Organizing and sorting media menu items

• US 8,099,665 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare, Ma, Jeffrey, Pacurariu, Mihnea Calin, Jobs, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): ITURRALDE, ENRIQUE W
• Application Number:
  US11/530,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 715/204, 715716-722, 715727-730, 715781-783, 707752-753
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• 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

Abstract

A method of organizing episodic content includes identifying a list of items associated with episodic content and sorting the list of items based on at least episode order upon a prompt.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving episodic content including one or more episodes of television programs and storing the episodic content in a data store;

receiving metadata associated with the episodic content and storing the received meta data in the data store;

displaying on a display device a menu arranged in an interface environment, the menu comprising a list of menu items associated with the episodic content;

displaying on the display device a sort interface arranged in the interface environment, the sort interface defining a plurality of sort options and being configured to receive a selection of a sort option and to sort the list of menu items based upon the selection;

in response to receiving a selection of a sort option;

determining whether the received metadata stored in the data store includes metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

in response to determining that the received metadata does include metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option, sorting the menu items based on the received metadata in accordance with the sort option; and

in response to determining that the received metadata does not include metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

extracting from the received metadata metadata that is associated with additional metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

providing the extracted metadata to a content provider and receiving the additional metadata from the content provider in response; and

sorting the menu items based on the additional metadata in accordance with the sort option; and

displaying on the display device the sorted menu items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sort options comprise a sort option that upon selection cause the sort interface to sort the menu items based upon a purchase date associated with the episodic content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sort options comprise a sort option that upon selection cause the sort interface to sort the menu items based upon series titles associated with the episodic content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first episodic abstraction is arranged within the interface environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first episodic abstraction comprises art associated with the episodic content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the art comprises a digital representation of promotional media associated with the episodic content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the promotional media is further associated with a highlighted menu item.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a second episodic abstraction is arranged within the interface environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of menu items comprises a selectable list of episode names of the one or more episodes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the additional metadata from the content provider comprises:

receiving an episode number or an original air date from the content provider.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a menu item from the list of menu items; and

requesting presentation of the selection.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein:

extracting from the received metadata metadata that is associated with additional metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option comprises parsing the stored metadata to extract a series title and episode names of the episodic content; and

providing the extracted metadata to a content provider and receiving the additional metadata from the content provider in response comprises providing the series title and the episode names to the content provided and receiving original air dates of the episodic content for each series title in response.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sort options include a series title option and an air date option, and each television program has a corresponding program title, and each episode has a corresponding episode title;

and

in response to receiving a selection of the series title option;

generating a list of first menu items, each first menu item being a program title of a television program;

for each menu item, determining if the data store includes multiple stored episodes of the television program to which the program title corresponds;

in response to determining that the data store includes multiple stored episodes of the television program to which the program title corresponds, displaying a child indicator with the menu item that, in response to a selection of the child indicator, causes the list of menu items on the display device to be replaced with a list of second menu items, each second menu item being one of the episode titles of the television program to which the program title corresponds; and

in response to determining that the data store includes only one stored episode of the television program to which the program title corresponds;

displaying the menu item with an air date of the corresponding one stored episode of the television program; and

in response to receiving a selection of the date option;

generating a list of third menu items, each third menu item being a program title of a television program and corresponding to only one episode of the television program, and including an air date of the corresponding one episode.

12. One or more computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving episodic content including one or more episodes of television programs and store the episodic content in a data store;

receiving metadata associated with the episodic content and store the received meta data in the data store;

generating on a display device a plurality of sort options for a plurality of menu items associated with the episodic content;

receiving a selection of a sort option;

in response to receiving the selection of a sort option;

determining whether the received metadata stored in the data store includes metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option

in response to determining that the received metadata does include metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option, sorting the menu items based on the received metadata in accordance with the sort option; and

in response to determining that the received metadata does not include metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

extracting from the received metadata metadata that is associated with additional metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

providing the extracted metadata to a content provider and receiving the additional metadata from the content provider in response; and

sorting the menu items based on the additional metadata in accordance with the sort option;

generating a menu comprising a list of menu items based upon the sorted menu items; and

presenting the menu arranged within an interface environment.

13. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the sort options comprise an option to sort based upon a purchase date associated with portions of the episodic content.

14. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the sort options comprise an option to sort based upon series titles associated with the episodic content.

15. The computer readable media of claim 12, further comprising presenting a first episodic abstraction arranged within the interface environment.

16. The computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the first episodic abstraction comprises art associated with the episodic content.

17. The computer readable media of claim 16, wherein the art comprises a digital representation of promotional media associated with the episodic content.

18. The computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the promotional media is further associated with a highlighted menu item.

19. The computer readable media of claim 16, further comprising presenting a second episodic abstraction arranged within the interface environment.

20. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the list of menu items comprises a selectable list of episode names respectively associated with the one or more episodes.

21. The computer readable media of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a content selection of a menu item from the list of menu items; and

requesting presentation of the episodic content based upon the content selection.

22. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the extracted metadata comprises a series title and an episode name of an episode of the one or more episodes.

23. The computer readable media of claim 22, wherein the additional metadata comprises at least one of an episode number and an original air date for the episode.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the sort options include a series title option and an air date option, and each television program has a corresponding program title, and each episode has a corresponding episode title;

and

in response to receiving a selection of the series title option;

generating a list of first menu items, each first menu item being a program title of a television program;

for each menu item, determining if the data store includes multiple stored episodes of the television program to which the program title corresponds;

in response to determining that the data store includes multiple stored episodes of the television program to which the program title corresponds, displaying a child indicator with the menu item that, in response to a selection of the child indicator, causes the list of menu items on the display device to be replaced with a list of second menu items, each second menu item being one of the episode titles of the television program to which the program title corresponds; and

in response to determining that the data store includes only one stored episode of the television program to which the program title corresponds;

displaying the menu item with an air date of the corresponding one stored episode of the television program; and

in response to receiving a selection of the date option;

generating a list of third menu items, each third menu item being a program title of a television program and corresponding to only one episode of the television program, and including an air date of the corresponding one episode.

27. A media processing system, comprising:

a processing device; and

a computer memory device in data communication with the processing device and including instructions executable by the processing device and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising;

receiving episodic content including one or more episodes of television programs and storing the episodic content in a data store;

receiving metadata associated with the episodic content and storing the received meta data in the data store;

displaying on a display device a menu arranged in an interface environment, the menu comprising a list of menu items associated with the episodic content;

displaying on the display device a sort interface arranged in the interface environment, the sort interface defining a plurality of sort options and being configured to receive a selection of a sort option and to sort the list of menu items based upon the selection;

in response to receiving a selection of a sort option;

determining whether the received metadata stored in the data store includes metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

in response to determining that the received metadata does include metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option, sorting the menu items based on the received metadata in accordance with the sort option; and

in response to determining that the received metadata does not include metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

extracting from the received metadata metadata that is associated with additional metadata that facilitates sorting the menu items in accordance with the sort option;

providing the extracted metadata to a content provider and receiving the additional metadata from the content provider in response; and

sorting the menu items based on the additional metadata in accordance with the sort option; and

displaying on the display device the sorted menu items.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the plurality of sort options comprise a sort option that upon selection cause the sort interface to sort the menu items based upon a purchase date associated with the episodic content.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the plurality of sort options comprise a sort option that upon selection cause the sort interface to sort the menu items based upon series titles associated with the episodic content.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein a first episodic abstraction is arranged within the interface environment.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the list of menu items comprises a selectable list of episode names of the one or more episodes.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein receiving the additional metadata from the content provider comprises:

receiving an episode number or an original air date from the content provider.

33. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a menu item from the list of menu items; and

requesting presentation of the selection.