Method and system for providing household level television programming information

• US 7,631,332 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Titantv Inc.
• Original Assignee: Decisionmark Corp. (Broadcast Interactive Media, LLC)
• Inventors: Franken, Kenneth A., Moubarak, Toufic, Perry, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US10/248,674
• Time in Patent Office: 2,496 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/48, 725/49
• US Class Current: 725/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18547 for geolocalisation of a station position fixing by direction or distance determination G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• 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 21/47214 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A computer and internet-based system and method for providing television and radio programming information and channel assignments to users, which is based upon a household level determination of a location of the user.

Claims

1. An electronic programming guide apparatus comprising:

a PC at a first household location;

a computer system at a second location, coupled to said PC via a computer network;

said PC providing information regarding a local address of said first household location to said computer system;

wherein said information regarding a local address comprises information identifying the first household location other than a five-digit zip code; and

,

said computer system adapted and configured to generate a record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first household location, and for generating an electronic programming guide based upon said record.

2. An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said information regarding a local address further comprises a street address.

3. An apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first household location is a location occupied by a commercial enterprise.

4. An apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first household location is a location occupied by a dwelling.

5. An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said information regarding a local address is a latitude/longitude pair.

6. An apparatus of claim 2 wherein said record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first household location includes a list of terrestrially broadcast television stations which are determined to exceed a predetermined level of signal strength at said first household location.

7. An apparatus of claim 6 wherein said record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first household location includes a list of terrestrially broadcast television stations which are determined, via calculations, to exceed a predetermined level of signal strength at said first household location;

and,

said calculations involve a Longley-Rice signal strength calculation.

8. An apparatus of claim 7 wherein said record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first household location includes a list of cable programming channels which are available to a cable subscriber at said first household location.

9. An apparatus of claim 8 wherein said electronic programming guide includes a representation of a first cable channel assignment for a first terrestrially broadcast station, which has a broadcast coverage area including said first household location and a second household location, said first cable channel assignment is different from a second cable channel assignment which is also provided by said computer system, to a viewer at said second household location for said first terrestrially broadcast station.

10. An apparatus of claim 9 wherein said electronic programming guide includes a representation of a first channel assignment for a first satellite delivered network, which has a marketing area including said first household location and a second household location, said first channel assignment is different from a second channel assignment which is also provided by said computer system, to a viewer at said second household location for said satellite delivered broadcast network.

11. An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electronic programming guide comprises a radio programming guide.

12. A method of providing information relating to electronically transmitted programming comprising the steps of:

providing digital information representative of a local address of a first household level location;

said local address comprises an address which is more geographically precise than both a five-digit zip code assigned to said first location and a proximity characteristic of said first household level location with respect to a town;

generating a list of stations available at said first household level location;

matching said list of stations to predetermined programming content associated with stations on said list of stations; and

providing to said first household level location a signal representative of a programming guide which has been tailored to exclude programming content which is not available at said first household level location.

13. A method of claim 12 wherein said local address is a street address.

14. A method of claim 13 wherein said step of generating a list of stations at said first household level location includes a step of determining a signal strength at said first household level location of terrestrially broadcast signals which exceed a predetermined threshold.

15. A method of claim 14 wherein said step of generating a list of stations comprises making a determination of a characteristic of cable television programming which is provided to said first household level location.

16. A method of claim 15 wherein said step of matching said stations comprises making a local cable channel assignment determination for said first household level location.

17. A method of claim 16 wherein said programming guide has included therein only programming which is available at said first household level location.

18. A method of claim 17 wherein said programming guide includes information relating to programming available from at least the following sources:

terrestrially broadcast television, cable television, satellite television, and internet-delivered television programming.

19. A method of claim 18 wherein said step of making a local cable channel assignment determination for said first household level location comprises assigning a cable channel number for a first terrestrially broadcast station, which has a broadcast coverage area including said first household level location and a second location, said first cable channel assignment is different from a second cable channel assignment which is also provided to a viewer at said second location for said first terrestrially broadcast station.

