Method and apparatus for generating a programme

• US 6,977,667 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 10, LLC
• Original Assignee: Trevor Burke Technology Limited
• Inventors: Burke, Trevor John
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/462,550
• Time in Patent Office: 2,720 Days
• Field of Search: 348/553, 348/725, 348/714, 348/564, 345720-723, 345/726, 725/98, 725/97, 725/95, 725/142, 725/134, 725/38, 725/39, 386/52, 386/83
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4662 characterized by learning algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 : for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 21/812 : 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 : represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 : involving branching, e.g. to different story endings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 : Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9201 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements which may be transmitted to a receiver. Programme elements each representing for example an event are classified on the basis of programme element content, that is the nature of the event to which the programme element relates. Each programme element is allocated to at least one of the predetermined set of classes and each programme element is stored with at least one associated programme classification code. The classification codes identify the class to which the associated programme element has been allocated. A programme element is generated by selecting at least one programme classification code and presenting programme elements associated with that selected at least one programme classification code. Users are able to generate programmes based on for example the perceived value of individual programme elements.

Claims

1. A method for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements, comprising:

classifying the programme elements on the basis of programme element content such that each programme element is allocated to at least one class of a predetermined set of classes, wherein each programme element is classified to at least one class separately from other programme elements allocated to the same at least one class;

storing each classified programme element with at least one associated programme element classification code, each classification code identifying a class to which the associated programme element has been allocated;

generating a programme for presentation on a user display device by selecting at least one programme classification code and presenting at least one programme element associated with said at least one programme classification code,

wherein selecting at least one programme classification code comprises displaying user selectable symbols on the user display device, each symbol representing a class of associated programme elements and being selectable by a user, and receiving user input corresponding to at least one symbol selected by a user; and

wherein the user selectable symbols are presented for display on the user display device simultaneous with the presentation of the program.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each programme element is classified by reference to a type of event to which the element relates.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising further classifying program elements by a subjective assessment of value.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein symbols are displayed in an order corresponding to the temporal order of events represented by the associated programme elements.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input for selecting a sub-set of classes; and

displaying to the user only symbols corresponding to programme elements associated with the selected sub-set of classes.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein presenting programme program elements comprises presenting a plurality of programme elements simultaneously.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein video and audio programme elements are presented simultaneously.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein still image and video programme elements are presented simultaneously.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting programme elements to the user'"'"'s display device and storing programme elements with the associated programme classification codes at a memory associated with the user'"'"'s display device.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving user input for selecting a sub-set of classes; and

transmitting to the user'"'"'s display device only programme elements associated with the selected sub-set of classes.

12. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving user input for selecting a sub-set of classes; and

storing at a memory associated with the user'"'"'s display device only received programme elements that are associated with the selected sub-set of classes.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein generating a programme comprises combining programme elements transmitted to the user'"'"'s display device with pre-recorded programme elements stored on a data carrier in a memory device of the user'"'"'s display device.

16. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating an advertisement to an event represented by a particular programme element; and

presenting advertisements serially with the programme elements to which they are linked.

17. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating an advertisement to an event represented by a particular programme element; and

presenting advertisements in parallel with the programme elements to which they are linked.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein selecting at least one classification code comprises:

receiving user input corresponding to a classification code identifying a class of interest; and

alerting the user to the presentation of a programme element of the selected class of interest.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein each classification code represent a subjective indication of the value of programme elements in the class associated with the classification code.

3. A method for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements, comprising:

classifying the programme elements on the basis of programme element content such that each programme element is allocated to at least one class of a predetermined set of classes;

storing each classified programme element with at least one associated programme element classification code, each classification code identifying a class to which the associated programme element has been allocated;

generating a programme for presentation on a user display device by selecting at least one programme classification code and presenting programme elements associated with said at least one programme classification code,

wherein selecting at least one programme classification code comprises displaying user selectable symbols on the user display device, each symbol representing a class of associated programme elements and being selectable by a user, and receiving user input corresponding to at least one symbol selected by a user; and

wherein each programme element is classified by reference to a subjective assessment of a value within a range of relative values extending from a low value to a high value.

14. A method for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements, comprising:

classifying the programme elements on the basis of programme element content such that each programme element is allocated to at least one class of a predetermined set of classes;

storing each classified programme element with at least one associated programme element classification code, each classification code identifying a class to which the associated programme element has been allocated;

generating a programme for presentation on a user display device by selecting at least one programme classification code and presenting programme elements associated with said at least one programme classification code;

wherein selecting at least one programme classification code comprises displaying user selectable symbols on the user display device, each symbol representing a class of associated programme elements and being selectable by a user, and receiving user input corresponding to at least one symbol selected by a user;

wherein the user selectable symbols are presented for display on the user display device simultaneous with the presentation of the program;

wherein the method further comprises transmitting programme elements to the user'"'"'s display device and storing programme elements with the associated programme classification codes at a memory associated with the user'"'"'s display device; and

wherein at least one stored programme element is read out such that the duration of the programme element in the generated programme is less than the time taken to transmit a data packet of that programme element to the display device.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein generating a programme for presentation on a user display device further comprises repeating the presentation on the user display device of at least one transmitted programme element.

20. A method for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements, comprising:

classifying the programme elements on the basis of programme element content such that each programme element is allocated to at least one class of a predetermined set of classes;

storing each classified programme element with at least one associated programme element classification code, each classification code identifying a class to which the associated programme element has been allocated;

generating a programme for presentation on a user display device by selecting at least one programme classification code and presenting programme elements associated with said at least one programme classification code,

wherein selecting at least one programme classification code comprises displaying user selectable symbols on the user display device, each symbol representing a class of associated programme elements and being selectable by a user, and receiving user input corresponding to at least one symbol selected by a user;

wherein each classification code represents a subjective indicative of the value of programme elements in the class associated with the classification code; and

wherein receiving user input comprises receiving input corresponding to user-selected classification codes above a threshold value.

21. An apparatus for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements, comprising

means for storing programme elements with associated programme classification codes, each classification code identifying a class selected from a predetermined set of classes to which class an associated programme element has been allocated on the basis of programme element content, wherein the programme element is allocated to at least one class separately from other programme elements allocated to the same at least one class;

means for selecting at least one programme classification code; and

means for generating a programme by presenting programme elements associated with the selected said at least one programme classification code, including means for displaying symbols to the operator of a display device, the symbols representing the class of associated stored programme elements, and means for operation by the operator to select displayed symbols and thereby select the associated programme elements for presentation by the display device;

wherein the symbols are displayed to the operator of a display device simultaneous with the presentation of programme elements by the display device.

22. An apparatus for generating a programme for presentation to a user as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements, comprising

a memory device for storing programme elements with associated programme classification codes, each classification code identifying a class selected from a predetermined set of classes to which class an associated programme element has been allocated the basis of programme element content, wherein the programme element is allocated to at least one class separately from other programme elements allocated to the same at least one class;

and

a user-terminal having a controller for generating a programme by presenting programme elements associated with at least one selected programme classification code, a display device for displaying symbols to the user, the symbols representing the class of associated stored programme elements, and a user input device for operation by the user to select displayed symbols and thereby select at least one classification code, for presentation of programme elements associated with the at least one selected classification code on the display device;

wherein the symbols are displayed to the user simultaneous with the presentation of programme elements on the display device.