System and method for construction, delivery and display of iTV applications that blend programming information of on-demand and broadcast service offerings

• US 9,021,528 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Moreau, Samuel, Ahrens, Donald, Gibbs, Georgia, Carney, John, de Andrade, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US13/860,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20130298164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 725 44- 49
• US Class Current: 725/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A user interface allows for blending of television program choices from which a viewer may select, the blending representing options for linear and non-linear programming presented together within a single hierarchy of a designated category. The blending may further include managed content relevant to the designated category, where desired. Such designated categories may include television programming categories and/or content categories. The options for linear and non-linear programming may be presented together within a single screen of the user interface.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for an application; and

responsive to the request, transmitting, by a computing device, an application that provides a blending of user-selectable content in at least two levels of a hierarchy of levels, the blending of user-selectable content comprising at least two of linear content, non-linear content, and managed content presented together within the at least two levels.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

constructing, by the computing device, the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the blending of user-selectable content comprises linear content and non-linear content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the linear content comprises television programming that is scheduled to be transmitted at particular times, and wherein the non-linear content comprises on-demand programming that is available irrespective of a scheduled transmission time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is configured to include content stored at a user device in the blending of user-selectable content, and wherein the request is from the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two levels are defined by a service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application includes a widget control configured to sequence a video inset window of a multi-level program guide based at least in part on content included in a selected content category.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining data describing the at least two of the linear content, the non-linear content, and the managed content to produce the blending of user-selectable content;

wherein the application includes the blending of user-selectable content when transmitted.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the application that requests data to populate the blending of user-selectable content; and

responsive to the request, transmitting data for populating the blending of user-selectable content.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the steps of receiving the request from the application and transmitting the data for populating the blending of user-selectable content are both performed on a per content category basis.

11. A system, comprising:

one or more content data stores that include linear content, non-linear content and managed content; and

one or more computing devices configured to;

receive a request for an application, and

responsive to the request, transmitting, by a computing device, an application that provides a blending of user-selectable content in at least two levels of a hierarchy of levels, the blending of user-selectable content comprising at least two of the linear content, the non-linear content, and the managed content presented together within the at least two levels.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

construct the application.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the blending comprises linear content and non-linear content.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the linear content comprises television programming that is scheduled to be transmitted at particular times, and wherein the non-linear content comprises on-demand programming that is available irrespective of a scheduled transmission time.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the application is configured to include content stored at a user device in the blending, and wherein the request is from the user device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least two levels are defined by a service provider.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the application includes a widget control configured to sequence a video inset window of a multi-level program guide based at least in part on content included in a selected content category.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

combine data describing the at least two of the linear content, the non-linear content, and the managed content to produce the blending of user-selectable content;

wherein the application includes the blending of user-selectable content when transmitted.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

receive a request from the application that requests data to populate the blending of user-selectable content; and

responsive to the request, transmit data for populating the blending of user-selectable content.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to perform both the steps of receiving the request from the application and transmitting the data for populating the blending of user-selectable content on a per content category basis.