Interest messaging entertainment system
First Claim
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1. A method implemented by a client device having a processor executing instructions stored in computer-readable storage media, the method comprising:
- receiving video signals broadcast on a multiplexed channel of a broadcast network;
extracting from the received video signals a closed captioning stream of textual data;
creating an active list comprising a plurality of first search terms by presenting a plurality of questions at a user interface to be answered by a viewer to develop the first search terms for creating the active list;
creating a passive list comprising a plurality of second search terms by;
monitoring closed captioning textual data during receipt of one or more previously received closed captioning streams of textual data of received video signals that the viewer has viewed or recorded,extracting words and phrases as potential search terms from the closed captioning textual data, andautomatically selecting the plurality of second search terms from the potential search terms based on a recentness and a frequency of occurrence of the extracted words and phrases;
searching the stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching one or more of the first search terms in the active list or one or more of the second search terms in the passive list, the searching comprising;
storing content programming corresponding to the received video signals in a buffer;
comparing, by the processor, the closed captioning stream of textual data to both the active list and the passive list;
determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein the number of matches is based on a combination, over a period of time, of a number of hits with respect to the first search terms in the active list and a number of hits with respect to the second search terms in the passive list; and
applying a greater weight to the first search terms in the active list than a weight applied to the second search terms in the passive list when counting the number of matches;
when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; and
notifying the viewer when the number of matches exceeds the threshold number that content programming determined to be of interest to the viewer has been located.
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Abstract
Video signals broadcast on a multiplexed channel of a broadcast network are received and there is extract therefrom a closed captioning stream of textual data that is searched for occurrences of textual data matching one or more search parameters. A partial portion of the closed captioning stream of textual data that includes each of the occurrences of textual data that matches the one or more search parameters can be directed to a television receiver.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1. A method implemented by a client device having a processor executing instructions stored in computer-readable storage media, the method comprising:
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receiving video signals broadcast on a multiplexed channel of a broadcast network; extracting from the received video signals a closed captioning stream of textual data; creating an active list comprising a plurality of first search terms by presenting a plurality of questions at a user interface to be answered by a viewer to develop the first search terms for creating the active list; creating a passive list comprising a plurality of second search terms by; monitoring closed captioning textual data during receipt of one or more previously received closed captioning streams of textual data of received video signals that the viewer has viewed or recorded, extracting words and phrases as potential search terms from the closed captioning textual data, and automatically selecting the plurality of second search terms from the potential search terms based on a recentness and a frequency of occurrence of the extracted words and phrases; searching the stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching one or more of the first search terms in the active list or one or more of the second search terms in the passive list, the searching comprising; storing content programming corresponding to the received video signals in a buffer; comparing, by the processor, the closed captioning stream of textual data to both the active list and the passive list; determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein the number of matches is based on a combination, over a period of time, of a number of hits with respect to the first search terms in the active list and a number of hits with respect to the second search terms in the passive list; and applying a greater weight to the first search terms in the active list than a weight applied to the second search terms in the passive list when counting the number of matches; when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; and notifying the viewer when the number of matches exceeds the threshold number that content programming determined to be of interest to the viewer has been located. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A local client set-top box comprising:
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a processor; a plurality of tuners to receive a respective plurality of channels carrying video signals; a closed caption decoder to extract, from the channels, at least one closed captioning stream of textual data; a user interface to present to a viewer to develop first search terms for creating an active list, the active list including one or more predefined first character strings as the first search terms; an application, executed on the processor, to create a passive list of second search terms, the second search terms comprising one or more character strings that have been extracted one or more times from previously received closed captioning streams of textual data of received video signals that the viewer has viewed or recorded, the one or more second character strings being extracted based on a frequency of occurrence in the previously received textual data; the application further executed on the processor to search, for each said channel, the closed captioning stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching one or more search terms by comparing the at least one closed captioning stream of textual data to the active list and the passive list, the comparing including determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; and a signal output device to output a notification when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds the threshold number. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A digital video recorder comprising:
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one or more tuners to receive a plurality of multiplexed channels of a broadcast network each carrying video signals; one or more devices to obtain textual data from recorded video content on a video media device; a decoder to extract a stream of textual data from each channel and each video media device; a processor executing an application to compare, for each channel and each video media device, the stream of textual data with both an active list and a passive list for occurrences of textual data matching first search terms in the active list or second search terms in the passive list, wherein; the active list includes a plurality of first character strings as the first search terms obtained from input entered by a viewer; the passive list includes a plurality of second character strings as the second search terms, which reflect interests of the viewer, that have been extracted one or more times from one or more previously received closed captioning streams of textual data of previously received video signals that the viewer has viewed or recorded, the one or more second character strings being extracted based on a frequency of occurrence in the previously received textual data, wherein the character strings comprising the second search terms comprise only verbs, nouns or proper nouns to reduce a counting overhead associated with the passive list; and the comparing including determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; and a device to output to a display device a notification when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds the threshold number indicating that content programming corresponding to viewer interests has been located.
