Dynamic adjustment of electronic program guide displays based on viewer preferences for minimizing navigation in VOD program selection

• US 9,247,308 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBiTV, Inc., Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Inventors: Diaz Perez, Milton
• Primary Examiner(s): Alata, Yassin
• Application Number:
  US13/831,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Items of video content offered for viewing on a video-on-demand (VOD) platform of a digital TV service provider are each assigned a respective title and hierarchical address corresponding to hierarchically-arranged categories and subcategories within which the title for the video content is to be categorized. The title is listed in a location of an electronic program guide (EPG) using the same categories and subcategories as its hierarchical address. Any TV subscriber can access the EPG and navigate through its categories and subcategories to find a title for viewing on the TV. The EPG dynamically adjust its display listings of each level of categories, subcategories, and titles in order to minimize the number of remote control keypresses needed for a viewer to navigate to a title of interest. In one basic form, the EPG display is reordered by listing more frequently visited categories or subcategories first, and other less frequently visited categories or subcategories lower on the listing or out-of-sight on another page of the display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a VOD content delivery system comprising one or more computers, video-on-demand electronic media for display on a television display;

obtaining, at the VOD content delivery system, respective metadata associated with respective video-on-demand electronic media comprising;

respective title data, respective category data, and respective subcategory data;

receiving, at the VOD content delivery system from a cable tuner associated with a first user, via a closed delivery system, a first electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

accessing, at the VOD content delivery system from one or more non-transitory processor readable memory devices operatively connected to the VOD content delivery system, electronic viewing data associated with the first user of the cable tuner, wherein said electronic viewing data is stored on the one or more non-transitory processor readable memory devices;

generating, at the VOD content delivery system, a first individualized electronic TV program guide for video-on-demand electronic media content, based at least in part on said electronic viewing data;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system to the cable tuner via the closed delivery system, said first individualized electronic TV program guide for video-on-demand electronic media content;

receiving, from the cable tuner, a first VOD media request for a first video-on-demand electronic media content;

updating, by the VOD content delivery system, the electronic viewing data with information associated with said first VOD media request;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system via the closed delivery system to the cable tuner, the first video-on-demand electronic media content identified in said first VOD media request for display on a first display associated with the cable tuner;

receiving, at the VOD content delivery system via an open delivery system from a first user Internet-connected digital device associated with the first user, a second electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

generating, by the VOD content delivery system, one or more new category data based at least in part on the updated electronic viewing data, to be included in a second individualized electronic TV program guide to be sent to the first user Internet-connected digital device in response to the second electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system to the first user Internet-connected digital device, the second individualized electronic TV program guide;

receiving, from the first user Internet-connected digital device, a second VOD media request for a second video-on-demand electronic media content;

updating, by the VOD content delivery system, the electronic viewing data with information associated with said second VOD media request; and

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system via the open delivery system on the Internet to the first user Internet-connected digital device, the second video-on-demand electronic media content identified in said second VOD media request for display on a second display associated with the first user Internet-connected digital device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving, at the VOD content delivery system via the open delivery system from a second user Internet-connected digital device associated with the first user, a third electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

generating, by the VOD content delivery system, one or more new category data based at least in part on the updated electronic viewing data, to be included in a third individualized electronic TV program guide to be sent to the second user Internet-connected digital device associated with the first user in response to the third electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system to the second user Internet-connected digital device, the third individualized electronic TV program guide;

receiving, from the second user Internet-connected digital device, a third VOD media request for a third video-on-demand electronic media content;

updating, by the VOD content delivery system, the electronic viewing data with information associated with said third VOD media request; and

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system via the open delivery system on the Internet to the second user Internet-connected digital device, the third video-on-demand electronic media content identified in said third VOD media request for display on a third display associated with the second user Internet-connected digital device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a television show.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a movie.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a documentary.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a short subject.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a news program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first video-on-demand electronic media content is an infomercial.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user includes a number of different persons associated with a subscription account of the first user, and said first and second individualized electronic TV program guides for video-on-demand electronic media content include a corresponding number of individualized electronic TV program guides for the different persons associated with the subscription account of the first user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable tuner is a set top box or an internal cable channel tuner.

11. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a VOD content delivery system comprising one or more computers, video-on-demand electronic media for display on a television display;

obtaining, at the VOD content delivery system, respective metadata associated with respective video-on-demand electronic media comprising respective title data, respective category data, and respective subcategory data;

receiving, at the VOD content delivery system via an open delivery system from a first user Internet-connected digital device, a first electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

accessing, at the VOD content delivery system from one or more non-transitory processor readable memory devices operatively connected to the VOD content delivery system, electronic viewing data associated with a first user of the first user Internet-connected digital device, wherein said electronic viewing data is stored on the one or more non-transitory processor readable memory devices;

generating, at the VOD content delivery system, a first individualized electronic TV program guide for video-on-demand electronic media content, based at least in part on said electronic viewing data;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system to the first user Internet-connected digital device via the open delivery system, said first individualized electronic TV program guide for video-on-demand electronic media content;

receiving, from the first user Internet-connected digital device, a first VOD media request for a first video-on-demand electronic media content;

updating, by the VOD content delivery system, the electronic viewing data with information associated with said first VOD media request;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system via the open delivery system to the first user Internet-connected digital device, the first video-on-demand electronic media content identified in said first VOD media request for display on a first display associated with the first user Internet-connected digital device;

receiving, at the VOD content delivery system via a closed delivery system from a cable tuner associated with the first user, a second electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

generating, by the VOD content delivery system, one or more new category data based at least in part on the updated electronic viewing data, to be included in a second individualized electronic TV program guide to be sent to the cable tuner in response to the second electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system to the cable tuner, the second individualized electronic TV program guide;

receiving, from the cable tuner, a second VOD media request for a second video-on-demand electronic media content;

updating, by the VOD content delivery system, the electronic viewing data with information associated with said second VOD media request; and

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system via the closed delivery system to the cable tuner, the second video-on-demand electronic media content identified in said second VOD media request for display on a second display associated with the cable tuner.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving, at the VOD content delivery system via the open delivery system from a second user Internet-connected digital device associated with the first user, a third electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

generating, by the VOD content delivery system, one or more new category data based at least in part on the updated electronic viewing data, to be included in a third individualized electronic TV program guide to be sent to the second user Internet-connected digital device associated with the first user in response to the third electronic access request to access video-on-demand electronic media content;

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system to the second user Internet-connected digital device, the third individualized electronic TV program guide;

receiving, from the second user Internet-connected digital device, a third VOD media request for a third video-on-demand electronic media content;

updating, by the VOD content delivery system, the electronic viewing data with information associated with said third VOD media request; and

transmitting, from the VOD content delivery system via the open delivery system on the Internet to the second user Internet-connected digital device, the third video-on-demand electronic media content identified in said third VOD media request for display on a third display associated with the second user Internet-connected digital device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a television show.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a movie.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a documentary.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a short subject.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first video-on-demand electronic media content is a news program.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein in the first video-on-demand electronic media content is an infomercial.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first user includes a number of different persons associated with a subscription account of the first user, and said first and second individualized electronic TV program guides for video-on-demand electronic media content include a corresponding number of individualized electronic TV program guides for the different persons associated with the subscription account of the first user.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the cable tuner is a set top box or an internal cable channel tuner.