Method and system for setting and receiving user notifications for content available far in the future

• US 10,667,008 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cansino, Don E., Tsurutani, Brady C., Bonovich, Earl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): McQuitery, Diedra
• Application Number:
  US14/575,934
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• 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 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

A system and method comprises a head end performing a search using a search term and communicates a search result. The head end determines availability of the search result and when the search result is unavailable, communicates a notification function selector to a user device. The user device displays the search result and the notification function selector on a screen display. The user device generates a notification selector signal in response to a notification selector selection. The notification selector signal corresponds to the search or search result. The user device communicates the notification selector signal to a notification system. The notification system forms a notification query in response to the notification selector signal and monitors guide data at the notification system for content corresponding to the search or search result and communicates a notification signal to the user device in response to monitoring guide data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting search terms to perform a search for content;

saving the search terms at a head end in response to a function selector displayed on a display of a user device and selecting the function selector to form saved search terms;

repeatedly performing searches using the saved search terms at a predetermined frequency at the head end;

generating a search result in response to the saved search terms for each of the searches repeatedly performed;

determining availability of content corresponding to the search result;

when the content corresponding to the search result is unavailable, generating on the display of the user device, a notification selector indicating the content corresponding to the search result is unavailable;

generating notification data at the user device in response to selecting the notification selector, said notification data comprising the search term or search result;

communicating the notification data to a notification system located remotely from the user device;

forming a notification query in response to the notification data;

monitoring guide data at the notification system for content corresponding to the search term or search result;

determining a target device;

generating a notification in response to monitoring guide data;

determining a device type from a user device profile module corresponding to the target device;

formatting the notification according to the device type of the target device to form a formatted notification; and

communicating the formatted notification to the target device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein performing the search comprises initiating the search from the head end.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein performing the search comprises performing the search at a search module of the head end by comparing the search term to a program guide database and a program guide module.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the search term comprises a plurality of search terms.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the notification data comprises communicating the notification data comprising a user device identifier and a notification type.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising communicating the search result to the user device from the head end, said user device located remotely from the head end.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein communicating the search result to the user device from a head end comprises communicating the search result to a mobile device through a wireless network.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating content identifiers and function selectors on the screen display.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to selecting a function selector performing a function at the user device.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the function comprises one or more of recording the content, tuning to content, and communicating content to the user device.

11. A system comprising:

a user device initiating saving search terms at a head end to perform a search for content in response to selecting a function selector on a display of the user device;

the head end saving the search terms in response to selection of the function selector to form saved search terms, and repeatedly performing a search using the saved search terms and communicating a search result in response to the search to the user device;

the head end determining availability of the search result and when at least the search result are unavailable, communicating a notification selector to the user device;

the user device displaying the search result and the notification function selector on a screen display, said notification function selector indicating the content corresponding to the search result is unavailable, said user device generating notification data in response to a selection of the notification selector, said notification data corresponding to the search or search result;

said user device communicating the notification data to a notification system located remotely from the user device;

said notification system forming a notification query in response to the notification data and monitoring guide data at the notification system for content corresponding to the search or search result, determining a target device, generating a notification in response to monitoring guide data, determining a device type from a user device profile module corresponding to the target type, formatting the notification according to the device type of the target device to form a formatted notification, and communicating the formatted notification to the target device.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the notification system is disposed within a head end.

13. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said notification signal comprises a notification payload comprising content data.

14. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said notification signal comprises a notification payload comprising a link to content data.

15. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the head end comprises a search module that performs the search by comparing the search term to a program guide database and a program guide module.

16. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the search term comprises a plurality of search terms.

17. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the notification data comprises a user device identifier and a notification type.

18. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the user device is located remotely from the head end.

19. The system as recited in claim 18 wherein the head end communicates the search result to the user device through a wireless network.

20. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the screen display comprises content identifiers and function selectors.

21. The system as recited in claim 11 further comprising in response to selecting a function selector performing a function at the user device.

22. The system as recited in claim 21 wherein the function comprises one or more of recording the content, tuning to content and communicating content to the user device.