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28. A method comprising:
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receiving, by a processor, a stream of data contained in signals that are broadcast on a multiplexed channel of a broadcast network; extracting, by the processor, a stream of textual data from the received stream of data, wherein the stream of textual data is synchronized with the received stream of data; searching, by the processor, said stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching one or more search terms, wherein the searching said stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching one or more search terms comprises; comparing, by the processor, the stream of textual data to both an active list and a passive list, wherein; the active list includes a plurality of first character strings as first search terms obtained from input entered by a viewer; the passive list includes a plurality of second character strings as second search terms that have been extracted from one or more previously received streams of textual data of the received stream of data that the viewer has viewed or recorded, the one or more second character strings being extracted based on a frequency of occurrence of the character strings in the previously received textual data; and the comparing including determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; applying a greater weight to the first search terms in the active list than a weight applied to the second search terms in the passive list when counting the number of matches; and outputting a notification when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds the threshold number indicating that content programming corresponding to viewer interests has been located. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. An entertainment system comprising:
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a broadcast network including a plurality of multiplexed channels each carrying video signals; a content distribution system to broadcast television content in video signals carried over the broadcast network on the plurality of multiplexed channels, the video signals carried by each said channel including content programming and a closed captioning stream of textual data; a plurality of client devices, each including one or more tuners for receiving the video signals carried on the multiplexed channels of the broadcast network; and an interest assessment system including; a closed caption decoder to extract, from each said channel, the closed captioning stream of textual data; a processor executing an application to search, for each said channel, the closed captioning stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching first search terms of an active list and second search terms of a passive list, wherein the application comprises a component for comparing the closed captioning stream of textual data to both the active list and the passive list; the active list comprising one or more predefined first character strings as the first search terms; the passive list comprising one or more second character strings as the second search terms that have been extracted by the closed caption decoder from one or more previously received closed captioning streams of textual data of previously received video signals that the viewer has viewed or recorded, the one or more second character strings being extracted base on a frequency of occurrence in the previously received textual data; the comparing including determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; and an output device to output a notification when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list or the second search terms of the passive list in comparison with the textual data exceeds the threshold number indicating that content programming corresponding to viewer interests has been located. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of selecting content programming in video data, the method comprising:
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creating an active list of first search terms by receiving input from a viewer at a user interface to develop one or more first search terms for creating the active list; creating a passive list of second search terms by monitoring closed captioning textual data for creating the passive list of second search terms, the passive list comprising one or more character strings that have been extracted one or more times from previously received closed captioning streams of textual data of received video signals that the viewer has viewed or recorded, the one or more second character strings being extracted based on a frequency of occurrence in the previously received textual data; extracting, from a received video signal, a closed captioning stream of textual data; searching the stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching the first or second search terms by comparing the closed captioning stream of textual data to both the active list and the passive list, the comparing including determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; and outputting a notification when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and/or the second search terms of the passive list in comparison with the textual data exceeds the threshold number indicating that content programming determined to be of interest to the viewer has been located. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A method comprising:
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receiving a stream of data contained in signals that are broadcast on a multiplexed channel of a broadcast network; extracting a stream of textual data from the received stream of data, wherein the stream of textual data is synchronized with the received stream of data; searching the stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching one or more search terms, the searching the stream of textual data for occurrences of textual data matching one or more search terms further comprising; comparing the stream of textual data to both an active list and a passive list, the active list comprising one or more first character strings as first search terms obtained from input entered by a viewer; the passive list comprising one or more second character strings as second search terms that have been extracted one or more times from one or more previously received streams of textual data of previously received streams of data that the viewer has viewed or recorded, the one or more second character strings being extracted based on a frequency of occurrence in the previously received textual data; and the comparing including determining whether a number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list with the textual data exceeds a threshold number, wherein when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list does not exceed the threshold number after a predetermined period of time, ceasing to search a first closed captioning stream of textual data from a first channel before an end of the first closed captioning stream is reached, deleting the corresponding content programming from the buffer, and searching instead a second closed captioning stream of textual data from a second channel; and outputting a notification when the number of matches of the first search terms of the active list and the second search terms of the passive list in comparison with the textual data exceeds the threshold number indicating that content programming determined to be of interest to the viewer has been located. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51)
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Specification