Program guide and reservation system for network based digital information and entertainment storage and delivery system

• US 7,073,189 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Interactive Video Group, Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Steven, Williamson, Louis D., Callahan, John W., Chiddix, James A., Apfelbaum, Marc J., McElhatten, David, Benya, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US10/302,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 725/58
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/4335 : 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 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/4583 : Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 : for generating interactive applications
• 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 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 : with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

In a broadband communications system, e.g., a cable system, programming content can be readily reserved and accessed for viewing using interactive program guides in accordance with the invention. Such programming content may include in-progress programs, future programs and previously broadcast programs which are recorded at a headend in the cable system, and which may or may not have overlapping broadcast times. In addition, the user may reserve programs at a set-top terminal, and may also do so remotely from the terminal through a communications network such as, the Internet, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a wireless telephone network, etc.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a user at a user location to reserve a broadcast program for subsequent access to content thereof, the method comprising:

receiving at a location remote from the user location content of a program from a content provider before broadcast of the program;

substantially simultaneously recording the content of the program at, and broadcasting the content of the program from, the location remote from the user location;

causing an identifier for the broadcast program to be available for selection by a user for a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the recorded broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights granted by the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program;

receiving a selection by a user of the identifier; and

allowing the user to access the recorded broadcast program in response to the received selection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the program includes a TV program.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the program includes video content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection of the identifier is received via a communications network.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the communications network includes at least part of an Internet.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the communications network includes at least part of a telephone network.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a message to the user to archive the recorded content.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the selection is received.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the identifier is listed.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising charging the user a fee for archiving the recorded content.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein an opportunity to archive the recorded content is available for a predetermined period after the message is sent.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the recorded content is archived by storing the recorded content in a device selected by the user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected device includes a video cassette recorder (VCR).

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected device includes a digital video disk (DVD) player.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected device includes a personal video recorder (PVR).

19. A method for allowing a user to reserve a broadcast program for subsequent review of content of the program, the method comprising:

obtaining rights from a content provider to the content of the program;

receiving, at a location remote from the user location, the content of the program from the content provider;

substantially simultaneously recording the content of the program at, and broadcasting the content of the program from, the location remote from the user location;

determining a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights received by the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program; and

causing an identifier of the broadcast program to be available for selection by a user for the determined duration to reserve the program.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the program includes a TV program.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the program includes video content.

25. A system for facilitating a user at a user location to reserve a broadcast program, recorded and broadcast substantially simultaneously, for subsequent access to content thereof, the system comprising:

an interface for receiving, at a location remote from the user location, from a content provider, content of a program to be broadcast;

a server for recording the content of the program, the server being located remotely from the user location;

a processor for determining a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program;

a processor for causing an identifier of the broadcast program to be available for selection by one or more users for the determined duration; and

a mechanism for receiving a selection by a user of the identifier, access by the user to the recorded content of the broadcast program being allowed in response to the received selection.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein the program includes a TV program.

30. The system of claim 25 wherein the program includes video content.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein the selection of the identifier is received via a communications network.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the communications network includes at least part of an Internet.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the communications network includes at least part of a telephone network.

34. The system of claim 25 further comprising an output device for sending a message to the user to archive the recorded content.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the selection is received.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the identifier is listed.

37. The system of claim 34 wherein the user is charged a fee for archiving the recorded content.

38. The system of claim 34 wherein an opportunity to archive the recorded content is available for a predetermined period after the message is sent.

39. The system of claim 34 wherein the recorded content is archived by storing the recorded content in a device selected by the user.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the selected device includes a VCR.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein the selected device includes a DVD player.

42. The system of claim 39 wherein the selected device includes a PVR.

43. The system of claim 39 comprising a headend.

44. A system for allowing a user to reserve a broadcast program for subsequent review of content of the program, rights being obtained from a content provider to the content of the program, the system comprising:

an interface for receiving, at a location remote from the user location, from the content provider, the content of the program, the content of the program being substantially simultaneously broadcast from, and recorded at, the location remote from the user location;

a processor for determining a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program; and

a processor for causing an identifier of the broadcast program to be available for selection by a user for the determined duration to reserve the program.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.

46. The system of claim 44 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.

47. The system of claim 44 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.

48. The system of claim 44 wherein the program includes a TV program.

49. The system of claim 44 wherein the program includes video content.

50. Apparatus for accessing by a user one or more broadcast programs on a selected one of a plurality of channels, comprising:

an output for providing programming on a selected one of the plurality of channels, such programming being substantially simultaneously recorded at, and broadcast from, a location remote from user locations; and

a mechanism for enabling selection of an identifier of a broadcast program at any point during a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider of the broadcast program for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program.

51. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein the identifier includes a title of the at least one program.

52. A method for accessing by a user one or more broadcast programs on a selected one of a plurality of channels, comprising:

providing programming on a selected one of the plurality of channels, such programming being substantially simultaneously recorded at, and broadcast from, a location remote from user locations;

presenting an identifier of a broadcast program at any point during a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider of the broadcast program for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein the identifier includes a title of the at least one program.