Adaptable programming guide for networked devices

• US 9,398,244 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited
• Inventors: Scheelke, Eric, Griggs, Theodore L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/008,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/47
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/482 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An electronic content guide is disclosed. The electronic content guide preferably includes a source field for listing content sources and output devices. The electronic content guide also includes a first content field for listing schedule data corresponding to first content data presently available for viewing from each one of the content sources and for listing display information corresponding to the first content data being displayed for viewing at a present time by each one of the output devices. Preferably, the source field and the first content field are displayable in parallel columns. The electronic content guide can also include a second content field, displayable in a column parallel to the source field and the first content field, corresponding to a second content data. In one embodiment, the first content data from each content source can be displayed simultaneously on more than one of the output devices.

Claims

1. A method of creating an electronic program guide for a user of an entertainment system, the method comprising:

automatically establishing, by a user computer in communication with the entertainment system, display criteria comprising technical criteria corresponding to the display capabilities of a user display device operably coupled to the entertainment system;

receiving, by the user computer, a plurality of content listings, wherein each content listing comprises a content title, an indication of a content source, and at least one presentation characteristic for presentation of the content title by the content source;

grouping, by the user computer, the plurality of content listings based on content title;

ranking, by the user computer, each content listing in each grouping based on a comparison of the technical criteria and the presentation characteristics of each content listing in the grouping; and

creating, by the user computer, a content entry in the electronic program guide corresponding to the highest ranked content listing in each grouping.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the electronic program guide to be displayed on the user display device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating an additional content entry in the electronic program guide for each of the received plurality of content listings that is not the highest ranked content listing in the grouping.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the technical criteria are selected from a group consisting of pixel resolution, color resolution, media encoding format, and aspect ratio.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking each content listing further comprises:

ranking the content listings in each grouping based on a degree of compatibility between the technical criteria and the presentation characteristics of each respective content listing; and

selecting a highest ranked content listing from each grouping as a preferred content listing for that grouping.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display criteria further comprise preference criteria corresponding to one or more user preferences.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the preferred content listing is further based on a measure of system resources available to the entertainment system.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the content entries corresponding to the highest ranked content listings are placed before the additional entries in the electronic program guide.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a content entry in the electronic program guide that does not correspond to a highest ranked content listing; and

presenting content corresponding to the highest ranked content listing on the user display device in response to receiving the user selection.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the preference criteria are selected from a group consisting of payment requirements, download requirements, language, availability of subtitles or closed captioning, alteration of content from its original version, and ability to pause content while viewing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the display criteria is weighted based on user input.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the system resources comprise one or more of tuning capacity and available network bandwidth.

13. A method of creating an electronic program guide for a user of an entertainment system, the method comprising:

automatically establishing, by a user computer in communication with the entertainment system, technical criteria corresponding to the display capabilities of a user display device operably coupled to the user computer;

receiving, by the user computer, a plurality of content listings, each content listing comprising a content title and at least one presentation characteristic for presentation of the content title by a content source;

grouping, by the user computer, the plurality of content listings based on content title;

determining, by the user computer, a ranked order for each grouping of content listings, wherein the ranked order is based on a comparison of the technical criteria and the presentation characteristics of each content listing in the grouping; and

causing, by the user computer, an electronic program guide comprising a plurality of entries corresponding to the plurality of content listings to be presented on the user display device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of an entry in the electronic program guide;

selecting, in response to the user selection, a highest ranked content listing from a grouping of content listings corresponding to the selected entry; and

automatically presenting content associated with the highest ranked content listing on the user display device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the ranked order is further based on one or more user preferences.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

updating the user preferences based on the user selection of the entry in the electronic program guide.

17. A system for creating an electronic program guide for a user of an entertainment system, the method comprising:

a receiver module configured to receive a plurality of content listings, wherein each content listing comprises a content title and at least one presentation characteristic for presentation of the content title by a content source;

a processor configured to automatically establish display criteria comprising technical criteria corresponding to the display capabilities of a user display device operably coupled to the entertainment system, to group the plurality of content listings based on content title, and to rank each content listing in each grouping based on a comparison of the technical criteria and the presentation characteristics of each content listing in the grouping; and

a display interface configured to creating a content entry in the electronic program guide corresponding to the highest ranked content listing in the grouping.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein

the display interface is further configured to create an additional content entry in the electronic program guide for each of the received plurality of content listings that is not the highest ranked content listing in the grouping.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the display criteria further comprises preference criteria corresponding to one or more user preferences.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein

the receiver module is further configured to receive a user selection of a content entry in the electronic program guide that does not correspond to a preferred content listing;

and

the display interface is further configured to present content corresponding to the highest ranked content listing on the user display device in response to receiving the user selection.