WO2006061816A2 - Smart content organizer system - Google Patents

Smart content organizer system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2006061816A2
WO2006061816A2 PCT/IL2005/000804 IL2005000804W WO2006061816A2 WO 2006061816 A2 WO2006061816 A2 WO 2006061816A2 IL 2005000804 W IL2005000804 W IL 2005000804W WO 2006061816 A2 WO2006061816 A2 WO 2006061816A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
programs
content group
content
metadata
filter
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IL2005/000804
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2006061816A3 (en
Inventor
Harish Prabhu
Santosh Shashikant Godbole
Ganesankumar Annamalai
Vladimir Ruppo
Original Assignee
Nds Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nds Limited filed Critical Nds Limited
Publication of WO2006061816A2 publication Critical patent/WO2006061816A2/en
Publication of WO2006061816A3 publication Critical patent/WO2006061816A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/20—Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/23—Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
    • H04N21/235—Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/431—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
    • H04N21/4312—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
    • H04N21/4316—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/435—Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/4508—Management of client data or end-user data
    • H04N21/4532—Management of client data or end-user data involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/458—Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/462—Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
    • H04N21/4622—Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/466—Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/83—Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
    • H04N21/84—Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to television systems in general, and more particularly to television content organization and selection.
  • the present invention provides for television content organization and selection which makes content from different channels easily accessible to multiple viewers who share the same client-side device, works even with those client-side devices for which no return channel is provided, and gives more control of program selection to viewers than is currently available.
  • a method for organizing television program content including receiving metadata describing a plurality of television programs, storing a plurality of content group definitions at a client-side device, where each content group is defined by a set of metadata values, including any of the television programs in any of the content groups where metadata of any of the television programs match any of the sets of metadata values, and mapping any of the content groups to a user-defined channel at the client-side device.
  • the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels.
  • the method further includes displaying a selection of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels.
  • the method further includes applying a preference filter to any of the content groups, where the preference filter includes an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group.
  • the applying step includes including in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
  • the applying step includes excluding from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
  • the applying step includes ranking any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
  • the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • the method further includes displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • the method further includes displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values.
  • the method further includes changing the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter.
  • the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
  • the method further includes applying the preference filter to the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
  • the including step includes including at least two clashing ones of the programs.
  • the method further includes automatically selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
  • the method further includes displaying details of the clashing programs, and receiving an instruction selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
  • a method for organizing television program content including receiving information relating to a plurality of television programs, where the information includes content metadata describing each of the programs, organizing any of the programs into a content group, where the content group is defined to include at least one metadata value against which individual programs are matched for inclusion into the content group, mapping the content group to a viewer-defined channel, where upon selection of the viewer-defined channel a program in the content group is selected for viewing, and applying a preference filter including an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group, where the preference filter is operative to affect which of the programs are included in the content group.
  • the applying step includes including in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
  • the applying step includes excluding from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter. In another aspect of the present invention the applying step includes ranking any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
  • the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • the method further includes displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • the method further includes displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values.
  • the method further includes changing the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter.
  • the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
  • the method further includes applying the preference filter to the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
  • a system for organizing television program content, the system including a client-side device for receiving metadata describing a plurality of television programs, a content-group organizer for storing a plurality of content group definitions, where each content group is defined by a set of metadata values and including any of the television programs in any of the content groups where metadata of any of the television programs match any of the sets of metadata values, and a mapper for mapping any of the content groups to a user-defined channel at the client-side device.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a selection of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels.
  • the system further includes a preference filter for filtering any of the content groups, where the preference filter includes an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group.
  • the preference filter is operative to include in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
  • the preference filter is operative to exclude from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
  • the preference filter is operative to rank any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values.
  • system further includes a display for changing the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
  • the preference filter is operative to filter to the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
  • the content group organizer is operative to include at least two clashing ones of the programs.
