System and method for creating and displaying a preference based menu for a viewing session

• US 7,292,774 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Keen Personal Media, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Keen Personal Media, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Price, William P., Masters, Bradley S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/671,761
• Time in Patent Office: 2,597 Days
• Field of Search: 725/46, 725/47, 725/58, 725/38, 725/39, 725/55, 725/61, 725/153, 345/716, 345/719, 386/83, 386/46, 386/95
• US Class Current: 386/291
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• 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 21/84 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A video system has an input port to receive display contents including a plurality of broadcast display contents and has an output port to couple to a video display. Further, the system includes a preference engine, a storage device and a management module. The preference engine is coupled to the input port and tracks viewer selections of the broadcast display contents to create a viewer profile. The storage device is coupled to the input port, the output port and the preference engine, and records a first plurality of display contents according to the viewer profile and a second plurality of display contents upon a viewer selecting the display contents for recording. The management module is coupled to the preference engine and the storage device, and defines a third plurality of display contents based upon the available broadcast display contents for a viewing session and based upon the viewer profile. Further, the management module creates a menu of viewing choices comprising at least one of the first plurality of display contents, the second plurality of display contents and the third plurality of display contents. The menu is displayable on the video display from which a viewer can select a sequence of display contents for the viewing session.

Claims

1. A method of generating a menu representing a viewing sequence of display contents during a viewer'"'"'s viewing session, comprising:

recording first video data associated with a first plurality of display contents using a preference engine to select the display content;

selectively recording second video data associated with a second plurality of display contents upon a viewer selecting the display content;

defining a viewing session;

defining a third plurality of display contents based upon available broadcast display contents during the viewing session and selected based upon the preference engine; and

displaying a menu screen of viewing choices, wherein the menu screen comprises at least one of the first plurality of display contents, at least one of the second plurality of display contents and at least one of the third plurality of display contents.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing session has a duration of about four hours.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing session is defined as having a predetermined length upon activation of a video system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving viewer input to select from the menu of viewing choices of one or more display contents for the viewing session to define a viewing sequence for display on a display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically changing channels during the viewing session, wherein the channels provide the broadcast display contents.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising analyzing the viewing sequence for conflicts caused by display contents that at least partially overlap.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising allowing viewer intervention in case of unresolvable conflicts.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising analyzing the viewing sequence for time gaps and filling the time gaps with display content using the preference engine to select the display content.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a local source for video display content is connected.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising scanning the local source to obtain content information.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising adding the content information as a fourth plurality to the menu of viewing choices.

12. A video system, comprising:

an input port configured to receive display contents including a plurality of broadcast display contents;

an output port configured to couple to a video display;

a preference engine coupled to the input port, the preference engine configured to track viewer selections of the broadcast display contents and to create a viewer profile;

a storage device coupled to the input port, the output port and the preference engine, the storage device configured to record first video data associated with a first plurality of display contents according to the viewer profile and to record second video data associated with a second plurality of display contents upon a viewer selecting the display content; and

a management module coupled to the preference engine and the storage device, the management module configured to define a third plurality of display contents based upon the available broadcast display contents for a viewing session and based upon the viewer profile, to create a menu screen of viewing choices comprising at least one of the first plurality of display contents, at least one of the second plurality of display contents and at least one of the third plurality of display contents, the menu screen being displayable on the video display from which a viewer can select a sequence of display contents for the viewing session.

13. The video system of claim 12, further comprising a set-top box coupled to the input port and configured to receive display contents.

14. The video system of claim 13, wherein the preference engine, the management module and the storage device are included in a video control device providing for a functionality of a personal video recorder.

15. The video system of claim 12, further comprising a local source for display content in communication with the preference engine and the management module, wherein the management module is configured to scan the local source to obtain content information.

16. The video system of claim 12, wherein the management module is configured to initiate automatic channel changes.