Distributed interactive television program guide system and method

• US 9,794,637 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Beach, Brian, Waterman, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US14/741,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20150281798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

In an interactive network-based personal video recording system, a user interface is provided that allows viewers to search a database of program guide information according to program title, indexed program attributes such as actor and director, and key word. Viewer interaction is by way of a remote control unit.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network-based video recording device, updates to electronic program guide data, the electronic program guide data describing, for each program of a plurality of programs viewable using the network-based video recording device, at least a title, a category, a description, and one or more actors for the program;

for each received update to the electronic program guide data;

creating a set of unique keys from at least the title, the category, the description, and the one or more actors for each program having a program identifier so that each unique key is paired with a list of program identifiers corresponding to each occurrence of the unique key within the plurality of programs; and

sorting the unique keys;

receiving, by the video recording device, inputs causing creation of program search profiles, each program search profile comprising one or more different search constraints based on the inputs, the one or more different search constraints including at least one of a key word, an actor name, or a category, wherein the inputs are received through a viewer interface comprising one or more screens, each screen associated with a viewer-selected unique key, and wherein the one or more different search constraints are defined by the one or more viewer-selected unique keys from the one or more screens;

saving, by the video recording device, the program search profiles, each program search profile saved in association with a different program search profile name;

based on the saved program search profiles, the video recording device searching for programs described in the electronic program guide data that match the corresponding one or more search constraints of the respective saved program search profiles;

based on said searching, presenting lists of selectable programs that match the respective saved program search profiles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inputs causing creation of program search profiles are received via an interactive interface for picking programs for the video recording device to record.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating and storing an index of the programs in the electronic program guide data using the set of unique keys;

wherein searching for programs comprises using the index to locate at least one program associated with the one or more viewer-selected unique keys.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first search constraint for a first saved program search profile comprises both an actor name and a key word.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more different search constraints comprises at least one different key word for each profile in a first set of the program search profiles, wherein searching for programs for a given program search profile in the first set comprises searching for a given one or more key words corresponding to the given program search profile in the corresponding titles, descriptions, and one or more actors of particular programs described by the electronic guide data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide data further includes one or more of an episode title, host, guest star, or director, and wherein the one or more search constraints further include, for at least a particular program search profile, at least one of a particular episode title, host, guest star, or director.

7. A apparatus comprising:

one or more network interfaces configured to establish a network connection with a server;

a program guide subsystem, implemented by hardware at the apparatus, configured to receive updates over the network connection to electronic program guide data, the electronic program guide data describing, for each program of a plurality of programs viewable using the apparatus, at least a title, a category, a description, and one or more actors for the program, the program guide subsystem further configured to, for each received update to the electronic program guide data;

create a set of unique keys from at least the title, the category, the description, and the one or more actors for each program having a program identifier so that each unique key is paired with a list of program identifiers corresponding to each occurrence of the unique key within the plurality of programs; and

sort the unique keys;

an input subsystem, implemented by hardware at the apparatus, configured to receive inputs causing creation of program search profiles, each program search profile comprising one or more different search constraints based on the inputs, the one or more different search constraints including at least one of a key word, an actor name, or a category, wherein the inputs are received through a viewer interface comprising one or more screens, each screen associated with a viewer-selected unique key, and wherein the one or more different search constraints are defined by the one or more viewer-selected unique keys from the one or more screens;

a program search profile creation subsystem, implemented by hardware at the apparatus, configured to save the program search profiles, each program search profile saved in association with a different program search profile name;

a search subsystem, implemented by hardware at the apparatus, configured to search for programs described in the electronic program guide data that match the corresponding one or more search constraints of the respective saved program search profiles;

a presentation subsystem, implemented by hardware at the apparatus, configured to present lists of selectable programs that match the respective saved program search profiles.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a recording subsystem configured to record selected programs to one or more storage devices;

an interactive interface subsystem configured to present an interactive interface for picking programs to record, wherein the inputs causing creation of program search profiles are received via the interactive interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

an indexing subsystem configured to generate and storing an index of the programs in the electronic program guide data using the set of unique keys;

wherein searching for programs comprises using the index to locate at least one program associated with the one or more viewer-selected unique keys.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a first search constraint for a first saved program search profile comprises both an actor name and a key word.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more different search constraints comprises at least one different key word for each profile in a first set of the program search profiles, wherein searching for programs for a given program search profile in the first set comprises searching for a given one or more key words corresponding to the given program search profile in the corresponding titles, descriptions, and one or more actors of particular programs described by the electronic guide data.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the electronic program guide data further includes one or more of an episode title, host, guest star, or director, and wherein the one or more search constraints further include, for at least a particular program search profile, at least one of a particular episode title, host, guest star, or director.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performance of:

receiving, by a network-based video recording device, updates to electronic program guide data, the electronic program guide data describing, for each program of a plurality of programs viewable using the network-based video recording device, at least a title, a category, a description, and one or more actors for the program;

for each received update to the electronic program guide data;

creating a set of unique keys from at least the title, the category, the description, and the one or more actors for each program having a program identifier so that each unique key is paired with a list of program identifiers corresponding to each occurrence of the unique key within the plurality of programs; and

sorting the unique keys;

receiving, by the video recording device, inputs causing creation of program search profiles, each program search profile comprising one or more different search constraints based on the inputs, the one or more different search constraints including at least one of a key word, an actor name, or a category, wherein the inputs are received through a viewer interface comprising one or more screens, each screen associated with a viewer-selected unique key, and wherein the one or more different search constraints are defined by the one or more viewer-selected unique keys from the one or more screens;

saving, by the video recording device, the program search profiles, each program search profile saved in association with a different program search profile name;

based on the saved program search profiles, the video recording device searching for programs described in the electronic program guide data that match the corresponding one or more search constraints of the respective saved program search profiles;

based on said searching, presenting lists of selectable programs that match the respective saved program search profiles.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the inputs causing creation of program search profiles are received via an interactive interface for picking programs for the video recording device to record.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, further comprising:

generating and storing an index of the programs in the electronic program guide data using the set of unique keys;

wherein searching for programs comprises using the index to locate at least one program associated with the one or more viewer-selected unique keys.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein a first search constraint for a first saved program search profile comprises both an actor name and a key word.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the one or more different search constraints comprises at least one different key word for each profile in a first set of the program search profiles, wherein searching for programs for a given program search profile in the first set comprises searching for a given one or more key words corresponding to the given program search profile in the corresponding titles, descriptions, and one or more actors of particular programs described by the electronic guide data.