Patent Application
20050108755
This application relates to each of the following applications, each of which is commonly owned and was filed on an even date herewith and each of which is hereby incorporated by this reference:
This invention relates generally to interactive programming guides.
Information displays of various kinds are essentially ubiquitous in modern society. Many such displays serve, at least in part, to present content options to a viewer. As the number, kind, and constitution of such content options expand, a concurrent challenge arises to facilitate a way to navigate such options in a manner that is helpful and meaningful to the viewer.
Interactive programming guides are an example of such challenges. With cable, fiber, and/or satellite broadband services facilitating the delivery of an increasing number of varied programming options at any given time, it becomes more important to present a viewer with useful and helpful interface mechanisms to permit the viewer to be informed regarding available content options as the sheer magnitude of programming options renders unlikely the possibility that the viewer will be otherwise sufficiently knowledgeable in this regard.
Present suggestions regarding interactive programming guides as used with various audio/visual content services often present a number of candidate programming options on a display. In some cases this display will include a short textual description of the content of one or more of the candidate programming options or other static information (such as a rating, a brief listing of key actors, a year of publication, and the like).
Display criteria filters are sometimes used to limit in some predetermined or selectable fashion the particular candidate programming options that are available for display. For example, a viewer may be offered the option to limit the displayable pool of programming options to only those options that are presently available for viewing. While helpful in some instances to facilitate the content selection process, such an approach does not meet the needs of all viewers under all viewing circumstances.
For example, in general, each content service or platform tends to foster its own unique and isolated programming guide paradigm. Some viewers, however, have access to more than one programming source. For example, a given viewer may have access to broadcast television reception, cable television, satellite television, and Internet-based streaming delivery services, to name a few. To assess all of their potential viewing options at any given time, such a viewer will typically be forced to review multiple programming guides using different interfacing techniques and actions to successfully filter, navigate, and review such options. This can present a considerable learning curve and also require significant time in practice.
The above needs are at least partially met through provision of the multi-source programming guide apparatus and method described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is usually accorded to such terms and expressions by those skilled in the corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where other specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
Generally speaking, pursuant to these various embodiments, access to a plurality of differing discrete selectable items of audio/video content is provided. At least some of these items differ from one another with respect to at least one of:
Pursuant to these various embodiments, characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to these various discrete selectable items of data are provided. In a preferred embodiment the characterizing descriptors comprise any of a variety of descriptors as may be relevant to a variety of audio/visual programs. At least one selection criterion is then provided and applied with respect to the characterizing descriptors of these differing items of audio/video content to effect the identification and ultimate display of programming guide information regarding programs that are selected as a result of application of the selection criterion. In a preferred embodiment the candidate programs are processed as an aggregate and the resultant programming guide information displays the resultant selection as a whole as well.
So configured, the fact that the viewing material available to the viewer stems from differing sources becomes essentially transparent. Instead, the viewer can interact with a large quantity of differently-sourced material in a common fashion to identify their preferred viewing choices.
The selection criterion or criteria can be attained in a variety of ways. In one embodiment a generic or standard filter set can be employed. In a more preferred embodiment criteria of particular import to a given viewer are used. The latter can be obtained, for example, by accessing previously stored information to this effect and/or by requesting a current expression of viewer preferences, depending upon the embodiment employed.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to
The control circuitry of the data processing unit 11 can be embodied in a variety of ways. For example, the data processing unit 11 can comprise a fixed-purpose dedicated platform or can comprise a partially or fully programmable platform. Such options and architectural alternatives are well understood in the art and need no further elaboration here. In some embodiments, as with a so-called cable or satellite set-top box, the data processing unit 11 can be readily realized through appropriate programming of the processor as typically accompanies such an apparatus.
The data source 12 can comprise any presently known or hereafter developed data source. In a preferred embodiment there are multiple such data sources that provide to audio/visual content such as television programs and movies. These multiple data sources can provide access to wireless broadcast reception services, cable or optical fiber services, and/or satellite services, to name a few (either alone or in conjunction with one another). Depending upon the needs of the application, it is also possible that the data source 12 provides access to discrete selectable items of audio/visual content as are embodied in a plurality of media. For example, the data source 12 may provide access to cable programming options, satellite programming options, and local programming options as may be available via one or more local or otherwise available media drives (such as but not limited to video tape drives or digital video disk (DVD) drives). It is also possible that the data processing unit 11 operably couple to a plurality of such data sources to permit access to corresponding programming services and viewing options. As will be well understood by those skilled in the art, such a data source (or sources) may interact with a plurality of different bearer media, primary transmission service providers, and/or data formats to ensure available and compatible provision of desired content.