23. A method of claim 12 further including the step of restricting said predetermined program content based upon a sports blackout business rule.

20. A system comprising:

a first PC, disposed at a first viewer location, which is in a private single family dwelling, having a broadband internet connection via a coaxial cable TV cable which also carries cable TV signals to said first PC;

said first PC adapted and configured to provide digital information regarding a street address of said first location without a requirement for repeated user input of such street address;

said first PC configured to receive television programming signals from said coaxial cable TV cable;

a computer system, disposed at a server location and coupled to said first PC via an internet connection, said computer system executing software which is configured to generate a list of television programming options which are available to a viewer at said first viewer location, said list including only television programming options which are available to a viewer at said first viewer location;

said computer system further executing software which is configured to generate a programming guide based upon said list of television programming options;

wherein said list includes a list of terrestrially broadcast television stations which exceed a predetermined threshold of signal strength at said first viewer location;

wherein said list further includes a list of cable programming channels which are available to a cable subscriber at said viewer location;

wherein said programming guide includes a representation of a first cable channel assignment for a first terrestrially broadcast station, which has a broadcast coverage area including said first viewer location and a second viewer location, said first cable channel assignment is different from a second cable channel assignment which is also provided by said computer system, to a viewer at said second viewer location for said first terrestrially broadcast station;

wherein said programming guide includes a representation of a first channel assignment for a first satellite delivered network, which has a marketing area including said first viewer location and a second viewer location, said first channel assignment is different from a second channel assignment which is also provided by said computer system, to a viewer at said second viewer location for said satellite delivered broadcast network; and

,

wherein said programming guide includes information relating to programming available from at least one of the following sources;

terrestrially broadcast television, cable television, satellite television, and internet-delivered television programming.

25. A system of claim 20 wherein said list is restricted based upon a predetermined business rule.

26. A system of claim 20 wherein said predetermined business rule includes a rule based upon syndicated exclusivity.

21. A system comprising:

a first PC, disposed at a first viewer location, which is in a private single family dwelling, having a broadband internet connection via a DSL line;

said first PC adapted and configured to provide digital information regarding a street address of said first location without a requirement for repeated user input of such street address;

said first PC further including a PCDTV board therein which is coupled to and receives television programming signals on a signal cable;

a computer system, disposed at a server location and coupled to said first PC via an internet connection, said computer system executing software which is adapted and configured to generate a list of television and FM radio programming options which are available to a viewer at said first viewer location, said list including only television and FM radio programming options which are available to a viewer at said first viewer location;

said computer system further executing software which is adapted and configured to generate a programming guide based upon said list of television and FM radio programming options;

wherein said list includes a list of terrestrially broadcast television and FM radio stations which are determined, via Longley-Rice calculations, to exceed a predetermined threshold of signal strength at said first viewer location;

wherein said list further includes a list of cable programming channels which are available to a cable subscriber at said viewer location;

wherein said programming guide includes a representation of a first cable channel assignment for a first terrestrially broadcast station, which has a broadcast coverage area including said first viewer location and a second viewer location, said first cable channel assignment is different from a second cable channel assignment which is also provided by said computer system, to a viewer at said second viewer location for said first terrestrially broadcast station;

wherein said programming guide includes a representation of a first channel assignment for a first satellite delivered network, which has a marketing area including said first viewer location and a second viewer location, said first channel assignment is different from a second channel assignment which is also provided by said computer system, to a viewer at said second viewer location for said satellite delivered broadcast network; and

,

wherein said programming guide includes information relating to programming available from at least the following sources;

terrestrially broadcast television, cable television, satellite television, and internet-delivered television programming as well as FM radio.

22. A system of claim 21 wherein said signal cable and said DSL line are spatially coextensive.

24. A system of claim 21 wherein said list is restricted based upon a predetermined sports blackout business rule.