Recommended recording and downloading guides

• US 8,707,369 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James, Feder, Adam, Beach, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Alata, Yassin
• Application Number:
  US11/649,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20070220554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,666 Days
• Field of Search: 725 34- 35, 725/40, 725 45- 46, 725/51, 725/53, 725/68, 725/100, 725/115, 725/92, 725/131, 725/134, 725/142, 725/151, 725/153, 725/141, 725/133, 725/58, 725/8, 386/261
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/4334 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• 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 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Techniques for recommending recording and/or downloading suggestions to a DVR user are provided. According to one technique, a list of suggestions is received from a recommending entity. Each of the suggestions identifies either to-be-broadcasted content or downloadable content. The entity is mapped to the list, thereby establishing an entity-to-list mapping. Data, which indicates a user'"'"'s selection of a list, is received. The user'"'"'s DVR is mapped to the selected list, thereby establishing a DVR-to-list mapping. Based on this mapping, one or more candidate items are automatically selected from among a set of items. Identities of the candidate items are sent to the DVR. The recommending entity does not own or operate the DVR.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

allowing a device, in a first mode, to display live content regardless of whether the live content was previously scheduled for recording;

while the device is in the first mode, receiving user input that selects one or more recommending entities from a plurality of recommending entities;

scheduling one or more content recordings based on one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommending entities;

setting the device from the first mode to a second mode of operation based on input received from a user, wherein the second mode is different from the first mode;

while the device is in the second mode;

preventing, by the device, recording of any content that is not indicated within at least one of the one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommended entities;

preventing, by the device, display of any content that is not in the one or more content recordings scheduled based on the one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommended entities;

wherein the device comprises a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one recommending entity, of the selected one or more recommending entities, is other than a user who operates the device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically recording content that is specified within at least a first set of the one or more recommended items, the first set being from a first recommending entity, of the selected one or more recommending entities, other than a user from who operates the device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, while the device is in the second mode, preventing selection of additional recommending entities from which to receive recommended items.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the device is in the second mode, scheduling one or more additional content recordings that are indicated by the one or more sets of recommended items.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a first set of the one or more sets of recommended items indicates recommended programs, at least in part, using a combination of criteria and logical operators.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, from a web server, to a client, one or more web pages that identify the plurality of recommending entities;

receiving the user input and an identifier for the device at the web server from the client.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the user input at a server;

identifying the one or more sets of recommended items at the server;

sending the one or more sets of recommended items from the server to the device.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

allowing a device, in a first mode, to display live content regardless of whether the live content was previously scheduled for recording;

while the device is in the first mode, receiving user input that selects one or more recommending entities from a plurality of recommending entities;

scheduling one or more content recordings based on one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommending entities;

setting the device from the first mode to a second mode of operation based on input received from a user, wherein the second mode is different from the first mode;

while the device is in the second mode;

preventing, by the device, recording of any content that is not indicated within at least one of the one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommended entities;

preventing, by the device, display of any content that is not in the one or more content recordings scheduled based on the one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommended entities.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, wherein at least one recommending entity, of the selected one or more recommending entities, is other than a user who operates the device.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, the steps further comprising:

automatically recording content that is specified within at least a first set of the one or more recommended items, the first set being from a first recommending entity, of the selected one or more recommending entities, other than a user from who operates the device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, the steps further comprising, while the device is in the second mode, preventing selection of additional recommending entities from which to receive recommended items.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, the steps further comprising:

while the device is in the second mode, scheduling one or more additional content recordings that are indicated by the one or more sets of recommended items.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, wherein at least a first set of the one or more sets of recommended items indicates recommended programs, at least in part, using a combination of criteria and logical operators.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, the steps further comprising:

sending, from a web server, to a client, one or more web pages that identify the plurality of recommending entities;

receiving the user input and an identifier for the device at the web server from the client.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, the steps further comprising:

receiving the user input at a server;

identifying the one or more sets of recommended items at the server;

sending the one or more sets of recommended items from the server to the device.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to allow a device, in a first mode, to display live content regardless of whether the live content was previously scheduled for recording;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to schedule one or more content recordings based on one or more sets of recommended items from one or more recommending entities, the one or more recommending entities having been selected by user input while the device is in the first mode, the user input selecting the one or more recommending entities from a plurality of recommending entities;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to set the device from the first mode to a second mode of operation based on input received from a user, wherein the second mode is different from the first mode;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to, while the device is in the second mode;

prevent recording of any content that is not indicated within at least one of the one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommended entities;

prevent display of any content that is not in the one or more content recordings scheduled based on the one or more sets of recommended items from the selected one or more recommended entities.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one recommending entity, of the selected one or more recommending entities, is other than a user who operates the device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware configured to automatically record content that is specified within at least a first set of the one or more recommended items, the first set being from a first recommending entity, of the selected one or more recommending entities, other than a user from who operates the device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a subsystem configured to, while the device is in the second mode, prevent selection of additional recommending entities from which to receive recommended items.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware configured to, while the device is in the second mode, the device to schedule one or more additional content recordings that are indicated by the one or more sets of recommended items.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least a first set of the one or more sets of recommended items indicates recommended programs, at least in part, using a combination of criteria and logical operators.

23. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to display one or more screens that identify the plurality of recommending entities;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to receive the user input in response to the displaying of the one or more screens that identify the plurality of recommending entities.

24. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to receive one or more sets of recommended items from a server, wherein the server is configured to receive the user input and identify the one or more sets of recommended items for the device based on the user input.