  • the system further includes a selector for automatically selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
  • system further includes a display for displaying details of the clashing programs, and an instruction receiver for receiving an instruction selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
  • a smart content organizer system including a client-side device operative to receive information relating to a plurality of television programs, where the information includes content metadata describing each of the programs, a content group organizer for organizing any of the programs into a content group, where the content group is defined to include at least one metadata value against which individual programs are matched for inclusion into the content group, a mapper for mapping the content group to a viewer-defined channel, where upon selection of the viewer-defined channel a program in the content group is selected for viewing, and a preference filter including an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group, where the preference filter is operative to affect which of the programs are included in the content group.
  • the preference filter is operative to include in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
  • the preference filter is operative to exclude from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
  • the preference filter is operative to rank any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
  • system further includes a display for displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values.
  • preference filter is operative to change the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter.
  • system further includes a display operative to display a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
  • the preference filter is operative to filter the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
  • Fig. IA is a simplified conceptual illustration of a smart content organizer system, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. IB is a simplified flowchart illustration of an exemplary method of operation of the system of Fig. IA, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIGS. 2A - 2G are simplified illustrations of an exemplary implementation of interface 108 for managing content groups, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a simplified flowchart illustration of a method for filtering content groups, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figs. 4A - 4E are simplified illustrations of interface 108 in an exemplary implementation of the method of Fig. 3, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. IA is a simplified conceptual illustration of a smart content organizer system, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. IB is a simplified flowchart illustration of an exemplary method of operation of the system of Fig. IA.
  • information relating to television programs provided by a provider 100 of such content is provided to a client-side device 102, such as an STB or PVR, by provider 100 or another source.
  • the received information typically includes content metadata 104 describing each program, such as the name of each program, its participants (e.g., names of actors, athletes), one or more genres that describe the content (e.g., movie, western, sports, adult, kids), etc.
  • the programs may be organized into one or more content groups 106, where each content group includes one or more metadata values against which individual programs may be matched for inclusion into the content group.
  • Content groups 106 may either be predefined and preinstalled with client-side device 102, may themselves be received from provider 100 or another source, or may be manually defined by the viewer who provides metadata value selections via an interface 108 provided by client-side device 102, such as may be displayed on a display 110, such as a television monitor, to which client-side device 102 is connected.
  • Programs from different content sources may be included in the same content group.
  • Such content sources may include a cable source, a satellite source, an IP television (IPTV) source, a source transmitting in compliance with Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) specifications, and a source transmitting in compliance with Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) specifications.
  • IPTV IP television
  • DVB Digital Video Broadcasting
  • ATSC Advanced Television Systems Committee
  • client-side device 102 may be used to map a content group to a viewer-defined channel, either automatically or manually by the viewer. Upon selection of a viewer-defined channel, a program in the content group may be selected for viewing.
  • Figs. 2A - 2G are simplified illustrations of an exemplary implementation of interface 108 for managing content groups, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • a content group named "Dad” is defined to include programs having a genre metadata value of "Movies.”
  • Fig. 2C also shows that multiple content groups may be created for different family members.
  • Fig. 2A also shows that a content group may be assigned a channel number on client-side device 102 to create a viewer-defined channel.
  • client-side device 102 may determine which content group has been assigned to the viewer-defined channel and display on display 110 a currently-airing program that belongs to the content group. Additionally or alternatively, client-side device 102 may display programs belonging to the content group in a scrollable list in the order of the different program air times, such as interface 108 is shown in Fig. 2F, or as a horizontal time line of programs in the order of the different program air times, such as interface 108 is shown in Fig. 2G, which also shows overlapping programs to indicate overlapping air times or "clashes.”
  • the program listings of Figs. 2F and 2G may be displayed in the foreground on display 110 while a program appears in the background.
  • client- side device 102 may resolve the clash by selecting one of the programs at random for display, may select the program that is most similar to previously-viewed programs using any known similarity criteria, or may wait for the viewer to select one of the programs to view.
  • Fig. 3 is a simplified flowchart illustration of a method for filtering content groups, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and additionally to Figs. 4A - 4E, which are simplified illustrations of interface 108 in an exemplary implementation of the method of Fig. 3, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • a defined content group may be later modified by applying additional metadata criteria to and/or removing metadata criteria from the current list of content group metadata criteria. This may be done by defining a preference filter of such metadata criteria to be added and/or removed, and then applying the preference filter to the content group.
