Method and system to navigate viewable content

• US 10,506,277 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Huntington, Matthew, Merkoski, David A., Pering, Celine, Kanarek, Jordan, Nazarian, David Scott, Wagner, Joshua, Rottler, Benjamin A., Zeldis, Andrew, Terada, Gina, Marr, Jared
• Primary Examiner(s): Titcomb, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/851,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 715781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739

Abstract

A method and system to navigate viewable content in the context of television entertainment is provided. In one example embodiment, the system comprises a presentation module to present main content on a display screen, a communications module to receive a first request associated with a first directional key on a remote control device, a navigation mode detector to determine a navigation mode associated with the first request, a margin menu module to activate a margin menu associated with the determined navigation mode. The margin menu may be presented along one of the margins of a display screen, while permitting viewing of the main content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a media device, a first user action during a presentation of first media content on a display screen having margins;

identifying, by the media device and from among the margins of the display screen a margin that corresponds to the first user action;

causing, by the media device and during the presentation of the first media content, display of second media content on a portion of the display screen, the portion corresponding to the identified margin; and

based on a second user action detected during display of the second media content, causing, by the media device, display of third media content on the portion that corresponds to the identified margin.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the third media content is selected based on the second media content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the causing of the display of the second media content on the portion of the display screen includes causing display of a recommendation that includes the second media content on the portion of the display screen.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the recommendation that includes the second media content is a first recommendation; and

the causing of the display the third media content on the portion of the display screen includes causing display of a second recommendation that includes the third media content on the portion of the display screen.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the second recommendation is based on the first recommendation.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

based on a third user action detected during display of the third media content;

causing, by the media device, display of a third recommendation that includes fourth media content on the portion of the display screen.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the third recommendation is based on the second recommendation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the causing of the display of the second media content on the portion of the display screen is based on the second media content being previously designated by a user as being of interest.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the detecting of the first user action includes receiving a first input from a device configured to select the first media content from available media content; and

the method further comprises;

detecting, by the media device, the second user action by receiving a second input from the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first user action indicates a first direction among a set of directions selectable by a device; and

the identifying of the margin is based on the first direction indicated by the first user action.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the second user action indicates the first direction among the set of directions; and

the causing of the display of the third media content is based on the first direction indicated by the second user action.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting, by the media device, a third user action that indicates a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and

causing, by the media device, display of fourth media content on the portion of the display screen, the fourth media content being selected based on the third media content.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting, by the media device, a third user action that indicates a second direction opposite to the first direction; and

ceasing, by the media device, the display of the third media content based on the third user action indicating the second direction opposite to the first direction.

14. The method of claim 1;

wherein;

the first user action results from operation of a first directional control element among a set of directional control elements on a device; and

the identifying of the margin is based on the operation of the first directional control element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the second user action results from a further operation of the first directional control element on the device; and

the causing of the display of the third media content is based on the further operation of the first directional control element.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting, by the media device, a third user action resultant from operation of a second directional control element among the set of directional control elements, the second directional control element being oriented perpendicular to the first directional control element; and

causing, by the media device, display of fourth media content selected based on the second media content in response to the third user action.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting, by the media device, a third user action resultant from operation of a second control element among the set of directional control elements, the second directional control element being oriented opposite to the first directional control element; and

ceasing, by the media device, the display of the third media content in response to the third user action.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a media device, cause the media device to perform operations comprising:

detecting a first user action during a presentation of first media content on a display screen having margins;

identifying, from among the margins of the display screen, a margin that corresponds to the first user action;

causing, during the presentation of the first media content, display of second media content on a portion of the display screen, the portion corresponding to the identified margin; and

based on a second user action detected during display of the second media content, causing display of third media content on the portion that corresponds to the identified margin.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor among the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

detecting a first user action during a presentation of first media content on a display screen having margins;

identifying, from among the margins of the display screen, a margin that corresponds to the first user action;

causing, during the presentation of the first media content, display of second media content on a portion of the display screen, the portion corresponding to the identified margin; and

based on a second user action detected during display of the second media content, causing display of third media content on the portion that corresponds to the identified margin.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the causing of the display of the second media content on the portion of the display screen includes causing display of a first recommendation that includes the second media content on the portion of the display screen; and

the causing of the display the third media content on the portion of the display screen includes causing display of a second recommendation that includes the third media content on the portion of the display screen.