SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR SEARCHING MEDIA STATIONS

• US 20080244668A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott
• Application Number:
  US11/692,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20080244668A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34

Abstract

A system and apparatus for searching media stations is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top box having a video processor that presents multimedia programs at a media device, and a controller element that manages operations of the video processor and searches for a broadcast channel associated with a media station according to a search string corresponding to one among a name of the media station, and call letters of the media station. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A set-top box (STB), comprising:

a video processor that presents multimedia programs at a media device, wherein said multimedia programs are supplied to the video processor by way of a communications system; and

a controller element that manages operations of the video processor and searches for a broadcast channel associated with a media station according to a search string corresponding to one among a name of the media station, and call letters of the media station.

2. The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller element receives the search string from a media controller that manages in part operations of the STB.

3. The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller element:

transitions to the broadcast channel responsive to finding said broadcast channel with the search string; and

presents at a media device a media program supplied by said broadcast channel.

4. The STB of claim 3, wherein the controller element finds in a memory of the STB the broadcast channel according to the search string.

5. The STB of claim 3, wherein the controller element:

submits the search string to a multimedia system that searches for the broadcast channel according to said search string; and

receives the broadcast channel from the multimedia system.

6. The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller element:

receives the search string in one or more character increments; and

predicts the search string from said one or more character increments.

7. The STB of claim 6, wherein the controller element predicts the search string from historical entries according to the one or more character increments.

8. The STB of claim 6, wherein the controller element predicts the search string by predictively matching the one or more character increments with one among a collection of search strings.

9. The STB of claim 1, wherein the broadcast channel supplies media programs to the STB by way of a multimedia system, wherein the media programs comprise at least one among audio media, still image media, and moving image media, wherein the multimedia system comprises at least one among Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) subsystem, a cable TV subsystem, and a Set-Top Box (STB) operating with one among the IPTV and cable TV subsystems.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for identifying a broadcast channel responsive to a search conducted with a search string comprising one among a name of a media station, and call letters of the media station.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for:

transitioning to the broadcast channel responsive to finding said broadcast channel with the search string; and

presenting at a media device a media program supplied by said broadcast channel.

12. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for:

submitting the search string to a multimedia system that searches for the broadcast channel according to said search string; and

receiving the broadcast channel from the multimedia system.

13. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving the search string in one or more character increments; and

predicting the search string from said one or more character increments.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for predicting the search string from a collection of historical entries according to the one or more character increments.

15. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for predicting the search string by predictively matching the one or more character increments with one among a collection of search strings.

16. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for presenting an identification of the broadcast channel in an electronic programming guide (EPG).

17. The storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions for associating the presentation of the broadcast channel in the EPG with a description of one or more media programs supplied by the broadcast channel at various times.

19. The multimedia system of claim 16, wherein the controller element:

receives the search string from a set-top box (STB); and

identifies the broadcast channel according to a match between the search string and one among a collection of search strings each having an associated broadcast channel.

20. The multimedia system of claim 19, comprising computer instructions for transmitting an identification of the broadcast channel to the STB.

18. A multimedia system, comprising a controller element that receives a request to search for a broadcast channel according to a search string comprising one among a name of the media station, and call letters of the media station.