  • FIG. 4A interface 108 is shown being accessed in the foreground of a currently displayed program, with interface 108 listing alternative programs in the currently selected content group.
  • a filter interface 400 is shown providing a listing of metadata categories.
  • Indicia 402 such as check boxes, may be provided for each metadata category to indicate whether or not the metadata category currently provides criteria for the current content group, and may be used to activate/deactivate metadata categories for the content group.
  • a mechanism for drilling down into metadata categories may be provided, such as where the viewer may drill down into the "Actor" category to receive a list of actors currently appearing in other programs in the content group and who may then be added to and/or removed from the current content group.
  • programs may be added to or removed from the content group if they do not meet all preference filter criteria, or may be ranked by the degree to which they meet the preference filter criteria.
  • a filtered program listing 404 may then be provided, as is shown in Fig. 4C. The viewer may then select from among the filtered programs to be displayed. Alternatively, the program that best meets preference filter criteria may be automatically selected for display.
  • Figs. 4D and 4E present timeline views of a content group program listing before and after the application of a preference filter respectively, where the application of a preference filter in Fig. 4E has the result of reducing the number of programs in a filtered content group 406 available for viewing.
  • a preference filter may be temporarily applied to a content group, without changing the metadata criteria of the content group.
  • a preference filter may be permanently applied to a content group, thereby changing the metadata criteria of the content group.
  • Programs that do not meet the metadata criteria of a defined content group or the filtering criteria of a preference filter may be manually added to the content group.
  • Different content groups may also be merged to create a new content group with combined metadata criteria.

Abstract

A method for organizing television program content (106), the method including receiving metadata (104) describing a plurality of television program, storing a plurality of content group definitions (106) at a client- side device (102), where each content group is defined by a set of metadata values, including any of the television programs in any of the content groups where metadata of any of the television program match any of the sets of metadata values, and mapping any of the content groups to a user-defined channel (110) at the client-side device.

Description

SMART CONTENT ORGANIZER SYSTEM
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/634,133 to Prabhu et al., entitled "SMART CONTENT ORGANIZER SYSTEM," filed December 8, 2004, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to television systems in general, and more particularly to television content organization and selection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the advent of digital television, where television viewers might have access to hundreds of channels offering a large number of programs, it has become increasingly difficult for the viewer to peruse all available channels to find content that the viewer wishes to see. To address this, some have suggested that viewer profiling be used to recommend programs to the viewer based on the viewer's viewing history and/or other viewer characteristics or attributes. However, in an era where viewers are being given greater control of their viewing experience, it would be advantageous to provide a viewer with a more active role in organizing program offerings to help in zeroing-in on programs that are most likely to meet the viewer's taste.
Prior art that may be relevant to the field of television content organization and selection include:
Published PCT Application WO 01/039494 to America Online Inc., which describes management of electronic content from different sources;
Published UK Patent Application GB02377578 to British Broadcasting Corporation, which describes a method and apparatus for creating a viewing schedule for a user;
Published US Patent Application 20020124071 to Proehl et al, which describes a method and apparatus whereby a user of a set-top box may customize a user interface so as to simplify the interaction between the user and the set-top box;
Published US Patent Application 20020129376 to Kitsukawa et al, which describes a virtual channel system for web appliance, including interactive television; US Patent 6,133,910 to Stinebruner, which describes a video system that utilizes a "virtual tuner" that integrates signals from multiple video sources to provide a plurality of "virtual channels", each of which has both a video source and a channel associated with it;
US Patent 5,485,221 to Banker et al, which describes a headend of a subscription television system that includes a video combiner that combines video signals from four separate programs into a composite video signal;
US Patent 6,727,960 to Seo, which describes television channel selection method and apparatus;
US Patent 6,732,369 to Schein et al, which describes systems and methods for providing television schedule information to a viewer;
US Patent 6,323,911 to Schein et al, which describes a television schedule system and method for displaying television schedule information on a television screen; and
US Patent 6,637,029 to Maissel, et al., which describes an intelligent electronic program guide that customizes program schedule information based on viewer preference profiles.
