Program guide data management for media content access systems and methods

• US 9,473,476 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Raju, Mukunda, Patel, Laxmi, James, Anita Mal, Ruiz-Velasco, Enrique
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUONG, ALAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/871,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,294 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/54, 725/37, 725/43, 725/53, 709/229, 709/227, 707/747, 707/741
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An exemplary system includes a data loader and a data slicer. The data loader is configured to receive and process raw program guide data, and to store the processed program guide data in a data store, the processing including generating a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data. The data slicer is configured to generate a program guide data configuration from the processed program guide data, the program guide data configuration including program guide data organized into a plurality of data structures based on categories of the program guide data. The plurality of data structures includes at least one channel data structure, at least one schedule data structure, at least one detailed program information data structure, and indices for use as references between different ones of the data structures.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data preprocessor configured to receive raw program guide data, process the raw program guide data, and store the processed program guide data in a data store, the data preprocessor being configured to generate a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data;

wherein the data preprocessor comprises a data slicer that divides the processed program guide data by program date and stores the divided processed program guide data in discrete schedule files, each discrete schedule file storing twenty-four hours of program guide data aligned by program date;

wherein the data preprocessor further;

identifies a current day and determines that a current discrete schedule file among the discrete schedule files matches the current day;

caches the current discrete schedule file on the current day in response to determining that the current discrete schedule file matches the current day;

receives, on the current day, via a network, a plurality of requests from a plurality of client-side content processing subsystems for program guide data corresponding to the current day;

provides, on the current day, via the network, in response to each of the plurality of requests, the cached current discrete schedule file to each of the plurality of client-side content processing subsystems.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing further includes identifying a unique series identifier for each series of program episodes represented in the raw program guide data, the data preprocessor being configured to generate each unique series identifier by

generating a unique series string based on a predetermined set of data fields associated with the corresponding program, and

using a predefined heuristic to generate the unique series identifier based on the unique series string.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data preprocessor is configured to generate each unique program identifier by

generating a unique program string by concatenating data included in a predetermined set of data fields associated with the corresponding program and removing at least one pre-selected character from the concatenation, the at least one pre-selected character comprising at least one character that introduces undesired textual variations across a set of textual fields, each textual field within the set of textual fields individually representing the corresponding program, and

using a predefined heuristic to generate the unique program identifier based on the unique program string.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the data preprocessor is configured to repeatedly append a different extender to the unique program string and generate another unique program identifier until it is determined that the unique program identifier has not been assigned to another unique program string.

5. The system of claim 1, the data preprocessor further configured to generate a program guide data configuration from the processed program guide data, the program guide data configuration including program guide data organized into a plurality of data structures based on categories of the program guide data, the plurality of data structures including

at least one channel data structure,

at least one schedule data structure,

at least one detailed program information data structure, and

indices for use as references between different ones of the data structures.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the program guide data configuration includes individually compressed program guide data strings configured for individual decompression.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the program guide data configuration includes compressed program guide data strings and uncompressed program guide data strings, the uncompressed program guide data string being used more frequently than the compressed program guide data strings according to program guide data usage patterns.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one channel data structure includes a plurality of channel data structures, the at least one schedule data structure includes a plurality of schedule data structures, and the at least one detailed program information data structure includes a plurality of detailed program information data structures.

9. The system of claim 5, further comprising a network interface unit configured to provide at least a subset of the program guide data configuration to a content processing subsystem via the network.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the data preprocessor comprises a data loader that is separate from the data slicer.

22. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one pre-selected character comprises at least one of a space, a comma, an apostrophe, a period, an exclamation point, a question mark, a quotation mark, a hyphen, a dash, a parenthesis, a bracket, a slash, a colon, a semi-colon, an ampersand, and an ellipsis.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the data preprocessor is configured to process the raw program guide data by storing the unique program identifier instead of at least one redundant copy of data representing the corresponding program.

26. The system of claim 3, wherein the generating the unique program string further comprises:

determining that the corresponding program comprises a sports program;

in response to determining that the corresponding program comprises a sports program, modifying the unique program string by appending an episode description of the sports program to the unique program string.

