Method, computer program product, and apparatus for providing communications with at least one media provider

• US 8,978,066 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Hao, Jianxiu, Ortiz, Guillermo, Rozensztejn, Diego S., Yin, Fenglin
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US11/608,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20080139193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,014 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/62, 725 46- 47, 725/25, 725/32, 725/44, 725/58
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods, computer program products, and apparatuses are provided for allowing a user to communicate with a set top box and a media content server through a mobile communication device, such as a cellular phone. The user may be able to request and receive a customer specific interactive programming guide through the mobile communication device. The interactive programming guide may allow the user to search and record media programs, including sending recording commands to a set top box to record a particular media program. The interactive programming guide may also allow the user to order and receive media programs to the mobile communication device. Embodiments may provide a personal video recorder proxy server as an interface between the mobile communication device and the set top box and the media content server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a personal video recorder proxy server, a request for an interactive programming guide specific to a customer from a mobile communication device operating within a telecommunication environment;

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, a request for the customer specific interactive programming guide to at least one media content server separate from a set top box corresponding to an account of the customer, wherein the request for the customer specific interactive programming guide sent by the personal video recorder proxy server to the at least one media content server includes an identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer;

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server in response to the request that includes the identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer, the customer specific interactive programming guide from the at least one media content server, the customer specific interactive programming guide including channels that are available to the customer, the availability of the channels to the customer determined based on the identification of the set top box, a location of the set top box, and a subscription of the customer to a particular channel package;

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the interactive programming guide received in response to the request that includes the identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer to the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment for display by the mobile communication device;

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server by way of the customer specific interactive programming guide while the mobile communication device is displaying the customer specific interactive programming guide, a request from the mobile communications device for a parental control selection to modify one or more parental controls associated with the set top box;

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the request for the parental control selection to the set top box;

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server, a confirmation regarding the request for the parental control selection from the set top box;

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, a confirmation regarding the request for the parental control selection to the mobile communication device;

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server by way of the customer specific interactive programming guide while the mobile communication device is displaying the customer specific interactive programming guide, a request from the mobile communication device to overlay IP data associated with the parental control selection into media programming being displayed on a television connected to the set top box, wherein the IP data comprises at least one of a message and an image; and

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the request to the at least one media content server.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server, a request for recording a media program from the mobile communication device; and

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the request for recording the media program to the set top box.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server, a confirmation from the set top box regarding the request for recording the media program.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising sending, from the personal video recorder proxy server to the mobile communication device, a confirmation regarding the request for recording the media program.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server, a request for a media program from the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment;

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the request for the media program to the at least one media content server;

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the media program from the at least one media content server; and

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the media program to the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a recording request by the personal video recorder proxy server from the mobile communication device to edit a previously scheduled recording and sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the recording request to the set top box.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to overlay IP data contains information specifying a particular timing of the overlaying of the IP data into the media programming being displayed on the television connected to the set top box.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to overlay IP data further contains information specifying a particular timing of changing a blocked status of one or more channel selections.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP data comprises real time flight information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving, by the personal video recorder proxy server, a request from the mobile communication device to replace media programming being displayed on a television connected to the set top box with additional IP data, wherein the additional IP data comprises at least one of a message and an image;

and

sending, by the personal video recorder proxy server, the request to the at least one media content server.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a memory having executable computer-readable program code portions stored therein configured to direct a computer to:

receive a request for an interactive programming guide specific to a customer from a mobile communication device operating within a telecommunication environment;

send a request for the customer specific interactive programming guide to at least one media content server separate from a set top box corresponding to an account of the customer, wherein the request for the customer specific interactive programming guide includes an identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer;

receive, in response to the request that includes the identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer, the customer specific interactive programming guide from the at least one media content server, the customer specific interactive programming guide including channels that are available to the customer, the availability of the channels to the customer determined based on the identification of the set top box, a location of the set top box, and a subscription of the customer to a particular channel package;

send the interactive programming guide received in response to the request that includes the identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer to the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment for display by the mobile communication device;

receive, by way of the customer specific interactive programming guide while the mobile communication device is displaying the customer specific interactive programming guide, a request from the mobile communications device for a parental control selection to modify one or more parental controls associated with the set top box;

send the request for the parental control selection to the set top box;

receive a confirmation regarding the request for the parental control selection from the set top box;

send a confirmation regarding the request for the parental control selection to the mobile communication device;

receive, by way of the customer specific interactive programming guide while the mobile communication device is displaying the customer specific interactive programming guide, a request from the mobile communication device to overlay IP data associated with the parental control selection into media programming being displayed on a television connected to the set top box, wherein the IP data comprises at least one of a message and an image; and

send the request to the at least one media content server.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable program code portions are further configured to direct the computer to:

receive a request for recording a media program from the mobile communication device; and

send the request for the recording of the media program to the set top box.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable program code portions are further configured to direct the computer to receive a confirmation from the set top box regarding the request for the recording of the media program.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable program code portions are further configured to direct the computer to send a confirmation regarding the request for the recording of the media program to the mobile communication device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable program code portions are further configured to direct the computer to:

receive a request for a media program from a mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment;

send the request for the media program to the at least one media content server;

receive the media program from the at least one media content server; and

send the media program to the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment.

16. An apparatus comprising a processor that to:

receives a request for an interactive programming guide specific to a customer from a mobile communication device operating within a telecommunication environment;

sends a request for the customer specific interactive programming guide to at least one media content server separate from a set top box corresponding to an account of the customer, wherein the request for the customer specific interactive programming guide includes an identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer;

receives, in response to the request that includes the identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer, the customer specific interactive programming guide from the at least one media content server, the customer specific interactive programming guide including channels that are available to the customer, the availability of the channels to the customer determined based on the identification of the set top box, a location of the set top box, and a subscription of the customer to a particular channel package;

sends the interactive programming guide received in response to the request that includes the identification of the set top box corresponding to the account of the customer to the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment;

receives, by way of the customer specific interactive programming guide while the mobile communication device is displaying the customer specific interactive programming guide, a request from the mobile communications device for a parental control selection to modify one or more parental controls associated with the set top box;

sends the request for the parental control selection to the set top box;

receives a confirmation regarding the request for the parental control selection from the set top box;

sends a confirmation regarding the request for the parental control selection to the mobile communication device;

receives, by way of the customer specific interactive programming guide while the mobile communication device is displaying the customer specific interactive programming guide, a request from the mobile communication device to overlay IP data associated with the parental control selection into media programming being displayed on a television connected to the set top box, wherein the IP data comprises at least one of a message and an image; and

sends the request to the at least one media content server.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor receives a request for recording a media program from the mobile communication device and to send the request for the recording of the media program to the set top box.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor receives a confirmation regarding the request for the recording of the media program from the set top box and to send a confirmation regarding the request for the recording of the media program to the mobile communication device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor receives a request for a media program from the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment;

to send the request for the media program to the at least one media content server;

to receive the media program from the at least one media content server; and

to send the media program to the mobile communication device through the telecommunication environment.