The disclosures of all references mentioned above and throughout the specification, as well as the disclosures of all references mentioned in those references, are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for television content organization and selection which makes content from different channels easily accessible to multiple viewers who share the same client-side device, works even with those client-side devices for which no return channel is provided, and gives more control of program selection to viewers than is currently available.
In one aspect of the present invention a method is provided for organizing television program content, the method including receiving metadata describing a plurality of television programs, storing a plurality of content group definitions at a client-side device, where each content group is defined by a set of metadata values, including any of the television programs in any of the content groups where metadata of any of the television programs match any of the sets of metadata values, and mapping any of the content groups to a user-defined channel at the client-side device.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a selection of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes applying a preference filter to any of the content groups, where the preference filter includes an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the applying step includes including in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the applying step includes excluding from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the applying step includes ranking any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes changing the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter. In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes applying the preference filter to the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
In another aspect of the present invention the including step includes including at least two clashing ones of the programs.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes automatically selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying details of the clashing programs, and receiving an instruction selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
In another aspect of the present invention a method is provided for organizing television program content, the method including receiving information relating to a plurality of television programs, where the information includes content metadata describing each of the programs, organizing any of the programs into a content group, where the content group is defined to include at least one metadata value against which individual programs are matched for inclusion into the content group, mapping the content group to a viewer-defined channel, where upon selection of the viewer-defined channel a program in the content group is selected for viewing, and applying a preference filter including an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group, where the preference filter is operative to affect which of the programs are included in the content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the applying step includes including in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the applying step includes excluding from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter. In another aspect of the present invention the applying step includes ranking any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes changing the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes displaying a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the method further includes applying the preference filter to the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
In another aspect of the present invention a system is provided for organizing television program content, the system including a client-side device for receiving metadata describing a plurality of television programs, a content-group organizer for storing a plurality of content group definitions, where each content group is defined by a set of metadata values and including any of the television programs in any of the content groups where metadata of any of the television programs match any of the sets of metadata values, and a mapper for mapping any of the content groups to a user-defined channel at the client-side device.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels. In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a selection of any of the programs in one of the content groups corresponding to a selected one of the user-defined channels.
Li another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a preference filter for filtering any of the content groups, where the preference filter includes an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to include in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to exclude from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to rank any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for changing the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to filter to the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
In another aspect of the present invention the content group organizer is operative to include at least two clashing ones of the programs. In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a selector for automatically selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying details of the clashing programs, and an instruction receiver for receiving an instruction selecting one of the clashing programs for display.
In another aspect of the present invention a smart content organizer system is provided including a client-side device operative to receive information relating to a plurality of television programs, where the information includes content metadata describing each of the programs, a content group organizer for organizing any of the programs into a content group, where the content group is defined to include at least one metadata value against which individual programs are matched for inclusion into the content group, a mapper for mapping the content group to a viewer-defined channel, where upon selection of the viewer-defined channel a program in the content group is selected for viewing, and a preference filter including an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for the content group, where the preference filter is operative to affect which of the programs are included in the content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to include in the filtered content group any of the programs not included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to exclude from the filtered content group any of the programs included in the content group prior to the application of the filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to rank any of the programs included in the filtered content group according to the degree by which the program metadata match the preference filter metadata values.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a listing of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a selection of any of the programs in the filtered content group.
In another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display for displaying a selection of one of the programs in the filtered content group whose metadata best match the preference filter metadata values. In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to change the set of metadata values defined for the content group to match the set of metadata values in the preference filter. hi another aspect of the present invention the system further includes a display operative to display a listing of any of the programs in the content group before and after application of the preference filter.
