Detection and indication of premium channel availability

• US 7,921,441 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2004
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Hancock, Kenneth S, Ward, Thomas E III, Orlick, Jonathan B, Macrae, Douglas B
• Primary Examiner(s): Beliveau; Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ingvoldstad; Bennett
• Application Number:
  US10/823,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20040261098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,548 Days
• Field of Search: 725/31, 725/38, 725/39
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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 21/4334 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• 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

The present invention is directed to a television schedule guide which includes a detector for determining whether a previously scrambled program is unscrambled. If a previously scrambled program is momentarily unscrambled due to promotional efforts by the program provider, the system will visually distinguish the program on the guide, and a viewer may tune to or record the program from the guide. The view may also subscribe to the program provider through the guide during the promotional period.

Claims

1. A television schedule system configured with an electronic program guide (EPG) database, the system comprising:

a receiving location for receiving a first television channel and a second television channel, wherein the first television channel provides regularly unscrambled television programs and the second television channel provides regularly scrambled television programs;

a detector at the receiving location and a processor at the receiving location, wherein the detector is coupled to the processor for monitoring the second television channel to generate an indication when the second television channel is received without scrambling;

the processor configured to;

display program listings including a first program listing associated with the first television channel;

determine based on an indication received from the detector that the second television channel is received without scrambling by a user that is a non-subscriber to the second television channel; and

modify the displayed program listings to include a second program listing associated with the second television channel in response to determining that the second television channel is received without scrambling.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein modifying the displayed program listing to include the second program listing associated with the second television channel includes turning ON the second television channel.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to modify the displayed program listings based on the output of the detector.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a display for displaying a portion of the program listings in a guide format.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the display further displays a promotional message in the guide for informing a viewer that the second television channel is received without scrambling.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the promotional message is visually distinguished from the program listing associated with the television channel that provides regularly unscrambled television programs.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the portion of the display including the second program listing is displayed upon user selection of the promotional message.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further adds the second television channel into a list of displayed channels.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further transmits an order to subscribe the user to a service provider of the second television channel.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector monitors the second television channel while the second television channel is scrambled.

10. A method for operating a television schedule system configured with an electronic program guide (EPG) database, the method comprising:

receiving a first television channel and a second television channel, wherein the first television channel provides regularly unscrambled television programs and the second television channel provides regularly scrambled television programs;

displaying program listings including a first program listing associated with the first television channel;

monitoring the second television channel to detect whether the second television channel is received without scrambling;

determining that the second television channel is received without scrambling by a user that is a non-subscriber to the second television channel;

generating an indication when the second television channel is received without scrambling; and

modifying the displayed program listings to include a second program listing associated with the second television channel in response to determining that the second television channel is received without scrambling.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein modifying the displayed program listing to include the second program listing associated with the second television channel includes turning ON the second television channel.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the displayed program listings are modified based on the determination that the second television channel is received without scrambling.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving data from a service provider indicating the periods during which one of the regularly scrambled television programs will be received without scrambling.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying a portion of the program listings in a guide format in a display.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying a promotional message in the guide for informing a viewer that the second television channel is received without scrambling.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the promotional message is visually distinguished from the program listing associated with the television channel that provides regularly unscrambled television programs.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the portion of the display including the second program listing is displayed upon user selection of the promotional message.