US2012148217A1PendingUtilityA1

Client-server electronic program guide

58
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Aug 21, 1998Filed: Nov 23, 2011Published: Jun 14, 2012
Est. expiryAug 21, 2018(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Michael D. EllisThomas R. LemmonsWilliam L. Thomas
H04N 21/6125H04H 60/31H04N 21/8586H04N 21/4826H04N 21/812H04N 21/84H04N 21/4147H04N 21/4532H04N 21/278H04N 21/26283H04N 21/858H04N 21/47H04N 7/165H04N 21/4782G06F 16/735G06F 16/78H04N 21/47214H04N 21/2665H04N 21/482H04H 60/72H04N 21/466H04N 21/2668H04N 7/17318H04N 21/4755H04N 21/4668G06F 16/73H04N 21/4821H04N 21/25891H04N 21/25866H04N 21/4622H04H 60/82H04N 21/4825H04N 21/25H04N 21/4828H04N 21/44224H04N 21/258H04N 21/2343
58
PatentIndex Score
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Claims

Abstract

A client-server interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide client is implemented on user television equipment. The interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to define expressions that are processed by the program guide server. The program guide server may provide program guide data, schedules reminders, schedules program recordings, and parentally locks programs based on the expressions. Users' viewing histories may be tracked. The program guide server may analyze the viewing histories and generates viewing recommendations, targets advertising, and collects program ratings information based on the viewing histories.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method for use in a client-server interactive media guide system having a media guide server and an interactive media guide client running on user equipment, the method comprising:
 receiving at the media guide server from the user equipment, user preferences defined using the interactive media guide client accessed with the user equipment, wherein the user preferences include a designated level of like or dislike for each of a plurality of preference attributes;   processing the user preferences received with the media guide server to find individualized media guide data based on the user preferences; and   transmitting the individualized media guide data from the media guide server to the media guide client according to the user preferences.   
     
     
         3 . The method defined in  claim 2 , wherein receiving the user preferences comprises:
 receiving a user selection of a first identifier; and
 in response to receiving the user selection of the first identifier, generating a display of a first plurality of preference attributes associated with the first identity, wherein the user designates a level of like or dislike for each of the first plurality of preference attributes of the generated display. 
   
     
     
         4 . The method defined in  claim 3  further comprising:
 receiving a user selection of a second identifier; and 
 in response to receiving the user selection of the second identifier, generating a display of a second plurality of preference attributes associated with the second identity, wherein the user designates a level of like or dislike for each of the second plurality of preference attributes of the generated display. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method defined in  claim 3 , wherein the first identifier identifies a type of a preference attribute, wherein the type of preference attribute is a series, genre, channel, actor, or rating. 
     
     
         6 . The method defined in  claim 2 , wherein each preference attribute is associated with a plurality of programs. 
     
     
         7 . The method defined in  claim 2  further comprising:
 generating a viewing recommendation based on the user preferences with the media guide server; and 
 generating a display of the viewing recommendation with the interactive media guide client on the user equipment. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method defined in  claim 2  further comprising transmitting software from the media guide server to the media guide client according to the user preferences. 
     
     
         9 . The method defined in  claim 2  further comprising transmitting Internet links from the media guide server to the media guide client according to the user preferences. 
     
     
         10 . A client-server interactive media guide system having a media guide server comprising first processing circuitry and an interactive media guide client running on user equipment comprising second processing circuitry, wherein:
 the first processing circuitry is configured to:
 receive from the user equipment, user preferences defined using the interactive media guide client accessed with the user equipment, wherein the user preferences include a designated level of like or dislike for each of a plurality of preference attributes; 
 receive the user preferences at the media guide server from the media guide client; 
 process the user preferences received with the media guide server to find individualized media guide data based on the user preferences; and 
 transmit the individualized media guide data from the media guide server to the media guide client according to the user preferences. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system defined in  claim 10 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to:
 receive a user selection of a first identifier; and   in response to receiving the user selection of the first identifier, generate a display of a first plurality of preference attributes associated with the first identifier, wherein the user designates a level of like or dislike for each of the first plurality of preference attributes of the generated display.   
     
