Systems and methods for electronic program guide data services

• US 6,904,609 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2000
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fries, Robert M., Wray, Jonathan A., Pietraszak, Michael E., Gibson, Robert S. T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHELEHEDA, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US09/527,313
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/45, 725/46, 725/47, 725/48, 725/49, 725/50, 725/59
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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

EPG services are provided, which enables a device such as a computer, a set top box or the like to collect EPG data from multiple EPG data providers or sources. The EPG data is collected at the device by EPG loaders. Each EPG loader collects EPG data from a particular source. The EPG loaders deliver the EPG data to a writer module, which performs scaling and formatting functions to the EPG data The writer module also stores the scaled and formatted EPG data in a database or other storage. Once stored, applications gain access to the EPG data through a control module. The writer module may also be implemented by chaining EPG loaders in a priority scheme. However, EPG loader interaction reduces independence and forces more rigid interface and implementation constraints upon the design of EPG loaders. The control module provides the accessed EPG data to the applications. EPG services function to isolate the operation of the applications from the EPG data sources. Because the EPG data is stored by the writer module and accessed by the control module, the applications and EPG data sources can change independently of one another without having an effect on the ability of EPG services to collect and provide access to EPG data.

Claims

1. A system for receiving electronic program guide (EPG) data from one or more EPG data providers in a plurality of data formats and for providing consolidated EPG data available in a standardized format to one or more applications running on the system, comprising:

an EPG services module for receiving EPG data from a plurality of EPG data providers and providing consolidated EPG data in a standardized format to the one or more applications residing on the system, the EPG services module comprising;

one or more EPG loader modules with a separate EPG loader module for each EPG data source, each EPG loader module being configured to receive EPG data from an EPG data provider in a native format used by the EPG data provider and including computer executable instructions for converting the EPG data received from the EPG data provider from its native format to a standardized format compatible with the EPG services module and the one or more applications;

an EPG writer module logically connected to each of the one or more EPG loader modules with computer executable instructions for

collecting the EPG data in the standardized format from the one or more EPG loader modules;

scaling the collected EPG data both temporally and selectively, wherein temporal scaling includes selecting an adjustable and user-definable time period for which the collected EPG data will be stored and wherein selective scaling includes selecting a variable and customizable level of richness for which a variable amount of the collected EPG data will be stored corresponding to one or more selected channels; and

writing the scaled EPG data of the standardized format to a storage associated with the system; and

an EPG control module having computer executable instructions for

receiving requests for EPG data from the one or more applications;

retrieving the EPG data responsive to the request from the storage; and

returning the requested EPG data to the one or more applications; and

an application program interface configured to provide a standardized interface between the EPG control module and the one or more applications requiring EPG data,

such that the system can be readily modified to add additional EPG data, providers, to remove existing EPG data providers, or to accommodate changes in the native formats of existing or future EPG data providers without having to modify or update the code of any of the one or more applications.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the variable amount of collected EPG data is selectively scaled according to time.

3. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the writer module further comprises computer executable instructions for resolving conflicts between EPG data received from two or more EPG data providers.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more loader modules further comprises computer executable instructions for implementing a priority scheme.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the EPG writer module further comprises computer executable instructions for limiting the amount of the EPG data that may be placed in the storage.

6. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the EPG writer module further comprises computer executable instructions for removing expired EPG data from the storage.

7. A system as defined in claim 6, wherein the EPG writer module further comprises computer executable instructions for keeping the last EPG data stored to a particular portion of the storage.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the storage is a database.

9. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more EPG loader modules further comprises computer executable instructions for recording EPG data with digital recordings of programming represented by the EPG data.

10. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the EPG loader modules is capable of being added to the device and removed from the device.

11. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the variable amount of the collected EPG data includes a television program title, a description and attribute of television programming.

12. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the scaling results in the stored EPG data corresponding to more impending broadcast times being richer than EPG data corresponding to less impending broadcast lines.