Systems and methods for providing a scan

• US 8,095,951 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Kunkel, Gerard, Radloff, Jon P., Ellis, Michael D., Craner, Michael L., Iyer, Rajeshwari B., Jakubowski, Andrzej
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNURR, JOHN R
• Application Number:
  US11/430,516
• Time in Patent Office: 2,073 Days
• Field of Search: 348/732, 725/37, 725/38, 725/39, 725/44, 725/45, 725/46, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/38
• 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 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

Systems and methods for a video scan are provided. The scan may be dynamically interactive and a function of characteristics of the programs in the scan (e.g., commercial breaks or the end of a program approaching) The scan may simultaneously display multiple scan windows for a plurality of programs, for example in a scan wizard. The scan wizard allows the user to simultaneously view a scan window and an information panel, select criteria for the scan from a criteria panel, and control the scan using a scan control panel. The scan may allow the user to record a program displayed in the scan without interrupting the scan (e.g., by using an additional tuner). The scan may display, within the scan interface, trick-play functions for appropriate scanned programs (e.g., recorded, cached and on-demand programs). The user may select and perform trick-play functions for a scanned program without exiting the scan mode.

Claims

1. A method for providing a video scan, comprising:

identifying programs from available programs for a scan, wherein the available programs comprise at least one non-on-demand program, at least one recording in progress, at least one recorded program, and at least one on-demand program;

automatically sequentially displaying the identified programs in the order defined by a scan sequence, wherein the displayed identified programs include at least one non-on-demand program that has not been recorded and at least one on-demand or recorded program;

determining whether a currently displayed program in the scan sequence is a recorded program, a recording in progress, or an on-demand program;

in response to determining that the currently displayed program in the scan sequence is a recorded program, a recording in progress, or an on-demand program, enabling trick play functions;

receiving a user request to perform a trick play function;

holding the scan at a position in the scan sequence in response to receiving the user request to perform the trick play function;

performing the requested trick play function; and

resuming the scan at the position in the scan sequence after performing the requested trick play function.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether a particular program in the scan sequence is substantially at or nearly approaching a commercial; and

in response to determining that the particular program in the scan sequence is substantially at or nearly approaching commercial, skipping the particular program in the scan sequence.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the available programs comprise at least one purchased pay-per-view program and at least one program for which the user has set a reminder.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining criteria for the scan; and

wherein identifying programs for the scan comprises identifying programs related to the determined criteria.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining criteria for a scan comprises receiving a user selection of a criteria for the scan.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving a user selection of criteria for the scan comprises receiving a user selection of at least one node in a tree structure display of criteria.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving a user indication of a proximity threshold; and

wherein identifying programs for the scan comprises identifying the programs that are related to the determined criteria and that satisfy the proximity threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously displaying a video window for the scanned programs, selectable criteria for selecting the programs, and scan instruction buttons.

9. The method claim of claim 1, wherein enabling the trick play functions comprises enabling trick play keys on a remote control in response to determining that the currently displayed program in the scan sequence is a recorded program, a recording in progress, or an on-demand program.

10. A system for providing a video scan, comprising a display device and control circuitry, the control circuitry configured to:

identify programs from available programs for a scan, wherein the available programs comprise at least one non-on-demand program, at least one recording in progress, at least one recorded program, and at least one on-demand program;

direct the display device to automatically sequentially display the identified programs in the order defined by a scan sequence, wherein the displayed identified programs include at least one non-on-demand program that has not been recorded and at least one on-demand or recorded program;

determine whether a currently displayed program in the scan sequence is a recorded program, a recording in progress, or an on-demand program;

in response to determining that the currently displayed program in the scan sequence is a recorded program, a recording in progress, or an on-demand program, enable trick play functions;

receive a user request to perform a trick play function;

hold the scan at a position in the scan sequence in response to receiving the user request to perform the trick play function;

perform the requested trick play function; and

resume the scan at the position in the scan sequence after performing the requested trick play function.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether a particular program in the scan sequence is substantially at or nearly approaching a commercial; and

in response to determining that the particular program in the scan sequence is substantially at or nearly approaching commercial, skip the particular program in the scan sequence.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the available programs comprise at least one purchased pay-per-view program and at least one program for which the user has set a reminder.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine criteria for the scan; and

identify programs related to the determined criteria.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive a user selection of a criterion for the scan.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive a user selection of at least one node in a tree structure display of criteria.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

receive a user indication of a proximity threshold; and

identify the programs that are related to the determined criteria and that satisfy the proximity threshold.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the display device to simultaneously display a video window for the scanned programs, selectable criteria for selecting the programs, and scan instruction buttons.