Patent Application
20100229200
The present invention relates to systems and methods for enabling and automating the delivery of interactive television content to subscribers.
Interactive television (iTV) is currently available in varying forms, each of which combines, in some form or other, the passive viewing experience of traditional TV viewing with the interactive nature of the World Wide Web. Thus, in different implementations, iTV might allow viewers (or subscribers) to review local news headlines or weather forecasts while watching their favorite television shows and/or electronically chatting with other viewers about the latest plot twists. Such text and graphics information is referred to as Managed Content. Certainly all iTV systems have a version of an interactive program guide or electronic program guide (IPG or EPG, respectively) that allows subscribers to learn about and select desired programming
Such programming generally comes in two forms: linear and non-linear. Linear programming is another name for traditional broadcast programming That is, programming that is available for viewing by subscribers according to a schedule promulgated by the iTV service and/or content provider. Current IPGs allow subscribers to browse and select linear programming and some also include the ability to subset linear program listing data by subject or type of programming.
In addition to linear or broadcast television, subscribers may now also be given opportunities to select from a list of programs that are not linear, but instead are provided on-demand. Such content is generically referred to as non-linear programming or Video on Demand (VOD). Current IPGs for browsing and selecting VOD programs include the ability to select such programming from categories of non-linear (on-demand) programming.
The present invention provides, in various embodiments, systems and methods by which subscribers are presented with navigational interfaces that blend linear, non-linear, and (in some cases) managed content or information services and/or links to games together in a single screen, or single iTV application.
In one embodiment, the 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 category may be a television programming category and/or a content category. The options for linear and non-linear programming are, in some embodiments, presented together within a single screen of the user interface.
A further embodiment provides a user interface that includes a navigational hierarchy that blends linear and non-linear programming options, and information services in a single presentation. The blend of programming choices may be presented as a set of all available programming options and/or a subset of all available programming options. The navigational hierarchy is, in some cases, presented in a single screen of information and the blending of information services with linear and non-linear programming information may be done at multiple levels of content categorization. The non-linear programming information may include information about programs recorded on a subscriber storage unit. The blending referred to above may be performed according to categories (e.g., content categories, content provider categories, etc.) of programming, and/or may span content delivery types and content categories.
Still another embodiment provides a user interface which includes a single screen having various regions thereof for displaying non-linear programming information, linear programming information and managed content relevant to the linear and non-linear programming information or category. The linear and non-linear programming information are preferably within a common category (e.g., a content category or a content provider category).
The user interface may additionally include a scaled audio/video or background audio/video presentation area. A navigation control configured to allow scrolling through content offerings (e.g., channel families) provided by a common content provider may also be provided. In such cases, video information presented in the scaled or background video presentation area can be dependent upon scrolling via the navigation control. The navigation control may include a category descriptor.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Described herein are systems and methods by which subscribers are presented with iTV navigational hierarchies that blend linear, non-linear, and (optionally) information services into single, simple presentations. Where current IPG and similar systems fail is in the lack of seamless blending of linear and non-linear programming options. That is, in current IPG systems linear and non-linear programming are presented as separate hierarchies of navigable content. In contrast, the present invention provides systems and methods to allow a subscriber to view both linear and non-linear programming choices together in a single screen, or single iTV application. The present invention thereby allows subscribers to view programming alternatives across both linear and non-linear opportunities.
In some cases, this blend of programming choices may be presented as the entire set of available programming options or, in other cases, as a subset (or division) of all the available choices. These subsets of programming choices may follow similar hierarchical divisions as exist in current IPG systems; however, in the context of the present invention these divisions will span linear and non-linear programming rather than living in separate hierarchies. Each of the category divisions which can be implemented in accordance with the present invention can be further subdivided in to sub-categories, which can then be divided again and again as need be.
To illustrate, consider an example of such category division. This example is presented solely for illustrative purposes and should not in any way be read as limiting the types of categorization that can be created or accommodated in the present methods and systems. In accordance with the present invention, a major content category such as “Sports” may be divided in to various subcategories such as “football”, “baseball”, “soccer”, etc. The subcategories such as “football” may then be divided in to further subcategories, such as “professional” (or “pro”) and “college” (or “amateur”). Even these subcategories such as “pro” may themselves be further divided in to additional subcategories such as “NFL” and “Arena Football”, and so on. This illustration shows that categorization can be continued to any desired level so as to effectively divide up all of the available content offerings into different groupings. Within any and all of these hierarchical divisions, the present invention allows for the aggregated display of linear programming information, non-linear programming information, and even managed content services all relative to the particular division categorization.
