Missed content access guide

• US 8,973,038 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Gratton, Max Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): MENDOZA, JUNIOR O
• Application Number:
  US13/886,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20140331260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 725/40
• US Class Current: 725/40
• 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 21/472 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

Arrangements for providing available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content may be presented. A request to present an electronic programming guide that comprises indications of a plurality of television programs currently being broadcast may be received. A missed portion of each television program of the plurality of television programs may have already been broadcast. For each television program of the plurality of television programs, a plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of each television program of the plurality of television programs may be retrievable may be analyzed. A first source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of a television program is retrievable may be identified. The electronic programming guide may be configured and output to comprise an indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program.

Claims

1. A television receiver system for providing available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content, the television receiver system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

process a received request to present an electronic programming guide that comprises indications of a plurality of television programs currently being broadcast, wherein

when the received request to present the electronic programming guide is processed, a missed portion of one or more television programs of the plurality of television programs has already been broadcast;

for each missed portion of the one or more television programs of the plurality of television programs, analyze a plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of each television program is potentially retrievable;

for a television program of the one or more television programs, identify a first source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is retrievable;

configure the electronic programming guide to comprise an indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program, wherein the indication of availability comprises a progress bar that indicates a time within a total play time of the television program and a color of the progress bar indicates availability of the missed portion of the television program;

select a state for the progress bar, wherein the state for the progress bar is based on the availability of the missed portion of the television program and the state is selected from at least three states, comprising;

a first state associated with a first color, wherein the first state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program not being available;

a second state associated with a second color, wherein the second state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program being locally stored by the television receiver system; and

a third state associated with a third color, wherein the third state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program being remotely available to the television receiver system; and

output the electronic programming guide for display such that the indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program is indicated.

2. The television receiver system for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 1, wherein the indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program comprises an icon that indicates the first source from the plurality of content resources.

3. The television receiver system for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 1, wherein the indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program comprises multiple icons, each icon indicative of a different source from the plurality of content resources through which the missed portion of the television program is available.

4. The television receiver system for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive and store user credentials from a user of the television receiver system, wherein the user credentials are necessary to access the first source from the plurality of content resources; and

provide the user credentials to the first source.

5. The television receiver system for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to, for the television program of the plurality of television programs, identify the first source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is retrievable, further cause the one or more processors to:

for the television program of the plurality of television programs, identify a second source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is retrievable, wherein the first source and the second source are remote from the television receiver system.

6. The television receiver system for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 5, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

process a selection of the television program, wherein the selection is based on user input;

determine, at least partially based on a faster response time, to select the first source instead of the second source to retrieve the missed portion of the television program; and

retrieve at least the missed portion of the television program from the first source.

7. The television receiver system for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 1, wherein each television program of the plurality of television programs is presented in the electronic programming guide with a showcard specific to the corresponding television program.

8. The television receiver system for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 1, wherein the television receiver system is a set top box.

9. A method for providing available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content, the method comprising:

receiving, by a television receiver, a request to present an electronic programming guide that comprises indications of a plurality of television programs currently being broadcast, wherein

when the received request to present the electronic programming guide is processed, a missed portion of one or more television programs of the plurality of television programs has already been broadcast;

for each missed portion of the one or more television programs of the plurality of television programs, analyzing, by the television receiver, a plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is potentially retrievable;

for a television program of the one or more television programs, identifying, by the television receiver, a first source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is retrievable;

configuring, by the television receiver, the electronic programming guide to comprise an indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program, wherein the indication of availability comprises a progress bar that indicates a time within a total play time of the television program and a color of the progress bar indicates availability of the missed portion of the television program;

selecting, by the television receiver, a state for the progress bar, wherein the state for the progress bar is based on the availability of the missed portion of the television program and the state is selected from at least three states, comprising;

a first state associated with a first color, wherein the first state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program not being available;

a second state associated with a second color, wherein the second state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program being locally stored by the television receiver system; and

a third state associated with a third color, wherein the third state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program being remotely available to the television receiver system; and

outputting, by the television receiver, the electronic programming guide for display such that the indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program is indicated.

10. The method for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 9, wherein the indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program comprises an icon that indicates the first source from the plurality of content resources.

11. The method for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 9, wherein the indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program comprises multiple icons, each icon indicative of a different source from the plurality of content resources through which the missed portion of the television program is available.

12. The method for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 9, the method further comprising:

receiving and storing, by the television receiver, user credentials, wherein the user credentials are necessary to access the first source from the plurality of content resources; and

providing, by the television receiver, the user credentials to the first source.

13. The method for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 9, wherein identifying the first source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is retrievable, further comprises:

identifying, by the television receiver, a second source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is retrievable, wherein the first source and the second source are remote from the television receiver.

14. The method for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 13, further comprises:

processing, by the television receiver, a selection of the television program, wherein the selection is based on user input;

determining, by the television receiver, at least partially based on a faster response time, to select the first source instead of the second source to retrieve the missed portion of the television program; and

retrieving, by the television receiver, at least the missed portion of the television program from the first source.

15. The method for providing the available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content of claim 9, wherein each television program of the plurality of television programs is presented in the electronic programming guide with a showcard specific to the corresponding television program.

16. A non-transitory processor-readable medium for providing available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content, comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:

process a received request to present an electronic programming guide that comprises indications of a plurality of television programs currently being broadcast, wherein

when the received request to present the electronic programming guide is processed, a missed portion for at least one of the plurality of television programs has already been broadcast;

for each of the missed portions of the plurality of television programs, analyze a plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of each television program of the plurality of television programs is potentially retrievable;

for a television program of the plurality of television programs, identify a first source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of the television program is retrievable;

configure the electronic programming guide to comprise an indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program, wherein the indication of availability comprises a progress bar that indicates a time within a total play time of the television program and a color of the progress bar indicates availability of the missed portion of the television program;

select a state for the progress bar, wherein the state for the progress bar is based on the availability of the missed portion of the television program and the state is selected from at least three states, comprising;

a first state associated with a first color, wherein the first state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program not being available;

a second state associated with a second color, wherein the second state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program being locally stored by the television receiver system; and

a third state associated with a third color, wherein the third state is indicative of the missed portion of the television program being remotely available to the television receiver system; and

output the electronic programming guide for display such that the indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program is indicated.