Method and system for reconfiguring a selection system based on layers of categories descriptive of recordable events

• US 7,290,211 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Networks North America, Inc. (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Westerhoff, David Allen, Seto, Lynda Kitlyn, Goodwin, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US11/030,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20060150123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 715/704, 715/734, 715763-765, 715716-719, 725/39, 725/104
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A method and system for selection of recordable events from among a set of recordable events, based on categories and sub-categories, that cumulatively describe a substantial portion of the entire set of recordable events. After receiving a first set of categories, and first sets of sub-categories corresponding to the first set of categories, at a device, the device is configured to use the first set of categories and the first set of sub-categories, to guide a user in selecting a series of recordable events to experience and/or record. Thereafter, the device receives a second set of categories and respective second sets of sub-categories that correspond to the categories of the second set of categories, and the device responsively configures itself to use the second set of categories and the second sets of sub-categories, to guide a user in selecting a series of recordable events to experience and/or record.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a selection system based on categories of recordable events and sub-categories of the categories, the method comprising:

receiving at the selection system a first set of categories and a respective first set of sub-categories for each of the categories of the first set of categories;

configuring the selection system to function in a first mode in which the selection system uses the first set of categories and the respective first sets of sub-categories to guide user selection of recordable events;

receiving at the selection system a second set of categories and a respective second set of sub-categories for each of the categories of the second set of categories; and

configuring the selection system to function in a second mode in which the selection system uses the second set of categories instead of the first set of categories and the respective second sets of sub-categories instead of the first sets of sub-categories to guide user selection of recordable events,

wherein the second set of categories includes a category not included within the first set of categories and the second sets of sub-categories includes a sub-category not included within the first sets of sub-categories.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing in data storage of the selection system the received first set of categories and the first sets of sub-categories, and

storing in the data storage of the selection system the received second set of categories and the second sets of sub-categories.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising reverting back to the first set of categories and the first set of sub-categories after a given period of time has passed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first set of categories in response to receiving a first signal when the selection system is configured to function in the first mode, wherein the first signal indicates a set of categories should be displayed;

displaying the second set of categories in response to receiving the first signal when the selection system is configured to function in the second mode;

displaying a given first set of sub-categories of a given category of the first set in response to receiving a second signal when the selection system is configured to function in the first mode, wherein the second signal indicates a set of sub-categories should be displayed; and

displaying a given second set of sub-categories from among the respective second sets of sub-categories in response to receiving the second signal when the selection system is configured to function in the second mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising reconfiguring the selection system to function in the first mode.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising reverting back to the first set of categories and the first sets of sub-categories at a given time on a given day.

7. A system for selection of recordable events from among a set of recordable events, the system comprising:

a communication interface for receiving (i) a first set of categories of recordable events, (ii) a first set of sub-categories of recordable events for a given category of the first set of categories, and (iii) a communication for creating a second set of sub-categories of recordable events for the given category of the first set of categories;

a processor communicatively coupled to the communication interface, the processor for executing a set of program instructions;

data storage communicatively coupled to the processor, the data storage for storing (i) the first set of categories, (ii) the first set of sub-categories, (iii) the set of program instructions, wherein the set of program instructions include instructions, executable in response to receiving the communication, for creating a second set of sub-categories of recordable events for the given category of the first set of categories, and (iv) the second set of sub-categories; and

a user interface for displaying (i) the first set of categories, (ii) the first set of sub-categories in response to receiving a user selection of the given category prior to creation of the second set of sub-categories, and (iii) the second set of sub-categories in response to receiving a user selection of the given category after creation of the second set of sub-categories.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication interface includes an interface selected from the group consisting of (i) a cable television interface, (ii) a radio-frequency interface for receiving signals from at least a terrestrial transmitter, (iii) a radio-frequency interface for receiving signals from at least a non-terrestrial transmitter, (iv) a land-line telephone system telephone line, and (v) an Internet connection.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication interface is arranged to receive a set of recordable events data, wherein each recordable event of at least a substantial portion of the recordable events identified in the set of recordable events data is correlated with an identifier, and wherein each identifier indicates at least one category and at least one sub-category.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the recordable events are selected from the group consisting of (i) television shows, (ii) radio programs, and (iii) Internet transmissions.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface is arranged to (i) receive a user selection of a sub-category, and responsively display a set of one or more sets of recordable events based on identifiers correlated with the selected sub-category, and (ii) receive a user selection of a given set of recordable events of the one or more sets of recordable events, and responsively signal the processor to schedule the given set of recordable events to be recorded.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the user interface is arranged to display a message that a user must affirmatively respond to before the processor executes the program instructions for creating the second set of sub-categories.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions further include instructions for reverting back to displaying the first set of sub-categories instead of the second set of sub-categories, wherein the instructions to revert back are executed after a pre-defined period of time has passed.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the set of program instructions also include instructions, executable in response to receiving the communication, for creating a second set of categories of recordable events for displaying at the user interface instead of the first set of categories.

15. A method of selection among a set of recordable events, the method comprising:

receiving data describing each recordable event of the set of recordable events, wherein the data includes for each recordable event an identifier that indicates at least one category and at least one sub-category;

using the identifier for each recordable event to associate that recordable event with a category and a sub-category;

displaying a set of categories;

receiving a user selection of a given category of the displayed set of categories, and responsively displaying a set of sub-categories corresponding to the given category;

receiving a user selection of a displayed sub-category and responsively displaying a descriptor for at least one recordable event of the set of recordable events associated with the selected sub-category; and

receiving a user selection of a displayed descriptor for a given recordable event and responsively scheduling to record the given recordable event.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifier for each recordable event is a numeric identifier.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the given recordable event is a series of recordable events.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the given recordable event is a single recordable event.