Method and apparatus for channel surfing through multiple sources based on user-definable preferences

• US 7,313,806 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Williams, Christopher D., Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Moore, Kenneth Alan, Hackson, David N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig, Andrew Y
• Application Number:
  US09/183,732
• Time in Patent Office: 3,343 Days
• Field of Search: 725 46- 49, 725/131, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for channel surfing through multiple sources based on user-definable preferences includes accessing a user-definable preferences list that identifies a plurality of channels from a plurality of different sources. One of the plurality of identified channels is selected for provision to a user.

Claims

1. A method of selecting an entertainment programming preferences list at an entertainment system comprising:

receiving a user identification at the entertainment system;

searching a set of user-definable preferences lists to identify preferences lists corresponding to the identified user, the preferences lists identifying a plurality of different channels of entertainment programming that can be added to and deleted from each identified list by the identified user;

displaying a list of the identified preferences lists to the user;

receiving a selection of a displayed identified preferences list from the user at the entertainment system; and

displaying the selected preferences list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, to the user, one or more of audio and video from a source in the selected preferences.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting one of the plurality of identified channels for provision to the user;

accessing, to determine a component corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of identified channels, a programming guide database that is independent of the selected user-definable preferences list; and

sending a signal to the component to provide the selected channel.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a user request to provide a new channel; and

wherein the selecting, the accessing and the sending are performed in response to the user request.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

repeating the selecting, the accessing and the sending in response to subsequent user requests to provide a new channel.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an indication to the user when the user has completed a cycle of the selected preferences list.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically selecting additional ones of the plurality of identified channels at predetermined intervals.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of preferences lists for the identified user are generated by the identified user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of user-definable preferences lists are stored at a component of the entertainment system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the selected preferences list by the identified user through at least one of adding, deleting, and reordering an entertainment programming channel of the selected preferences list.

11. An article comprising a storage medium, the storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by a processor, result in:

receiving a user identification at an entertainment system;

searching a set of user-definable preferences lists to identify preferences lists corresponding to the identified user, the preferences lists identifying a plurality of different channels of entertainment programming that can be added to and deleted from each identified list by the identified user;

displaying a list of the identified preferences lists to the user;

receiving a selection of a displayed identified preferences list from the user at the entertainment system; and

displaying the selected preferences list.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in providing, to the user, one or more of audio and video from a source in the selected preferences list.

13. The article of claim 11, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in selecting one of the plurality of identified channels for provision to the user, accessing, to determine a component corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of identified channels, a programming guide database that is independent of the selected user-definable preferences list, and sending a signal to the component to provide the selected channel.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in receiving a user request to provide a new channel, wherein the selecting, the accessing and the sending are performed in response to the user request.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in repeating the selecting, the accessing and the sending in response to subsequent user requests to provide a new channel.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of preferences lists for the identified user are generated by the identified user.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in modifying the selected preferences list by the identified user through at least one of adding, deleting, and reordering an entertainment programming channel of the selected preferences list.

18. An entertainment system component comprising:

a storage device to store a set of user-definable preferences lists, the preferences lists identifying a plurality of different channels of entertainment programming that can be added to and deleted from each list by a corresponding user;

a user interface controller to receive a user identification;

a channel selector, coupled to the storage device and the user interface, to search the set of user-definable preferences lists to identify preferences lists corresponding to the identified user and select one of the identified preferences lists using input received from the user interface controller; and

a channel selection controller, coupled to the storage device, to access the selected user-definable preferences list and select one of the plurality of identified channels for provision to the user.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a component controller coupled to the channel selection controller;

wherein the channel selection controller is to send the selected one of the plurality of identified channels to the component controller, and

wherein the component controller is to tune a corresponding component of the entertainment system to provide, to the user, one or more of audio and video from a source corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of identified channels.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the channel selection controller is further to:

access, to determine a component of the entertainment system corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of channels, a programming guide database that is independent of the selected user definable preferences list; and

send a signal to the component to provide the selected channel.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the channel selection controller is further to:

receive a user request to provide a new channel; and

wherein the accessing and the selecting are performed in response to the user request.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the channel selection controller is further to repeat the accessing and selecting in response to subsequent user requests to provide a new channel.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the channel selection controller provides an indication to the user when the user has completed a cycle of the selected preferences list.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the channel selection controller automatically selects additional ones of the plurality of identified channels at predetermined intervals.

25. An apparatus for selecting an entertainment programming preferences list at an entertainment system comprising:

means for receiving user input, including a user identification;

means for storing a set of user-definable preferences lists, the preferences lists identifying a plurality of different channels of entertainment programming that can be added to and deleted from each list by the corresponding user;

means, coupled to the means for storing and the means for receiving, for searching the set of user-definable preferences lists to identify preferences lists corresponding to an identified user and for selecting one of the identified preferences lists using input received from the means for receiving; and

means, coupled to the means for storing, for accessing the selected user-definable preferences list and selecting one of the plurality of identified entertainment programming channels for provision to the identified user.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means, coupled to the means for accessing and selecting, for controlling components in the entertainment system; and

wherein the means for accessing and selecting is for sending the selected one of the plurality of identified channels to the means for controlling, and wherein the means for controlling is for tuning a corresponding component of the entertainment system to provide, to the identified user, one or more of audio and video from a source corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of identified channels.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for accessing and selecting includes:

means for accessing, to determine a component of the entertainment system corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of identified channels, a programming guide database that is independent of the selected user-definable preferences list; and

means for sending a signal to the determined component to provide the selected channel.

28. An entertainment system controller for use with an entertainment system comprising:

a user interface controller to receive user input including a user identification;

a preferences database to store a set of user-definable preferences lists, the preferences lists identifying a plurality of different channels of broadcast video that can be added to and deleted from each list by a corresponding user;

a preferences controller, coupled to the preferences database and to the user interface controller, to search the set of user-definable preferences lists to identify preferences lists corresponding to an identified user and display the identified lists to the corresponding user and, in response to a selection of one of the-identified preferences lists received from the user through the user interface controller, to select one of the identified preferences lists;

an electronic programming guide (EPG) database to store EPG data;

an EPG controller coupled to the EPG database to access and provide EPG data; and

a channel selector coupled to the user interface controller, to the EPG controller and to the preferences controller to access the EPG database through the EPG controller to determine a component of the entertainment system corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of broadcast video channels of the selected preferences list; and

send a signal to the determined component to provide the selected channel.

29. The controller of claim 28 wherein the channel selector is further to access the selected preferences list and select one of the plurality of broadcast video channels for provision to the user.

30. The controller of claim 29, wherein the channel selector is further to receive a user request through the user interface controller to provide a new channel and the channel selector accesses the selected preferences list and selects one of the plurality of broadcast video channels in response to the user request.

31. The controller of claim 28, further comprising a component controller to communicate with entertainment system components and wherein the channel selector sends a signal to a determined component through the component controller.

32. The controller of claim 28, further comprising a tuner to tune to the broadcast video channels.