Location-based tuner

• US 8,856,837 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Stevens, J. Clarke
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US12/826,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20120002115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 725/74
• US Class Current: 725/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A method and system of facilitating tuning to content and/or signal streams, including capabilities to facilitate tuning when traveling from one geographical location to another where the different geographical areas may be rely on different identifiers to facilitate locating the content and/or signaling of interest.

Claims

1. A method for tuning to one of a plurality of television channels carrying a live television program to different geographical areas, wherein a first channel of the plurality of television channels transmits over a first communication medium and a second channel of the plurality of television channels transmits over a second communication medium, the first communication medium being an alternative delivery system to the second communication medium, the method comprising:

identifying a geographical area of an output device associated with a recipient desiring to tune to the live television program according to geographical information collected from a positional locating system;

determining a first channel map used within the geographical area, the first channel map cross-referencing a plurality of first channel numbers with one of a plurality of first channel names;

determining a subscription associated with the recipient;

determining a second channel map associated with the subscription, the second channel map cross-referencing a plurality of second channel numbers with one of a plurality of second channel names;

determining a tuning request from the recipient to tune to a particular channel number, the particular channel number being identified as one of the plurality of second channel numbers specified in the second channel map;

instructing tuning of the output device to the one of the first channel and the second channel being used to transmit the live television program to the identified geographical area, including relating the particular channel number to a corresponding one of the first channel numbers, the tuned to one of the first channel and the second channel being tuned to at the corresponding one of the first channel numbers; and

wherein the first communication medium is a cable television network and the second communication medium is a cellular phone network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising instructing tuning of the output device to the one of the first and second channels having an associated codec operable with a codec of the output device.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising, in the event the codec of both the first channel and the second channels are operable with the codec of the output device, instructing tuning of the output device to the one of the first and second channels having at least one of a lower cost and a higher quality.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising

determining the lower cost as a function of at least on of

(i) the subscription associated with the recipient that specifies costs for tuning to each of the first channel and the second channel;

(ii) an inquiry made to a provider of each of the first channel and the second channel;

(iii) a transmission cost associated with carrying signaling over each of the at least two of the television channels between sources used to source each of the first channel and the second channel and the output device; and

determining the higher quality as a function of quality associated with at least one of a transmission medium and a transmission protocol associated with carrying signaling over each of the at least two television channels.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising initially instructing the output device to tune to a wireline connection when tuned to the first channel and to tune to a wireless connection when tuned to the second channel.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising instructing the output device to tune to Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) signaling when tuned to the wireline connection and to tune to one of Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) signaling and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signaling when tuned to the wireless connection.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising instructing the output device to an address associated with the one of the first channel and the second channel, the address being one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Universal Resource Locator (URL) address, a cellular address, and a Wi-Fi address.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising, in the event the codec of the first and second channels are both operable with the codec of the output device, instructing tuning of the output device to the one of the first and second channels selected through a user interface displayed on the output device, the user interface listing each of the second channels numbers and the second channel names for selection according to ordering specified in the second channel map as opposed to ordering specified in the first channel map associated with the geographical area.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least periodically re-evaluating the geographical information collected from the positional location system, and in the event the geographical area changes to a new geographical area, instructing tuning to a new one of the plurality of television channels being used to transmit the live television program to the new geographical area, including relating the particular channel number to a corresponding one of a plurality of third channel numbers specified in a third channel map associated with the new geographical area, the third channel map cross-referencing the plurality of third channel numbers with one of a plurality of third channel names, the new one of the plurality of television channels being turned to at the corresponding one of the third channel numbers.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one of:

identifying the live television program desired to be tuned to by the recipient as a function of recipient inputs to the output device;

the output device communicating information reflective of the user inputs remotely to a controller in possession of the first channel map and the second channel map, the controller relating the particular channel number to a corresponding one of the first channel numbers.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the geographical information at least based in part on communications conducted between the positional locating system and a portable positioning device that travels with the recipient and is not included as part of the output device and that is not in communication with the output device.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the geographical information at least based on part on a known geographical area previously associated with to the output device.

13. A method of identifying channel numbers when different channel numbers are used in different geographical areas for the same channel names, the method comprising:

determining a geographical area of an output device as a function geographical information collected from a positional locating system;

determining a requested channel requested to be output from the output device according to a first channel identifier identified within a first channel map presented through the output device, the first channel map being associated with a home location identified within a subscription of a user requesting the requested channel; and

instructing the output device to tune to a tuned channel, including identifying both of a first channel and a second channel to be used within the geographical area, wherein the first channel is carried over a cable television network and the second channel is carried over a cellular phone network, and relating the first channel identifier to a second channel map associated with the geographical area whereby the tuned channel is determined to be one of the first and second channels identified within the second channel map having a second channel identifier corresponding with the first channel identifier, the tuned channel being different from the requested channel due to the first channel map corresponding with the home location and not the geographical area.

14. A location-base tuner operable to:

identify a location of an output device from geographical information associated therewith;

present a first channel map through the output device, the first channel map being part of a cable television network in another location other than the location;

identify a name of content to be accessed through the output device from user inputs made to the output device during presentation of the first channel map;

determine a second channel map associated with the location without presenting the second channel map to the user, the second channel map being part of a cellular phone network;

instruct the output device to tune to an address specified within the second channel map for the name, the address specified in the second channel map being different from an address specified in the first channel map for the name, wherein the tuned to address represents a television channel number when the identified location is a first location and the tuned to address represents an Internet Protocol (IP) address when the identified location is a second location.

15. The location-based tuner of claim 14 further being operable:

determine the first channel map based on a subscription of the user; and

to instruct the output device to tune to a new address specified within a third channel map for the name in the event the geographical information indicates the output to device to have moved to a new location, the new address specified in the third channel map being different from the address specified in the first channel map and the address specified in the third channel map for the name.