Systems and methods for alerting users of the postponed recording of programs

• US 8,989,561 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Radloff, Jon P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): JHAVERI, JAYESH M
• Application Number:
  US12/129,140
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: 386/291, 386/292, 386/293, 386/296, 386/297, 386/298, 386/46, 725/55, 725/58, 725/61, 725/86
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4823 using a channel name
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided herein in relation to notifications about alternative viewing opportunities for recording and playback of media programs. In particular, the systems and methods provide users with information related to alternative recorded programming viewing opportunities for programs scheduled for recording by a user.

Claims

1. A system for recording and playing back copies of a program, the system comprising a recording device and control circuitry, the control circuitry configured to:

receive first instructions from a user to record a transmission of a program starting at a first time;

receive second instructions from the user to record a re-transmission of the program starting at a second time;

after receiving the second instructions, determine that the system is not capable of recording the transmission starting at the first time; and

in response to the determining, generate for display a first listing for the transmission and a second listing for the re-transmission, wherein the first listing indicates that the re-transmission is an alternative recorded program viewing opportunity for the program in place of the transmission.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display a program listings screen which comprises a scheduled recordings listings screen.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display a program listings screen which comprises a recorded programs listings screen.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display a program listings screen which comprises a channel versus time grid of program listings, the lines of the grid intersecting to form cells, at least one of the cells corresponding to the transmission being broadcast at the first time, wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate for display a notification in the corresponding cell.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate for display, in the listing for the transmission, a new time at which the program will start being recorded, the new time being different than the first time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry determines that the system is not capable of recording the transmission starting at the first time in response to determining that recording the transmission starting at the first time would conflict with recording a second program.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the control circuitry records the second program instead of the transmission, based on priority.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the priority is based at least in part on user input.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry determines that the system is not capable of recording the transmission starting at the first time in response to determining that the transmission is no longer being transmitted starting at the first time.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display a notification including an icon.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the notification includes the second time.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the notification comprises a color used to distinguish the listing for the transmission from at least one listing for another transmission within a program listings screen.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine the second time, different from the first time, at which the re-transmission may be recorded.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to record the re-transmission starting at the second time.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission is not an episode of a series.

16. A method for recording and playing back copies of a program with an interactive media guidance application, the method comprising:

receiving at a control circuitry, first instructions from a user to record a transmission of a program starting at a first time;

receiving at the control circuitry, second instructions from the user to record a re-transmission of the program starting at a second time;

after receiving the second instructions, determining by the control circuitry, that the interactive media guidance application is not capable of recording the transmission starting at the first time; and

in response to the determining, generating for display by the control circuitry, a first listing for the transmission and a second listing for the re-transmission, wherein the first listing indicates that the re-transmission is an alternative recorded program viewing opportunity for the program in place of the transmission.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a program listings screen which comprises a scheduled recordings listings screen.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a program listings screen which comprises a recorded programs listings screen.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a program listings screen which comprises a channel versus time grid of program listings, the lines of the grid intersecting to form cells, at least one of the cells corresponding to the transmission being broadcast starting at the first time, the method comprising generating for display a notification in the corresponding cell.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising generating for display, in the listing for the transmission, a new time, different from the first time, at which the program will start being recorded.

21. The method of claim 16, comprising determining that the interactive media guidance application is not capable of starting to record the transmission at the first time in response to determining that recording the transmission starting at the first time would conflict with recording a second program.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising determining to start recording the second program at the first time instead of the transmission, based on prioritization logic.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the prioritization logic is based at least in part on user input.

24. The method of claim 16, comprising determining that the interactive media guidance application is not capable of recording the transmission starting at the first time in response to determining that the transmission is no longer being transmitted starting at the first time.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein generating for display the first listing for the transmission and the second listing for the re-transmission comprises generating for display a notification including an icon.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the notification includes the second time.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the notification comprises a color used to distinguish the listing for the transmission from at least one listing for another transmission within a program listings screen.

28. The method of claim 16, comprising determining the second time, different from the first time, at which the re-transmission may be recorded.

29. The method of claim 28, comprising recording the re-transmission starting at the second time.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmission is not an episode of a series.

31. A system for recording and playing back copies of a program, the system comprising a recording device and control circuitry, the control circuitry configured to:

receive first instructions from a user to record a transmission of a program starting at a first time;

receive second instructions from the user to record a re-transmission of the program starting at a second time;

after receiving the second instructions, determine that the system is not capable of recording the re-transmission starting at the second time; and

in response to the determining, generate for display a first listing for the transmission and a second listing for the re-transmission, wherein the second listing indicates that the transmission is an alternative recorded program viewing opportunity for the program in place of the re-transmission.

32. A method for recording and playing back copies of a program with an interactive media guidance application, the method comprising:

receiving at a control circuitry, first instructions from a user to record a transmission of a program starting at a first time;

receiving at the control circuitry, second instructions from the user to record a re-transmission of the program starting at a second time;

after receiving the second instructions, determining by the control circuitry, that the interactive media guidance application is not capable of recording the re-transmission starting at the second time; and

in response to the determining, generating for display by the control circuitry, a first listing for the transmission and a second listing for the re-transmission, wherein the second listing indicates that the transmission is an alternative recorded program viewing opportunity for the program in place of the re-transmission.