The benefit of this approach to the television subscriber is that he/she can choose a programming category and then be provided with listings of all available programming in that category. This is distinct from prior IPG solutions in which a subscriber must first decide if he/she wants to view linear programming or non-linear programming and then must choose a content category for browsing (or view a complete list of all programming options within that linear or non-linear class). In such prior systems, a subscriber has to potentially navigate two hierarchies (which may have different structures) to discover what programming is available in either liner or non-linear form.
Another unique attribute of the present methods and systems is that within the categorized blending of linear and non-linear programming the present invention also allows for the blending of information services (also called managed content) relevant to that categorization. Continuing the “Sports” example then, in addition to presenting all available linear and non-linear sports programming, a user interface configured in accordance with the present invention may also provide information services (e.g., text, graphics, advertisements, promotions) relevant to the sports category within the single screen or application. This blending of information services with linear and non-linear programming information can exist at any level of categorization and so one may have, for example, a blended information service for baseball, or football, etc., in various embodiments of the present invention.
In some cases the blended category applications may also include listing information about programs that the subscriber has recorded on a hard disk or other storage unit (e.g., a personal video recorder, video cassette recorder, etc.). In the “sports” example above, the application may therefore also include listings of any sports-related content that the subscriber had previously recorded.
For the purpose of the description presented below, we will refer to non-linear programming as “On Demand” content. That is, audio/video content that does not adhere to previously scheduled program times/dates, and may optionally allow for user controls such as fast-forward, pause and rewind. This includes content/programming played from a VOD server or a local hard disk (or other storage unit), or any other content (including IP-based content delivery) generally available to start on-demand by the subscriber.
We will further refer to linear programming as “On Now” (or in some instances the broadcast listings references are divided in to “On Now” and “On Later”—where “On Now” are all of the linear broadcast shows that have already started, or will start within some small interval of time, and the “On Later” linear broadcast shows are those that have not yet started, or that will not start for some short interval of time) content—traditional broadcast television content. Delivery of “on now” content is based on predetermined programming schedules of date and time (usually promulgated by the iTV service provider or, most often, by the content provider). This category includes time-based data for both what is on right now (i.e., programming that is currently being broadcast over the iTV service) and content secluded to be broadcast at a specific future point in time.
Finally, we will refer to information services as “Managed Content”. This category includes services made up of elements such as text; graphics and/or audio/video information combined to deliver supplemental information services (e.g., weather forecasts, sports scores, etc.). Managed content also includes advertisements and promotions and may also contain links to On Now and/or On Demand content or even games and other applications.
Along with the various content types comes categorization that is logical to the content. With On Demand and On Now content, this categorization can take many forms. The present inventors have found instances of these types of content sorted into as few as 14 categories up to as many as 42 categories. Table 1 illustrates a potential categorization across the three content types.
Table 1 is illustrative of the problem with prior art. Namely, there are independent hierarchies for finding programming and a user interface implementing these hierarchies would not serve the viewer that wants to see all a list of SPORTS content regardless of its type (linear programming, non-linear programming, and managed content) at one time. An example of the present sorting methodology, however, would first expose content categories to the user and then only later (e.g., the next layer down or subcategory) expose the content type (e.g., On Demand, On Now, and/or Managed Content).
The combination of delivery types and categories can be expressed in a user interface that is very straightforward. In one embodiment, the iTV application top level of the user interface need only present the most general (On Demand, On Now) and most popular categories (Movies, Sports, News, Kids, Games, etc). The rest of the content categories may be exposed through a search mechanism, which is ubiquitous throughout the user interface. Thus, even very specific categories are quickly accessible because the search mechanism is exposed on almost all screens of the user interface—always presenting programming that has been sorted by the type of filter the viewer has chosen—whether it is a delivery type or main category. To better illustrate this concept, we describe below various embodiments of a user interface and discuss how the user interacts therewith (e.g., via a remote control) to navigate the various paths to the desired content.
As shown in
It will be apparent to the reader that one could easily devise many possible content categories; indeed, many more than could be comfortably fit into an elegant user interface to be presented on a television screen. However, the creation of major, category-specific applications focused around strategic content categories (i.e., Sports, News, Shopping, Kids, etc.) would allow a logical blending of the various content types.
