Integrated media viewing environment

• US 20040221308A1
• Filed: 01/07/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Otto, Stephanie, Cotsen, Sarah, Spadavecchia, Sandy Alessandro, Paulson, Henry Merritt III, Baumgartner, Mary, Ovrutsky, John Barnett, Onaitis, Michael Stanley, Cuttner, Craig D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47214 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An integrated media viewing environment including a user interface (UI) and a method for providing a program guide with an integrated media viewing environment. The integrated media viewing environment presents viewers with on-screen displays, e.g., a single, integrated on-screen display, that may be used to obtain, view and/or record media content, including programming that is currently airing, available via download or data streaming, available on an “on demand” basis, and/or available from local storage or removable media.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a media guide to a user, comprising:

receiving information regarding media programs which include;

i) programs that are immediately available to the user via download or data streaming, and ii) programs that are immediately available to the user via television broadcast, the information including titles of the media programs; and

displaying the titles to the user on a single display page.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the media programs further include media programs that are stored locally relative to the user.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the locally stored media programs include programs that are stored on a personal video recorder.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein available to the user via television broadcast include programs that are available to the user via at least one of:

i) satellite broadcast, and ii) cable broadcast.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information includes data which describes content of the media programs, and wherein the method further comprises:

comparing the data that describes the content of the media programs to data that describes user preferences, wherein the displaying step includes displaying the titles based on a result of the comparison.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

receiving the user preferences expressly from the user.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

determining the user preferences based on a viewing history of the user.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the displaying step includes displaying titles of media programs that do not meet the user preferences and that meet a promotional priority of a service provider.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the user selecting one of the titles of the media programs, displaying a preview of a media program associated with the selected title.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

generating the preview based on flags transmitted from a central facility.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the preview with the media program associated with the selected title.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the media programs further include media programs that are available to the user in the future.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the titles are displayed with a graphical indication of availability of the media programs.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the graphical indication includes at least one of color shading and an icon.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the media programs include media programs that are available to the user in the future and programs that are stored locally, and wherein the graphical indication describes whether the media programs are one of immediately available for download or data streaming, immediately available via television broadcast, stored locally, and available in the future.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the user selecting one of the titles of the media programs, recording a television broadcast.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the user selecting one of the titles of the media programs, providing a media program via one of download and data streaming.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the user selecting one of the titles of the media programs, displaying information related to the selected media program, the information includes at least one of actor data, director data and genre data.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the user to at least one of pay a cost and wait a time period before viewing a media program.

20. A method of displaying a program guide to a user, comprising:

a) receiving information from a programming provider that indicates suggested media programs;

b) receiving express user preferences from the user;

c) displaying, on a single page and in a first list, titles of at least some of the suggested media programs; and

d) displaying, on the single page in a second list, titles of at least some media programs that are immediately available to the user and that meet at least one of the user preferences.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

receiving metadata associated with at least some media programs, the metadata including information that describes the media programs, wherein step d) includes comparing the metadata to the express user preferences, and displaying titles of media programs based on the comparison.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein step d) includes displaying titles of media programs that do not meet the user preferences and that meet a promotional priority of a service provider.

23. A method of displaying a program guide to a user, comprising:

receiving user preferences;

receiving an indication of a priority of a programming provider;

receiving respective metadata associated with available media programs;

comparing the user preferences to the metadata; and

displaying a first title of at least one of the available media programs if the respective metadata associated with the at least one of the available media programs matches at least one of the user preferences; and

displaying a second title of at least another of the available media programs based on the priority of the programming provider, even if the respective metadata associated with the at least another of the available media programs does not match at least one of the user preferences.

24. A system, comprising:

a processor;

at least one arrangement configured to communicate with the processor via a communications network;

a computer-readable storing medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions capable of being executed by the processor to implement a method for displaying a media guide to a user, the set of instructions performing the steps of;

receiving information regarding media programs which include;

i) programs that are immediately available to the user via download or data streaming, and ii) programs that are immediately available to the user via television broadcast, the information including titles of the media programs; and

displaying the titles to the user on a single display page.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the media programs further include media programs that are stored locally relative to the user.

26. The system according to claim 24, wherein the information includes data which describes content of the media programs, and wherein the method further comprises:

comparing the data that describes the content of the media programs to data that describes user preferences, wherein the displaying step includes displaying the titles based on a result of the comparison.

27. The system according to claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to the user selecting one of the titles of the media programs, displaying a preview of a media program associated with the selected title.

28. The system according to claim 24, wherein the titles are displayed with a graphical indication of availability of the media programs.

29. The system according to claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to the user selecting one of the titles of the media programs, providing a media program via one of download and data streaming.

30. A system, comprising:

a processor;

at least one arrangement configured to communicate with the processor via a communications network;

a computer-readable storing medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions capable of being executed by the processor to implement a method for displaying a program guide to a user, the set of instructions performing the steps of;

a) receiving information from a programming provider that indicates suggested media programs;

b) receiving express user preferences from the user;

c) displaying, on a single page and in a first list, titles of at least some of the suggested media programs; and

d) displaying, on the single page in a second list, titles of at least some media programs that are immediately available to the user and that meet at least one of the user preferences.

31. The system according to claim 30, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving metadata associated with at least some media programs, the metadata including information that describes the media programs, wherein step d) includes comparing the metadata to the express user preferences, and displaying titles of media programs based on the comparison.

32. The system according to claim 30, wherein step d) includes displaying titles of media programs that do not meet the user preferences and that meet a promotional priority of a service provider.

33. A system, comprising:

a processor;

at least one arrangement configured to communicate with the processor via a communications network;

a computer-readable storing medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions capable of being executed by the processor to implement a method for displaying a program guide to a user, the set of instructions performing the steps of;

receiving user preferences;

receiving an indication of a priority of a programming provider;

receiving respective metadata associated with available media programs;

comparing the user preferences to the metadata; and

displaying a first title of at least one of the available media programs if the respective metadata associated with the at least one of the available media programs matches at least one of the user preferences; and

displaying a second title of at least another of the available media programs based on the priority of the programming provider, even if the respective metadata associated with the at least another of the available media programs does not match at least one of the user preferences.