Client-server electronic program guide

• US 6,898,762 B2
• Filed: 08/13/1999
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Lemmons, Thomas R., Thomas, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/374,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20030020744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 345716-722, 345744-745, 725 37- 61
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/73 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• 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 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 : using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 : using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 : using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A client-server interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide client is implemented on user television equipment. The interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to define expressions that are processed by the program guide server. The program guide server may provide program guide data, schedules reminders, schedules program recordings, and parentally locks programs based on the expressions. Users'"'"' viewing histories may be tracked. The program guide server may analyze the viewing histories and generates viewing recommendations, targets advertising, and collects program ratings information based on the viewing histories.

Claims

1. A method for use in a client-server interactive television program guide system for tracking a user'"'"'s viewing history, comprising:

tracking a user'"'"'s viewing history;

storing the user'"'"'s viewing history on a program guide server;

finding programs with the program guide server that are consistent with the user'"'"'s viewing history;

determining, with the program guide server, whether the programs found by the program guide server were not previously viewed on user television equipment; and

displaying, with a program guide client implemented on the user television equipment, a display of program titles, wherein the display;

includes the programs found by the program guide server, wherein some of the programs have been previously viewed on the user television equipment and some of the programs have not been previously viewed on the user television equipment; and

visually distinguishes the programs determined by the program guide server to have been previously viewed from the programs that have not been previously viewed.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein storing the user'"'"'s viewing history comprises storing a user defined expression with the program guide server.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein storing the user'"'"'s viewing history comprises calculating user demographic values with the program guide server.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

providing a user with an opportunity to define a user preference profile with the interactive television program guide client implemented on user television equipment;

storing the user preference profile on a program guide server; and

finding programs with the program guide server that are consistent with the user preference profile.

5. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

targeting advertising with the program guide server based on the user'"'"'s viewing history; and

displaying the advertising with the interactive television program guide client on the user television equipment.

6. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising collecting program ratings information with the program guide server based on the user'"'"'s viewing history.

7. A client-server interactive television program guide system for tracking a user'"'"'s viewing history, comprising:

means for tracking a user'"'"'s viewing history with a program guide server;

means for determining, with the program guide server, whether programs that are consistent with the individual user'"'"'s viewing history have been previously viewed on user television equipment; and

means for displaying, with a program guide client implemented on the user television equipment, a display of program titles, wherein the display;

includes the programs that are consistent with the individual user'"'"'s viewing history, wherein some of the programs have been previously viewed on the user television equipment and some of the programs have not been previously viewed on the user television equipment; and

visually distinguishes the programs determined by the program guide server to have been previously viewed from the programs that have not been previously viewed.

8. The system defined in claim 7 wherein the means for tracking the user'"'"'s viewing history comprises means for storing a user defined expression with the program guide server.

9. The system defined in claim 7 wherein the means for tracking the user'"'"'s viewing history comprises means for calculating user demographic values with the program guide server.

10. The system defined in claim 7 further comprising:

means for providing a user with an opportunity to define a user preference profile with the interactive television program guide client implemented on the user television equipment; and

means for finding programs with the program guide server that are consistent with the user preference profile, wherein the means for determining, with the program guide server, whether programs that are consistent with the individual user'"'"'s viewing history have been previously viewed on user television equipment further comprises means for determining, with the program guide server, whether programs that are consistent with the user preference profile have been previously viewed on user television equipment.

11. The system defined in claim 10 further comprising:

means for targeting advertising with the program guide server based on the user'"'"'s viewing history; and

means for displaying the advertising with the interactive television program guide client on the user television equipment.

12. The system defined in claim 10 further comprising means for collecting program ratings information with the program guide server based on the user'"'"'s viewing history.

13. A client-server interactive television program guide system for tracking a user'"'"'s viewing history, comprising:

user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide client is implemented, wherein the interactive television program guide client is wherein the interactive television program guide client is programmed to provide an individual user'"'"'s viewing history information to a program guide server over a communications path, wherein;

the program guide server is programmed to find programs based on the individual user'"'"'s viewing history information, determine whether the programs found by the program guide server have been previously viewed on user television equipment, and to indicate the programs to the interactive television program guide client over the communications path; and

the interactive televiBion program guide client is further programmed to display, on the user television equipment, a display of program titles, wherein the display;

includes the programs found by the program guide server, wherein some of the programs have been previously viewed on the user television equipment and some of the programs have not been previously viewed on the user television equipment; and

visually distinguishes the programs determined by the program guide server to have been previously viewed from the programs that have not been previously viewed.

14. The system defined in claim 13 wherein the program guide server is further programmed to calculate user demographic values based on the viewing history information.

15. The system defined in claim 13 wherein:

the interactive television program guide client is further programmed to provide user preference information to the program guide server over the communications path; and

the program guide server is further programmed to obtain programs based on the user preference information and to indicate the programs to the interactive television program guide client.

16. The system defined in claim 15 wherein:

the program guide server is programmed to target advertisements based on the user preference information and to provide the advertisements to the interactive television program guide client over the communications path; and

the interactive television program guide client is further programmed to display the advertisements on the user television equipment.

17. The system defined in claim 15 wherein the program guide server is further programmed to collect program ratings information based on the viewing history information.