Customizing virtual channels in a discovery interface

• US 8,015,580 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fong, Jeffrey C., Azera, Frederic, Van Flandern, Michael W., Coomer, Christen, Poling, Daniel L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US11/479,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 725/48, 725/49, 725/39, 725/87
• US Class Current: 725/39
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A unified discovery interface presents broadcast discovery data relating to broadcast content available via a broadcast channel and non-broadcast discovery data relating to non-broadcasting content available via a virtual channel of the unified discovery interface. In one implementation, the virtual channel is customizable via a discovery interface relationship parameter that indicates a relationship of the virtual channel within the unified discovery interface. The unified discovery interface allows a user to select between broadcast media content available via a broadcast channel and non-broadcast media content available via the virtual channel.

Claims

1. A method of presenting a customized virtual channel including non-broadcast video-on demand programming content within a unified discovery interface, the method comprising:

receiving first discovery data related to time-based broadcast television programming content comprising a television program available at a given timeslot to be presented for selection by a user via a broadcast channel;

receiving second discovery data related to non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available from a content provider to be presented for selection by the user via a virtual channel that is displayed in a unified discovery interface presented on a media content delivery device and that provides a listing of the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available from the content provider, the second discovery data comprising a discovery interface relationship parameter provided by the content provider to customize the virtual channel for the user based upon changing non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available from the content provider that is related to the television program available at the given timeslot and that has been subscribed to by the user, the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content including one or more other episodes of the television program that are available on-demand from the content provider, the discovery interface relationship parameter associating the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content with the time-based broadcast television programming content presented via the broadcast channel and indicating a relationship of the virtual channel and the broadcast channel within the unified discovery interface;

determining a location at which the virtual channel may be presented within the unified discovery interface relative to the broadcast channel based upon the discovery interface relationship parameter; and

presenting the unified discovery interface comprising the broadcast channel and the virtual channel through which a user may select between the time-based broadcast television programming content and the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content, wherein the virtual channel is presented at the location determined based upon the discovery interface relationship parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first discovery data comprises metadata relating to the time-based broadcast television programming content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first discovery data further comprises metadata relating to a relationship between the time-based broadcast television programming content and other media content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the first discovery data operation comprises downloading a compilation of data including the first discovery data from a server via a wide area network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the compilation further comprises the second discovery data relating to the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available via the virtual channel presented in the unified discovery interface.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the receiving the second discovery data comprises downloading a second compilation of data including the second discovery data from a server via a wide area network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the user can associate additional non-broadcast content with the virtual channel via local settings of a media client.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the time-based broadcast television programming content and the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content are provided by different content providers, and the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content associated with the virtual channel is received via a subscription by the user to a web site of the content provider of the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content associated with the virtual channel is selectable by the content provider via a media client interface.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content comprises Internet Protocol media content.

11. A media content delivery device for presenting a customized virtual channel including non-broadcast video-on demand programming content within a unified discovery interface, the media content delivery device comprising:

a discovery interface that presents first discovery data relating to time-based broadcast television programming content available via a broadcast channel and second discovery data relating to non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available via a virtual channel in a unified discovery interface comprising the broadcast channel and the virtual channel and that receives a user selection of a particular media content for presentation, the broadcast channel providing a listing of time-based broadcast television programming content comprising a television show episode available at a given timeslot, the virtual channel providing a listing of non-broadcast video-on demand programming content comprising video-on demand programming content that is related to the television show episode and subscribed to by the user and that includes one or more other episodes of the television show that are available on-demand; and

a content player interface that provides the particular media content for presentation.

12. The media content delivery device of claim 11 further comprising a tuner for selecting between a plurality of individual broadcast media content.

13. The media content delivery device of claim 11 further comprising a media client interface that updates the second discovery data.

14. The media content delivery device of claim 11 wherein the non-broadcast video-on demand content comprises Internet Protocol media content.

15. The media content delivery device of claim 11 wherein the second discovery data comprises metadata relating to the non-broadcast video-on demand content available via the virtual channel of the unified discovery interface.

16. The user content delivery device of claim 11 wherein the second discovery data comprises a discovery interface relationship parameter that associates the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content with the time-based broadcast television programming content presented via the broadcast channel and indicates a relationship between the virtual channel and the broadcast channel of the unified discovery interface.

17. A computer-readable storage medium that does not consist of a signal, the computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a computer process that implements operations comprising:

receiving first discovery data related to time-based broadcast television programming content comprising a television program available at a given timeslot to be presented for selection by a user via a broadcast channel;

receiving second discovery data related to non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available from a content provider to be presented for selection by the user via a virtual channel that is displayed in a unified discovery interface and that provides a listing of the video-on demand programming content available from the content provider, the second discovery data comprising a discovery interface relationship parameter provided by the content provider to customize the virtual channel for the user based upon changing non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available from the content provider that is related to the television program available at the given timeslot and that has been subscribed to by the user, the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content including one or more other episodes of the television program that are available on-demand from the content provider, the discovery interface relationship parameter associating the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content with the time-based broadcast television programming content presented via the broadcast channel and indicating a relationship of the virtual channel and the broadcast channel within the unified discovery interface;

determining a location at which the virtual channel may be presented within the unified discovery interface relative to the broadcast channel based upon the discovery interface relationship parameter;

presenting the unified discovery interface comprising the broadcast channel and the virtual channel through which a user may select between the time-based broadcast television programming content and the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content, wherein the virtual channel is presented at the location determined based upon the discovery interface relationship parameter;

receiving a user selection of a particular media content for presentation; and

providing the particular media content for presentation.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the second discovery data comprises metadata relating to the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content available via the virtual channel of the unified discovery interface.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the non-broadcast video-on demand programming content comprises Internet Protocol content.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein:

the virtual channel further provides a listing of one or more episodes of a different television show associated with the broadcast channel that are available on-demand from the content provider.