Method and Apparatus for Analyzing Program Data

Abstract

A system identifies a television program selected to be recorded. The identified television program has a scheduled start time and is associated with a program series. A program guide is searched to locate television programs associated with the same series as the identified television program. The program guide is searched for television programs that have a start time within a predetermined period of time of the scheduled start time of the television program selected to be recorded.

1 . A method implemented on a client device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the client device to perform acts comprising:
 identifying, by the processor of the computing device, a television program selected to be recorded, the television program having a scheduled start time and the television program being associated with a program series; and   searching a program guide to locate television programs associated with the same program series as the identified television program, wherein the program guide is searched for television programs having a start time within a predetermined period of time of the scheduled start time of the identified television program.   
   
   
       2 . A method as recited in  claim 1  wherein the predetermined period of time is two hours. 
   
   
       3 . A method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising:
 locating a future television program in the program guide; and   determining whether the future television program is already scheduled to be recorded.   
   
   
       4 . A method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising:
 locating a future television program in the program guide;   determining whether the future television program is already scheduled to be recorded; and   disregarding the future television program if the future television program is already scheduled to be recorded.   
   
   
       5 . A method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising:
 locating a future television program in the program guide;   determining whether the future television program is already scheduled to be recorded; and   scheduling the future television program to be recorded if the future television program is not already scheduled to be recorded.   
   
   
       6 . A method as recited in  claim 1  wherein the method is repeated at periodic intervals. 
   
   
       7 . A method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising:
 after a predetermined time delay, searching the program guide again to locate television programs associated with the same series as the identified television program, wherein the portion of the program guide searched after the predetermined time delay differs from the previously searched portion of the program guide.   
   
   
       8 . One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of  claim 1 . 
   
   
       9 . A method implemented on a client device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the client device to perform acts comprising:
 identifying, by the processor of the computing device, a first television program selected to be recorded;   identifying a first program identifier associated with the first television program;   identifying a second television program in a program guide;   identifying a second program identifier associated with the second television program; and   scheduling the second television program to be recorded if the first program identifier matches the second program identifier.   
   
   
       10 . A method as recited in  claim 9  wherein the first and second program identifiers are Tribune Media Systems Ids. 
   
   
       11 . A method as recited in  claim 9  wherein the first and second program identifiers are the roots of Tribune Media Systems Ids. 
   
   
       12 . A method as recited in  claim 9  further comprising scheduling the second television program to be recorded if a title associated with the first television program matches a title associated with the second television program. 
   
   
       13 . One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of  claim 9 . 
   
   
       14 . A method for automatically recording programs similar to a program recorded by a user, the method implemented on a client device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the client device to perform acts comprising:
 identifying, by the processor of the computing device, a first television program selected by a user to be recorded, the first television program associated with a first program title;   identifying a future second television program to record by running a background task to search a program guide for a second program title associated with the second television program;   adding the second television program to a record program listing if the first program title matches the second program title and the second television program is not already entered in the record program listing, wherein a television program entry in the record program listing comprises a program name, a broadcast date, a broadcast start time, a broadcast length, and a broadcast channel;   periodically checking the record program listing to confirm that the record program listing for the second television program has not changed and that the second television program has not already been recorded;   scheduling programs in the record program listing to be automatically recorded by the client device; and   recording the second television program at the broadcast date and broadcast start time when the second television program is not canceled or pre-empted by another program.   
   
   
       15 . A method as recited in  claim 14  further comprising disregarding the second television program if the first program title does not match the second program title. 
   
   
       16 . One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of  claim 14 . 
   
   
       17 . A method implemented on a client device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the client device to perform acts comprising:
 scheduling a television program to be recorded by adding the television program to a list of programs to record;   periodically verifying, by the processor of the computing device, that the television program scheduled to be recorded remains listed in a program guide;   removing the television program from the list of programs to record if the television program is no longer listed in the program guide; and   removing the television program from the list of programs to record if the television program has already been recorded.   
   
   
       18 . A method as recited in  claim 17  further comprising updating information in the list of programs to record based on changes in the program guide. 
   
   
       19 . One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of  claim 17 . 
   
   
       20 . A method implemented on a client device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the client device to perform acts comprising:
 identifying a program scheduled to be recorded;   identifying, by the processor of the computing device, at least one attribute associated with the program scheduled to be recorded; and   if the at least one attribute identifies the program as a live sports program, extending the recording of the program by a predetermined time period.   
   
   
       21 . A method as recited in  claim 20  wherein the predetermined time period is thirty minutes. 
   
   
       22 . A method as recited in  claim 20  further comprising maintaining the scheduled recording duration if the at least one attribute identifies the program as a repeat. 
   
   
       23 . A method as recited in  claim 20  further comprising maintaining the scheduled recording duration if the at least one attribute identifies the program as a series. 
   
   
       24 . One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of  claim 20 . 
   
   
       25 . One or more computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a client device to:
 identify a television program selected to be recorded, wherein the television program has an associated start time;   search a program guide to identify matching television programs, wherein the program guide is searched for matching television programs having an associated start time within a predetermined time period of the start time associated with the identified television program; and   schedule the matching television programs to be recorded.   
   
   
       26 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 25  wherein the predetermined time period is approximately two hours. 
   
   
       27 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 25  wherein the program guide is an electronic program guide.