Framework for providing digital home services

• US 8,381,240 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jacoby, Ronald, Mills, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US11/261,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20070101368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,672 Days
• Field of Search: 725/10, 725/14, 725/19, 725/109
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• 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 21/466 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 21/4755 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The systems and methods of the present invention provide for a number of improvements to the TV consumption process, including personalization, community viewing, shared presence and context, messaging, access to ratings and recommendations (including community reviews), alerts, etc. One method that the present invention provides allows for the indication of a given user'"'"'s context to be provided to other users, such as users in the given user'"'"'s social network. The method comprises generating an indication of a change in context for a given user, the context comprising information regarding an action of the given user. The indication of the change in context for the given user is propagated to one or more users in the social network for the given user. The indication of the change in context of the given user is presented to users in the given user'"'"'s social network in conjunction with TV content.

Claims

1. A computerized method for providing an indication of an action of a given user consuming content on a client device transmitted from a content distribution system, the method comprising:

electronically generating an indication of a change in context for a given user of a client device, the context comprising information regarding an action of the given user with a given one of a plurality of disparate services provided by the content distribution system, the plurality of disparate services including a television service, an online gaming service, and a music service;

identifying a television content associated with the change in context for the given user;

determining, via an electronic program guide component, one or more alternate times at which the television content associated with the change in context for the given user is available to one or more users in a social network of the given user, wherein the one or more users in the social network of the given user are identified from one or more instant messaging clients;

electronically propagating the indication of the change in context for the given user to one or more users in the social network of the given user with contexts in any given one of the plurality of disparate services, the propagated indication of the change in context including the identification of the television content associated with the change in context for the given user and the one or more alternate times at which the television content is available to the one or more users in the social network of the given user;

electronically presenting the indication of the change in context for the given user to users in the given user'"'"'s social network in conjunction with content from the any given one of the plurality of disparate services; and

providing the users in the given user'"'"'s social network within the contexts of the any given one of the plurality of disparate services, an opportunity to schedule recording of the television content associated with the change in context for the given user at the one or more alternate times.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein propagating comprises propagating the indication to other users in the given user'"'"'s social network with a direct relationship with the given user.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising identifying one or more other users in the social network of the given user, the one or more other users consuming TV content on client devices in communication with one or more TV content distribution systems.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the indication of the change in context comprises presenting an icon representing the changed context.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein presenting comprises presenting an icon representing a television program.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein presenting comprises presenting an icon representing a movie.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein presenting comprises presenting an icon representing an on-line game.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein presenting comprises presenting an icon representing audio content.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an indication comprises generating in response to a change in channel.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an indication comprises generating in response to joining an on-line game.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an indication comprises generating in response to viewing a movie.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an indication comprises generating in response to listening to music.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein propagating comprises propagating to users on a given user'"'"'s buddy list maintained by an instant messenger client on the given user'"'"'s client device.

14. A computerized method for providing an indication of an action of a given user consuming content on a client device transmitted from a content distribution system, the method comprising:

electronically receiving an indication of a change in context for a given user of a client device, the context comprising information regarding an action of the given user with a given one of a plurality of disparate services provided by the content distribution system, the plurality of disparate services including a television service, an online gaming service, and a music service;

identifying a television content associated with the change in context for the given user;

determining, via an electronic program guide, one or more alternate times at which the television content associated with the change in context for the given user is available to one or more users in a social network of the given user, wherein the one or more users in the social network of the given user are identified from one or more instant messaging clients;

electronically propagating the indication of the change in context for the given user to one or more users in the social network of the given user with contexts in any given one of the plurality of disparate services, the propagated indication of the change in context integrated into content of the contexts from the any given one of the plurality of disparate services and including the identification of the television content associated with the change in context for the given user and the one or more alternate times at which the television content is available to the one or more users in the social network of the given user; and

providing the users in the given user'"'"'s social network within the contexts of the any given one of the plurality of disparate services, an opportunity to schedule recording of the television content associated with the change in context for the given user at the one or more alternate times.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein propagating comprises propagating to users on a given user'"'"'s buddy list maintained by an instant messenger client on the given user'"'"'s client device.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein propagating the indication of the change in context comprises propagating an icon representing the changed context.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein propagating comprises propagating an icon representing a television program.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein propagating comprises propagating an icon representing a movie.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein propagating comprises propagating an icon representing an on-line game.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving an indication comprises receiving in response to a change in channel.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving an indication comprises receiving in response to joining an on-line game.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving an indication comprises receiving in response to listening to audio content.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein propagating comprises propagating the indication to other users in the given user'"'"'s social network with a direct relationship with the given user.

