Method and apparatus for selecting a version of an entertainment program based on user preferences

• US 6,594,825 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Moore, Kenneth Alan, Buscheck, Gregory D., Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Williams, Christopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US09/183,277
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.100, H04/N.717, H04/N.5445, G06/F.300, G06/F 1.300, 345/327, 348/12, 348/13, 348/10, 348/6, 455/7.1, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 725/38, 725/39, 725/40, 725/41, 725/44, 725/48, 725/49, 725/52, 725/53, 725/56, 725/57, 725/59, 725/61
• US Class Current: 725/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• 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 21/472 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 21/4755 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting a version of an entertainment program based on user preference includes receiving entertainment programing input, identifying multiple available versions of an entertainment program, identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, accessing user preferences, and selecting one of the multiple versions for display based on a comparison of the descriptive information to the user preferences.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a selection of an entertainment program;

searching through an electronic program guide to identify alternate versions of the selected entertainment program, which start within a user specified period of time of the selected entertainment program, wherein the identified alternate versions are the same programs as the selected entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the identified alternate versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the version, the set of descriptive information includes duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version, and screen format of the version;

automatically choosing one of the versions for display based on the set of descriptive information; and

displaying the chosen version of the entertainment program.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying an identification of a channel transport medium for each of the identified alternate versions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the channel transport media include one or more of cable broadcast, satellite broadcast, radio frequency broadcast, telephone interface, computer network interface, CD-ROM, video disk, and video cassette.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive information comprises a table of programs and wherein for each program the table includes an identification of the program and one or more of channel audio support, broadcast date, broadcast time, program-duration, alternate audio channels, language, screen format, closed caption availability and a program description.

2. A storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by a processor, result in:

receiving a selection of an entertainment program;

searching through an electronic program guide to identify alternate versions of the selected entertainment program which start within a user specified period of the selected entertainment program, wherein the identified alternate versions are the same programs as the selected entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the identified alternate versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the version, the set of descriptive information includes duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version and screen format of the version;

automatically choosing one of the versions for display based on the set of descriptive information; and

displaying the chosen version of the entertainment program.

7. The storage medium of claim 2 further comprising displaying an identification of a channel transport medium for each of the identified alternate versions.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the channel transport media include one or more of cable broadcast, satellite broadcast, radio frequency broadcast, telephone interface, computer network interface, CD-ROM, video disk, and video cassette.

18. The storage medium of claim 2, wherein the descriptive information comprises a table of programs and wherein for each program the table includes an identification of the program and one or more of channel audio support, broadcast date, broadcast time, program duration, alternate audio channels, language, screen format, closed caption availability and a program description.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a program guide controller to receive entertainment programming;

a selection controller coupled to the program guide controller to receive a selection of an entertainment program, search through an electronic program guide to identify alternate versions of the selected entertainment program which start within a user specified period of time of the selected entertainment program, wherein the identified alternate versions are the same programs as the selected entertainment program;

identify, for each of the identified alternate versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the version, a automatically choose one of the versions for display based on the set of descriptive information, the set of descriptive information for each of the version includes duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version and screen format of the version; and

a device controller, coupled to the selection controller, to display the chosen version of the entertainment program.

19. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the descriptive information comprises a table of programs and wherein for each program the table includes an identification of the program and one or more of channel audio support, broadcast date, broadcast time, program duration, alternate audio channels, language, screen format, closed caption availability and a program description.

4. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a selection of an entertainment program;

means, coupled to the means for receiving, for searching through an electronic program guide to identify alternate versions of the selected entertainment program, which start within a user specified period of time of the selected entertainment program, wherein the identified alternate versions are the same programs as the selected entertainment program and, for each of the identified alternate versions, to identify a set of descriptive information regarding the version, the set of descriptive information includes duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version, and screen format of the version;

means for automatically choosing one of the versions for display; and

means for displaying, coupled to the means for automatically choosing, the chosen version of the entailment program.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising means for displaying an identification of a channel transport medium for each of the identified alternate versions.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the channel transport media include one or more of cable broadcast, satellite broadcast, radio frequency broadcast, telephone interface, computer network interface, CD-ROM, video disk, and, video cassette.

11. An entertainment system controller comprising:

an I/O interface to receive entertainment programming;

a user interface to receive a selection of an entertainment program;

a programming guide memory comprising a set of descriptive information regarding each of multiple versions of an entertainment program, the set of descriptive information includes, of duration of the version, type of audio support for the version, availability of enhanced programming for the version, language of subtitles in the version, language spoken in the version, and screen format of the version;

a program guide controller to store the entertainment programming in put in the program guide memory;

a selection controller coupled to the program guide controller to access the program guide memory to automatically upon receipt of an entertainment program selection identify alternate versions of the selected entertainment program that are available, which start within a user specified period of time of the selected entertainment program, wherein the identified alternate versions are the same programs as the selected entertainment program and to choose one of the multiple versions for display based on the set of descriptive information; and

a device controller, coupled to the selection controller, to cause the display of the chosen version of the entertainment program on a display device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selection controller is coupled to the device controller so that the device controller automatically displays the chosen version of the en entertainment program having the set of descriptive information most closely resembling a set of user preferences.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selection controller is coupled to the device controller so that the device controller displays at least a portion of the set of descriptive information and wherein the entertainment system controller further comprises a user interface to receive a selection from a user choosing one of the multiple versions.

14. The entertainment system controller of claim 11 wherein the device controller causes a display to display an identification of a channel transport medium associated with an entertainment program on the display device.

15. The entertainment system controller of claim 14, wherein the channel transport media include one or more of cable broadcast satellite broadcast, radio frequency broadcast, telephone interface, computer network interface, CD-ROM, video disk, and video cassette.

16. The entertainment system controller of claim 11, wherein the program guide memory comprises a table of programs and wherein for each program the table includes an identification of the program and one or more of channel audio support, broadcast date, broadcast time, program duration, alternate audio channels, language, screen format, closed caption availability and a program description.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selection controller is coupled to the device controller so that the device controller selects one of the versions of the entertainment program based on a set of user preferences.