Majority rule selection of media content

• US 9,621,960 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Hardy, Chris, Yarborough, Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US13/801,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 725 24, 725 61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A mobile device may be registered to participate in selection of television programming for presentation by a display device external the mobile device. An indication of selection of particular television programming for presentation by a display device may be received from the mobile device. A determination may be made, based on the indication of selection, whether a collective indication of selection tally of the particular television programming is greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming. The particular television programming may be output for presentation by the display device when the particular television programming has a collective indication of selection tally greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enabling a mobile device having a mobile application associated with a television receiver to participate in selection of television programming for presentation by a display device external the mobile device, comprising:

scanning, by the television receiver, a predetermined distance from the television receiver at periodic intervals for mobile devices for which an indication of selection of particular television programming for presentation by the display device has not been received;

automatically establishing, by the television receiver, a communication link from the television receiver to a mobile device identified by the scanning;

sending, by the television receiver, to the mobile device a listing of a plurality of instances of television programming including programming currently being displayed by the display device and additional television programming currently available though not presently being displayed;

receiving, at the television receiver from the mobile device, an indication of selection of particular television programming for presentation by the display device;

determining, by the television receiver based on the indication of selection, whether a collective indication of selection tally of the particular television programming is greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming; and

outputting by the television receiver the particular television programming for presentation by the display device when the particular television programming has a collective indication of selection tally greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming,

wherein the mobile application comprises a proprietary mobile application made available by an owner of the television receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from a social networking computing system an indication of selection of first television programming other than the particular television programming for presentation by the display device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining, based on the indication of selection of the first television programming, whether a collective indication of selection tally of the first television programming is greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising outputting the first television programming for presentation by the display device when the first television programming has a collective indication of selection tally greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the indication of selection of particular television programming based on user selection of an icon associated with the particular television programming within the listing sent to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the collective indication of selection tally of the particular television programming is greater than the collective indication of selection tally of other television programming; and

receiving a command based on user input to output the particular television programming for presentation by the display device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting the particular television programming for presentation by the display device without user input in response to determining that the collective indication of selection tally of the particular television programming is greater than the collective indication of selection tally of other television programming.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering a mobile device to participate in selection of television programming for presentation by a display device external the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a communication link with the mobile device when the mobile device is within at least about 100 meters from one of the television receiver and the display device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the scanning comprises locating mobile devices having a mobile application associated with the television receiver, wherein the mobile application allows the listing to be received by the mobile device.

11. A television receiver, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

scan a predetermined distance from the television receiver at periodic intervals for mobile devices each having a mobile application associated with the television receiver for which an indication of selection of particular television programming for presentation by a display device coupled with the television receiver has not been received;

automatically establish a communication link from the television receiver to a mobile device identified by the scanning;

send to the mobile device a listing of a plurality of instances of television programming including programming currently being displayed by the display device and additional television programming currently available though not presently being displayed;

receive an indication from the mobile device of selection of particular television programming for presentation by the display device;

determine, based on the indication of selection, whether a collective indication of selection tally of the particular television programming is greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming; and

output the particular television programming for presentation by the display device when the particular television programming has a collective indication of selection tally greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming,

wherein the mobile application comprises a proprietary mobile application made available by an owner of the television receiver.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to identify receipt of an indication from a social networking computing system of selection of first television programming other than the particular television programming for presentation by the display device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine, based on the indication of selection of the first television programming, whether a collective indication of selection tally of the first television programming is greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to output the first television programming for presentation by the display device when the first television programming has a collective indication of selection tally greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to periodically search to discover other mobile devices to participate in selection of television programming for presentation by the di splay device.

16. A non-transitory processor-readable medium within a television receiver comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:

scan a predetermined distance from the television receiver at periodic intervals for mobile devices each having a mobile application associated with the television receiver for which an indication of selection of particular television programming for presentation by a display device has not been received;

automatically establish a communication link from the television receiver to a mobile device identified by the scanning;

identify an available social media profile for a user of the mobile device from at least one of a plurality of external social media sites;

access and scan the social media profile at the at least one of the plurality of external social media sites via a wide area network for information related to current broadcast programming;

identify data on the social media profile related to at least one particular television program of the current broadcast programming;

generate an indication of selection of particular television programming of the current broadcast programming for presentation by the display device for the mobile device without input received directly from the mobile device, wherein the indication of selection of particular television programming is based at least in part on the data on the social media profile related to at least one particular television program of the current broadcast programming;

determine, based on the indication of selection, whether a collective indication of selection tally of the particular television programming is greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming; and

output the particular television programming for presentation by the display device when the particular television programming has a collective indication of selection tally greater than a collective indication of selection tally of other television programming,

wherein the mobile application comprises a proprietary mobile application made available by an owner of the television receiver.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium within a television receiver of claim 16, wherein the processor is further caused to determine a positive association between identified data on the social media profile and a particular television program of the current broadcast programming, and wherein the processor is further caused to generate an indication of selection for that particular television program of the current broadcast programming.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium within a television receiver of claim 16, wherein the processor is further caused to determine a negative association between identified data on the social media profile and a particular television program of the current broadcast programming, and wherein the processor is further caused to generate an indication of selection for at least one different particular television program of the current broadcast programming.