Systems and methods for providing remote program ordering on a user device via a web server

• US 8,327,403 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Chilvers, Henry C., Olague, Craig Alan, Archer, Kuan Hidalgo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US11/851,573
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 725/31, 725/32, 725/39, 725/42, 725/43, 725/51, 725/58, 725/61, 725/86, 725/104, 725/109, 725/110, 725/131, 725/133, 725/153, 348/552, 386/299
• US Class Current: 725/58
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems for remotely scheduling for recording or ordering a program advertised on a web page of a website. A program advertisement is displayed on a user device. In response to a user'"'"'s selection of the advertisement, information is transmitted from the user device to a web server of the web page without navigating the user away from the website. The information includes information that identifies a user'"'"'s equipment to a remote access server. A record request or an order request is transmitted by the web server to the remote access server. The remote access server cross-references the record or order request with an action request. The action request is transmitted to the user'"'"'s television equipment to record or access the advertised program.

Claims

1. A method for remotely ordering programs for user equipment implementing an interactive media guidance application, the method comprising:

embedding, without user input, an interactive program advertisement, provided from a web server, in a web page provided to a user device, wherein;

the program advertisement uniquely identifies an advertised program,

the advertised program has access restrictions that require a program specific order request to enable access to the advertised program on the user equipment,

the web server (1) is not associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a first entity;

the web page including the program advertisement is displayed on the user device; and

the user'"'"'s selection of the displayed program advertisement is received on the user device;

receiving, at the web server, information from the user device indicating a user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement, wherein the information includes user information stored on the user device, and wherein the information is transmitted, from the user device, indicating the user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement to the web server in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the displayed program advertisement, without navigating the user to another website;

transmitting from the web server to a remote access server an order request to order the advertised program, wherein;

the order request includes the user information, and

the remote access server (1) is associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a second entity, different from the first entity, that enables access to the advertised program on the user equipment, wherein;

the order request is cross-referenced at the remote access server with an action request in a user equipment format selected from a plurality of formats to be compatible with the user equipment, wherein the action request comprises access information; and

the action request is transmitted from the remote access server in the user equipment format for receipt by the user equipment for accessing the advertised program.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the order request is transmitted without user input further to the selection of the displayed advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information stored on the user device is stored in a cookie.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the advertised program is encrypted or encoded; and

the access information of the action request comprises an encryption sequence or decoding information for decrypting or decoding the advertised program.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the user is a subscriber to a service that provides the advertised program; and

preventing the providing of the program advertisement if the user is not a subscriber.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the information from the user device includes payment information; and

determining whether the user is a subscriber to a service that provides the advertised program if the information does not include payment information.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the user is a subscriber to a service that provides the advertised program; and

providing an order form if the user is not a subscriber.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating between the web server and the remote access server to generate information that (1) uniquely identifies the web server to the remote access server, and (2) identifies the advertised program; and

generating the program advertisement to be associated with the generated information.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the web server provides a first website, and

the remote access server provides a second website operable to provide program listings.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received at the web server is a user request that includes user equipment identification information, and the order request includes user equipment identification information.

5. A method for remotely ordering programs for user equipment implementing an interactive media guidance application, the method comprising:

receiving, at a user device, an interactive program advertisement from a web server, wherein;

the interactive program advertisement is embedded, without user input, in a web page of a website,

the program advertisement uniquely identifies an advertised program,

the advertised program has access restrictions that require a program specific order request to enable access to the advertised program on the user equipment, and

the web server (1) is not associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a first entity;

displaying the program advertisement on the web page of the website on the user device;

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement; and

transmitting, in response to receiving the user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement, an order request to order the advertised program from the user device to a remote access server without navigating the user to another website, wherein;

the order request includes information stored on the user device comprising user information and user equipment identification information,

the remote access server (1) is associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a second entity, different from the first entity, that enables access to the advertised program on the user equipment,

the order request is cross-referenced at the remote access server with an action request in a user equipment format selected from a plurality of formats to be compatible with the user equipment, wherein the action request comprises access information; and

the action request is transmitted, in the user equipment format, from the remote access server for receipt by the user equipment for accessing the advertised program.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the program advertisement is received in a format compatible with a hypertext transfer protocol.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the program advertisement includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the remote access server, the URL includes information that identifies the advertised program to the remote access server.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the request is transmitted from the user device without user input further to the selection of the displayed advertisement.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the information stored on the user device is stored in a cookie.

10. A system for remotely ordering programs for user equipment implementing an interactive media guidance application, the system comprising:

first communications circuitry configured to;

provide an interactive program advertisement from a web server to a user device, wherein;

the interactive program advertisement is embedded, without user input, in a web page,

the advertisement uniquely identifies an advertised program,

the advertised program has access restrictions that require a program specific order request to enable access to the advertised program on the user equipment,

the user device comprises;

second communications circuitry;

a display screen for displaying the web page of a web site, including the program advertisement; and

a processor configured to;

 

receive the user'"'"'s selection of the displayed advertisement on the user device; and

 

direct the second communications circuitry to transmit the information indicating the user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement to the web server in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the displayed advertisement without navigating the user to another website;

the web server (1) is not associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a first entity;

receive at the web server information from the user device indicating a user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement, wherein the information includes user information stored on the user device;

transmit from the web server to a remote access server an order request to order the advertised program, wherein;

the order request includes the user information,

the remote access server (1) is associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a second entity, different from the first entity, that enables access to the advertised program on the user equipment, and

the remote access server comprises a processor configured to;

cross-reference the order request with an action request in a user equipment format selected from a plurality of formats to be compatible with the user equipment, wherein the action request comprises access information; and

direct third communications circuitry to transmit the action request in the user equipment format for receipt by the user equipment for accessing the advertised program.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the order request is transmitted without user input further to the selection of the displayed advertisement.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the information stored on the user device is stored in a cookie.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the advertised program is encrypted or encoded; and

the access information of the action request comprises an encryption sequence or decoding information for decrypting or decoding the advertised program.

25. The system of claim 10, wherein the information received at the web server is a user request that includes user equipment identification information, and the to order request includes user equipment identification information.

14. A system for remotely ordering programs for user equipment implementing an interactive media guidance application, the system comprising:

first communications circuitry; and

a processor on a user device configured to;

receive an interactive program advertisement from a web server, wherein;

the interactive program advertisement is embedded, without user input, in a web page of a website,

the advertisement uniquely identifies an advertised program,

the advertised program has access restrictions that require a program specific order request to enable access to the advertised program on the user equipment, and

the web server (1) is not associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a first entity;

display on a display screen the program advertisement on the web page of the website on the user device;

receive a user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement; and

direct, in response to the receiving the user'"'"'s selection of the program advertisement, the first communications circuitry to transmit an order request to order the advertised program from the user device to a remote access server without navigating the user to another website, wherein

the order request includes information stored on the user device comprising user information and user equipment identification information, and

the remote access server (1) is associated with the user equipment and (2) corresponds to a second entity, different from the first entity, that enables access to the advertised program on the user equipment; and

wherein a processor on the remote access server is configured to;

 

cross-reference the order request with an action request in a user equipment format selected from a plurality of formats to be compatible with the user equipment, wherein the action request comprises access information; and

 

direct second communications circuitry to transmit, from the remote access server, the action request in the user equipment format for receipt by the user equipment for accessing the advertised program.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the program advertisement is received in a format compatible with a hypertext transfer protocol.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the program advertisement includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the remote access server, the URL includes information that identifies the advertised program to the remote access server.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the request is transmitted from the user device without user input further to the selection of the displayed advertisement.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the information stored on the user device is stored in a cookie.