In another aspect of the present invention the preference filter is operative to filter the content group while any of the programs in the content group is displayed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
Fig. IA is a simplified conceptual illustration of a smart content organizer system, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. IB is a simplified flowchart illustration of an exemplary method of operation of the system of Fig. IA, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 2A - 2G are simplified illustrations of an exemplary implementation of interface 108 for managing content groups, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a simplified flowchart illustration of a method for filtering content groups, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
Figs. 4A - 4E are simplified illustrations of interface 108 in an exemplary implementation of the method of Fig. 3, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference is now made to Fig. IA, which is a simplified conceptual illustration of a smart content organizer system, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and additionally to Fig. IB, which is a simplified flowchart illustration of an exemplary method of operation of the system of Fig. IA. In Figs. IA and IB, information relating to television programs provided by a provider 100 of such content, such as a cable or satellite television provider, is provided to a client-side device 102, such as an STB or PVR, by provider 100 or another source. The received information typically includes content metadata 104 describing each program, such as the name of each program, its participants (e.g., names of actors, athletes), one or more genres that describe the content (e.g., movie, western, sports, adult, kids), etc. The programs may be organized into one or more content groups 106, where each content group includes one or more metadata values against which individual programs may be matched for inclusion into the content group. Content groups 106 may either be predefined and preinstalled with client-side device 102, may themselves be received from provider 100 or another source, or may be manually defined by the viewer who provides metadata value selections via an interface 108 provided by client-side device 102, such as may be displayed on a display 110, such as a television monitor, to which client-side device 102 is connected.
Programs from different content sources may be included in the same content group. Such content sources may include a cable source, a satellite source, an IP television (IPTV) source, a source transmitting in compliance with Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) specifications, and a source transmitting in compliance with Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) specifications.
Once a content group has been defined, client-side device 102 may be used to map a content group to a viewer-defined channel, either automatically or manually by the viewer. Upon selection of a viewer-defined channel, a program in the content group may be selected for viewing.
Reference is now made to Figs. 2A - 2G, which are simplified illustrations of an exemplary implementation of interface 108 for managing content groups, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In Figs. 2A - 2E a content group named "Dad" is defined to include programs having a genre metadata value of "Movies." Fig. 2C also shows that multiple content groups may be created for different family members. Fig. 2A also shows that a content group may be assigned a channel number on client-side device 102 to create a viewer-defined channel. Upon selection of a viewer-defined channel, client-side device 102 may determine which content group has been assigned to the viewer-defined channel and display on display 110 a currently-airing program that belongs to the content group. Additionally or alternatively, client-side device 102 may display programs belonging to the content group in a scrollable list in the order of the different program air times, such as interface 108 is shown in Fig. 2F, or as a horizontal time line of programs in the order of the different program air times, such as interface 108 is shown in Fig. 2G, which also shows overlapping programs to indicate overlapping air times or "clashes." The program listings of Figs. 2F and 2G may be displayed in the foreground on display 110 while a program appears in the background. If two or more programs clash at the time a viewer selects a viewer-defined channel, client- side device 102 may resolve the clash by selecting one of the programs at random for display, may select the program that is most similar to previously-viewed programs using any known similarity criteria, or may wait for the viewer to select one of the programs to view.
It will be appreciated that no return channel to provider 100 is necessary for creating and maintaining content groups.
Reference is now made to Fig. 3, which is a simplified flowchart illustration of a method for filtering content groups, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and additionally to Figs. 4A - 4E, which are simplified illustrations of interface 108 in an exemplary implementation of the method of Fig. 3, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the method of Fig. 3, a defined content group may be later modified by applying additional metadata criteria to and/or removing metadata criteria from the current list of content group metadata criteria. This may be done by defining a preference filter of such metadata criteria to be added and/or removed, and then applying the preference filter to the content group. Thus in Fig. 4A interface 108 is shown being accessed in the foreground of a currently displayed program, with interface 108 listing alternative programs in the currently selected content group. In Fig. 4B a filter interface 400 is shown providing a listing of metadata categories. Indicia 402, such as check boxes, may be provided for each metadata category to indicate whether or not the metadata category currently provides criteria for the current content group, and may be used to activate/deactivate metadata categories for the content group. A mechanism for drilling down into metadata categories may be provided, such as where the viewer may drill down into the "Actor" category to receive a list of actors currently appearing in other programs in the content group and who may then be added to and/or removed from the current content group. When the preference filter is applied, programs may be added to or removed from the content group if they do not meet all preference filter criteria, or may be ranked by the degree to which they meet the preference filter criteria. A filtered program listing 404 may then be provided, as is shown in Fig. 4C. The viewer may then select from among the filtered programs to be displayed. Alternatively, the program that best meets preference filter criteria may be automatically selected for display.
