System and method for providing an interactive program guide for past current and future programming

• US 8,739,213 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Angiolillo, Joel, Cordero, Angel, Zhang, Xi
• Primary Examiner(s): CORBO, NICHOLAS T
• Application Number:
  US11/771,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20090007179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,524 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/40, 725/44, 725/50, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/47214 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system and method for providing a program guide for past programming comprising receiving a user command to retrieve program data, retrieving the program data from a data source, and outputting, to a display device, the program data in response to receiving the user command. The program data may comprise information relating to previously-aired programming.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interactive program guide, comprising:

displaying to a user a menu listing current, future, and previously-aired programming;

receiving from a user, at an electronic receiver, a user command to retrieve program data for the previously-aired programming, the program data comprising information relating to the previously-aired programming, wherein the information comprises;

searchable metadata configured to be used at least in part for storing and indexing the program data,

social network information comprising at least one comment related to the program data generated by a social network associated with the user, and

facts that were unavailable to anyone when the previously-aired programming was originally broadcast;

retrieving, at a processor, the program data from a data source;

customizing, at a processor, the program data for display to the user, wherein the customizing comprises displaying certain categories of program data preselected by a user on a single page without requiring further selection and optionally not displaying other categories not preselected by a user; and

outputting, from an output to an electronic display device, the program data in response to receiving the user command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source comprises at least one of a database, a network provider, and a third party source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the program data is displayed within the menu of the interactive program guide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the program data is displayed as a customized interactive program menu.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to previously-aired programming further comprises at least one of rebroadcast information, reviews, advertisement information, and statistics.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the statistics comprise scores from an event that occurred in the previously-aired programming.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the information relating to previously-aired programming comprises information relating to currently-airing programming or programming to be aired in the future that have expired.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the program data comprises information relating to currently-airing programming or programming to be aired in the future.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code which when executed by a computer performs the method of claim 1.

10. A system for providing an interactive program guide, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a user, a user command to retrieve program data, wherein the program data comprises information for previously-aired programming and wherein the information comprises;

searchable metadata configured to be used at least in part for storing and indexing the program data,

social network information comprising at least one comment related to the program data generated by a social network associated with the user, and

facts that were unavailable to anyone when the previously-aired programming was originally broadcast;

a processor configured to retrieve the program data from a data source;

a processor configured to customize the program data for display to the user, wherein the customizing comprises displaying certain categories of program data preselected by a user on a single page without requiring further selection and optionally not displaying other categories not preselected by a user; and

an output configured to output, to a display device, the program data in response to receiving the user command.

11. A method for providing an interactive program guide, comprising:

receiving from a user, at an electronic receiver, program data from at least one data source, wherein the program data comprises information relating to previously-aired programming and wherein the information comprises;

searchable metadata, configured to be used at least in part for storing and indexing the program data,

social network information comprising at least one comment related to the program data generated by a social network associated with the user, and

facts that were unavailable to anyone when the previously-aired programming was originally broadcast; and

storing the program data in at least one database for retrieval and presenting in a customized manner at an electronic display device upon user command, wherein the customization comprises displaying certain categories of program data preselected by a user on a single page without requiring further selection and optionally not displaying other categories not preselected by a user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information relating to previously-aired programming further comprises at least one of rebroadcast information, reviews, advertisement information, and statistics.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein statistics comprise scores from an event that occurred in the previously-aired programming.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the information relating to previously-aired programming comprises information relating to currently-airing programming or programming to be aired in the future that have expired.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the program data comprises information relating to currently-airing programming or programming to be aired in the future.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code which when executed by a computer performs the method of claim 11.

17. A system for providing an interactive program guide, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive program data from at least one data source, wherein the program data comprises information relating to previously-aired programming and wherein the information comprises;

searchable metadata, configured to be used at least in part for storing and indexing the program data,

social network information comprising at least one comment related to the program data generated by a social network associated with a user, and

facts that were unavailable to anyone when the previously-aired programming was originally broadcast; and

at least one database configured to store the program data for retrieval and display upon user command.