Providing a lateral search

• US 7,698,263 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Werner, David, Fabricant, Robert, Musick, Joshua, Patil, Anant, Pickelsimer, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai; Hanh B
• Application Number:
  US11/787,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5, 707/140.1, 725 39- 40, 725 44- 45, 725/61, 725/135, 725/139, 725/158, 715717-719
• US Class Current: 707/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a lateral search. First, a media guide may be displayed comprising at least one display element. The at least one display element may comprise an action card configured to display a plurality of actions that can be taken with respect to a selected program. One of the plurality of actions may comprise a search action. In addition, in response to a user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the search action on the action card, a search card may be displayed. The search card may be configured to display a plurality of search options comprising, for example, an upcoming episodes search option, a related programs search option, a related personalities search option, and a related key word search option.

Claims

1. A method for providing a search, the method comprising:

displaying, by a computer, a media guide comprising at least one display element comprising an action card configured to display a plurality of actions that can be taken with respect to a selected program, one of the plurality of actions comprising a search action;

displaying, in response to a user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the search action on the action card, a search card, the search card configured to display a plurality of search options consisting of the following;

an upcoming episodes search option, a related programs search option, a related personalities search option, and a related key word search option; and

performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related programs search option, a search comprising searching for one of the following;

a current showing of the selected program that is in a same genre as the selected program and a future showing of another program that is in the same genre as the selected program; and

displaying a results of the search.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the upcoming episodes search option, a search comprising searching for one of the following;

a current showing of the selected program and a future showing of the selected program; and

displaying a results of the search.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related programs search option, a search comprising searching for one for the following;

a current and future showing of another program that is in a same genre as the selected program, the same genre comprising at least one of the following;

action and adventure, adult movies, amateur, animation, blaxploitation, Christmas, classic Hollywood, comic book-based, cult movies, documentary, drama, family, film noir, horror, martial arts, miscellaneous, mockumentary, musicals, organized crime, science fiction and fantasy, Shakespearean, silent movies, sports, teen movies, war movies, and westerns; and

displaying a results of the search.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related personalities search option, a search comprising searching for one for the following;

a current and future showing of another program having at least one personality in common with the selected program; and

displaying a results of the search.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related personalities search option, a search comprising searching for one for the following;

a current and future showing of another program having at least one personality in common with the selected program, the at least one personality comprising one of the following;

an actor, a character, a director, a producer, a writer, a soundtrack artist, a markup artist, and an advisor; and

displaying a results of the search.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related key word search option, a search comprising:

receiving a key word from the user;

performing a search for one for the following;

a current and future showing of another program corresponding to the key word; and

displaying a results of the search.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the key word from the user comprises receiving the key word corresponding to the selected program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the media guide comprises displaying the media guide in response to a received first input.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the media guide in response to the received first input comprises displaying the media guide in response to the first input received from a control device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the media guide comprises:

shrinking the selected program being currently displayed; and

displaying the shrunken selected program concurrently with the media guide.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the shrunken selected program concurrently with the media guide comprises displaying the shrunken selected program concurrently with the media guide to fit at least the width of a high-definition television (HDTV) display.

12. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing a search, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a first input;

shrinking, in response to the received first input, a currently displayed programming content;

displaying the shrunken programming content;

displaying, in response to the received first input and concurrent with the shrunken programming content, a media guide comprising at least one display element comprising an action card configured to display a plurality of actions that can be taken with respect to the currently displayed programming content, one of the plurality of actions comprising a search action;

displaying, in response to a user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the search action on the action card, a search card, the search card configured to display a plurality of search options consisting of the following;

an upcoming episodes search option, a related programs search option, a related personalities search option, and a related key word search option; and

performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related programs search option, a search comprising searching for one of the following;

a current showing of another program that is in a same genre as the currently displayed programming content and a future showing of another program that is in the same genre as the currently displayed programming content; and

displaying a results of the search.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the upcoming episodes search option, a search comprising searching for one for the following:

a current and future showing of the currently displayed programming content.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related programs search option, a search comprising searching for one for the following:

a current and future showing of another program that is in a same genre as the currently displayed programming content, the same genre comprising at least one of the following;

action and adventure, adult movies, amateur, animation, blaxploitation, Christmas, classic Hollywood, comic book-based, cult movies, documentary, drama, family, film noir, horror, martial arts, miscellaneous, mockumentary, musicals, organized crime, science fiction and fantasy, Shakespearean, silent movies, sports, teen movies, war movies, and westerns.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related personalities search option, a search comprising searching for one for the following:

a current and future showing of another program having at least one personality in common with the currently displayed programming content.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related personalities search option, a search comprising searching for another program having at least one personality in common with the currently displayed programming content, the at least one personality comprising one of the following:

an actor, a character, a director, a producer, a writer, a soundtrack artist, a markup artist, and an advisor.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising performing, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related key word search option, a search comprising:

receiving a key word from the user; and

searching for one for the following;

a current and future showing of another program corresponding to the key word.

18. A system for providing a search, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

display, in response to a user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to a search action on an action card, a search card, the search card configured to display a plurality of search options consisting of the following;

an upcoming episodes search option, a related programs search option, a related personalities search option, and a related key word search option; and

perform, in response to the user selecting a user selectable element corresponding to the related programs search option, a search comprising searching for one of the following;

a current showing of the selected program that is in a same genre as the selected program and a future showing of another program that is in the same genre as the selected program; and

display a results of the search.