Figs. 4D and 4E present timeline views of a content group program listing before and after the application of a preference filter respectively, where the application of a preference filter in Fig. 4E has the result of reducing the number of programs in a filtered content group 406 available for viewing.
It will be appreciated that a preference filter may be temporarily applied to a content group, without changing the metadata criteria of the content group. Alternatively, a preference filter may be permanently applied to a content group, thereby changing the metadata criteria of the content group. Programs that do not meet the metadata criteria of a defined content group or the filtering criteria of a preference filter may be manually added to the content group. Different content groups may also be merged to create a new content group with combined metadata criteria.
It is appreciated that various features of the invention which are, for clarity, described in the contexts of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.
It is appreciated that one or more of the steps of any of the methods described herein may be omitted or carried out in a different order than that shown, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
While the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may or may not have been described with reference to specific computer hardware or software, it is appreciated that the methods and apparatus described herein may be readily implemented in computer hardware or software using conventional techniques.
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more specific embodiments, the description is intended to be illustrative of the invention as a whole and is not to be construed as limiting the invention to the embodiments shown. It is appreciated that various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art that, while not specifically shown herein, are nevertheless within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:
1. A method for organizing television program content, the method comprising: receiving metadata describing a plurality of television programs; storing a plurality of content group definitions at a client-side device, wherein each content group is defined by a set of metadata values; including any of said television programs in any of said content groups where metadata of any of said television programs match any of said sets of metadata values; and mapping any of said content groups to a user-defined channel at said client-side device.
2. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising displaying a listing of any of said programs in one of said content groups corresponding to a selected one of said user-defined channels.
3. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising displaying a selection of any of said programs in one of said content groups corresponding to a selected one of said user-defined channels.
4. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising applying a preference filter to any of said content groups, wherein said preference filter includes an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for said content group.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said applying step includes including in said filtered content group any of said programs not included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
6. A method according to claim 4 wherein said applying step includes excluding from said filtered content group any of said programs included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
7. A method according to claim 4 wherein said applying step includes ranking any of said programs included in said filtered content group according to the degree by which said program metadata match said preference filter metadata values.
8. A method according to claim 4 and further comprising displaying a listing of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
9. A method according to claim 4 and further comprising displaying a selection of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
10. A method according to claim 4 and further comprising displaying a selection of one of said programs in said filtered content group whose metadata best match said preference filter metadata values.
11. A method according to claim 4 and further comprising changing said set of metadata values defined for said content group to match said set of metadata values in said preference filter.
12. A method according to claim 4 and further comprising displaying a listing of any of said programs in said content group before and after application of said preference filter.
13. A method according to claim 4 and further comprising applying said preference filter to said content group while any of said programs in said content group is displayed.
14. A method according to claim 1 wherein said including step comprises including at least two clashing ones of said programs.
15. A method according to claim 14 and further comprising automatically selecting one of said clashing programs for display.
16. A method according to claim 14 and further comprising: displaying details of said clashing programs; and receiving an instruction selecting one of said clashing programs for display.
17. A method for organizing television program content, the method comprising: receiving information relating to a plurality of television programs, wherein said information includes content metadata describing each of said programs; organizing any of said programs into a content group, wherein said content group is defined to include at least one metadata value against which individual programs are matched for inclusion into said content group; mapping said content group to a viewer-defined channel, wherein upon selection of said viewer-defined channel a program in said content group is selected for viewing; and applying a preference filter including an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for said content group, wherein said preference filter is operative to affect which of said programs are included in said content group.
18. A method according to claim 17 wherein said applying step includes including in said filtered content group any of said programs not included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
19. A method according to claim 17 wherein said applying step includes excluding from said filtered content group any of said programs included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
20. A method according to claim 17 wherein said applying step includes ranking any of said programs included in said filtered content group according to the degree by which said program metadata match said preference filter metadata values.
21. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising displaying a listing of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
22. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising displaying a selection of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
23. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising displaying a selection of one of said programs in said filtered content group whose metadata best match said preference filter metadata values.
24. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising changing said set of metadata values defined for said content group to match said set of metadata values in said preference filter.
25. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising displaying a listing of any of said programs in said content group before and after application of said preference filter.
26. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising applying said preference filter to said content group while any of said programs in said content group is displayed.
27. A system for organizing television program content, the system comprising: a client-side device for receiving metadata describing a plurality of television programs; a content-group organizer for storing a plurality of content group definitions, wherein each content group is defined by a set of metadata values and including any of said television programs in any of said content groups where metadata of any of said television programs match any of said sets of metadata values; and a mapper for mapping any of said content groups to a user-defined channel at said client-side device.
28. A system according to claim 27 and further comprising a display for displaying a listing of any of said programs in one of said content groups corresponding to a selected one of said user-defined channels.
29. A system according to claim 27 and further comprising a display for displaying a selection of any of said programs in one of said content groups corresponding to a selected one of said user-defined channels.
30. A system according to claim 27 and further comprising a preference filter for filtering any of said content groups, wherein said preference filter includes an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for said content group.
31. A system according to claim 30 wherein said preference filter is operative to include in said filtered content group any of said programs not included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
32. A system according to claim 30 wherein said preference filter is operative to exclude from said filtered content group any of said programs included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
33. A system according to claim 30 wherein said preference filter is operative to rank any of said programs included in said filtered content group according to the degree by which said program metadata match said preference filter metadata values.
34. A system according to claim 30 and further comprising a display for displaying a listing of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
35. A system according to claim 30 and further comprising a display for displaying a selection of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
36. A system according to claim 30 and further comprising a display for displaying a selection of one of said programs in said filtered content group whose metadata best match said preference filter metadata values.
37. A system according to claim 30 and further comprising a display for changing said set of metadata values defined for said content group to match said set of metadata values in said preference filter.
38. A system according to claim 30 and further comprising a display for displaying a listing of any of said programs in said content group before and after application of said preference filter.
39. A system according to claim 30 wherein said preference filter is operative to filter said content group while any of said programs in said content group is displayed.
40. A system according to claim 27 wherein said content group organizer is operative to include at least two clashing ones of said programs.
41. A system according to claim 40 and further comprising a selector for automatically selecting one of said clashing programs for display.
42. A system according to claim 40 and further comprising: a display for displaying details of said clashing programs; and an instruction receiver for receiving an instruction selecting one of said clashing programs for display.
43. A smart content organizer system comprising: a client-side device operative to receive information relating to a plurality of television programs, wherein said information includes content metadata describing each of said programs; a content group organizer for organizing any of said programs into a content group, wherein said content group is defined to include at least one metadata value against which individual programs are matched for inclusion into said content group; a mapper for mapping said content group to a viewer-defined channel, wherein upon selection of said viewer-defined channel a program in said content group is selected for viewing; and a preference filter including an at least partially different set of metadata values from that defined for said content group, wherein said preference filter is operative to affect which of said programs are included in said content group.
44. A system according to claim 43 wherein said preference filter is operative to include in said filtered content group any of said programs not included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
45. A system according to claim 43 wherein said preference filter is operative to exclude from said filtered content group any of said programs included in said content group prior to said application of said filter.
46. A system according to claim 43 wherein said preference filter is operative to rank any of said programs included in said filtered content group according to the degree by which said program metadata match said preference filter metadata values.
47. A system according to claim 43 and further comprising a display for displaying a listing of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
48. A system according to claim 43 and further comprising a display for displaying a selection of any of said programs in said filtered content group.
49. A system according to claim 43 and further comprising a display for displaying a selection of one of said programs in said filtered content group whose metadata best match said preference filter metadata values.
50. A system according to claim 43 wherein said preference filter is operative to change said set of metadata values defined for said content group to match said set of metadata values in said preference filter.
51. A system according to claim 43 and further comprising a display operative to display a listing of any of said programs in said content group before and after application of said preference filter.
52. A system according to claim 43 wherein said preference filter is operative to filter said content group while any of said programs in said content group is displayed.
PCT/IL2005/000804 2004-12-08 2005-07-27 Smart content organizer system WO2006061816A2 (en)

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Citations (4)

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