Program Selection System

• US 20070240186A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Silver, Yonatan, Rahat, Boaz, Lamdan, Avidan
• Application Number:
  US11/632,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20070240186A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method and system for enabling a user to select programs in a personal video recorder environment, the method comprising enabling the user to select a program subject category, providing in response to user selection of a program subject category, for subsequent user selection, programs within said selected program subject category, at least one of selected and organized in accordance with past user viewing, and subsequently enabling the user to select among said programs. Related methods and apparatus are also described.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a user to select programs in a personal video recorder environment, the method comprising:

enabling the user to select a program subject category;

providing in response to user selection of a program subject category, for subsequent user selection, programs within said selected program subject category, at least one of selected and organized in accordance with past user viewing; and

subsequently enabling the user to select among said programs.

2. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising:

enabling the user to preselect a plurality of selectable program subject categories.

3. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the subsequently enabling the user to select among said programs includes enabling the user to navigate through the programs within the selected program subject category without requiring presenting to the user a listing of said programs.

4. The method according to claim 3 and wherein the enabling the user to navigate through the programs comprises programs immediately before start of broadcast.

5. The method according to claim 3 and wherein the enabling the user to navigate through the programs comprises navigating through advertisements.

6. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the personal video recorder dynamically builds and updates a list of programs within the program subject category.

7. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the providing further comprises selecting and organizing programs in accordance with a user profile.

8. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the enabling the user to select the program subject category is performed by at least one of:

a manufacturer;

a salesman;

a technician;

a broadcast headend; and

the user.

9. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising the user preselecting a quantitative value, the quantitative value corresponding to a rating associated with each individual one of said programs, the rating of the selected program being exactly one of:

greater than or equal to;

greater than;

less than or equal to; and

less than;

the preselected quantitative value.

10. The method according to claim 1 and wherein one program subject category comprises programs selected solely on the basis of the user profile and past user viewing.

11. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the subsequently enabling the user to select among said programs is performed by actuating at least one button on a remote control.

12. The method according to claim 11 and wherein the at least one button on a remote control is operatively associated with the program subject category.

13. The method according to claim 12 and wherein a user actuation of more than one remote control button causes the user to select a program within all program subject categories associated with all actuated remote control buttons.

14. The method according to claim 3 and wherein the program subject category comprises one program.

15. The method according to claim 14 and wherein the user assigns the program to the program subject category.

16. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising displaying, associated with a remote control button, a name of the program subject category assigned to the remote control button.

17. The method according to claim 16 and wherein the program subject category is assigned to the remote control button by at least one of:

a manufacturer;

a salesman;

a technician;

a broadcast headend; and

the user.

18. The method according to claim 16 and wherein the display is at least one of:

alpha-numeric; and

iconic.

19. The method according to claim 16 and wherein the display comprises an electronic display technology.

20. The method of claim 19 and wherein the electronic display technology comprises at least one of:

a LED;

a LCD;

an OLED; and

digital paper.

21. Program selection apparatus for use in a personal video recorder environment, comprising:

a user operated program subject category selector;

a provider, which provides in response to user selection of a program subject category, for subsequent user selection, programs within said selected program subject category, at least one of selected and organized in accordance with past user viewing; and

an enabler operative to subsequently enable the user to select among said programs.

22. Program selection apparatus for use in a personal video recorder environment, comprising:

means for selecting program subject category which is user operated;

means for providing in response to user selection of a program subject category, for subsequent user selection, programs within said selected program subject category, at least one of selected and organized in accordance with past user viewing; and

means for subsequently enabling the user to select among said programs.