In one embodiment of the present invention, navigation to a programmer-specific blended content application is done from a Channel Info Bar portion of the user interface as well as via the network-specific listings in the On Demand, On Now, and Favorites interface areas. The user may also access blended content applications (or any service) from the remote control if such applications or services are assigned a channel number.
As indicated above, the present invention may be implemented by creating and populating interfaces that uniquely combine linear and non-linear programming information. In some cases these interfaces also combine Managed Content services such as text, graphics, advertisement, and promotions relevant to a categorization of programming with the programming information. The problems associated with delivering these blended content services lies in the aggregation of the data elements, the construction of the individual applications, the distribution of the applications and the data elements, and the interface elements that provide for navigation by the user. Below we present various illustrations of interface implementations, however, it should be remembered that these examples are not meant to be an exhaustive catalog of the manners in which the blending of content in accordance with the present invention may be carried out. Many other implementations are likewise possible and so the examples presented below should be regarded as illustrative, but not limiting in terms of the scope of the present invention.
The aggregation of the data elements in accordance with the present invention includes the aggregation of linear programming data, non-linear programming data, and managed content data about a single category. In the following examples the linear and non-linear programming data is combined with the managed content data at a server and then broadcast to one or more subscribers as part of individual iTV applications that represent the category blended content applications. Other implementations include accessing some or all of the data from a data store on the set-top box (STB). The above-cited co-pending patent applications provide examples of content distribution schemes which may be used to create and distribute these iTV applications and so a description of such systems and methods will not be repeated herein. The transport of the individual applications and their data sets may then be carried out using conventional data carouselling technology or by accessing information and applications cached on the STB. In other embodiments some of the data may be retrieved by the client application by using programming interfaces provided on a set-top box which allows access to linear and/or non-linear programming, and/or managed content information. Such local access would allow for retrieving information by category.
In order to provide the blended content elements, all elements need not be visible at one time. For example, other embodiments of this invention include providing the different content elements behind a series of cascading menus or behind different tabs within the user interface screen; the menus or tabs being accessible via a set-top box remote control. In such cases the information is still aggregated within one interface but the screen real estate devoted to a particular content type is maximized by allowing different content types to take precedence at any given moment.
Within user interface screen 50, a branding window 51 is provided for content provider or service provider branding. Such branding may include channel logos, provider logos, or other graphical elements to identify the offered content with a particular provider.
In addition, a global navigation area 52 is reserved for placement of icons, widgets or other navigational tools through which a user may navigate within the user interface application. Navigation will generally be provided via a set-top box remote control, which is used to position and actuate an on-screen cursor in the conventional fashion. Typical navigation elements for such applications include those for a Home page, a Favorites page and so on.
A managed content area 53 is also provided. Within this area 53, information services relevant to the particular content category may be displayed. The particular content type may be selected through content navigation elements that are displayed in a content application navigation window 54. For example, navigation elements for content categories such as Sports, Movies, etc. may be displayed within window 54.
The On Now/Later Listing and On Demand Listing areas 55 and 56, respectively, area used for the display of the relevant program listings within the currently selected category. In some cases the On Now/later and On Demand listings will not be displayed in separate windows but will be further blended together in a single area within screen 50. Examples of such blending are described below in connection with further embodiments of the present user interface.
A scaled broadcast video window (or picture in picture (PIP) window) 57 may also be provided within screen 50. Such a window allows for display of the currently viewed programming (e.g., so that a viewer might make use of the managed content services while still watching a television program) or may be used as a preview window as a user scrolls through programming options displayed in the On Now/Later window 55 (e.g., in order to assist the viewer in making a programming selection). In some cases, previews of On Demand content could also be displayed within window 57, for example to act as an enticement for a viewer to order the program.
Finally, an advertising or promotions area 58 is reserved for the display of advertising or promotions content. Such content may or may not be related to the presently selected category at the option of the service provider. Examples of promotional content (as reflected in the samples discussed below) include advertisements for upcoming programming
In addition to the program listings, the user interface screen 60 also includes an episode description window 64 in which information regarding the currently selected episode may be presented. In the above example, information regarding the selected Sopranos episode could be presented. Also, navigational elements such as the On Demand link 65 and Search application tab 65 are provided. On Demand link 65 provides a navigational element that allows the viewer to switch from linear listings to non-linear listings. Search application tab 66 provides a mechanism for the viewer to access a Search application. Finally, various Branding windows 67 and 68 and a Time of Day display 69 are provided.
