Scheduling the recording of television programs

• US 7,885,517 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Blackketter, Dean J., Zigmond, Daniel J., Matheny, John R., Park, Timothy F., Glusker, Sharon F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey; David E
• Application Number:
  US11/115,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20050196136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 386/83, 386/124, 725/51, 725/56, 725/61, 725 38- 40
• US Class Current: 386/296
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4622 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 21/47 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A television receiving system displays an advertisement for a future television program. If the future television program is identified as recordable, the system also displays an option to set a reminder for the advertised program and/or an option to record the advertised program on a video recorder. If a viewer of the advertisement selects the reminder option, then a reminder is programmed in the system. If the viewer selects the record option, then the system automatically programs the video recorder to record the advertised program. If the viewer has established an interactive session during a television advertisement, and has not completed the interactive session when the advertisement ends, then the current television program is paused until the interactive session is completed.

Claims

1. A set-top box comprising:

a video recorder;

a processor coupled to memory; and

one or modules executable by the processor to;

record a future television program by;

outputting a banner advertisement for a future television program that is presented within an Internet web page accessed via the receiving system from a server coupled to the Internet;

displaying a prompt to record the advertised television program on the Internet webpage in conjunction with the banner advertisement to indicate that the advertised television program is recordable; and

programming a record operation when a user selects the prompt to record the advertised television program; and

pause a television program during an interactive session by;

enabling the interactive session associated with an advertisement presented during the television program;

determining when the interactive session is still in progress when presentation of the advertisement concludes; and

responsive to determining that the interactive session is still in progress, pausing the television program by recording a portion of the television program via the video recorder.

2. A set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the programming comprises obtaining information about the future television program that is encoded in the banner advertisement to set the record operation.

3. A set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the programming comprises obtaining information about the future television program to set the record operation by accessing a separate web page that is associated with the future program.

4. A set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are further executable by the processor to program the video recorder to record an other television program at a future time based upon information regarding the other television program encoded into an advertisement for the other television program by:

receiving the advertisement for the other television program including the encoded information;

outputting the advertisement for the other television program including a prompt to indicate that the other television program is recordable and selectable by a viewer to cause the set-top box to program the video recorder to record the other television program at the future time.

5. A set-top box as recited in claim 1, wherein the video recorder is a digital video recorder.

6. A set-top box as recited in claim 1, further comprising a data interface connectable to the internet to obtain the web page.

7. A set-top box as recited in claim 1, further comprising a television interface connectable to a television source to obtain the advertisement.

8. A method comprising:

using the set-top box having a video recorder to set a recording for a future television program by;

enabling access to one or more web pages via the set-top box;

outputting a web page having a banner advertisement for the future television program;

displaying a prompt in conjunction with the banner advertisement to indicate that the future television program is recordable;

receiving a request to record the future television program responsive to displaying the prompt;

programming the video recorder to record the future television program at a designated time responsive to the request; and

using the set-top box having the video recorder to pause a television program during an interactive session including at least;

enabling the interactive session associated with an advertisement presented during the television program;

determining when the interactive session is still in progress when presentation of the advertisement concludes;

responsive to determining that the interactive session is still in progress, pausing the television program by recording a portion of the television program via the video recorder; and

upon conclusion of the interactive session, playing the recorded television program automatically.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising using the set-top box having the video recorder to set a recording for a future television program by:

outputting an advertisement for the future television program;

displaying a prompt in conjunction with the advertisement indicative that the future television program is recordable;

receiving a request to record the future television program responsive to displaying the prompt; and

programming the video recorder to record the future television program at a designated time responsive to the request.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the programming comprises obtaining information to enable the video recorder to set the record operation for the future television program by accessing an external web page that is associated with the future program.

11. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 8.