Content alert upon availability for internet-enabled TV

• US RE45,799 E1
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Arreola, Orlando
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US13/759,351
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 707802-803, 707/805, 707/613, 709/201, 709/203, 709/206, 709/213, 709/217, 340/539.1, 340/546, 715/753, 715/758, 455/567, 345/710
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/30011 Document retrieval systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/30386 Retrieval requests
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• 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 21/4755 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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

Abstract

The user of an Internet-enabled CE device such as an Internet protocol TV (IPTV) can enter search terms describing desired Internet-sourced programs, and Internet channels are monitored to detect when the desired programs become available. When a desired program is detected an alert appears on screen, which can be selected to navigate to a current alert user interface (UI) from which detected desired programs can be selected for presentation.

Claims

1. Consumer electronics (CE) device comprising:

housing;

display on the housing;

audio speaker;

network interface;

processor controlling the display and speaker and communicating with the Internet through the network interface;

the processor executing logic including;

receiving user preferences and/or keywords via a user interface (UI) presented on the display;

periodically communicating with one or more content servers via the network interface to retrieve program metadata of audio video content;

searching the program metadata received from the content servers using the preferences/keywords;

responsive to a determination that a match exists between the metadata of an Internet-sourced piece of content and the preferences/keywords, presenting on the display a visual alert and/or presenting on the speaker an audible alert indicative of a match to indicate to a user that new content conforming to the preferences and/or keywords is available for play on the CE device.

2. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the logic further includes, responsive to a determination that a match exists between the metadata of an Internet-sourced piece of content and the preferences/keywords, adding a name of a program found to match on a “

current alert”

list and presenting the current alert list upon invocation thereof on the display.

3. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the logic further comprises deleting an entry on the current list at the elapse of a user-defined expiration period.

4. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the logic further comprises deleting an entry on the current list upon user command to delete.

5. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the logic further comprises deleting an entry on the current list when the entry is selected from list for play.

6. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the logic further comprises initiating communication with the content servers to access the metadata.

7. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the logic further comprises waiting until a content server that has updated the content available communicates new metadata to the CE device.

8. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the logic further comprises providing preferences/keywords to the content server which performs search and match logic and return an indication thereof to the CE device.

9. Apparatus comprising:

housing;

display on the housing;

audio speaker;

network interface;

processor controlling the display and speaker and communicating with the Internet through the network interface;

the processor executing logic including;

presenting on the display a user preferences and/or keywords entry user interface (UI);

responsive to a determination that content satisfying the user preferences and/or keywords which was not available at the time of entering the user preferences and/or keywords has become available at an Internet server, presenting on the display an alert icon to indicate the availability of content; and

responsive to an invocation of a current alert UI, presenting on the display a UI listing a name of the content in a current list, the current alert UI being usable to select the content for presentation on the display.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the logic further includes:

periodically communicating with one or more content servers via the network interface to retrieve program metadata of audio video content;

searching the program metadata received from the content servers using the preferences/keywords; and

responsive to a determination that a match exists between the metadata of an Internet-sourced piece of content and the preferences/keywords, presenting on the display the visual alert and presenting on the speaker an audible alert indicative of a match to indicate to a user that new content conforming to the preferences and/or keywords is available for play on the apparatus.

11. Apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic further comprises deleting an entry on the current list at the elapse of a user-defined expiration period.

12. Apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic further comprises deleting an entry on the current list upon user command to delete.

13. Apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic further comprises deleting an entry on the current list when the entry is selected from list for play.

14. Apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic further comprises initiating communication with the content servers to access the metadata.

15. Apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic further comprises waiting until a content server that has updated the content available communicates new metadata to the apparatus.

16. Method comprising:

receiving from a user of an Internet-enabled consumer electronics (CE) device search terms describing desired Internet-sourced programs;

monitoring at least one Internet source to detect when if the desired programs become available; and

responsive to a determination that a desired program is detected, generating a signal representative thereof useful for presenting an alert a corresponding message on a screen of the a device of the user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is executed by an Internet server.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is executed by the CE device and the method further includes:

responsive to selection of the alert, presenting on the screen a current alert user interface (UI); and

responsive to selection of an entry on the current alert UI, playing content underlying the entry on the device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

periodically communicating with one or more content servers via a network interface to retrieve program metadata of audio video content; and

searching the program metadata received from the content servers using user-entered preferences and/or keywords describing the desired Internet-sourced programs.

20. The method of claim 17, deleting an entry at the elapse of a user-defined expiration period and/or when the entry is selected for play.