In a preferred embodiment this apparatus 10 further comprises a content guide 15 such as an interactive programming guide. This content guide 15 can comprise an integral part of the data processing unit 11 (as suggested by the illustration in
In a preferred embodiment the content guide 15 further comprises at least one characterizing descriptor filter. The particular filter(s) used can be selected as appropriate to the given needs and specific requirements of a given application. Some filter examples include, but are not limited to, a genre filter (with filter criteria such as “all,” “children's programming,” “comedy,” “drama,” “documentary,” “favorites list,” “service provider's recommendations,” “audio only,” and the like), a temporal filter (with filter criteria such as “now,” “upcoming within the next hour,” “tomorrow,” “previously recorded,” and the like), or a media/source filter (with filter criteria such as “broadcast television,” “satellite service 2,” “cable service 1,” “Internet content,” “DVD bank 1,” “digital video recorder 3,” and the like).
Through use of such a filter, an initial aggregate pool of candidate viewing choices from a plurality of different sources and/or of different format can be reduced on the basis of the filter selection criteria. For example, by selecting a filter criterion of “children” for such a filter, only children's programming would be made available for selection browsing and navigation.
Content guides are generally well understood in the art. The particular configuration and/or general operation of such engines is not especially important to these embodiments and any suitable content guide engine can be utilized provided one imbues that engine with the ability to hold and deal in the aggregate with programming options from differing sources and/or of differing types. Therefore additional detailed description will not be provided here regarding content guides except where appropriate below with respect to the description of these embodiments.
It will be understood that such apparatus 10 are often at least partially responsive to an optional wireless remote control 16. The latter often use infrared technology to facilitate communications but any wireless technology as may be appropriate to the needs of a given application can be utilized. In many instances such a remote control 16 will include a user interface 17 such as, for example, a keypad. Such a keypad will provide one or more keys that, when asserted by a user, will cause transmission of a particular corresponding wireless instruction by the remote control 16. Pursuant to a preferred embodiment, the operations of the content guide 15 will be at least partially configurable and/or otherwise controllable by appropriate remote control signals. Again, such remote controls are well understood in the art and require no further elaboration here.
Referring now to
The characterizing descriptors for such items of audio/visual content can be many and varied and can include, for example, a programming network identifier (such as the network call sign for a station that will broadcast or otherwise source the particular program), a broadcast starting time (or stopping time) for the program, a description (such as a textual description) of (or that otherwise pertains to) the audio/visual work, and an indication of the content media source itself (such as whether the program is available by cable, satellite, local media, or the like). The characterizing descriptors can also include samples of the video (and/or audio content) of the item itself and/or a previously prepared trailer or other preview or promotional sample for the item.
This process 20 then provides 22 at least one selection criterion to be applied with respect to this body of data. Such a selection criterion can comprise a default or otherwise predefined generic criterion as may be provided, automatically or otherwise, for use by the programming guide. In a more preferred approach, however, the selection criterion relates more uniquely to the present or general interests of the viewer.
As one example, and referring momentarily to
As another example, and referring now to
Referring again to
So configured, a viewer can see, review, and select from amongst candidate programs that are of likely potential interest to the viewer. It will also be appreciated that the viewer does not have to interact in different ways, or engage in duplicative reviews or behaviors, to facilitate their review of this material. Instead, for all intents and purposes, the viewer can essentially ignore the fact that these programming options are potentially offered by differing services/sources. This can save the viewer considerable time and aggravation.
Referring again to
It can therefore be seen that a viewer can review and navigate programming options from a variety of sources (and/or of a variety of types) in a transparent and highly intuitive fashion (making use of only a few basic and intuitive commands). These benefits can be realized without the need to access nested menus. These benefits also remain essentially intact even though one scales the information set upwardly to include a relatively large body of data and/or a relatively large number of content sources.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.
We claim the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/520,752, entitled “Ring Interface for TV Programming Guide” and as filed on Nov. 17, 2003.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60520752 | Nov 2003 | US |
