Video on demand methods and systems

• US 6,804,825 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mighdoll, Lee, White, Chris M., Goldman, Phillip Y., Bruck, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US09/201,495
• Time in Patent Office: 2,143 Days
• Field of Search: 725/87, 725/39, 725/53, 725/88, 725/40, 725/42, 725/86, 725/101, 725/102, 725/94, 345/327, 345/156, 345/157, 345/716-719, 345/726, 345/760, 386/45, 386/46, 386/1, 386/95, 386/125, 386/126
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An entertainment head-end provides broadcast programming, video-on demand services, and HTML-based interactive programming through a distribution network to client terminals in subscribers'"'"' homes. A number of different features are provided, including novel user interfaces, enhanced video-on-demand controls, a variety of interactive services (personalized news, jukebox, games, celebrity chat), and techniques that combine to provide user experiences evocative of conventional television.

Claims

1. A method of operating a video on demand system comprising:

transmitting user-requested video program to a predetermined client terminal over a first transmission channel;

presenting said program to a user of said terminal over a viewing channel;

in response to a user action, interrupting said transmission;

in response to a subsequent user action, resuming said transmission over a second transmission channel different than the first, and automatically retuning the client terminal to present said resumed transmission over said viewing channel;

wherein said transmission channels refer to frequencies used to relay programming to client terminals.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user action and the subsequent user action are received through a remote control in conjunction with a textual mark-up language based menu on the client terminal, the menu including plural controls, wherein said menu disappears if a first control is actuated, but the menu persists if a second control is actuated.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the second control is a PAUSE button, wherein the menu remains on the client terminal if the PAUSE button is actuated.

4. The method of claim 2 in which the first control is a PLAY button, wherein the menu disappears from the client terminal if the PLAY button is actuated, but said menu can be recalled by the remote control.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user action and subsequent user action further comprising:

controlling the video program transmission with a remote control in conjunction with an hypertext markup language on-screen control panel on the client terminal, the on-screen control panel having plural buttons including at least a PLAY button, and a STOP or PAUSE button.

6. The method of claim 5 which includes removing the control panel from the client terminal if one of said on-screen control panel buttons is actuated, and maintaining the control panel on the client terminal if a second one of said on-screen control panel buttons is actuated.

7. The method of claim 1 which includes interrupting said transmission in response to the user switching the client terminal to a different viewing channel.

8. The method of claim 1 which includes interrupting said transmission in response to a user STOP or PAUSE command.

9. The method of claim 5, where the on-screen control panel is translucent.

10. In a video entertainment system including at least a user terminal coupled to a remote video server, a method comprising:

receiving a composite signal comprising plural viewing channels including at least one video on demand channel;

identifying the video on demand channel as one of plural viewing channels in an electronic program guide available through said system; and

if a user selects the video on demand channel, presenting to the user an on-screen user interface generated with textual markup language primitives comprising at least one advertising graphic, together with;

(a) a first feature that, when actuated, presents a topical listing of videos; and

(b) a second feature that, when actuated, enables searching of a video database by at least titles and actors,

wherein said advertising graphic promotes a commercial product other than a video on demand program or a viewing channel identifier and a title of a video selected for playback appears in the electronic program guide associated with the video on demand channel.

11. The method of claim 10, including providing a second user interface to the user for control of a selected on-demand video, the second user interface including at least controls for STOP, PLAY, PAUSE, REWIND, and FAST FORWARD, together with an indication of the time remaining of the selected on-demand video.

12. In a video entertainment system including at least a user terminal coupled to a remote video server, a method comprising:

receiving a composite signal comprising plural viewing channels including at least one video on demand channel;

displaying a user-selected video, received over the video on demand channel;

in response to receiving user input, displaying plural controls for controlling the user-selected video comprising a play control and a pause control, wherein the plural controls disappear if the play control is selected, but the plural controls persist if the pause control is selected; and

in response to user input, displaying an electronic program guide listing said user-selected video amongst other viewing channels available through said system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said listing indicates the selected video title and a remaining time displayed as a numeric hour and minute representation.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said listing indicates the selected video title and a remaining time displayed as a block that extends in a gridded program guide for a distance corresponding to the remaining time.

15. A method of presenting broadcast television programming and video-on-demand programming, the method comprising:

receiving a composite signal comprising plural modulated transmission channels;

presenting on one of plural viewing channels, the programming received on one of the transmission channels;

receiving control signals from a remote control device and switching among the plural viewing channels;

displaying a viewing channel selected with the remote control, said selected viewing channel comprising broadcast television programming received on a first transmission channel;

switching from said selected viewing channel displaying broadcast television programming to a video-on-demand viewing channel offering plural video-on-demand selections;

displaying, while switched to the video-on-demand viewing channel, an on-screen hypertext markup based user interface to be used in conjunction with the remote control to select a video-on-demand selection;

displaying a selected video-on-demand selection received on a second transmission channel;

providing an on-screen hypertext markup based user interface with plural controls for the user to control the playback of the selected video-on-demand selection said plural controls comprising a play control and a pause control;

automatically highlighting the play control in response to receiving a selection of the pause control;

upon receiving a selection of the play control, receiving playback of the selected video-on-demand selection over a third transmission channel.

16. The method of claim 15 where the plural controls include at least two from a set of controls, including:

STOP, PLAY, PAUSE, REWIND, and FAST FORWARD.

17. A method for controlling on-demand video including a screen, a remote control, a controllable remote video source, a received composite signal of plural transmission channels, an assignment of transmission channels to viewing channels, an on-screen hypertext primitive based user interface responsive to the remote control, said user interface comprising plural controls for controlling the controllable remote video source, said plural controls comprising a play control and a pause control, the method comprising:

pausing the display of an on-demand video selection upon receiving an indication that the pause control was selected;

in response to the pause indication, automatically highlighting the play control on the on-screen user interface; and

in response to an indication that the automatically highlighted play control was selected, receiving a resumed transmission of the paused on-demand selection on a different transmission channel, and displaying the resumed transmission on the same viewing channel.

18. A method of presenting broadcast television programming and video-on-demand programming, the method comprising:

receiving from a remote source a composite signal comprising plural viewing channels;

receiving control signals from a remote control device and switching among the plural viewing channels;

displaying a viewing channel selected with the remote control, said selected viewing channel comprising broadcast television programming;

switching from said selected viewing channel comprising broadcast television programming to a viewing channel comprising video-on-demand programming; and

displaying, while switched to the viewing channel comprising video-on-demand programming, an on-screen user interface generated from hypertext language based primitives sent over the composite signal from the remote source, said on-screen user interface offering plural video-on-demand selections;

wherein after receiving a video-on-demand programming selection, upon switching to an electronic programming guide, said selected video-on-demand programming is listed in the electronic program guide.

19. A video on-demand system comprising a screen, a remote control, an input from a controllable video source, including a user interface responsive to a remote control to present a menu on the screen, the menu comprising plural controls including a play control and a pause control, wherein the menu disappears if the play control is actuated, but the menu in its entirety persists if the pause control is actuated.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the menu persists with the play control highlighted.