Providing a program listing

• US 9,055,311 B1
• Filed: 01/03/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jayaram, Ranjith
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US13/342,893
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 725/44, 725/46, 725/47
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a program listing include storing user profile data and a user identifier for a user; storing an association of the user identifier with user identifiers for each of the plurality of social contacts of the user; receiving program identifier data representing programs currently being viewed by the social contacts; ranking the program identifier data for each of the plurality of social contacts based at least in part on the user profile data; and sending display data representing the program identifier data for display in an order based on the ranking.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, by a device comprising a processor, entity profile data and an entity identifier for an entity;

storing an association of the entity identifier with entity identifiers for social contacts of the entity;

receiving, from the social contacts, program identifier data representing programs currently being viewed by the social contacts;

ranking the program identifier data representing the one or more programs currently being viewed by the social contacts based only upon factors of the entity and the social contacts, wherein the ranking of each of the program identifier data is calculated at least in part based on an affinity of each of the social contacts corresponding to the each of the program identifier data with the entity such that a closer affinity applies a higher weight to the ranking that a less close affinity; and

sending display data representing the ranked program identifier data for the social contacts for display in an order based on the ranking, wherein the display data includes at least first program identifier data of a first of the social contacts with a first affinity and second program identifier data of a second of the social contacts with a second affinity that is less close that the first affinity;

receiving information indicative of a selection of one of the program identifier data;

determining whether the entity has access to a program source providing a program identified by a selected program identifier data; and

based on the determining, sending, to the entity, display data representing the program.

2. A method comprising:

storing, by a device comprising a processor, entity profile data and an entity identifier for an entity;

storing an association of the identifier with user identifiers for social contacts of the entity;

receiving program identifier data representing one or more programs currently being viewed by the social contacts;

ranking the program identifier data representing the one or more programs currently being viewed by the social contacts based only upon factors of the entity and the social contacts, wherein the ranking of each of the program identifier data is calculated at least in part based on an affinity of each of the social contacts corresponding to the each of the program identifier data with the entity such that a closer affinity applies a higher weight to the ranking that a less close affinity; and

sending display data representing the ranked program identifier data for the social contacts for display in an order based on the ranking, wherein the display data includes at least first program identifier data of a first of the social contacts with a first affinity and second program identifier data of a second of the social contacts with a second affinity that is less close that the first affinity.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, from the entity, a selection of one of the program identifier data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining whether the entity has access to a program source providing the program identified by a selected program identifier data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sending, to the entity, based on the determining, display data representing the program.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the association represents a plurality of relationships with the entity, wherein one or more of the relationships represents a different type of relationship with the entity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of relationships comprise a social relationship connection within a social network, and wherein the social relationship connection is selected from one of a plurality of defined levels.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an update to the association of the entity with the social contacts; and

re-ordering the ranking based on the update.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an update to a program currently being viewed by a social contact of the social contacts, wherein the update represents a change in a program currently being viewed by the social contact, and wherein the update comprises new program identifier data; and

modifying the ranking based on the receiving the update.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a change to the entity profile data to generate new entity profile data; and

re-arranging the ranking based on the new entity profile data.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a recommendation for a program from a social contact of the social contacts; and

modifying the ranking based on the recommendation.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

storing entity profile data and an entity identifier for an entity;

storing an association of the entity identifier with one or more entity identifiers for social contacts of the entity;

receiving program identifier data representing programs currently being viewed by the social contacts;

ranking the program identifier data representing the one or more programs currently being viewed by the social contacts based only upon factors of the entity and the social contacts, wherein the ranking of each of the program identifier data is calculated at least in part based on an affinity of each of the social contacts corresponding to the each of the program identifier data with the entity such that a closer affinity applies a higher weight to the ranking that a less close affinity; and

sending display data representing the ranked program identifier data for displaying in an order based on the ranking, wherein the display data includes at least first program identifier data of a first of the social contacts with a first affinity and second program identifier data of a second of the social contacts with a second affinity that is less close that the first affinity.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the entity, a selection of a program identifier of the program identifiers.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the entity has access to a program source providing a program identified by the program identifier.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise sending display data representing the program to the entity based on the determining.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the association represents a plurality of relationships with the entity, wherein one or more of the plurality of relationships represent different relationships with the entity.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of relationships comprise a social relationship connection within a social network, wherein the social relationship connection is selected from one of a plurality of defined levels.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an update to the association of the entity with the social contacts; and

re-ordering the ranking based on the update.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an update to a program currently being viewed by one of the social contacts, wherein the update represents a change in the program and comprises a new program identifier; and

re-arranging the ranking based on the update.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a change to the entity profile data to generate new user profile data; and

re-ordering the ranking based on the new user profile data.