11. A system comprising:

a data preprocessor including a data loader configured to receive raw program guide data, process the raw program guide data, and store the processed program guide data in a data store, the data loader being configured to generate a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data, wherein the data preprocessor is configured to generate each unique program identifier by

generating a unique program string and

using a predefined heuristic to generate the unique program identifier based on the unique program string; and

the data preprocessor further including a data slicer configured to generate a program guide data configuration from the processed program guide data, the program guide data configuration including program guide data organized into a plurality of data structures based on categories of the program guide data, the plurality of data structures including

at least one channel data structure,

at least one schedule data structure,

at least one detailed program information data structure, and

indices for use as references between different ones of the data structures;

wherein the data slicer divides the processed program guide data by program date and stores the divided processed program guide data in discrete schedule files, each discrete schedule file storing twenty-four hours of program guide data aligned by program date;

wherein the data preprocessor further;

identifies a current day and determines that a current discrete schedule file among the discrete schedule files matches the current day;

caches the current discrete schedule file on the current day in response to determining that the current discrete schedule file matches the current day;

receives, on the current day, via a network, a plurality of requests from a plurality of client-side content processing subsystems for program guide data corresponding to the current day;

provides, on the current day, via the network, in response to each of the plurality of requests, the cached current discrete schedule file to each of the plurality of client-side content processing subsystems.

24. The system of claim 11, wherein the data slicer is further configured to sort a data structure representing the corresponding program within the at least one detailed program information data structure by using the unique program identifier.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the data preprocessor is configured to process the raw program guide data by storing the unique program identifier instead of at least one redundant copy of data representing the corresponding program.

12. A method comprising:

receiving raw program guide data;

processing the raw program guide data, including assigning a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data;

dividing the processed program guide data by program date and storing the divided processed program guide data in discrete schedule files, each discrete schedule file storing twenty-four hours of program guide data aligned by program date;

organizing the processed program guide data into a plurality of data structures based on one or more categories of the processed program guide data, wherein the plurality of data structures includes at least one channel data structure, at least one schedule data structure, and at least one detailed program information data structure;

identifying a current day and determining that a current discrete schedule file among the discrete schedule files matches the current day;

caching the current discrete schedule file on the current day in response to determining that the current discrete schedule file matches the current day;

receiving, on the current day, via a network, a plurality of requests from a plurality of client-side content processing subsystems for program guide data corresponding to the current day;

providing, on the current day, via the network, in response to each of the plurality of requests, the cached current discrete schedule file to each of the plurality of client-side content processing subsystems.

13. The method of claim 12, said organizing step including organizing string data included in the program guide data into at least one of the data structures separate from the program guide data stored in the other data structures.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

individually compressing program guide data strings included in the program guide data; and

storing the compressed program guide data strings in the program guide data configuration, the compressed program guide data strings being configured for individual decompression.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising selectively compressing a subset of program guide data strings included in the program guide data based on data representative of program guide data usage patterns, wherein the compressed program guide data strings are used more frequently than uncompressed program guide data strings in the program guide data usage patterns.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one channel data structure includes a plurality of channel data structures, the at least one schedule data structure includes a plurality of schedule data structures, and the at least one detailed program information data structure includes a plurality of detailed program information data structures, the method further comprising:

organizing the plurality of channel data structures into a channel file;

organizing a first subset of the plurality of detailed program information data structures into a lookup file storing detailed program information that is common between multiple programs represented in the program guide data; and

organizing the plurality of schedule data structures and another subset of the detailed program information data structures into at least one schedule file.

17. A method comprising:

receiving raw program guide data;

processing the raw program guide data, including assigning a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data,

dividing the processed program guide data by program date and storing the divided processed program guide data in discrete schedule files, each discrete schedule file storing twenty-four hours of program guide data aligned by program date;

identifying a current day and determining that a current discrete schedule file among the discrete schedule files matches the current day;

caching the current discrete schedule file on the current day in response to determining that the current discrete schedule file matches the current day;

receiving, on the current day, via a network, a plurality of requests from a plurality of client-side content processing subsystems for program guide data corresponding to the current day;

providing, on the current day, via the network, in response to each of the plurality of requests, the cached current discrete schedule file to each of the plurality of client-side content processing subsystems.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the unique program identifier is already assigned to another unique program string; and

appending an extender to the unique program string and generating another unique program identifier based on the extended unique program string when it is determined that the unique program identifier is already assigned to another unique program string.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said processing step further includes generating a unique service identifier for each station represented in the raw program guide data.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said processing step further includes generating a unique series identifier for each series of program episodes by:

generating a unique series string based on a predetermined set of series data fields associated with the corresponding series; and

using a predefined heuristic to generate the unique series identifier based on the unique series string.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said step of generating the unique series string includes:

concatenating data included in the predetermined set of data fields; and

removing at least one pre-selected character from the concatenation.