Apparatus and method for providing television services using an aggregator

• US 8,640,176 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howcroft, Jerald Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US11/355,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,903 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86- 87, 725/91, 725/131, 725/139, 725/144, 725/89, 725/100, 725/105, 725109-110, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an apparatus, method, and computer programs for obtaining content from a communications network. One aspect of the disclosure includes: storing an aggregator on a Set Top Box (STB) associated with a television set, wherein the aggregator is adapted to obtain content corresponding to a plurality of feeds from a communications network; displaying the plurality of feeds on the television set in response to a first input received by the STB; accepting at the STB a selection of at least one feed from the plurality of feeds; obtaining content from the communications network corresponding to the selected at least one feed; and providing the obtained content for display on the television set.

Claims

1. A computer-readable memory, accessible to a processor, including processor executable program instructions, which upon execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:

obtaining, by a set top box, live television content from a first source via an IP communications network;

obtaining, by the set top box, web feed content from a second source via the IP communications network;

aggregating, by the set top box, the web feed content obtain from the second source;

displaying a home menu interface including a first link to the live television content and a second link to the web feed content;

responsive to user selection of the second link, displaying a table of a plurality of syndicated web feeds on a television set;

responsive to user selection indicating a selected syndicated web feed from the plurality of syndicated web feeds, displaying a menu of web feed content items associated with the selected syndicated web feed on the television set; and

displaying the web feed content items on the television set.

2. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the operations include storing the web feed content on a storage medium of the set top box.

3. The computer-readable memory of claim 2, wherein the operations include accessing the storage medium to display the web feed content items stored on the television set.

4. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the web feed content is automatically updated over a time period.

5. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the web feed content is one of video, voice, and data.

6. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the web feed content further comprises content in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

7. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the web feed aggregator includes a real simple syndication client.

8. A set top box apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable memory, accessible to the processor, including processor executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

obtaining live television content from a first source via an IP communications network;

obtaining web feed content from a second source via the IP communications network;

aggregating the web feed content obtained from the second source;

displaying a home menu interface including a first link to the live television content and a second link to the web feed content;

responsive to user selection of the second link, displaying a table of the plurality of syndicated web feeds on a television set;

responsive to user selection indicating a selected syndicated web feed from the plurality of syndicated web feeds, displaying a menu of web feed content items associated with the selected syndicated web feed on the television set; and

displaying the web feed content items on the television set.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein obtaining the web feed content includes obtaining syndicated web feed content.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the computer readable memory is one of a digital video recorder, a hard disk, and a CD-ROM.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the operations include storing the web feed content to the computer readable memory.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein displaying the web feed content items includes accessing the web feed content stored in the storage device.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a first interface adapted to be coupled to the television set to provide the web feed content to the television set; and

a second interface adapted to obtain content from the communications network.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the syndicated web feed content is updated over a time period.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communications network over which the aggregator obtains said web feed content and said live television content comprises an Internet protocol television network.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the web feed content is one of video, voice, and data.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the web feed content includes content in an XML format.

18. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a set top box, live television content from a first source via an IP communications network;

obtaining, by the set top box, web feed content, from a second source via the IP communications network;

aggregating, by the set top box, the web feed content obtained from the second source;

displaying a home menu interface including a first link to the live television content and a second link to the web feed content;

responsive to user selection of the second link, displaying a table of a plurality of syndicated web feeds on a television set;

responsive to user selection indicating a selected syndicated web feed from the plurality of syndicated web feeds, displaying a menu of web feed content items associated with the selected syndicated web feed on the television set; and

displaying the web feed content items on the television set.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising storing the web feed content on a storage medium associated with the set top box.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising accessing the storage medium for the obtained web feed content for display on the television set.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the storage medium is one of a digital video recorder, a hard disk, and a CD-ROM.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the web feed content is updated over a time period.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the IP communications network comprises an Internet protocol television network.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the web feed content includes one of video, voice, and data.