Method and system to request audiovisual content items matched to programs identified in a program grid

• US 8,413,187 B1
• Filed: 02/06/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frontier Communications Corporation (Frontier Communications Parent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Frontier Communications Corporation (Frontier Communications Parent, Inc.)
• Inventors: Del Sesto, Eric E., Luton, Michael, Chan, Tony T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONTOYA, OSCHTA I
• Application Number:
  US12/701,558
• Time in Patent Office: 1,151 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; tracking of instant messages H04L51/234; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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

Abstract

A method to obtain visual content items matched to scheduled programs comprising: providing a program guide display that includes a grid with grid locations that identify scheduled programs, and that correspond to respective a scheduled program air times and a respective program sources; wherein the program guide extends over a time frame prior to the current date; providing an icon associated with a grid location that indicates that a visual content item matched to the program identified by the grid location currently is available; providing an identifier that is encoded in computer readable storage device and that is associated with the grid location and that indicates a location where the visual content item can be obtained; and accessing the location indicated by the identifier in response to a user selection of the grid location associated with the icon.

Claims

1. A method, for use with a machine that includes a display screen, to obtain visual content items matched to scheduled programs comprising:

providing on the display screen a program guide display that includes a grid with grid locations that identify scheduled programs, and that correspond to respective scheduled program times and to respective scheduled program sources;

wherein the program guide extends over a time frame prior to the current date;

providing respective icons respectively associated with respective grid locations to indicate that respective visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by such respective grid locations currently are available;

providing respective identifiers that are encoded in one or more computer readable storage devices and that are respectively associated with respective grid locations that are respectively associated with respective icons and that indicate respective storage device locations where the respective visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs can be obtained;

producing a data structure to update the grid;

wherein the data structure indicates respective icon associations and identifier associations with respective grid locations;

wherein providing respective icons respectively associated with respective grid locations includes;

providing a first icon associated with one or more respective grid locations to indicate that respective episode visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by respective grid locations associated with the first icon currently are available;

providing a second icon associated with one or more respective grid locations to indicate that respective clip visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by respective grid locations associated with the second icon currently are available;

providing a third icon associated with one or more respective grid locations to indicate that respective collections of multiple visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by respective grid locations associated with the third icon currently are respectively available; and

wherein providing respective identifiers that are encoded in one or more computer readable storage devices includes;

providing different respective identifiers that are associated with different respective content items.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

accessing a respective storage device location indicated by a respective identifier that is associated with a respective grid location that is associated with a respective icon in response to a user selection of the respective grid location.

3. The method of claim 2 further including:

obtaining user confirmation of a selection prior to accessing.

4. The method of claim 2 further including:

providing on the display screen additional information concerning the selected content item prior to accessing; and

obtaining user confirmation of a selection prior to accessing.

5. The method of claim 2 further including:

displaying on the display screen an advertisement prior to accessing.

6. The method of claim 2 further including:

displaying on the display screen an advertisement prior to accessing; and

obtaining user confirmation of a selection prior to accessing.

7. The method of claim 2,

wherein respective visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by such respective grid locations currently are available through streaming from respective internet web locations;

and

wherein accessing includes streaming a respective visual content item from a respective internet web location.

8. The method of claim 2,

wherein respective visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by such respective grid locations currently are available through downloading from respective web locations;

and

wherein accessing includes downloading a respective visual content item from a respective internet web location.

9. The method of claim 2,

wherein the respective visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by such respective grid locations currently are available through downloading from respective FTP locations;

and

wherein accessing includes downloading a respective visual content item from a respective FTP location.

10. The method of claim 2,

wherein the respective visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by such respective grid locations currently are available through retrieval from a database;

and

wherein accessing includes retrieving a respective visual content item from the database.

11. The method of claim 2,

wherein the respective visual content items matched to respective scheduled programs identified by such respective grid locations currently are available through a local storage system;

and

wherein accessing includes retrieving a respective visual content item from the local storage system.