Methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing interactive control of radio and other media

• US 8,806,537 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koch, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marandi, James R
• Application Number:
  US11/523,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,883 Days
• US Class Current: 725/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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 21/472 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A method for presenting content to a user through a content management device. The method includes receiving at a content management device content from a plurality of content providers. The content management device generates a supplemental programming data from the content providers. The content management device receives guide programming data from a content-independent programming data source. The content management device generates an interactive program guide in response to the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data, the interactive program guide presenting content available to the user.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a user mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the user mobile device, multiple feeds of content that are broadcast from a plurality of content providers, the user mobile device is a cellular telephone using cellular technology;

receiving, at the user mobile device, supplemental programming data broadcast from the plurality of content providers;

receiving, at the user mobile device, guide programming data broadcast from a content-independent programming data source;

generating, by the user mobile device, an interactive program guide in response to the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data, the interactive program guide presenting the multiple feeds of content available to the user; and

resolving, by the user mobile device, a conflict between the supplemental programming data from the plurality of content providers and the guide programming data from the content-independent programming data source by using the supplemental programming data from the plurality of content providers instead of the guide programming data from the content-independent programming data source to generate the interactive program guide.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple feeds of the content that are broadcast from the plurality of content providers to the user mobile device are separate from an internet connection to the user mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving at the user mobile device the multiple feeds of the content from the plurality of content providers includes accessing user profile data, comparing the supplemental programming data to the user profile data, and altering a presentation of the interactive program guide based on matching characteristics between the user profile data and the supplemental programming data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the content is arranged in the interactive program guide in response to a degree of match between the user profile data and the supplemental programming data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the interactive program guide presenting the content available to the user includes presenting stored content stored on the user mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein if a content identifier of the content received from a content provider matches a content identifier of stored content stored on the user mobile device, associating an indication indicating that the stored content is already stored on the user mobile device with the content in the interactive program guide.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental programming data from a content provider includes call-in information, and the generating the interactive program guide includes displaying a call-in availability indication associated with the content for which call-in is available.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising initiating a call to the content provider providing the content for which call-in is available upon receipt of a user selection of the call-in availability indication.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting an additional action indicator associated with the content and initiating an additional action upon receipt of a user selection of the additional action indicator.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the additional action includes marking the content as a favorite, and the generating the interactive program guide includes placing the content marked as the favorite at a preferred location in the interactive program guide.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the additional action includes initiating a request for downloading the content to the user mobile device, wherein the request is for a limited number of plays of the content downloaded.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the additional action includes selecting future content, storing a station identifier for the future content and a start time for the future content, and the user mobile device playing the future content when a current time matches the start time.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the additional action includes recording the content as received on the user mobile device.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the additional action includes a request for acquiring additional information related to the content upon user selection of the additional action indicator.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the content includes content broadcast via radio.

16. A method implemented on a cellular telephone, the method comprising:

receiving, at the cellular telephone, multiple feeds of content broadcast from a plurality of content providers, the cellular telephone being a user device;

receiving, at the cellular telephone, programming data related to the content broadcast from the plurality of content providers;

receiving, at the cellular telephone, guide programming data broadcast from a content-independent programming data source;

generating, by the cellular telephone, an interactive program guide in response to the content and the programming data, the interactive program guide presenting the content available to the user;

wherein if a content identifier of the content received from a content provider matches a content identifier of stored content stored on the cellular telephone, an indicator indicating that the stored content already stored on the cellular telephone is associated with the content in the interactive program guide;

resolving, by the cellular telephone, a conflict between the supplemental programming data from the plurality of content providers and the guide programming data from the content-independent programming data source by using the supplemental programming data from the plurality of content providers instead of the guide programming data from the content-independent programming data source to generate the interactive program guide;

wherein audio of the content plays through vehicle speakers in a vehicle.

17. An apparatus for a user mobile device in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a content receiver in the mobile device receives content broadcast from a plurality of content providers and receives supplemental programming data broadcast from the plurality of content providers, wherein the user mobile device is a cellular telephone using cellular technology;

a data transceiver in the mobile device receives guide programming data broadcast from a content-independent programming data source;

a user interface display controller in the mobile device generates an interactive program guide in response to the supplemental programming data and the guide programming data, the interactive program guide presenting the content available to the user;

a display device coupled to the user interface display controller displays the interactive program guide;

wherein in response to receiving a selection of a favorite designation for the content displayed in the interactive program guide, the display device highlights the content having the favorite designation with special visual effects in subsequent presentations in the interactive program guide; and

wherein the data transceiver resolves a conflict between the supplemental programming data from the content provider and the guide programming data from the content-independent programming data source by using the supplemental programming data from the content provider instead of the guide programming data from the content-independent programming data source to generate the interactive program guide.