Identifying instances of media programming available from different content sources

• US 8,646,013 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Curtis, Sean, Conway, Frank, Lankford, David Charles, Jhalani, Deepak, Case, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUONG, ALAN H
• Application Number:
  US13/098,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20120278844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 725/91, 725/93, 725/39, 725/46, 725/48, 709/203, 709/204, 709/246, 715/748
• US Class Current: 725/93
• 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 21/4622 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for identifying instances of media programming available within a media distribution system. An exemplary method involves searching a listing of media programming available from a first content source using search criteria indicative of a desired media program to identify an instance of the desired media program available from the first content source, obtaining a target program identifier associated with the desired media program from that instance, identifying another instance of the desired media program in a second listing of media programming available from another content source using the target program identifier, and providing a combined search result that indicates availability of the desired media program from the content sources.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a memory having stored therein a first listing of media programs available from a first content source and a second listing of media programs available from a second content source, the second listing being obtained from an associating server coupled to the server via a network, the associating server being configured to obtain a plurality of uniformly formatted media data objects from a receiving server and format each uniformly formatted media data object of the plurality of uniformly formatted media data objects to include a respective program identifier associated with a respective media program corresponding to that respective uniformly formatted media data object, resulting in the second listing comprising a plurality of associated media data objected corresponding to media programs available from the second content source; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to receive search criteria indicative of a desired media program, identify a first media data object in the first listing corresponding to a first instance of the desired media program available from the first content source, obtain a target program identifier from the first media data object, identify a second media data object in the second listing corresponding to a second instance of the desired media program available from the second content source using the target program identifier, and provide a combined search result indicating availability of the desired media program from the first content source and the second content source.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the first content source is a digital video recorder.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the processor obtains the first listing of media programs from the digital video recorder and stores the first listing in the memory.

4. The server of claim 2, wherein the second content source is selected from a group consisting of an online programming source and an on-demand programming source.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein:

the first content source is a media device coupled to the network; and

the second content source is selected from a group consisting of an online programming source coupled to the network and an on-demand programming source coupled to the network.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the processor obtains the first listing of media programs from the media device, stores the first listing in the memory, obtains the second listing of media programs from the associating server coupled to the network, and stores the second listing in the memory.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the first content source is a broadcast source.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the processor obtains the first listing of media programs from a program guide and stores the first listing in the memory.

9. The server of claim 7, wherein the second content source is selected from a group consisting of an online programming source and an on-demand programming source.

10. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is coupled to the network to obtain the second listing of media programs from the associating server coupled to the network and stores the second listing in the memory.

11. A method to identify instances of a desired media program available within a media distribution system, the method comprising:

searching, by a processing system, a first listing of media programming available from a first content source using search criteria indicative of the desired media program to identify a first instance of the desired media program available from the first content source;

obtaining, by the processing system, a target program identifier associated with the desired media program from the first instance;

obtaining, by a receiving server, a first plurality of media data objects from a first online programming source and a second plurality of media data objects from a second online programming source;

uniformly formatting, by the receiving server, each media data object of the first plurality and the second plurality, resulting in a plurality of media data objects;

obtaining, by an associating server communicating with the receiving server and the processing system, the plurality of media data objects;

determining, by the associating server, for each media data object, a respective program identifier associated with its corresponding media program; and

formatting, by the associating server, each media data object to include a field having a value equal to the respective program identifier, resulting in a plurality of formatted media data objects;

identifying, by the processing system, a second instance of the desired media program available from the first online programming source or the second online programming source by searching the plurality of formatted media data objects for a formatted media data object having the value for the field equal to the target program identifier; and

providing, by the processing system, a combined search result that indicates availability of the desired media program from the first content source and the first online programming source or the second online programming source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the processing system is a host server communicating with a client device over a network, the search criteria being provided by a user of the client device, wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the host server, the search criteria from the client device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the combined search result comprises displaying a graphical representation of the combined search result in an application on the client device.

14. A media distribution system comprising:

a receiving server to obtain the plurality of media data obiects from an online programming source and format the plurality of media data obiects using a uniform format, resulting in a plurality of uniformly formatted media data obiects;

an associating server to obtain the plurality of uniformly formatted media data obiects from the receiving server and format each uniformly formatted media data object of the plurality of uniformly formatted media data objects to include a respective program identifier associated with a respective media program corresponding to that respective uniformly formatted media data object, resulting in a plurality of associated media data objects corresponding to media programs available from a second content source; and

a host server coupled to the associating server to obtain the plurality of associated media data objects, the host server comprising;

a memory having stored therein a first listing of media programs available from a first content source and a second listing of the media programs available from the second content source; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to;

receive search criteria indicative of a desired media program;

identify a target media data object in the first listing corresponding to a first instance of the desired media program available from the first content source;

obtain a target program identifier from the first media data object;

identify a second media data object of the plurality of associated media data objects in the second listing corresponding to a second instance of the desired media program available from the second content source using the target program identifier; and

provide a combined search result indicating availability of the desired media program from the first content source and the second content source.

15. The media distribution system of claim 14, the first listing comprising a plurality of media programs stored on a media device coupled to the host server over a network, wherein the host server is configured to determine the target program identifier by matching the search criteria to metadata of a first media program of the plurality of media programs and utilizing a first program identifier associated with the first media program as the target program identifier.

16. The media distribution system of claim 15, wherein the host server is configured to provide the combined search result by:

indicating the desired media program is available from the media device in response to matching the search criteria to metadata of the first media program; and

indicating the desired media program is available from the online programming source in response to identifying the first media data object.

