description attribute that matches the user profile data and identifies the at least one further program as recommended content; and

provides data representing the recommended content acquired using the user profile data to the user interface display processor for including the recommended content in the recommended content user interface.