Contextual display of information with an interactive user interface for television

• US 8,756,634 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Chane, Lena, Moreau, Samuel, Haber, Darrell, Marenghi, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US13/611,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 725/43, 725/42, 725/51, 725/61, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A user interface for interactive television services is represented as a visual overlay that provides a viewer with knowledge of a library of available content relating to a currently tuned to television channel and navigation options for selecting desired portions of the available content from the library, the available content being designated according to business rules specified by a provider of the interactive television services. The visual overlay may be displayed over full-screen or embedded television programming, which may be broadcast television programming or on-demand television programming.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a content guide to be displayed with video of a first program, wherein a portion of the content guide comprises a textual description of the first program;

receiving, at a terminal, a selection of a second program;

responsive to the selection of the second program, populating the portion of the content guide with content specific to the second program; and

causing the content guide populated with the content specific to the second program to be displayed with video of the second program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the content guide populated with the content specific to the second program to be displayed with the video of the second program comprises causing display of the content guide as an overlay over full-screen programming for the second program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the content guide populated with the content specific to the second program to be displayed with the video of the second program comprises causing the content guide to be presented in combination with embedded programming for the second program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video of the second program comprises at least one of broadcast programming or on-demand programming.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content specific to the second program comprises interactive content specific to the second program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content specific to the second program is based on business rules comprising one or more of the following:

time of day, channel, current broadcast content, current on-demand content, preferred placement of content, view demographic information, viewer behavior, navigation context, or current content category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content guide comprises a grouping of tiles for displaying options within a library of available content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein placement and content of the tiles within the content guide depends upon business rules comprising one or more of the following:

time of day, channel, current broadcast content, current on-demand content, preferred placement of content, viewer demographic information, viewer behavior, navigation context, or current content category.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the content of the tiles comprises one or more of channel logos, specific program logos or brands.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the terminal, a selection of a third program; and

responsive to receiving the selection of the third program, populating the portion of the content guide with a non-interactive textual description of the third program.

11. A system comprising:

a server, and

a broadcast file server,

wherein the server is configured to dynamically harvest content from a plurality of sources resulting in harvested content, format the harvested content as a content file in accordance with instructions included in a configuration file generated by at least one of a network or content service provider, and upload the content file to the broadcast file server,

wherein the configuration file comprises an identification of a location of the plurality of sources, an identification of syndication sources, a number of items for each of the plurality of sources and the syndication sources, and an indication of where the content file is to be deployed, and

wherein the broadcast file server is configured to distribute the content file to a terminal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal comprises a client application that is stored onto the terminal as an extension of at least one other application resident on the terminal, wherein the client application is configured to read data contained in the content file to populate a content guide.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

the terminal, wherein the terminal is configured to;

cause a content guide to be displayed with video of a first program, wherein a portion of the content guide comprises a textual description of the first program;

receive a selection of a second program; and

responsive to the selection of the second program, populate the portion of the content guide with content specific to the second program, and

cause the content guide populated with the content specific to the second program to be displayed with video of the second program.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein causing the content guide populated with the content specific to the second program to be displayed with the video of the second program comprises causing the content guide to be presented in combination with embedded programming for the second program.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the video of the second program comprises on-demand programming.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the broadcast file server is configured to distribute the content file to the terminal using at least one of TCP/IP over an existing signaling channel or a data carousel channel.

17. A method comprising:

dynamically harvesting, by a computing device, content from a plurality of sources, resulting in harvested content;

formatting the harvested content as a content file in accordance with instructions included in a configuration file generated by at least one of a network provider or content service provider;

uploading the content file from the computing device to a broadcast file server; and

distributing, by the broadcast file server, the content file to a terminal;

wherein the configuration file comprises an identification of a location of the plurality of sources, an identification of syndication sources, a number of items for each of the plurality of sources and the syndication sources, and an indication of where the content file is to be deployed.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

reading, by the terminal, data contained in the content file to populate a content guide.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

causing, by the terminal, a content guide to be displayed with video of a first program, wherein a portion of the content guide comprises a textual description of the first program;

receiving, by the terminal, a selection of a second program;

responsive to the selection of the second program, populating, by the terminal, the portion of the content guide with content specific to the second program; and

causing, by the terminal, the content guide populated with the content specific to the second program to be displayed with video of the second program.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the video of the second program comprises on-demand programming.