Demand broadcast channels and channel programming based on user viewing history, profiling, and requests

• US 8,522,264 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Bennett, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US13/155,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20110239244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 725 13- 14, 725/16, 725/46, 725/119, 725137-138
• US Class Current: 725/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for scheduling media for consumption via a demand broadcast channel based upon notifications received during user consumption of media. An embodiment of the present invention may employ notifications generated when users select media for consumption, to calculate one or more statistics. The statistics may be calculated and used by a media provider to schedule media into a demand broadcast channel in which the frequency of repetition or time of availability of the media is set according to a ranking of the relative frequency of requests for the media. The statistics may also be shared with a third party, to enable a third party media provider to arrange the scheduling of media availability according to the relative frequency of requests for the media.

Claims

1. A system for use in a communication terminal, the system enabling monitoring of user media consumption activity to support media programming, the system comprising:

at least one processor arranged to communicatively couple to a communication network, the at least one processor operable to, at least;

receive a user request for consumption of media content of one of a plurality of media channels of a channel view of a graphical user interface;

communicate at least one notification of the user request to software tracking the user media consumption, the at least one notification comprising user-selected parameter information related to the request, the software arranged to calculate at least one statistic representing the user media consumption, using the parameter information related to the request;

receive the media content of a user-requested media channel via the communication network; and

process, for display in the channel view, information representing at least one additional media channel comprising the media content for consumption by the user, the media content automatically selected and time scheduled according to the at least one statistic.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the software tracking the user media consumption is located remote from the communication terminal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor communicates the at least one notification of the user request to the software tracking the user media consumption, using the communication network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the media content of the at least one additional media channel is media content of the plurality of media channels.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the media content automatically selected and time scheduled according to the at least one statistic is the media content of a 3rd party media provider.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system communicates information identifying the automatically selected media content to a provider of the automatically selected media content, via the communication network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one statistic is a ranking of the relative frequency of consumption of the media content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media channels comprises personal media content of a user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises one or both of audio and video.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein consumption comprises one or more of playing audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each the media channels comprises a graphical representation of the selected and time scheduled sequence of the media content.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the calculating is performed on a periodic basis.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the information related to the request comprises one or more of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an electronic serial number (ESN), a title, a subject, a time period, a genre, an artist, a media channel type, a mode, a language, and/or a user identifier.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor examines characteristics of the requested media channel to determine whether information about the request should be communicated to the software tracking the user media consumption.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the information representing at least one additional media channel is received via the communication network.

17. A method of monitoring user media consumption activity in a communication terminal to support media programming, the method comprising:

receiving, at the communication terminal, a user request for consumption of media content of one of a plurality of media channels of a channel view of a graphical user interface;

communicating at least one notification of the user request to software tracking the user media consumption, the at least one notification comprising user-selected parameter information related to the request, the software arranged to calculate at least one statistic representing the user media consumption, using the parameter information related to the request;

receiving the media content of a user-requested media channel via a communication network; and

processing, for display in the channel view, information representing at least one additional media channel comprising the media content for consumption by the user, the media content automatically selected and time scheduled according to the at least one statistic.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the software tracking the user media consumption is located remote from the communication terminal.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

communicating the at least one notification of the user request to the software tracking the user media consumption, using the communication network.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the media content of the at least one additional media channel is media content of the plurality of media channels.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the media content automatically selected and time scheduled according to the at least one statistic is the media content of a 3rd party media provider.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

communicating information identifying the automatically selected media content to a provider of the automatically selected media content, via the communication network.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one statistic is a ranking of the relative frequency of consumption of the media content.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of media channels comprises personal media content of a user.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the media content comprises one or both of audio and video.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein consumption comprises one or more of playing audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein each the media channels comprises a graphical representation of the selected and time scheduled sequence of the media content.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the calculating is performed on a periodic basis.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication network comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein the information related to the request comprises one or more of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an electronic serial number (ESN), a title, a subject, a time period, a genre, an artist, a media channel type, a mode, a language, and/or a user identifier.

31. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

examining characteristics of the requested media channel, to determine whether information about the request should be communicated to the software tracking the user media consumption.

32. The method of claim 17, wherein the information representing the at least one additional media channel is received via the communication network.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a plurality of code sections each comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor, the instructions for causing the processor to perform steps of a method of monitoring user media consumption activity in a communication terminal to support media programming, the steps comprising:

receiving, at the communication terminal, a user request for consumption of the media content of one of a plurality of media channels of a channel view of a graphical user interface;

communicating at least one notification of the user request to software tracking the user media consumption, the at least one notification comprising user-selected parameter information related to the request, the software arranged to calculate at least one statistic representing user media consumption, using the parameter information related to the request;

receiving the media content of a user-requested media channel via the communication network; and

processing, for display in the channel view, information representing at least one additional media channel comprising the media content for consumption by the user, the media content automatically selected and time scheduled according to the at least one statistic.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the software tracking the user media consumption is located remote from the communication terminal.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, the steps further comprising:

communicating the at least one notification of the user request to the software tracking the user media consumption, using the communication network.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the media content of the at least one additional media channel is the media content of the plurality of media channels.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the media content automatically selected and time scheduled according to the at least one statistic is the media content of a 3rd party media provider.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, the steps further comprising:

communicating information identifying the automatically selected media content to a provider of the automatically selected media content, via the communication network.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the at least one statistic is a ranking of the relative frequency of consumption of the media content.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the plurality of media channels comprises personal media content of a user.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the media content comprises one or both of audio and video.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the consumption comprises one or more of playing audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and/or displaying data.

43. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein each media channel is a graphical representation of a selected and time scheduled sequence of the media content.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the calculating is performed on a periodic basis.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the communication network comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.

46. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the information related to the request comprises one or more of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an electronic serial number (ESN), a title, a subject, a time period, a genre, an artist, a media channel type, a mode, a language, and/or a user identifier.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, the steps further comprising:

examining characteristics of the requested media channel, to determine whether information about the request should be communicated to the software tracking the user media consumption.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the information representing the at least one additional media channel is received via the communication network.