Methods and systems for displaying recommended content alternatives

• US 8,001,568 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Hosea, Devin, Thurston, Nathaniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Newlin; Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US10/204,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20030226146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,374 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/43, 725/45, 725/46, 725/52, 725/53, 725/61
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

In a content distribution system, in which broadcast content is distributed and provided to a television viewer, a method and apparatus for providing a compact guide display of a plurality of television show or program recommendations, optionally with descriptions, which are available and selectable for viewing by a viewer without interrupting the presently-viewed content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

processing, by a processing device, ratings for a plurality of programming content items, a first portion of the programming content items being stored locally and a second portion of the programming content items being receivable via a network;

generating a guide display process to generate a listing of recommendations ranking the programming content items in accordance with the ratings;

responsive to the guide display process, causing display on a display screen, during display of a program, a guide display showing the listing of recommendations, the guide display being displayed as an overlay over a portion of the program, the guide display being sized and situated on the display screen so as to enable simultaneous viewing of the program and the listing of recommendations; and

responsive to detecting hovering of an indicator over the overlay to indicate selection of one of the recommendations from the listing of recommendations presented on the display screen, causing opening of a picture-in-picture window providing instant viewing of a programming content item corresponding to the one of the recommendations selected from the listing while simultaneously causing continued display of the program.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing display of additional information about the programming content item.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the guide display is displayed as a translucent overlay over the portion of the program.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving input to determine the placement, sizing, and display time of the guide display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input to toggle off and on the guide display.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the guide display process automatically causes display of the guide display from time-to-time or periodically during a viewing session.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the listing of recommendations shown by the guide display is based upon a single genre or category of programming content.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the guide display is generated in response to information from a rating engine, recommendation engine or profile engine.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the listing of recommendations shown by the guide display is in preference order.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the listing of recommendations shown by the guide display is in preference order based on other viewers'"'"' top selections, the other viewers'"'"' top selections being generated across viewers with similar viewing histories.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the listing of recommendations shown by the guide display is in preference order based on a stored viewer profile.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the listing of recommendations shown by the guide display is ranked in accordance with viewer preferences rather than channel numbers.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the guide display presents recommendations for programming content items available immediately or in the near future.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the listing of recommendations is displayed over the program as a translucent textual overlay without gridlines separating the recommendations.

14. An apparatus comprising:

means for processing ratings for a plurality of programming content items, a first portion of the programming content items being stored locally and a second portion of the programming content items being receivable via a network;

means for generating a guide display process to generate a listing of recommendations ranking the programming content items in accordance with the ratings;

means, responsive to the guide display process, for displaying on a display screen, during display of a program, a guide display showing the listing of recommendations, the guide display being displayed as an overlay over a portion of the program, the guide display being sized and situated on the display screen so as to enable simultaneous viewing of the program and the listing of recommendations; and

means, responsive to detecting hovering of an indicator over the overlay to indicate selection of one of the recommendations from the listing of recommendations presented on the display screen, for causing opening of a picture-in-picture window providing viewing of a programming content item corresponding to the one of the recommendations selected from the listing while simultaneously causing continued display of the program.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

means, operative in response to input, for causing display of additional information about the programming content item.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to display the guide display as a translucent overlay over the portion of the program.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is further operative to receive input determining the placement, sizing, and display time of the guide display.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is further operative to receive input toggling on and off the guide display.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to automatically cause display the guide display from time-to-time or periodically during a viewing session.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to display the listing of recommendations based upon a single genre or category of programming content.

21. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to generate the guide display in response to information from a rating engine, a recommendation engine or a profile engine.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to present the listing of recommendations in preference order.

23. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to present the listing of recommendations based upon other viewers'"'"' top selections, where the other viewers'"'"' top selections are based upon viewers with similar viewing histories.

24. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to present the listing of recommendations in preference order based upon a stored viewer profile.

25. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to rank the listing of recommendations in accordance with stored preferences rather than channel numbers.

26. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the guide display displaying means is operative to present the listing of recommendations based upon immediately available programming content items or programming content items available in the near future.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a recommendation engine, implemented by a processing device, configured to process ratings for a plurality of programming content items, a first portion of the programming content items being stored locally and a second portion of the programming content items being receivable via a network;

a guide display engine implemented by the processing device, the guide display engine configured to;

generate a displayable listing of recommendations ranking the programming content items in accordance with the ratings and

cause display of a guide display showing the listing of recommendations on a display screen during display of a program, the guide display being displayed as an overlay over a portion of the program, the guide display being sized and situated on the display screen so as to enable viewing of the program while simultaneously permitting viewing of the listing of recommendations, wherein the processing device, responsive to detecting hovering of an indicator over the overlay to indicate selection of one of the recommendations from the listing of recommendations presented on the display screen, causes opening of a display window providing instant viewing of a programming content item corresponding to the one of the recommendations selected from the listing while simultaneously causing continued display of the program.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the guide display is a translucent overlay over the portion of the program.

30. A method comprising:

processing, by a processing device, ratings for a plurality of programming content items, a first portion of the programming content items being stored locally and a second portion of the programming content items being receivable via a network;

causing presentation of a listing of recommendations ranking the programming content items in accordance with the ratings and a user profile;

causing presentation, during display of a program, of a guide display showing the listing of recommendations, the guide display being displayed as an overlay over a portion of the program, the guide display being sized and situated on the display screen so as to enable simultaneous viewing of the program and the listing of recommendations, and wherein the guide display is automatically presented from time-to-time or periodically during the program; and

responsive to detecting hovering of an indicator proximate to one of the recommendations from the listing of recommendations presented on the display screen, causing opening of a picture-in-picture window presenting a programming content item corresponding to the one of the recommendations while simultaneously causing continued display of the program.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein listing of recommendations is ordered based upon other viewers'"'"' top selections, where the other viewers'"'"' top selections are based upon viewers with similar viewing histories.