System and method for the exchange and storage of set-top box data

• US 8,756,646 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: LaFreniere, Gary W., Emerson, David, Goergen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Application Number:
  US12/625,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20110126251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/131
• 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 21/4755 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 21/4788 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 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system and method for updating viewing status between a set-top box and one or more social networks. User preferences are set for communicating a viewing status between the set-top box and one or more social networks. A determination of media content viewed by a user is made by a user utilizing the set-top box. The viewing status of the user is posted in response to the user preferences and the determined media content.

Claims

1. A method for updating viewing status between a set-top box and one or more social network websites, the method comprising:

setting user preferences for communicating a viewing status between the set-top box and one or more social network websites, wherein setting the user preferences include specifying a channel for viewing content associated with a particular contact;

determining media content viewed by a user utilizing the set-top box;

logging in to the one or more social network websites associated with the user using a set-top box identifier;

posting the viewing status of the user to the one or more social network websites based on the user preferences and the determined media content; and

automatically enabling a chat session with the particular contact in response to a user selection of the channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

reconciling the media content viewed by one or more contacts to media content available to the user through the set-top box.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an interactive link to the media content viewed by one or more contacts.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user preferences indicate types of media content that generate the viewing status, and wherein the types include a category and a rating.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user preferences specify one or more times of day for posting the viewing status.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining media content recorded by the user utilizing the set-top box; and

tweeting information associated with the recorded media content to the Twitter account associated with the user.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

archiving a history of media content viewed by the user; and

posting the history to one or more pages of the one or more social network websites.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising recording all user contact activities including a history of chats performed through the set-top box.

9. A set-top box comprising:

a processor for executing a set of instructions; and

a memory for storing the set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions are configured to;

set user preferences for communicating a viewing status between the set-top box and one or more social network websites, wherein setting the user preferences include specifying a channel for viewing content associated with a particular contact;

determine media content viewed by a user utilizing the set-top box;

log in to the one or more social network websites associated with the user using a set-top box identifier; and

post the viewing status of the user to the one or more social network websites based on the user preferences and the determined media content; and

automatically enabling a chat session with the particular contact in response to a user selection of the channel.

10. The set-top box according to claim 9, wherein the set of instructions is further executed to:

display viewing information for one or more contacts, the viewing information including a link to the media content if available.

11. The set-top box according to claim 9, wherein the set of instructions is further executed to:

prompt a user to chat with one or more contacts that are viewing media content simultaneously with the users.

12. The set-top box according to claim 10, wherein the set of instructions is further executed to:

reconcile the media content viewed by the one or more contacts to media content available to the user through the set-top box.