Interactive television program guide system having multiple devices within a household

• US 9,084,006 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Thomas, William L., Lemmons, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V
• Application Number:
  US13/532,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• 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 21/482 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4856 for language selection, e.g. for the menu or subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 : for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television program guide system based on multiple user television equipment devices in a single household is provided. The system provides a user with an opportunity to adjust program guide settings with a given one of the interactive television program guides. The system coordinates the operation of the interactive television program guides so that the program guide settings that were adjusted with the given interactive television program guide are used by the other interactive television program guides. Program guide setting include features related to setting program reminders, profiles, program recording features, messaging features, favorites features, parental control features, program guide set up features (e.g., audio and video and language settings), etc. The operation of applications such as web browser applications, home shopping applications, home banking applications, game applications, etc. may also be coordinated.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating media guide settings between a first interactive media guide and a second interactive media guide, wherein the media guide settings include at least one of a media guide setting related to a user profile, a setting related to favorites, a reminders setting, a recording option, a pay-per-view option, and a message option, the method comprising:

receiving, from the first interactive media guide, a first indication of a first of the media guide settings related activity performed on a primary first user equipment device implementing the first interactive media guide, wherein the first media guide setting related activity is associated with a first program;

receiving, from the second interactive media guide, a second indication of a second of the media guide settings related activity performed on a second user equipment device implementing the second interactive media guide, wherein the second media guide setting related activity is associated with a second program; and

generating video content, for display at the first user equipment device, using the first interactive media guide, based on the first indication of the first media guide setting related activity from the first interactive media guide and the second indication of the second media guide setting related activity from the second interactive media guide.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing, in a central location, a first identifier associated with the first indication and a second identifier associated with the second indication.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the generated content using the first interactive media guide.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating content, for display using the second interactive media guide, based on the first indication from the first interactive media guide and the second indication from the second interactive media guide.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

coordinating the first activity and the second activity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication identifies the first user equipment device and the second indication identifies the second user equipment device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user equipment device and the second user equipment device are located in a household.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user equipment device is located in a household and the second user equipment device is located at a remote location not in the household.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first activity is performed based on a user input.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating, based on the first indication from the first interactive media guide and the second indication from the second interactive media guide, an aggregated list of scheduled recordings.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second interactive media guides each generate a display of interactive media asset identifiers.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the second activity is performed concurrently with the first activity.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising responsive to receiving the first indication:

receiving the second indication using the first interactive media guide; and

generating a display, at the first user equipment device, that includes a first representation of the first indication and a second representation of the second indication.

10. A system for coordinating media guide settings between a first interactive media guide and a second interactive media guide, wherein the media guide settings include at least one of a media guide setting related to a user profile, a setting related to favorites, a reminders setting, a recording option, a pay-per-view option, and a message option, the system comprising processing circuitry configured to:

receive, from the first interactive media guide, a first indication of a first of the media guide settings related activity performed on a primary first user equipment device implementing the first interactive media guide, wherein the first media guide setting related activity is associated with a first program;

receive, from the second interactive media guide, a second indication of a second of the media guide settings related activity performed on a second user equipment device implementing the second interactive media guide, wherein the second media guide setting related activity is associated with a second program; and

generate video content, for display at the first user equipment device, using the first interactive media guide, based on the first indication of the first media guide setting related activity from the first interactive media guide and the second indication of the second media guide setting related activity from the second interactive media guide.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to store, in a central location, a first identifier associated with the first indication and a second identifier associated with the second indication.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to display the generated content using the first interactive media guide.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate content, for display using the second interactive media guide, based on the first indication from the first interactive media guide and the second indication from the second interactive media guide.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

coordinate the first activity and the second activity.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first indication identifies the first user equipment device and the second indication identifies the second user equipment device.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the first user equipment device and the second user equipment device are located in a household.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first user equipment device is located in a household and the second user equipment device is located at a remote location not in the household.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first activity is performed based on a user input.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate, based on the first indication from the first interactive media guide and the second indication from the second interactive media guide, an aggregated list of scheduled recordings.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second interactive media guides each generate a display of interactive media asset identifiers.

26. The system of claim 10, wherein the second activity is performed concurrently with the first activity.

28. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

responsive to receiving the first indication;

receive the second indication using the first interactive media guide; and

generate a display, at the first user equipment device, that includes a first representation of the first indication and a second representation of the second indication.

23. A method for media guide settings between coordinating a first interactive media guide and a second interactive media guide, wherein the media guide settings include at least one of a media guide setting related to a user profile, a setting related to favorites, a reminders setting, a recording option, a pay-per-view option, and a message option, and a setting indicating whether content has been previously accessed, the method comprising:

receiving, from the first interactive media guide, a first indication of a first of the media guide settings related activity performed on a primary first user equipment device implementing the first interactive media guide, wherein the first media guide setting related activity is associated with a first program;

receiving, from the second interactive media guide, a second indication of a second of the media guide settings related activity performed on a second user equipment device implementing the second interactive media guide, wherein the second media guide setting related activity is associated with a second program; and

generating content at the first user equipment device based on the first indication of the first media guide setting related activity from the first interactive media guide and the second indication of the second media guide setting related activity from the second interactive media guide.

24. A system for coordinating media guide settings between a first interactive media guide and a second interactive media guide, wherein the media guide settings include at least one of a media guide setting related to a user profile, a setting related to favorites, a reminders setting, a recording option, a pay-per-view option, and a message option, and a setting indicating whether content has been previously accessed, the system comprising processing circuitry configured to:

receive, from the first interactive media guide, a first indication of a first of the media guide settings related activity performed on a primary first user equipment device implementing the first interactive media guide, wherein the first media guide setting related activity is associated with a first program;

receive, from the second interactive media guide, a second indication of a second of the media guide settings related activity performed on a second user equipment device implementing the second interactive media guide, wherein the second media guide setting related activity is associated with a second program; and

generate content at the first user equipment device based on the first indication of the first media guide setting related activity from the first interactive media guide and the second indication of the second media guide setting related activity from the second interactive media guide.