System and method for providing program criteria representing audio and/or visual programming

• US 8,707,366 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Curtis G., Drucker, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US12/684,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20110013885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/58, 725/9, 386/299, 705/7.29, 705/7.31, 705/7.32, 705/12
• US Class Current: 725/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/4334 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 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing program criteria representing a plurality of audio and/or visual programs. A plurality of tokens are stored in a database of one or more computers, each token having an identifier for identifying a predetermined audio and/or visual program. Each token may be a universal program identifier that represents a specific program in a global programming environment (e.g., the token may identify a program across multiple tuning spaces). Alternatively or additionally, a token may be a tuning-space specific program identifier that represents program criteria associated with a specific program for particular tuning space. The server is programmed to provide at least one token to a remote computer based on selection criteria.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically broadcasting programming, comprising:

receiving, via emails, tokens from a plurality of clients, each token associated with a program selection of a particular program that is not included in a broadcast schedule, each token comprising encryption/decryption data, authentication data, program characteristics, format data and a global identifier of a user;

determining if a sufficient number of program selections have been received regarding the particular program to indicate adjustment of the broadcast schedule to include the particular program;

adjusting the broadcast schedule to include the particular program in response to the sufficient number of tokens having been received;

translating each of the received tokens from the plurality of clients, the translating comprising;

inputting a universal programming identifier that represents the particular program in a global programming environment comprising multiple local tuning spaces;

identifying a local tuning space associated with a specific client within the multiple local tuning spaces;

combining program segments and commercials to customize the particular program for the identified local tuning space; and

outputting local programming data identifying information about the particular program indicated by the universal programming identifier within the local tuning space;

transmitting to each of the plurality of clients a respective translation of a respective received token, the respective translation performs;

identifying the particular program within a local tuning space associated with each of the plurality of clients; and

automatically programming each of the plurality of clients to record the particular program according to the local tuning space associated with each of the plurality of clients, the authentication data and the global identifier of the user; and

broadcasting the particular program simultaneously to the plurality of clients according to the adjusted broadcast schedule and the programming.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating local programming data contained in one or more tokens from among the respective received tokens of the plurality of clients in response to changes in the broadcast schedule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the translating further comprises:

receiving a request for translation;

correlating the request to a program ID;

determining the local tuning space;

generating local programming data according to the program ID and the local tuning space;

linking a personal video recorder (PVR) address to the local programming data; and

providing the PVR address to the specific client.

4. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising providing a personal video recorder (PVR) address linking to the local programming data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting is performed at an off-peak time period.

6. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

storing program selection information, from within the tokens received from the plurality of clients, for use as demographic and marketing information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein translations of each of the received tokens are used to establish viewing histories within local tuning spaces of each of the plurality of clients.

8. A computer-readable storage device, comprising computer-executable instructions for:

receiving, via emails, tokens from a plurality of video recording apparatuses, each token associated with a particular program that is not included in a broadcast schedule, each token comprising encryption/decryption data, authentication data, program characteristics, format data and a global identifier of a user;

determining if a sufficient number of tokens have been received regarding the particular program to indicate adjustment of the broadcast schedule to include the particular program;

adjusting the broadcast schedule to include the particular program in response to the sufficient number of tokens having been received;

receiving translation requests from the plurality of video recording apparatuses, the translation requests including information sufficient to identify each video recording apparatus and an associated tuning space;

translating each of the received requests, the translating comprising;

receiving a programming identifier that represents the particular program;

accessing a tuning space database to select a local tuning space associated with a received request that includes the programming identifier;

combining program segments and commercials to customize the particular program for the local tuning space; and

outputting local programming data identifying information about the particular program within the local tuning space;

transmitting to each of the plurality of video recording apparatuses a respective translation of a respective received token, the respective translation performs;

identifying the particular program within a local tuning space associated with each of the plurality of video recording apparatuses; and

automatically providing programming information to enable each video recording apparatus to record the particular program according to the local tuning space associated with each of the plurality of video recording apparatuses, the authentication data and the global identifier of the user; and

broadcasting the particular program simultaneously to the plurality of video recording apparatuses according to the adjusted broadcast schedule and the programming information.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, further comprising:

updating local programming data response to changes in the broadcast schedule.

10. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the translating further comprises:

receiving a request for translation from a video recording apparatus;

correlating the request to a program ID;

determining a local tuning space appropriate to the video recording apparatus;

generating local programming data according to the program ID and the local tuning space appropriate to the video recording apparatus;

linking a PVR address to the local programming data; and

providing the PVR address to the video recording apparatus.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, additionally comprising providing a PVR address linking to the local programming data.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the broadcasting is performed at an off-peak time period.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, additionally comprising:

storing program selection information, from within the tokens received from the plurality of video recording apparatuses, for use as demographic and marketing information.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein translations of each of the received tokens from the plurality of video recording apparatuses are used to establish viewing histories within local tuning spaces of each of the plurality of video recording apparatuses.

15. A system for broadcasting programming, comprising:

a server performs;

receiving, via emails, a sufficient number of tokens associated with a particular program that is not included in a broadcast schedule to adjust the broadcast schedule to include the particular program, each token comprising encryption/decryption data, authentication data, program characteristics, format data and a global identifier of a user;

receiving translation requests from a plurality of video recording apparatuses, the translation requests including information sufficient to identify each video recording apparatus and an associated tuning space;

translating each of the received translation requests, the translating comprising;

inputting a programming identifier that represents the particular program;

accessing a tuning space database to select a local tuning space including the programming identifier;

combining program segments and commercials to customize the particular program for the local tuning space; and

outputting local programming data identifying information about the particular program within the local tuning space;

transmitting to each of the plurality of video recording apparatuses a respective translation of a respective received token, the respective translation performs;

identifying the particular program within a local tuning space; and

automatically providing programming information regarding the local tuning space of the identified particular program, the authentication data and the global identifier of the user for a video recording apparatus to record the particular program; and

broadcasting the particular program simultaneously to the plurality of video recording apparatuses according to the adjusted broadcast schedule and the programming information.

16. The system for broadcasting programming of claim 15, further comprising:

updating local programming data response to changes in the broadcast schedule.

17. The system for broadcasting programming of claim 15, wherein the translating further comprises:

receiving a request for translation from a video recording apparatus;

correlating the request to a program ID;

determining a local tuning space appropriate to the video recording apparatus;

generating local programming data according to the program ID and the local tuning space appropriate to the video recording apparatus;

linking a PVR address to the local programming data; and

providing the PVR address to the video recording apparatus.

18. The system for broadcasting programming of claim 15, the server is additionally configured for providing a PVR address linking to the local programming data.

19. The system for broadcasting programming of claim 15, wherein the broadcasting is performed at an off-peak time period.

20. The system for broadcasting programming of claim 15, wherein translations of each of the received tokens from the plurality of video recording apparatuses are used to establish viewing histories within local tuning spaces of each of the plurality of video recording apparatuses.