Systems and methods for interactive program guides with personal video recording features

• US 8,457,475 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D, Reichardt, M. Scott, Thomas, William L, Gaydou, Danny R, Baumgartner, Joseph P
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, HEATHER RAE
• Application Number:
  US11/356,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,665 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10962 wherein both recording and playback take place simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42214 using alphanumerical characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/4314 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 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• 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 21/4622 : 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 21/47214 : 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 21/47217 : for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 : for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 : for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 : End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 : using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode

Abstract

Methods and systems that provide enhanced personal video recorder (“PVR”) and interactive television program guide (“IPG”) functionality are provided. An interactive television application (“application”) may be implemented to provide such functionality. The application may be used to display a list of PVR recordings, to schedule recordings to a PVR, to configure recordings, to view a list of scheduled recordings, to configure recording settings, or to select delete priority settings for recordings. The application may integrate pay-per-view and PVR functionality. The application may send user notifications for changes that are to be made to the recording content of a PVR. Live programming may be buffered by the application using a straight buffers that are created for each new program. Parallel buffers for concurrent programs may be implemented using multiple tuners. Straight buffers may be used in managing or controlling the flow of programming. Television content may be automatically paused when a user is engaged in using the application. Multiple IPGs for different users of a PVR may be implemented. Other PVR related features are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for recording a series of programming, comprising:

storing a list of recorded programs;

automatically storing data that indicates at least one program has been viewed by a user, wherein the data is different from the stored list of recorded programs;

receiving, with control circuitry, a user selection to schedule the series for recording;

receiving a second user selection not to record programs in the series that the user has seen before;

determining which programs in the series have been viewed by the user based on the data;

automatically selecting for recording only unviewed programs of the series based on the determining and the second user selection; and

recording the unviewed programs of the series that have been selected for recording.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising scheduling to record the unviewed programs of the series.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving from a database the unviewed programs of the series.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising preventing the recording of one of the unviewed programs if the one of the unviewed programs is already recorded.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a listing of at least one recorded program of the unviewed programs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a recorded program; and

playing back the selected recorded program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein recording comprises storing the unviewed programs of the series on a video recorder.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a first user and the data includes a first log, the method further comprising:

maintaining a second log of programs that have been viewed by a second user;

receiving a user selection to schedule at least one series for recording from the second user;

identifying which programs in the at least one series have been viewed by the second user based on the second log; and

in response to the identifying, recording only those programs of the at least one selected series that have not been viewed by the second user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring user interactions with an interactive television program guide, and wherein storing the data is performed as a result of the monitoring the user interactions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of which programs in the series have been viewed by the user is made in response to receiving the user selection to schedule the series for recording.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the unviewed programs of the series have previously been made available to the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises identifying unviewed programs of the series for recording.

13. A system for recording series programming, comprising:

a storage device; and

control circuitry configured to;

store a list of recorded programs;

automatically store data that indicates at least one program has been viewed by a user, wherein the data is different from the stored list of recorded programs;

receive a user selection to schedule the series for recording;

receive a second user selection not to record programs in the series that the user has seen before;

determine which programs in the series have been viewed by the user based on the data;

automatically select for recording only unviewed programs of the series based on the determination and the second user selection; and

record, based on the second user selection, the unviewed programs of the series that have been selected for recording.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to schedule to record the unviewed programs of the series.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to retrieve the unviewed programs of the series from a database for recording.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to prevent the recording of one of the unviewed programs if the one of the unviewed programs is already recorded.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to display a listing of at least one recorded program of the unviewed programs.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:

receive a user selection of a recorded program; and

play back the selected recorded program.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the user is a first user and the data includes a first log, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to:

maintain a second log of programs that have been viewed by a second user;

receive a user selection to schedule at least one series for recording from the second user;

identify which programs in the at least one series have been viewed by the second user based on the second log; and

in response to identifying which programs in the at least one series have been viewed by the second user, record only those programs of the at least one series that have not been viewed by the second user on the storage device.

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

monitor user interactions with an interactive television program guide being implemented on the user equipment; and

store the data as a result of the monitored user interactions.