Determining user interest based on guide navigation

• US 7,882,522 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROVI Product Corporation (Xperi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Neufeld, Nadav, Rao, Dana
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castro; Alfonso
• Application Number:
  US11/564,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score

Abstract

An electronic program guide (EPG) application is configured to render a program listing, a currently indicated program, and additional data. The EPG application is further configured to automatically determine, based on user-submitted EPG navigation commands, whether or not the user is likely interested in the currently indicated program. If it is determined that the user is likely interested in the currently indicated program, then the additional data that is displayed along with the program listing is detailed data associated with the currently indicated program. In contrast, if it is determined that the user is likely not interested in the currently indicated program, then instead of detailed data associated with the currently indicated program, the additional data that is displayed along with the program listing is content that is targeted to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

rendering an electronic program guide (EPG), the EPG comprising;

a program listing of multiple programs;

a program indicator that indicates a particular program in the program listing; and

a details area comprising a picture-in-picture (PIP) window in which additional data is displayed concurrently with the program listing of multiple programs;

determining a first program that is represented by a program listing currently indicated by the program indicator;

providing detailed data associated with the first program as the additional data displayed in the details area;

receiving a navigation command;

responsive to receiving the navigation command, modifying the program indicator to indicate a second program in the program listing;

automatically determining, based on the navigation command, whether or not a user is likely to be interested in the second program;

when the navigation command comprises an up arrow command, a down arrow command, a left arrow command or a right arrow command, indicating a user request to navigate to a program listing that is adjacent to the program listing of the first program, determining that the user is likely to be interested in the second program;

when the navigation command comprises a page up command, a page down command, a page right command, or a page left command, indicating a user request to navigate to a program listing that is not adjacent to the program listing of the first program, determining that the user is not likely to be interested in the second program;

responsive to determining that the user is likely interested in the second program, displaying detailed data associated with the second program as the additional data displayed in the details area of the EPG; and

responsive to determining that the user is likely not interested in the second program, displaying data that is targeted to the user in the details area of the EPG, the data that is targeted to the user not being associated with the second program and being displayed in the details area instead of the detailed data associated with the second program.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the detailed data associated with the second program comprises a broadcast of the second program.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the detailed data associated with the second program comprises a preview of the second program.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the detailed data associated with the second program comprises at least one of a textual description of the second program, a rating of the second program, or a duration of the second program.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises a product advertisement.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises a program advertisement selected based on a type of programming corresponding to the first program.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises a channel promotion.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises an on-demand program promotion.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on demographic data associated with the user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on a location within the program listing associated with the second program.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on a channel band that includes a channel over which the second program is available.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, when the navigation command is a page left or page right command, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on a channel over which the first program is available.

13. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a program guide application stored in the memory and executed on the processor, the program guide application configured to;

display a grid of programs available to a user and a details region displayed concurrently with the grid;

indicate a program in the grid of programs;

automatically determine, based on a user-submitted navigation command that resulted in the program being indicated, whether the user is likely interested in the program;

responsive to determining that the user is likely interested in the program, while the program is indicated, present detailed data associated with the program in the details region displayed concurrently with the grid; and

responsive to determining that the user is likely not interested in the program, while the program is indicated, present alternate data to the user in the details region displayed concurrently with the grid, instead of presenting the detailed data associated with the program.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the program guide application comprises:

a rendering module to render a graphical representation of electronic program guide data;

a command interface to receive user-submitted commands; and

a user interest detection module to automatically determine whether a user is likely interested in a currently indicated program.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the program guide application further comprises a picture-in-picture video module to determine, according to whether the user is likely interested in the indicated program, content to be rendered in a PIP window included in the details region.

16. One or more computer-readable media, where the media is not a signal, comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

rendering an arrangement of representations of a plurality of available media programs, the arrangement comprising a details portion for display in conjunction with the representations of the plurality of available media programs;

indicating a representation of a first program of the plurality of available media programs;

identifying detailed data associated with the first program;

automatically determining, based on a user-submitted navigation command that resulted in the representation of the first program being indicated, whether or not a user is likely interested in the first program;

responsive to determining that the user is likely interested in the first program, while continuing to indicate the representation of the first program, rendering the detailed data associated with the first program for display in the details portion of the arrangement; and

responsive to determining that the user is likely not interested in the first program, while continuing to indicate the representation of the first program, instead of rendering the detailed data associated with the first program, rendering alternate data not associated with the first program for display in the details portion of the arrangement.

17. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 16, wherein the alternate data not associated with the first program comprises data targeted to the user.