Scheduling the recording of television programs

• US 7,159,232 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1999
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Blackketter, Dean J., Park, Timothy F., Glusker, Sharon F., Zigmond, Daniel J., Matheny, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Boccio; Vincent F.
• Application Number:
  US09/441,708
• Time in Patent Office: 2,604 Days
• Field of Search: 386/83, 725/39, 725/40, 725/42, 725/30, 725/41, 725/36, 725/109, 725/114, 725/67, 725/68, 348/460, 348473-474
• US Class Current: 725/38
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47214 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 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• 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

Abstract

A television receiving system displays an advertisement for a future television program. If the future television program is identified as recordable, the system also displays an option to set a reminder for the advertised program and/or an option to record the advertised program on a video recorder. If a viewer of the advertisement selects the reminder option, then a reminder is programmed in the system. If the viewer selects the record option, then the system automatically programs the video recorder to record the advertised program. If the viewer has established an interactive session during a television advertisement, and has not completed the interactive session when the advertisement ends, then the current television program is paused until the interactive session is completed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a signal containing an advertisement video program for a future video program;

displaying the advertisement video program on a display device having an available display area for display of video programs, wherein the displayed advertisement video program occupies the available display area of the display device;

determining whether the signal contains an indicator identifying the future video program as recordable; and

when the signal contains the indicator that the future video program is recordable;

responsive to the indicator in the signal automatically and without viewer input, displaying an option to record the future video program while displaying the advertisement video program, wherein the video image of the advertisement video program includes content from the future video program; and

programming a record operation if a viewer selects the option to record the future video program.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the advertisement video program is displayed during a current television program.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein programming a record operation includes automatically programming a video recorder to record the future video program at an appropriate time.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein programming a record operation includes automatically programming a video recorder to record the future video program at an appropriate time if the video recorder has sufficient storage space to record the future video program.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the option to record the future video program is displayed as part of the advertisement video program.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further including decoding information associated with the future video program from the received signal containing the advertisement video program.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further including removing the displayed option to record the future video program after a predetermined period of time.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further including removing the displayed option to record the future video program at the end of the advertisement video program.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further including displaying a confirmation notice if the viewer selects the option to record the future video program, wherein the confirmation notice indicates that the future video program will be recorded.

10. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 1.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a signal containing an advertisement television program for a future television program, wherein the video image of the advertisement television program includes content from the future video program;

displaying the advertisement television program on a display device having an available display area for display of television programs, wherein the displayed advertisement television program occupies the available display area of the display device;

determining whether the signal contains an indicator identifying the future television program as recordable; and

if the signal contains an indicator that the future television program is recordable, then automatically and without viewer intervention programming a record operation to record the future television program.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein programming a record operation includes automatically programming a video recorder to record the future television program at an appropriate time.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein programming a record operation includes automatically programming a video recorder to record the future television program at an appropriate time if the video recorder has sufficient storage space to record the future television program.

14. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 11.

15. A method comprising:

broadcasting an advertisement television program for;

a future television program during a current television program; and

display on a display device having an available display area for display of television programs, wherein the displayed advertisement television program includes one or more video images from the future video program and occupies the available display area of the display device;

broadcasting an indication that the future television program is recordable during the advertisement television program, the indication configured to automatically and without viewer intervention cause display of a viewer selectable option to record the future video program on the display device; and

broadcasting information associated with the future television program, wherein the information associated with the future television program is encoded in a television signal containing the advertisement television program for the future television program.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein the information associated with the future television program identifies the date, time, and channel of the future television program.

17. A method as recited in claim 15 further including broadcasting information that identifies a summary of the future television program.

18. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 15.

19. An apparatus comprising a receiver configured to receive a television broadcast signal that contains an advertisement television program for a future television program and for display on a display device having an available display area for display of television programs, wherein the displayed advertisement television program occupies the available display area of the display device and includes one or more images from the future television program, wherein the receiver determines whether the television broadcast signal contains an indicator identifying the future video program as recordable and responsive to the indicator the receiver causes the display device to display automatically and without viewer intervention an option to record the future television program while displaying the one or more images from the future television program if the future television program is recordable, and wherein the receiver programs a record operation if a viewer of the display device selects the option to record the future television program.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein the receiver decodes information associated with the future television program from the television broadcast signal.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein the decoded information includes the date, time, and channel of the future television program.

22. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program comprising the following steps:

displaying an advertisement television program for a future television program, wherein the advertisement television program;

includes one or more video images directly related to the future television program;

is contained in a received signal; and

for display on a display device having an available display area for display of television programs such that the displayed advertisement television program occupies the available display area of the display device;

determining whether the received signal contains an indicator identifying the future television program as recordable;

if the signal contains the indicator that the future television program is recordable;

displaying automatically and without viewer intervention an option to record the future television program; and

programming a record operation on a video recorder if a viewer selects the option to record the future television program.

23. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 22 wherein the step of programming a record operation includes automatically programming the video recorder to record the future television program at an appropriate time.

24. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 22 further including the step of decoding information associated with the future television program from a television signal containing the advertisement television program.

25. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program comprising the following steps:

broadcasting an advertisement video program configured as an advertisement for and having content from a future video program and for display on a display device having an available display area for display of television programs such that the displayed video program occupies the available display area of the display device;

broadcasting during display of the advertisement video program an indication that the future video program is recordable, the indication configured to automatically and without viewer intervention cause display of a viewer selectable option to record the future video program on the display device; and

broadcasting information associated with the future video program, wherein the information associated with the future video program is encoded in a signal containing the advertisement video program.

26. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 25 wherein the information associated with the future video program includes the date, time, and channel of the future video program.

27. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 25 further including the step of broadcasting information that identifies a summary of the future video program.