24. A computerized method for providing an indication of an action of a given user consuming content on a client device transmitted from a content distribution system, the method comprising:

electronically receiving an indication of a change in context for a given user of a client device, the context comprising information regarding an action of the given user with a given one of a plurality of disparate services provided by the content distribution system, the plurality of disparate services including a television service, an online gaming service, and a music service;

electronically receiving, via an electronic program guide component, an indication of a change in context from one or more users in the given user'"'"'s social network, wherein the one or more users in the social network of the given user is identified from one or more instant messaging clients;

identifying a television content associated with each of the received indications of a change in context for the given user and the one or more users in the given user'"'"'s social network;

determining one or more alternate times at which each of the television content associated with the change in context for the given user is available to the given user and the one or more users in the social network of the given user;

propagating, to the given user and the users in the given user'"'"'s social network with contexts in any given one of the plurality of disparate services, each other'"'"'s indication of a change in context, the propagated indications of a change in context integrated into content of the contexts from the any given one of the plurality of disparate services and including the identification of the television content associated with each of the received indications of a change in context for the given user and the one or more users in the given user'"'"'s social network and the one or more alternate times at which each of the television content is available to the given user and the one or more users in the social network of the given user; and

providing the given user and the users in the given user'"'"'s social network within the contexts of the any given one of the plurality of disparate services, an opportunity to schedule recording of each other'"'"'s television content associated with the indications of a change in context for the given user and the one or more users in the given user'"'"'s social network at the one or more alternate times.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein receiving comprises receiving the indication from other users in the given users'"'"' social network with a direct relationship with the given user.

26. The method of claim 24 comprising identifying one or more other users in the social network of the given user, the one or more other users consuming TV content on client devices in communication with one or more TV content distribution systems.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein receiving the indication of the change in context comprises receiving an icon representing the changed context.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein receiving comprises receiving an icon representing a television program.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein receiving comprises receiving an icon representing a movie.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein receiving comprises receiving an icon representing an on-line game.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein generating an indication comprises generating in response to joining an on-line game.

32. The method of claim 24 wherein generating an indication comprises generating in response to viewing a movie.

33. The method of claim 24 wherein generating an indication comprises generating in response to listening to audio content.

34. The method of claim 24 wherein receiving comprises receiving from users on a given user'"'"'s buddy list maintained by an instant messenger client on the given user'"'"'s client device.

35. A system for providing an indication of an action of a given user consuming content on a client device transmitted from a content distribution system, the system comprising:

a TV application component operative to;

receive a command indicating a context change from a given user of a client device and to transmit content that is responsive to the changed context to a client device of the given user, wherein the changed context comprises information regarding an action of the given user with a given one of a plurality of disparate services provided by the content distribution system, the plurality of disparate services including television service, an online gaming service, and a music service, and identify a television content associated with the changed context for the given user;

an electronic program guide component operative to determine one or more alternate times at which the television content associated with the change in context for the given user is available to one or more users in a social network of the given user, wherein the one or more users in the social network of the given user are identified from one or more instant messaging clients; and

a messenger component operative to receive the changed context for the given user from the TV application component, identify one or more users in the given user'"'"'s social network and propagate an indication of the changed context to the one or more users in the given user'"'"'s social network with contexts in any given one of the plurality of disparate services, the indication of the changed context integrated into content of the contexts from the any given one of the plurality of disparate services and including the identification of the television content associated with the changed context for the given user and the one or more alternate times at which the television content is available to the one or more users in the social network of the given user, and provide the users in the given user'"'"'s social network within the contexts of the any given one of the plurality of disparate services, an opportunity to schedule recording of the television content associated with the changed context for the given user at the one or more alternate times.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the client device comprises a set top box.

37. The system of claim 35 wherein the client device comprises a mobile device.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular handset.

39. The system of claim 37 wherein the mobile device comprises a personal digital assistant.

40. The system of claim 35 wherein the client device comprises a personal computer.

41. The system of claim 35 wherein the client device comprises networked consumer electronic devices.

42. The system of claim 35 wherein the messaging component is in communication with one or more messaging clients to which the messaging component propagates an indication of the changed context.

43. The system of claim 35 comprising a profile component operative to receive the changed context from the messaging component and record the context change for the given user in a user profile.

44. The system of claim 43 comprising a profile data store operative to maintain one or more user profiles.

45. The system of claim 43 wherein the profile component records a plurality of context changes for a given user to a user profile for the given user.

46. The system of claim 43 comprising a recommendation component operative to read the context change from the user profile for the given user and generate a recommendation on the basis of the context change.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein the recommendation component recommends a movie.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein the recommendation component recommends a television program.

49. The system of claim 46 wherein the recommendation component is operative to read context changes from a plurality of user profiles and generate a recommendation on the basis of the plurality of context changes.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the plurality of user profiles is a community of users.

51. The system of claim 49 wherein the plurality of user profiles are a related social network of user profiles.

52. The system of claim 35 comprising one or more other applications operative to interface with the TV application component for transmission of content from a given one of the one or more other applications.

53. The system of claim 52 wherein other applications comprise one or more on-line game applications.

54. The system of claim 52 wherein other applications comprise one or more audio playback applications.