17. The media distribution system of claim 14, wherein for each respective uniformly formatted media data object of the plurality of uniformly formatted media data objects, the associating server is configured to determine the respective program identifier associated with the respective media program corresponding to that respective uniformly formatted media data object by matching one or more fields of metadata for that respective uniformly formatted media data object to metadata of a media data object in a database configured to maintain associations between program identifiers and media programs.

18. The media distribution system of claim 14, wherein the host server is configured to determine the target program identifier by matching the search criteria to metadata of a media data object in a database that corresponds to the desired media program, the database being configured to maintain associations between program identifiers and media programs.

19. The media distribution system of claim 14, wherein the host server is configured to determine the target program identifier by matching the search criteria to metadata of a media data object obtained from a program guide that corresponds to the desired media program.

20. A method of identifying instances of a desired media program available within a media distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a host server, the search criteria indicative of the desired media program from a client device coupled to the host server over a network;

obtaining, by the host server, stored media programming available from a media device coupled to the network;

searching, by the host server, the stored media programming available from the media device using the search criteria to identify a first media data object in the stored media programming available from the media device corresponding to a first instance of the desired media program available from the media device, the first media data object having a target program identifier associated therewith;

obtaining the target program identifier associated with the desired media program from the first media data object corresponding to the first instance of the desired media program;

obtaining, by an associating server coupled to the host server over the network, a second media data object corresponding to the desired media program available from an online programming source;

formatting, by the associating server, the second media data object to include the target program identifier to associate the second media data object with the desired media program;

in response to identifying the first media data object based on the search criteria;

obtaining the target program identifier from the first media data object; and

identifying the second media data object corresponding to a second instance of the desired media program in a second listing of media programming available from the online programming source using the target program identifier; and

providing a combined search result that indicates availability of the first instance of the desired media program from the media device and availability of the second instance of the desired media program from the online programming source.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining the second media data object corresponds to the desired media program based on one or more metadata fields of the second media data object; and

obtaining the target program identifier associated with the desired media program from a database maintaining associations between program identifiers and media programs prior to formatting the second media data object.

22. A method of identifying instances of a desired media program available within a media distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a host server, search criteria indicative of the desired media program from a client device coupled to the host server over a network;

obtaining, by the host server, stored media programming available from a media device coupled to the network;

searching, by the host server, the stored media programming available from the media device using the search criteria to identify a first media data object in the stored media programming available from the media device corresponding to a first instance of the desired media program available from the media device, the first media data object having a target program identifier associated therewith;

obtaining the target program identifier associated with the desired media program from the first media data object corresponding to the first instance of the desired media program;

obtaining, by an associating server coupled to the host server over the network, a second media data object corresponding to the desired media program available from an on-demand programming source;

formatting, by the associating server, the second media data object to include the target program identifier to associate the second media data object with the desired media program;

in response to identifying the first media data object based on the search criteria;

obtaining the target program identifier from the first media data object; and

identifying the second media data object corresponding to a second instance of the desired media program in a second listing of media programming available from the online programming source using the target program identifier; and

providing a combined search result that indicates availability of the first instance of the desired media program from the media device and availability of the second instance of the desired media program from the on-demand programming source.

23. A method of identifying instances of a desired media program available within a media distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a host server, search criteria indicative of the desired media program from a client device coupled to the host server over a network;

obtaining, by the host server, upcoming media programming available from a broadcast source;

searching, by the host server, the upcoming media programming available from the broadcast source using search criteria to identify a first media data object in the upcoming media programming corresponding to a first instance of the desired media program available from the broadcast source, the first media data object having a target program identifier associated therewith;

obtaining the target program identifier associated with the desired media program from the first media data object corresponding to the first instance of the desired media program;

obtaining, by an associating server coupled to the host server over the network, a second media data object corresponding to the desired media program available from an online programming source;

formatting, by the associating server, the second media data object to include the target program identifier to associate the second media data object with the desired media program;

in response to identifying the first media data object based on the search criteria;

obtaining the target program identifier from the first media data object; and

identifying the second media data object corresponding to a second instance of the desired media program in a second listing of media programming available from the online programming source using the target program identifier; and

providing a combined search result that indicates availability of the first instance of the desired media program from the media device and availability of the second instance of the desired media program from the on-demand programming source.

24. A method of identifying instances of a desired media program available within a media distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a host server, search criteria indicative of the desired media program from a client device coupled to the host server over a network;

obtaining, by the host server, upcoming media programming available from a broadcast source;

searching, by the host server, the upcoming media programming available from the broadcast source using search criteria to identify a first media data object in the upcoming media programming corresponding to a first instance of the desired media program available from the broadcast source, the first media data object having a target program identifier associated therewith;

obtaining the target program identifier associated with the desired media program from the first media data object corresponding to the first instance of the desired media program;

obtaining, by an associating server coupled to the host server over the network, a second media data object corresponding to the desired media program available from an on-demand programming source;

formatting, by the associating server, the second media data object to include the target program identifier to associate the second media data object with the desired media program;

in response to identifying the first media data object based on the search criteria;

obtaining the target program identifier from the first media data object; and

identifying the second media data object corresponding to a second instance of the desired media program in a second listing of media programming available from the online programming source using the target program identifier; and

providing a combined search result that indicates availability of the first instance of the desired media program from the media device and availability of the second instance of the desired media program from the on-demand programming source.