     
         12 . The system defined in  claim 11 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to:
 receive a user selection of a second identifier; and   in response to receiving the user selection of the second identifier, generate a display of a second plurality of preference attributes associated with the second identifier, wherein the user designated a level of like or dislike for each of the second plurality of preference attributes of the generated display.   
     
     
         13 . The system defined in  claim 11 , wherein the first identifier identifies a type of preference attribute, wherein the type of preference attribute is a series, genre, channel, actor, or rating. 
     
     
         14 . The system defined in  claim 10 , wherein each preference attribute is associated with a plurality of programs. 
     
     
         15 . The system defined in  claim 10 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to:
 generate a viewing recommendation based on the user preferences with the media guide server; and   generate a display of the viewing recommendation with the interactive media guide client on the user equipment.   
     
     
         16 . The system defined in  claim 10 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to:
 transmit software from the media guide server to the media guide client according to the user preferences.   
     
     
         17 . The system defined in  claim 10 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to:
 transmit Internet links from the media guide server to the media guide client according to the user preferences.   
     
     
         18 . A method for use in a client-server interactive media guide system having a media guide server and an interactive media guide client running on user equipment, the method comprising:
 receiving at the media guide server from the user equipment, user preferences defined using the interactive media guide client accessed with the user equipment, wherein the user preferences include a designated level of like or dislike for each of a plurality of preference attributes;   processing the user preferences received with the media guide server to find individualized media guide data based on the user preferences; and   automatically directing the media guide client to schedule a recording based on the individualized media guide data.   
     
     
         19 . The method defined in  claim 18 , wherein each preference attribute is associated with a plurality of programs. 
     
     
         20 . The method defined in  claim 18 , wherein each user preference includes a plurality of preference attribute types having a plurality of the preference attributes. 
     
     
         21 . A client-server interactive media guide system having a media guide server comprising first processing circuitry and an interactive media guide client running on user equipment comprising second processing circuitry, wherein:
 the first processing circuitry is configured to:
 receive from the user equipment, user preferences defined using the interactive media guide client accessed with the user equipment, wherein the user preferences include a designated level of like or dislike for each of a plurality of preference attributes; 
 receive the user preferences at the media guide server from the media guide client; 
 process the user preferences received with the media guide server to find individualized media guide data based on the user preferences; and 
 automatically direct the media guide client to schedule a recording based on the individualized media guide data. 
   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein each preference attribute is associated with a plurality of programs. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein each user preference includes a plurality of preference attribute types having a plurality of the preference attributes. 
     
     
         24 . A method for use in a client-server interactive media guide system for scheduling programs for recording according to user defined expressions and providing a customized viewing experience to a user based on the scheduled programs, comprising:
 providing a user with an opportunity to define an expression with an interactive media guide client implemented on user equipment;   storing the expression on a media guide server;   processing the expression with the media guide server to find programs that satisfy the expression; and   automatically scheduling with the media guide server the programs that satisfy the expression for recording.   
     
     
         25 . The method defined in  claim 24  wherein scheduling with the media guide server the programs that satisfy the expression for recording comprises scheduling the recording of the programs that satisfy the expression at the user equipment. 
     
     
         26 . The method defined in  claim 24  wherein scheduling with the media guide server the programs that satisfy the expression for recording comprises scheduling the recording of the programs that satisfy the expression at the media guide server. 
     
     
         27 . A client-server interactive media guide system for scheduling programs for recording according to user defined expressions and providing a customized viewing experience to a user based on the scheduled programs, comprising:
 processing circuitry configured to:
 provide a user with an opportunity to define an expression with an interactive media guide client implemented on user equipment; 
 store the expression on a media guide server; 
 process the expression with the media guide server to find programs that satisfy the expression; and 
 automatically schedule with the media guide server the programs that satisfy the expression for recording. 
   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27  wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
 schedule the recording of the programs that satisfy the expression at the user equipment. 
 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 27  wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
 schedule the recording of the programs that satisfy the expression at the media guide server.

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