Content category selection may be made through the content application navigation elements 74. The familiar elements for On Now, On Later and On Demand content are provided. Selection of any of these elements will result in the corresponding scrolling list of programming options being displayed within the Listings window 75. In addition, a content navigation element that allows for the selection of different category types is also present. So too are windows 78a and 78b for the display of advertising or promotional content.
The three illustrations show how a user might navigate within the interface screen 70 to select a desired program.
Suppose now the user wishes to view only a certain subcategory of information within the Movies category.
Thus, the present invention accommodates the user navigating to the “Movies” application where the user is presented with an aggregation of Movies across both linear and non-linear programming. Further, managed content such as promotions for movies or trailers which are relevant to the Family Movies category may be displayed in windows 78a and/or 78b in place of other advertising.
Another illustration of the present invention is one in which the linear and non-linear programming information is presented at the same time as illustrated in
User interface screen 100 includes the familiar branding windows 101, time/date windows 109 and content application navigation elements 104. In this example, the content category selected is “Baseball” which is a subcategory of All Sports. Thus, listings window 107 includes the baseball listings for the current date. Importantly, this listing includes both the linear program listings 105 and the non-linear program listings 106 for the selected baseball category. The linear listings may include the game time, identification and network/channel information. The non-linear baseball listings may include game identification, network and cost to view. Note that the interface also contains Managed Content section 103 in the form of tickering baseball scores that are relevant to the currently selected baseball category. Relevant advertising 108 may also be displayed.
The user interface screen 120 includes the branding window 121, date/time window 129 and advertising window 128. This time, a scaled video inset window 127 is included, for example to allow the viewer to watch a picture-in-picture presentation of the currently selected programming. The content application navigation elements 124 and listings window 125 are provided for display of available content in the selected application category.
The scrolling list 126 allows for subcategory selection within the selected category. For example, within Sports, the subcategory Golf has been selected, thus causing the listings being displayed in window 125 to be related to Golf. As each listing is selected, information regarding that program may be displayed in the programming information window 123.
User interface screen 130 includes the branding window 131 and the familiar content application navigation elements 134 (although this time the arrangement of these elements is somewhat different than in previous examples). Managed content offered through this type of category application includes the programming promotions 133a and 133b and a large graphical promotion 138. The large graphical promotion may highlight an upcoming special presentation or high-profile series, etc. As shown in
The examples given in
The widget control 135 includes an optional category descriptor (which category may be determined by the context of the application), up and down (or lateral or both) navigation buttons 141 (and/or mapped remote control keys) and a PIP window 137. As indicated above, the basic control behavior is to allow scrolling through a set of channels and optionally tuning to any one of the channels, while viewing the associated content in the PIP window 137 during the scrolling. The act of scrolling through the content options may also affect the other information on the screen such that stays contextual with the content displayed in the PIP window 137.
Thus, systems and methods by which subscribers are presented with navigational interfaces that blend linear, non-linear, and (in some cases) managed content or information services together in a single screen, or single iTV application have been described. Although discussed with reference to various illustrated embodiments, however, the present invention should only be measured in terms of the claims, which follow.
The present application is a continuation of, is related to, and claims the priority benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/664,275, entitled “System and Method for Construction, Delivery and Display of iTV Applications that Blend Programming Information of On-Demand and Broadcast Service Offerings”, filed Sep. 16, 2003, which is related to, incorporates by reference and: a) claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/486,567, entitled “System and Method for Construction, Delivery and Display of iTV Applications that Blend Programming Information of On-Demand and Broadcast Service Offerings”, filed Jul. 11, 2003, and b) is a continuation-in part of and claims priority benefit to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/390,064, filed Mar. 14, 2003, entitled: System and Method For Construction, Delivery and Display of iTV, andc) is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority benefit to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/460,950, filed Jun. 12, 2003, entitled: Graphically Rich, Modular, Promotional Tile Interface for Interactive Television.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60486567 | Jul 2003 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10664275 | Sep 2003 | US |
| Child | 12730771 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10390064 | Mar 2003 | US |
| Child | 10664275 | US | |
| Parent | 10460950 | Jun 2003 | US |
| Child | 10390064 | US |
