BROADCAST CONTENT RESUME REMINDER

• US 20140282714A1
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eldon Technology Limited (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Hussain, Zahid
• Granted Patent: US 9,602,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A service configured to or for reminding a television viewer what or which particular programming they were watching prior to surfing other programming when a commercial break occurs during the particular programming. An option may be made available to the television viewer prior to the end of the commercial break that allows the television viewer to return to watching the particular programming, so that the television viewer does not unintentionally miss any content associated with the particular programming.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying, by a television receiver, user-interest in particular broadcast programming;

detecting, by the television receiver during a commercial break, a channel change event from a channel associated with the particular broadcast programming to a different channel;

monitoring, by the television receiver, status of the commercial break in response to detection of the channel change event;

outputting, by the television receiver for presentation by a display device, an interface that indicates ending of the commercial break; and

outputting, by the television receiver for presentation by the display device, the particular broadcast programming when an indication of user-selection of a particular icon within the interface is detected by the television receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying user-interest in the particular broadcast programming by detecting output of the particular broadcast programming to the display device for a predetermined and configurable time period.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating a particular tuner of the television receiver for monitoring status of the commercial break in response to detection of the channel change event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring status of the commercial break by detection of timing information within a broadcast data stream of the channel associated with the particular broadcast programming.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting the interface that indicates ending of the commercial break at a predetermined and configurable time prior to ending of the commercial break.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting selection of the particular icon within the interface; and

outputting the particular programming for presentation by the display device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting selection of another particular icon within the interface; and

outputting broadcast programming other the particular broadcast programming for presentation by the display device.

8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

activating, by a television receiver, a timer in response to detection of a channeling event during a commercial break from a channel associated with particular programming to a different channel;

outputting, by the television receiver for presentation by a display device, an interface in response to expiration of the timer that indicates an upcoming ending of the commercial break and continuation in broadcast of the particular programming; and

outputting, by the television receiver for presentation by the display device, the particular programming when an indication of user-selection of a particular icon within the interface is received.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising monitoring channeling events from the channel associated with particular programming to different channels in response to detection of user-interest in the particular programming.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising identifying user-interest in the particular programming by detecting output of the particular programming by the television receiver to the display device for a predetermined and configurable time period.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising setting the timer to a particular duration based on type of the particular programming.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising setting the timer to a particular duration based on geographic region of service of the channel associated with the particular programming.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising allocating a particular tuner of the television receiver for monitoring status of the commercial break in response to detecting the channel change event.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting selection of the particular icon within the interface; and

outputting the particular programming for presentation by the display device.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting selection of another particular icon within the interface; and

outputting programming other the particular programming for presentation by the display device.

16. A television receiver, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more tuners; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

evaluate status of a commercial break in particular programming in response to detection of a channel change event from a channel associated with the particular programming to a different channel; and

output for presentation by a display device an interface that indicates an upcoming end to the commercial break and that provides an icon that when selected switches back to the channel associated with the particular programming.

17. The television receiver of claim 16, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

allocate a particular one of the tuners for monitoring status of the commercial break in response to detection of the channel change event.

18. The television receiver of claim 16, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

activate a timer in response to detection of the channel change event; and

output the interface for presentation by the display device in response to expiration of the timer.

19. The television receiver of claim 16, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect selection of the particular icon within the interface, and output the particular programming for presentation by the display device.

20. The television receiver of claim 16, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect selection of another particular icon within the interface, and output programming other the particular programming for presentation by the display device.