Query-based electronic program guide

• US 8,051,450 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Newell, Dan, Byrne, David S., Newell, Gabe, Fluegel, Steve, Abbott, Kenneth, Robarts, James O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/686,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,938 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 725/52, 725/53, 725/38, 725/47, 725/58, 715/369, 715/769, 348/734, 386/296, 386/298
• US Class Current: 725/53
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• 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 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 21/4532 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/4826 : using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 : involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• 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 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

An electronic program guide (EPG) organizes and presents programming information to the viewer and allows for creation of queries to facilitate both simple and complex searches of the programming information. The EPG is configured to automatically identify programs that a viewer is likely to prefer. The EPG collects viewing preferences of a viewer and, using these preferences; automatically develops queries for identifying programs that the viewer is likely to watch. The EPG also enables multiple viewers to merge their individual queries into one composite query or to run queries in background to periodically check for programs and notify the viewer when a program is identified. Queries are saved in an EPG database in a hierarchic structure with directories and sub-directories to make it easy for a viewer for organizing and retrieval. Also the EPG creates queries for a channel, network name or program using a 10-key keypad. The EPG is configured to interpret the data as representing all possible choices.

Claims

1. A method for operating an electronic program guide displaying television programming information, comprising the following steps:

displaying a user interface indicating television programming information comprising a plurality of channels, time periods and programs configured as a program grid comprising program tiles associated with programs, wherein a user can realize when and on what channel a program is offered by viewing a program tile associated with the program, and wherein the user interface implements recording and reminding functionality by providing icons configured to be dragged and dropped by the user into a program tile associated with any program, where the icons can be seen after being dropped, to indicate desire by the user to record the program or be reminded of the program, respectively;

generating a query, in response to activation by the user of a query generating button defined by the user interface, wherein the activation of the query generating button results in display of a find window of the user interface to assist the user in creating a query, wherein the query defines a search of an electronic programming guide database, wherein the user interface is configured to allow the user to save the query, and wherein the saving results in creation of a soft button, defined on the user interface, such that operation of the soft button allows a user to quickly retrieve and operate the saved query;

receiving search parameters from the find window, the parameters comprising;

genre;

network;

rating; and

program name;

displaying an advanced find window in response to selection of an advanced query button within the find window, wherein the advanced find window allows search by additional search parameters including keywords, wherein the advanced find window defines a plurality of user created searches, wherein a user created search may be saved by the user by associating the search with a tabbed folder, and wherein tabbed folders may be created and removed by operation of buttons within the advanced find window;

querying the electronic programming guide database using filters, comprising;

a filter finding program types desired by the user; and

a filter removing program types not desired by the user; and

unifying plural queries using a unified query function configured to combine queries of plural individuals into a unified query, wherein the combining is performed by a Boolean AND or OR function; and

operating the unified query function as a background query, the operating comprising;

periodically running the unified query function;

identifying a program according to the unified query;

displaying an icon on a screen, for view by the user, after identifying the program; and

recording the identified program if the user does not activate the icon prior to a viewing time of the identified program.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the following steps:

presenting, to the viewer, a list of the channels identified by the query; and

ordering the channels within the list according to the percentage of time that the channels are selected for viewing so that channels which are selected a higher percentage of the time appear at one place in the list and channels which are selected a lower percentage of the time appear at another place in the list.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of generating a query to identify channels which have been selected at least a threshold amount of time to eliminate rarely selected channels from identification.

4. An electronic program guide resident in a computer-readable storage device and executable on a processor to perform the steps of the method recited in claim 1.

5. A viewer computing unit programmed to perform the steps of the method recited in claim 1.

6. A computer-readable storage device which directs a computer to perform the steps of the method recited in claim 1.

7. A method for operating an electronic program guide displaying television programming information, comprising:

displaying a user interface indicating television programming information comprising a plurality of channels, time periods and programs, wherein a user can realize when and on what channel a program is offered by viewing a program tile associated with the program, and wherein the user interface implements recording and reminding functionality by providing icons configured to be dragged and dropped by the user into a program tile associated with any program, wherein the icons can be seen after being dropped, to indicate desire by the user to record the program or be reminded of the program, respectively;

generating a query, in response to activation by the user of a query generating button defined by the user interface, wherein the activation of the query generating button results in display of a find window of the user interface to assist the user in creating a query, wherein the query defines a search of an electronic programming guide database, wherein the user interface is configured to allow the user to save the query, and wherein the saving results in creation of a soft button, defined on the user interface, such that operation of the soft button allows a user to quickly retrieve and operate the saved query;

presenting a list of programs to the user, wherein the presented list is obtained by searching comprising;

obtaining data from a 10-key keypad such that each of 26 letters is associated with one key of the 10-key keypad;

iteratively searching for programs having sequential letters in a word in a title of the program corresponding to corresponding sequential keystrokes of the 10-key keypad; and

presenting the user, upon each iterative search, with successively shorter lists of programs from which to select a desired program;

displaying an advanced find window in response to selection of an advanced query button within the find window, wherein the advanced find window defines a plurality of user created searches, wherein a user created search may be saved by the user by associating the search with a tabbed folder, and wherein tabbed folders may be created and removed by operation of buttons within the advanced find window;

unifying plural queries using a unified query function configured to combine queries into a unified query, wherein the combining is performed by a Boolean AND or OR function; and

operating a query generated by the user as a background query, wherein the operating comprises;

periodically running the query;

identifying a program according to the query;

displaying an icon on a screen, for view by the user, after identifying the program; and

recording the identified program if the user does not activate the icon prior to a viewing time of the identified program.

8. An electronic program guide displaying television programming information, comprising:

a memory communicatively coupled to a processor, wherein computer-executable instructions are stored on the memory, and wherein execution of the instructions by the processor results in operation of;

a user interface indicating television programming information comprising a plurality of channels, time periods and programs, wherein a user can realize when and on what channel a program is offered by viewing a program tile associated with the program, wherein the user interface implements recording and reminding functionality by providing icons configured to be dragged and dropped by the user into a program tile associated with any program, and wherein the icons can be seen after being dropped, to indicate desire by the user to record the program or be reminded of the program, respectively;

a find window within the user interface, displayed in response to activation of a query generating button, to assist the user in creating a query, wherein the query created by operation of the find window defines a search of an electronic programming guide database, wherein the user may save the query, and wherein the saving results in creation of a soft button, defined on the user interface, such that operation of the soft button allows a user to quickly retrieve and operate the saved query;

an advanced find window, displayed in response to selection of an advanced query button within the find window, wherein the advanced find window allows search by additional search parameters including keywords, wherein the advanced find window defines a plurality of user created searches, wherein a user created search may be saved by the user by associating the search with a tabbed folder displayed within the advanced find window, and wherein tabbed folders may be created and removed by operation of buttons within the advanced find window;

a unified query function configured to combine queries into a unified query, the combining being performed by a Boolean AND or OR function, the unified query function also configured to operate as a background query, the operating comprising;

periodically running the unified query function;

identifying a program according to the unified query;

displaying an icon on a screen, for view by the user, after identifying the program; and

recording the identified program if the user does not activate the icon prior to a viewing time of the identified program; and

a quick find window, displayed within the user interface, for presenting a list of programs to the user, wherein the presented list is obtained by searching using input data from a 10-key keypad such that each of 26 letters is associated with one key of the 10-key keypad, wherein the quick find window iteratively presents to the user, upon iterative searches prompted by a keystroke of the 10-key keypad, successively shorter lists of programs from which to select a desired program, wherein each program in the lists has sequential letters in a word in a title of the program corresponding to sequential keystrokes of the 10-key keypad.