Accessing television services

• US 20030204846A1
• Filed: 05/03/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SeaChange International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SeaChange International Incorporated
• Inventors: Kraiman, Stephen Jay, Breen, George Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,155,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A television system allows viewers to access a number of different groups of television content, or “service aggregates.” A portal interface for each group provides a direct means for the viewer to navigate between members of a service aggregate, without necessarily having to accesses a global program guide for the television system. The groups of television content can be formed from various criteria including forming the groups based on business rules.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to television content comprising:

forming one or more groups of television content;

for each of the groups, providing a graphical interface for navigating between television content of the group; and

when presenting a member of any of the groups to a viewer, displaying a graphical representation of other members of the group, and in response to a selection of one of the other members by the viewer, presenting the selected member.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the one or more groups of television content includes forming a group that includes a television broadcast.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the one or more groups of television content includes forming a group that includes a video-on-demand program.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the one or more groups of television content includes forming a group that includes an advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the one or more groups of television content includes forming a group that includes a subscription program.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the one or more groups of television content includes forming a group that includes a subscription-on-demand program.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the one or more groups of television content includes forming a group that includes another group of television content.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the one or more groups of television content includes forming a group according to a business rule.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the graphical representation includes displaying a selection menu.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the graphical representation includes displaying the graphical representation while concurrently presenting a first member of the group.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the graphical representation includes displaying the graphical representation without concurrently presenting a first member of the group.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein when presenting the member, the method further includes accepting a request from the viewer and displaying the graphical representation of the members in response to the viewer'"'"'s request.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the request is generated by the viewer pressing a single button on a remote control.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical interfaces for different ones of the groups have different types of graphical representations for members of the group.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical representation of the other members of the group varies based on time.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical representation varies based on the viewer demographics.

17. A method for providing access to television content comprising:

forming a group of television content by a first entity, the television content being provided by corresponding content providers, each content provider having a commercial relationship with the first entity; and

providing a graphical interface to a viewer, including presenting a graphical representation of the group of television content, and accepting a selection of one of the group from the viewer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first entity comprises a television system operator.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the first entity comprises a third party.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the first entity comprises a content provider.

21. A method of providing a viewer access to members of a group of associated multimedia content comprising:

forming a data representation of the group of associated multimedia content available to the viewer;

when presenting a first member of the group to the viewer, displaying a graphical representation of one or more of the members of the group according to the data representation of the group;

accepting a selection from the viewer of the one of the members of the group; and

presenting the selected member of the group to the viewer.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising forming the group of associated multimedia content available to the viewer.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the group includes a television broadcast program.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the group includes a video-on-demand program.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the group includes an advertisement.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the advertisement is based on viewer characteristics.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the advertisement is based on viewer demographics.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein the group includes an internet site.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein the group includes multi-user interactive content.

30. The method of claim 22 further comprising receiving a script that when executed causes the displaying of the graphical representation.