Systems and methods for event programming via a remote media player

• US 9,479,737 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2009
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Network Technologies India Private Limited (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Akella, Aparna Sarma
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US12/537,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,637 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/231, 709246-247, 725/87, 725/105
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• 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 21/47214 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that allow a user to register for selective notifications of one or more events that may occur on a channel in a media stream. When a registered event occurs, the system and method generates an event notification, which is delivered to the remotely-located media player. In response to the event notification, the media player can be automatically enabled and/or switched to the appropriate channel. Alternatively, the system and method may notify the user of the event, and give the user the option of enabling and/or switching the media player to the channel corresponding to the event. The system and method can be implemented to facilitate monitoring for a variety of different types. In each of these various types the user is able to select the events for which monitoring and notification will be provided.

Claims

1. A method executable by a placeshifting system to selectively providing a media stream containing user-indicated programming events via a network to a remotely-located media player operated by a user, the method comprising:

receiving, by the placeshifting system, a registration to monitor for a televised activity that may occur during a portion of a television program, wherein the televised activity is an event occurring within the television program that is of particular interest to the user;

monitoring, by the placeshifting system, a broadcast of the television program for an occurrence of the event occurring within the television program that is of particular interest to the user;

when the event of particular interest to the user occurs during the television program broadcast, the placeshifting system automatically directing the encoding of the broadcast of the television program into a media stream; and

the placeshifting system directing the transmission of the encoded media stream from the encoding system to the remotely-located media player via the network so that the user is able to immediately watch the television programming containing the televised activity of particular interest to the user on the remotely-located media player, and wherein the user provides an input to the remotely-located media player to determine whether or not the media player is automatically switched to the selected channel in response to the televised activity of particular interest to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the registration for the user indicated programming event comprises receiving a user selection via a website associated with the computing system that indicates a plurality of possible programming events.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the registration for the user indicated programming event comprises receiving a user selection via the remotely-located media player.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the event comprises a specified event in a live program.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the live program comprises a sporting event and wherein the event corresponds to an activity that occurs during the sporting event.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the directing the encoding comprises automatically selecting a channel corresponding to the sporting event.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring on-screen graphics provided with the broadcast of the television program to provide the notification of the programming events occurring within the broadcast.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring comprises receiving notifications of programming events occurring within the broadcast from a third party monitoring service.

9. A method executable by an encoding system operated by a user, the method comprising:

receiving a command at the encoding system from the user that instructs the encoding system to monitor for an occurrence of a specified programming event that is selected by the user, wherein the specified programming event corresponds to a portion of a television broadcast that is of particular interest to the user;

monitoring a broadcast of a television program received at the encoding system for the occurrence of the specified programming event occurring within the television program that is of particular interest to the user;

in response to an occurrence of the specified programming event that is of particular interest to the user occurs during the broadcast, the encoding system automatically encoding the broadcast of the television program into a media stream and automatically transmitting the encoded media stream containing the television program to the remotely-located media player to thereby allow the user to immediately view the specified programming event using the remotely-located media player, wherein the user provides an input to the remotely-located media player to determine whether or not the media player is automatically switched to the selected channel in response to the specified programming event.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the receiving the command to monitor for the specified programming event comprises receiving the command via a website that indicates a plurality of possible programming events.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the receiving the command to monitor for the specified programming event comprises receiving the command via the remotely-located media player.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the specified programming event comprises a specified event in a live program.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the live program comprises a sporting event.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the method additionally comprises automatically selecting a channel corresponding to the broadcast of the programming event.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring on-screen graphics provided with the broadcast of the television program to provide the notification of the programming events occurring within the broadcast.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the monitoring comprises receiving notifications of programming events occurring within the broadcast from a third party monitoring service.

17. A device comprising:

a video encoder;

an interface to a network; and

a processor configured;

to receive a command from the user that instructs the device to monitor for an occurrence of a specified programming event that is selected by a user, wherein the specified programming event corresponds to a portion of a television broadcast that is of particular interest to the user;

to monitor a broadcast of a television program for the occurrence of the specified programming event occurring within the television program that is of particular interest to the user;

in response to an occurrence of the specified programming event during the broadcast, to automatically direct the encoder to encode the broadcast of the television program into a media stream, and to direct the transmission of the encoded media stream containing the television program to the remotely-located media player via the network to thereby allow the user to immediately view the specified programming event using the remotely-located media player, wherein the user provides an input to the remotely-located media player to determine whether or not the media stream is automatically switched to a selected channel in response to the specified programming event.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the processor monitors the broadcast by monitoring on-screen graphics provided with the broadcast of the television program.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the processor receives notifications of programming events occurring within the broadcast from a third party monitoring service.