Methods and systems for presenting information about multiple media assets

• US 9,992,531 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Peterson, Brian, Golyshko, Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/581,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for a media guidance application that presents information about a multiple media assets simultaneously by modifying graphical properties of a progress bar associated with each media asset. For example, based on one or more events in the respective media assets, the media guidance application may modify the dimensions of the progress bars to include textual descriptions, may modify a color, brightness, transparency, etc. of the progress bars, and/or may modify an animation of the progress bars or a graphic associated with the progress bars.

Claims

1. A method for presenting information about programs, the method comprising:

generating for simultaneous display a first listing for a first program and a second listing for a second program;

determining a user'"'"'s progress in the first program and the user'"'"'s progress in the second program;

detecting, with control circuitry, a first plot event in the first program, by;

determining a portion of the first program corresponding to the user'"'"'s progress in the first program;

accessing a database containing a plurality of plot events associated with portions of the first program;

determining, based on comparing the portion of the first program corresponding to the user'"'"'s progress with the plurality of plot events in the database, whether the portion corresponds to only a single plot event;

in response to determining that the portion does not correspond to only the single plot event, adjusting a size of the portion of the first program; and

in response to determining that the portion corresponds to only the single plot event, determining the single plot event as the first plot event;

determining, with the control circuitry, a first type associated with the first plot event;

selecting, with the control circuitry, a first graphical property from a plurality of graphical properties that corresponds to the first type;

detecting, with the control circuitry, a second plot event in the second program;

determining, with the control circuitry, a second type associated with the second plot event, wherein the second type is different from the first type;

selecting, with the control circuitry, a second graphical property from the plurality of graphical properties that corresponds to the second type; and

generating for simultaneous display a first progress bar with the first graphical property for the first program and a second progress bar with the second graphical property for the second program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical property includes a color, a brightness, or an animation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first progress bar indicates the user'"'"'s progress in the first program.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising cross-referencing the first plot event with a database listing graphical properties that correspond to different plot events to determine the first graphical property.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating for display the first listing and the first progress bar in a first cell and the second listing and the second progress bar in a second cell.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a dimension of the first progress bar to accommodate a description of the first plot event in the first program.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that occurred on a first device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that was consumed by another user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that was consumed multiple times by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that corresponds to content from a social network.

11. A system for presenting information about programs, the system comprising:

storage circuitry configured to store a first graphical property and a second graphical property; and

control circuitry configured to;

generate for simultaneous display a first listing for a first program and a second listing for a second program;

determine a user'"'"'s progress in the first program and the user'"'"'s progress in the second program;

detect a first plot event in the first program;

determine a first type associated with the first plot event by;

determining a portion of the first program corresponding to the user'"'"'s progress in the first program;

accessing a database containing a plurality of plot events associated with portions of the first program;

determining, based on comparing the portion of the first program corresponding to the user'"'"'s progress with the plurality of plot events in the database, whether the portion corresponds to only a single plot event;

in response to determining that the portion does not correspond to only the single plot event, adjusting a size of the portion of the first program; and

in response to determining that the portion corresponds to only the single plot event, determining the single plot event as the first plot event;

select the first graphical property from a plurality of graphical properties that corresponds to the first type;

detect a second plot event in the second program;

determine a second type associated with the second plot event, wherein the second type is different from the first type;

select the second graphical property from the plurality of graphical properties that corresponds to the second type; and

generate for simultaneous display a first progress bar with the first graphical property for the first program and a second progress bar with the second graphical property for the second program.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical property includes a color, a brightness, or an animation.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first progress bar indicates the user'"'"'s progress in the first program.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to cross-reference the first plot event with a database listing graphical properties that correspond to different plot events to determine the first graphical property.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display the first listing and the first progress bar in a first cell and the second listing and the second progress bar in a second cell.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to modify a dimension of the first progress bar to accommodate a description of the first plot event in the first program.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to modify graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that occurred on a first device.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to modify graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that was consumed by another user.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to modify graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that was consumed multiple times by the user.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to modify graphical properties of the first progress bar to indicate a portion of the user'"'"'s progress in the first program that corresponds to content from a social network.