Method and apparatus for creating a personalized programming guide

• US 9,241,136 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Busse, Martin, Velarde, Jimena
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US12/647,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20100333142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,213 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An approach is provided for creating a personalized programming guide. A guide manager receives input from a user for creating a personalized programming guide. The guide manager retrieves one or more search criteria associated with a community of other users to construct a query. The guide manager then performs the query and displays the results of the query in a personalized programming guide.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an input from a user for creating a personalized programming guide;

based at least in part on the input, retrieving one or more search criteria associated with a community of other users and with the user,

wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the user are, at least in part, extracted from the user input, and

wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the community of other users are, at least in part, determined based on voting by members of the community of other users;

constructing a query solely from the one or more search criteria associated with the community of other users and with the user;

performing the query on general programming guide data; and

displaying results of the query as the personalized programming guide,

wherein the one or more search criteria include a keyword,

wherein the personalized programming guide presents the user with programs in one common virtual channel corresponding to the one or more search criteria,

wherein the personalized programming guide is presented separately from any other programming guide, and as a grid or list of said programs with viewing time and without indication of actual channel that the programs belong to, with said one common virtual channel displaying the keyword and only the programs which are of interest to the user based on the query, and from which the user can select for viewing and/or recording, and

when more than one program that corresponds to the one or more search criteria falls in a same time slot, the personalized programming guide displays an overlapping program within another row of the virtual channel.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the community of other users is specified by the user, a service provider, a content provider, a social networking service, or a combination thereof.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein the personalized programming guide specifies broadcast content, digital video recorder (DVR) content, pay-per-view content, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content, pre-recorded media content, data communication services content, Internet-based content, locally-stored content, or a combination thereof.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein the input includes a set of search criteria specified by the user, the method further comprising:

sharing the set of search criteria specified by the user with the community of other users.

5. A system of claim 4, wherein the personalized programming guide specifies broadcast content, digital video recorder (DVR) content, pay-per-view content, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content, pre-recorded media content, data communication services content, Internet-based content, locally-stored content, or a combination thereof.

6. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving another input from the user for browsing the personalized programming guide; and

dynamically updating the personalized programming guide based on the another input.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the user further include viewing histories, recording histories, programming types, or a combination thereof.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein the personalized programming guide specifies broadcast content, digital video recorder (DVR) content, pay-per-view content, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content, pre-recorded media content, data communication services content, Internet-based content, locally-stored content, or a combination thereof.

9. A set-top box apparatus comprising:

an input interface configured to receive an input from a user for creating a personalized programming guide; and

a programming guide module configured retrieve one or more search criteria associated with a community of other users, with the user, or both based on the input, construct a query solely from the one or more search criteria associated with the community of other users and with the user, perform the query on general programming guide data, and display results of the query as the personalized programming guide,

wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the user are extracted from the user input,

wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the community of other users are determined based on voting by members of the community of other users,

wherein the one or more search criteria include a keyword,

wherein the personalized programming guide presents the user with programs in one common virtual channel corresponding to the one or more search criteria,

wherein the personalized programming guide is presented separately from any other programming guide, and as a grid or list of said programs with viewing time and without indication of actual channel that the programs belong to, with said one common virtual channel displaying the keyword and only the programs which are of interest to the user based on the query, and from which the user can select for viewing and/or recording, and

when more than one program that corresponds to the one or more search criteria falls in a same time slot, the personalized programming guide displays an overlapping program within another row of the virtual channel.

10. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the community of other users is specified by the user, a service provider, a content provider, a social networking service, or a combination thereof.

11. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the personalized programming guide specifies broadcast content, digital video recorder (DVR) content, pay-per-view content, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content, pre-recorded media content, data communication services content, Internet-based content, locally-stored content, or a combination thereof.

12. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the input includes a set of search criteria specified by the user, and wherein the programming guide module is configured to share the set of search criteria specified by the user with the community of other users.

13. An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the personalized programming guide specifies broadcast content, digital video recorder (DVR) content, pay-per-view content, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content, pre-recorded media content, data communication services content, Internet-based content, locally-stored content, or a combination thereof.

14. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the input interface is configured to receive another input from the user for browsing the personalized programming guide, and wherein the programming guide module is configured to dynamically update the personalized programming guide based on the another input.

15. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the user further include viewing histories, recording histories, programming types, or a combination thereof.

16. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the personalized programming guide specifies broadcast content, digital video recorder (DVR) content, pay-per-view content, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content, pre-recorded media content, data communication services content, Internet-based content, locally-stored content, or a combination thereof.

17. A system comprising:

a programming guide manager configured to receive an input from a user for creating a personalized programming guide, retrieve one or more search criteria associated with a community of other users, with the user, or both based on the input, construct a query solely from the one or more search criteria associated with the community of other users, with the user, or both, perform the query on general programming guide data, and display results of the query as the personalized programming guide,

wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the user are extracted from the user input,

wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the community of other users are determined based on voting by members of the community of other users,

wherein the programming guide manager is coupled to a multimedia system with connectivity to a plurality of programming sources,

wherein the one or more search criteria include a keyword,

wherein the personalized programming guide presents the user with programs in one common virtual channel corresponding to the one or more search criteria,

wherein the personalized programming guide is presented separately from any other programming guide, and as a grid or list of said programs with viewing time and without indication of actual channel that the programs belong to, with said one common virtual channel displaying the keyword and only the programs which are of interest to the user based on the query, and from which the user can select for viewing and/or recording, and

when more than one program that corresponds to the one or more search criteria falls in a same time slot, the personalized programming guide displays an overlapping program within another row of the virtual channel.

18. A system of claim 17,

wherein the programming guide manager is configured to receive another input from the user for browsing the personalized programming guide, and

wherein the programming guide manager is configured to dynamically update the personalized programming guide based on the another input.

19. A system of claim 17, wherein the one or more search criteria associated with the user further include viewing histories, recording histories, programming types, or a combination thereof.

20. A system of claim 17, wherein the personalized programming guide specifies broadcast content, digital video recorder (DVR) content, pay-per-view content, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content, pre-recorded media content, data communication services content, Internet-based content, locally-stored content, or a combination thereof.