Instant video on demand playback

• US 7,984,463 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2003
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starz Entertainment, LLC (Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Starz Entertainment, LLC (Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation)
• Inventors: Sabraw, Martin F., DePrez, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marandi; James R.
• Application Number:
  US10/393,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20030188316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,045 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86-104, 725 1- 8
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• 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 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/44204 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 : Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

According to the invention, a method for providing a stored program to a user for playback is disclosed. In one step, a program selection is received from the user. The stored program corresponding to the program selection is requested. The stored program is provided to the user whereby viewing may occur. It is determined if the user is authorized to view the stored program after the stored program is provided to the user whereby the user may view the stored program before authorization is determined.

Claims

1. A method for providing a selected stored program to a user for playback, the selected stored program being one of a plurality of stored programs stored in a data store and provided as part of on-demand programming offered by a program provider, wherein the user has an entitlement relationship with the program provider authorizing the user to access only some of the plurality of stored programs provided as part of the on-demand programming, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a temporal manipulation request from the user comprising a request to temporally manipulate the selected stored program as the selected stored program is being viewed by the user;

initiating an authorization process as a result of receiving the temporal manipulation request, wherein the authorization process is performed unilaterally by the program provider to determine whether the user is authorized to temporally manipulate the selected stored program as a function of the entitlement relationship between the user and the program provider, and further wherein the authorization process includes interactions performed remotely to a location of the user;

allowing the user to temporally manipulate the selected stored program according to the temporal manipulation request prior to completion of the authorization process; and

when the program provider determines that the user is not authorized to temporally manipulate the selected stored program through the authorization process, preventing further temporal manipulation of a remaining portion of the selected stored program.

2. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, wherein the temporal manipulation is chosen from the group consisting of:

pause, fast-forward, rewind, variable speed fast-forward, variable speed rewind, slow motion, single frame advance, single frame reverse, stop, skip to the beginning, skip to the closing credits, skip to the previous chapter, skip to the next chapter, go to a program menu, skip forward a first predetermined number of seconds, and skip back a second predetermined number of seconds.

3. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving the temporal manipulation request comprises:

receiving an indication from the user, wherein the indication signifies that the user wishes to view the selected stored program from a predetermined point chosen from a group consisting of a beginning of the selected stored program, closing credits of the selected stored program, a previous chapter, a next chapter, a program menu, a first point a first predetermined number of seconds forward, a second point a second predetermined number of seconds in reverse; and

providing the selected stored program from the predetermined point.

4. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

determining that the user is not currently authorized; and

soliciting the user for consideration before authorizing the user to further temporally manipulate the selected stored program.

5. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 4, wherein the consideration is one of:

monetary consideration, authorization to present advertisement to the user, and authorization to use personal information of the user.

6. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of returning the user to a view of a linearly scheduled version of the selected stored program if temporal manipulation of the selected stored program is not authorized.

7. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of presenting an advertisement to the user if temporal manipulation of the selected stored program is not authorized, wherein the advertisement may or may not be associated with a content provider associated with the selected stored program.

8. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

determining that authorization has not occurred within a predetermined time period; and

interrupting continued temporal manipulation of the selected stored program based, at least in part, on the immediately-preceding determining step.

9. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising delaying the preventing step for a predetermined period of time, whereby unauthorized users can temporally manipulate the selected stored program for the predetermined amount of time.

10. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected stored program is a video or audio program.

11. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing the selected stored program to the user through a multicast, single cast, broadcast, packet-switched or circuit-switched network.

12. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying a notification symbol, whereby the user can determine that temporal manipulation is possible.

13. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, wherein the authorization process comprises a step of determining if the user is a club member, wherein:

the club membership authorizes temporal manipulation of a plurality of programs, and

the plurality of programs comprises the selected stored program.

14. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of sending a linear program, corresponding to the selected stored program, to the user in a linear schedule that includes a plurality of programs, wherein program selection indicates a temporal manipulation of the selected stored program.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implementable method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback of claim 1.

23. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, the data store is local to a user location.

24. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 1, the data store is remote from a user location.

16. A method for providing a selected stored program to a user for playback, the selected stored program corresponding to a linearly-scheduled program currently being viewed by the user, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a temporal manipulation request from the user comprising a request to temporally manipulate the linearly-scheduled program;

determining a portion of the selected stored program corresponding to satisfaction of the temporal manipulation request;

initiating retrieval of the portion of the selected stored program in response to the temporal manipulation request;

initiating an authorization check for the selected stored program as a result of receiving the temporal manipulation request, wherein the authorization check is performed to determine whether the user is authorized to temporally manipulate programming, and further wherein the authorization check includes interactions performed remotely to a location of the user; and

providing the portion of the selected stored program prior to completion of the authorization check, whereby satisfaction of the temporal manipulation request may commence prior to the determining of whether the user is authorized to temporally manipulate programming.

17. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 16, wherein the second-listed initiating step is performed before the first-listed initiating step.

18. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 16, wherein the receiving step comprises a step of detecting a temporal manipulation of the selected stored program that is being watched from a linear schedule.

19. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 16, further comprising a step of:

when the user is not authorized to temporally manipulate programming according to the authorization check, preventing further temporal manipulation of programming by the user.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implementable method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback of claim 16.

25. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 16, the data store is local to a user location.

21. A method for providing a selected stored program to a user for playback, the selected stored program corresponding to a linearly-scheduled program currently being viewed by the user, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a temporal manipulation request from the user for the linearly-scheduled program;

initiating retrieval of the selected stored program corresponding to the linearly-scheduled program in response to the temporal manipulation request;

initiating an authorization check for the selected stored program subsequent to the initiating retrieval of the selected stored program step, wherein the authorization check is performed unilaterally by a program provider to determine whether the user is authorized to access the selected stored program as a function of an entitlement relationship between the user and the program provider, and further wherein the authorization check includes interactions performed remotely to a location of the user;

providing at least a portion of the selected stored program to the user in response to the receiving step and prior to completion of the authorization check, such that the temporal manipulation request is satisfied using the at least a portion of the selected stored program prior to the determining of whether the user is authorized to access the selected stored program; and

when the program provider determines that the user is not authorized to access the selected stored program according to the authorization check, preventing further temporal manipulation of the selected stored program subsequent to determining that the user is not authorized.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implementable method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback of claim 21.

26. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

when the program provider determines that the user is not authorized to access the selected stored program according to the authorization check, returning the user to viewing the linearly-scheduled program.

27. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

when the program provider determines that the user is not authorized to access the selected stored program according to the authorization check, terminating further retrieval of the selected stored program.

28. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 21, wherein initiating retrieval of the selected stored program corresponding to the linearly-scheduled program in response to the temporal manipulation request comprises:

initiating retrieval of the selected stored program from a data store remote from the user and operated by the service provider.

29. The method for providing the selected stored program to the user for playback as recited in claim 21, wherein initiating retrieval of the selected stored program corresponding to the linearly-scheduled program in response to the temporal manipulation request comprises:

initiating retrieval of the selected stored program from a data store local to the user.