Favorites mosaic

• US 8,683,519 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• 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: Noll, Roland, Pettit, Scott Alan, McCarthy, Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Jean D
• Application Number:
  US11/862,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4755 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A set-top box generates a multimedia signal that includes streaming video for a plurality of currently available multimedia channels. A user configures a plurality of favorite channels. Streaming video from the favorite channels is provided in a plurality of viewports on a display. A user presses a favorites button on a remote control to prompt an application server to signal a content server to provide a compound video signal including streaming video from each favorite channel. The set-top box produces a resultant video signal including the streaming video from each favorite channel in a corresponding viewport. The viewports correspond to a mosaic template that may be hosted by the application server and accessed by the content server.

Claims

1. A set-top box, comprising:

a processor having access to a memory including stored application instructions, executable by the processor, wherein the application instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

generating a favorites mosaic video stream suitable for displaying on a display, wherein the favorites mosaic video stream includes;

first streaming video and first metadata for a first multimedia content feed in a first mosaic window of a plurality of mosaic windows; and

second streaming video and second metadata for a second multimedia content feed in a second mosaic window of the plurality of mosaic windows;

wherein the first metadata and the second metadata both include at least two of;

cast information, a show'"'"'s title, a show'"'"'s remaining time, and a show'"'"'s duration;

wherein the first mosaic window and the second mosaic window correspond to respective user favorite channels and provide streaming video of content currently available on the respective user favorite channels; and

wherein the first mosaic window and the second mosaic windows are presented in an order determined based on a factor selected from;

most recently tuned;

most frequently viewed; and

a predetermined ranking stored by the user; and

generating an on-screen menu including;

a delete icon that enables a user to delete a mosaic window and

a move icon that enables a user to move one displayed mosaic window relative to other displayed mosaic windows;

a third icon that enables a user to select a mosaic window to display a representative channel in a background of the favorites mosaic video stream; and

a view icon.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein generating the favorites mosaic video stream includes accessing a mosaic template, wherein the mosaic template defines a plurality of holes corresponding to a plurality of mosaic windows.

3. The set-top box of claim 2, wherein the mosaic template is stored in the memory.

4. The set-top box of claim 2, wherein the mosaic template is hosted by an application server.

5. The set-top box of claim of claim 4, wherein the operations include:

receiving a compound multimedia stream from the set-top box; and

decoding information in the compound multimedia stream to generate the favorites mosaic video stream.

6. The set-top box of claim 2, wherein the operations include:

preventing multimedia content feeds associated with a particular channel from inclusion with the favorites mosaic video stream.

7. The set-top box of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of holes corresponds to a URL, wherein each URL indicates a source for a multimedia content feed.

8. A computer readable memory including stored, computer executable program instructions for providing multimedia content, wherein the program instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

accessing favored channel data indicative of favored channels associated with a user, wherein the favored channels include a first channel and a second channel; and

generating a display stream comprising a mosaic template including a plurality of viewports including a first viewport and a second viewport wherein a first multimedia content stream associated with the first channel plays within the first viewport and first metadata indicative of a content specific aspect of the first multimedia content stream is depicted in the first viewport and wherein a second multimedia content stream associated with the second channel plays within the second viewport and second metadata indicative of a content specific aspect of the second multimedia content stream is depicted in the second viewport;

wherein the first metadata and the second metadata both include at least two of;

cast information, a show'"'"'s title, a show'"'"'s remaining time, and a show'"'"'s duration; and

wherein the first viewport and the second viewport correspond to respective user favorite channels and provide streaming video of content currently available on the respective user favorite channels;

the first viewport and the second viewport are presented in an order determined based on a factor selected from;

most recently tuned;

most frequently viewed; and

a predetermined ranking stored by the user;

wherein the display stream includes generating an on-screen menu including includes;

a delete icon that enables the user to delete a viewport; and

a move icon that enables a user to move one displayed viewport relative to other displayed viewports;

a third icon that enables a user to select a viewport to display a representative channel in a background of the favorites mosaic video stream; and

a view icon.

9. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the operations include delivering the mosaic template to a set-top box associated with the user.

10. The computer memory of claim 8, wherein accessing the favored channel data includes retrieving the favored channel data from a networked storage resource.

11. The computer memory of claim 8, wherein:

the mosaic template further includes a current channel viewport, wherein a multimedia content stream associated with a current channel plays within the current channel viewport;

the current channel comprises a channel being viewed when a favorites mosaic request was detected;

the first metadata includes information selected from cast information, title information, remaining time information, and duration information; and

a dimension of the current channel viewport is greater than a dimension of the first viewport.

12. The computer memory of claim 8, wherein transmitting a first IP address from a set-top box to a content server, wherein the first IP address is associated with the first multimedia content stream.

13. A method of providing a mosaic favorites feature, the method comprising:

responsive to receiving a mosaic favorites request associated with a user, retrieving favored channel data indicative of favored channels of the user, generating a mosaic favorites object including;

generating a display stream comprising a mosaic template including a plurality of favorites viewports, wherein a first video stream associated with a first favored channel and first metadata describing a content specific aspect of the first video stream plays in a first viewport of the plurality of favorites viewport, and wherein a second video stream associated with a second favored channel and second metadata describing a content specific aspect of the second video stream plays in a second viewport of the plurality of favorites viewport; and

sending the mosaic favorites object to a set-top box associated with the user;

wherein the first metadata and the second metadata both include at least two of;

cast information, a show'"'"'s title, a show'"'"'s remaining time, and a show'"'"'s duration; and

wherein the first viewport and the second viewport correspond to respective user favorite channels and provide streaming video of content currently available on the respective user favorite channels;

the first viewport and the second viewport are presented in an order determined based on a factor selected from;

most recently tuned;

most frequently viewed; and

a predetermined ranking stored by the user;

wherein the display stream includes generating an on-screen menu including includes;

a delete icon that enables the user to delete a viewport and

a move icon that enables a user to move one displayed viewport relative to other displayed viewports;

a third icon that enables a user to select a viewport to display a representative channel in a background of the favorites mosaic video stream; and

a view icon.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a preferences application operable to enable the user to define the favored channel data.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising configuring a set-top box to respond to a signal from a remote control unit by sending the mosaic favorites request to an application server.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a resolution of the first viewport differs from a resolution of the second viewport.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the mosaic template includes a viewport corresponding to each of the favored channels and wherein video streams associated with each favored channel play in their corresponding viewports.