Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080222673 | Systems, Methods, and Products for Presenting Content - Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for presenting content. Programming content is received having a program and program control data. The program control data may has a default setting followed by a data record comprising a rating value and a content attribute value. Program presentation preferences of a viewer are received that block or modify the program. When, however, the rating value and the content attribute value are missing from the data record, and when the default setting equals or exceeds the program presentation preferences, then modification of the program is not allowed. An instruction to modify the program is, instead, interpreted as another instruction to block the program from presentation. | 09-11-2008 |
20080307469 | System and Method for Content Transmission Network Selection - A content transmission selection system is disclosed. The content transmission selection system receives requests from viewers for specific video content items. Using characteristics of the designated content item, the content transmission selection system determines whether to transmit the content item over a broadcast network or a broadband network. | 12-11-2008 |
20090070225 | Methods, Systems, and Products for Classifying Subscribers - Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for classifying a subscriber. An event record is formed comprising at least one command from at least one subscriber and a time associated with the at least one command. Data describing the at least one event record is merged with data describing media programming to form data describing an event timeline that describes the at least one command and the media programming selected by the at least one subscriber over a period of time. Purchasing data describing the at least one subscriber's purchase is retrieved and compared to the data describing the event timeline. The at least one subscriber is classified in a category when the data describing the event timeline indicates that the at least one subscriber viewed an advertisement and the purchasing data indicates that the at least one subscriber afterwards purchased an advertised product or service. | 03-12-2009 |
20090254936 | Set Top Box With Firewall - A set top box with a firewall is disclosed. The set top box uses two separate ports to communicate with two respective communications networks. The first port communicates with the first network to receive programming information and the second port communicates with the second network to receive information. A firewall, in communication with one of the ports, is capable of receiving and analyzing information from the port. The firewall helps to prevent harmful or unauthorized information from reaching other components of the set top box. The firewall can receive information before other components associated with the set top box and the firewall can include various different forms of filtering. | 10-08-2009 |
20090292703 | Methods, Systems, and Products for Developing Tailored Content - Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for developing tailored content. A selection of content is received. Content information is received that describes the selected content. Clickstream data is received that describes at least one subscriber's action while receiving the selected content. A category is assigned to the selected content information. The content information is merged with the clickstream data to create content-choice information, and the content-choice information is stored in a database. The database is queried to obtain the content-choice information matching a search query. | 11-26-2009 |
20100088725 | Methods And Systems For Providing Information About Programs Available For Viewing - A user interface is presented on a monitor of a media device for providing information about available programs. The user interface includes an array having three columns (channel, current show, and next show) with commonly aligned rows. Each row of the channel column includes an indicator. Each row of the current show column includes a title naming a program currently available on a channel of the media device corresponding to the indicator in a commonly aligned row of the channel column. Each row of the next show column includes a title naming a show available after the current program on the same channel. The currently available program may be displayed on the monitor in response to a viewer selected row, indicator, and/or title in the array. | 04-08-2010 |
20100100435 | Methods, Systems, and Products for Classifying Subscribers - Methods, systems, and products classify subscribers based on viewing habits. An event record is stored that associates a command entered by a subscriber to a time. The event record is merged with data describing media programming to form event timeline data describing the at least one command and the media programming selected by the subscriber over a period of time. Credit card purchasing data is retrieved that describes the subscriber's credit card purchases. The event timeline data is compared to the credit card purchasing data. The subscriber is classified in a category associated with a product or service when the event timeline data indicates that the subscriber viewed an advertisement and afterwards purchased the product or service. | 04-22-2010 |
20100191601 | Methods, Systems, and Products for Targeting Advertisements - Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for targeting advertisements. Clickstream data is received that describes at least subscriber actions. Content information is received that describes what content is available. A criterion is also received for determining which subscribers should receive a targeted advertisement. The clickstream data is merged with the content information to generate data describing at least one event timeline. When the data describing the at least one event timeline matches the at least one criterion, then at least one subscriber is targeted to receive the advertisement. | 07-29-2010 |
20100299695 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO REMOTELY MANAGE AND AUDIT SET TOP BOX RESOURCES - A system and method for determining the resources available or used in a remote device is disclosed. The system can be used to determine whether the remote device is using expected resources as originally configured or to determine whether resources are available to support new or extended services. The method can be used to configure or reconfigure the remote device for its intended use or as reconfigure a remote device for new, different or extended purposes. | 11-25-2010 |
20110178877 | Advertising and content management systems and methods - A method for advertising management is disclosed in which a new pricing methodology is employed whereby advertising and content categorized may be overridden by an advertiser desiring to pay a premium. The method involves an advertiser, desiring to override a scheduled advertisement, contacting a network provider and replacing the scheduled advertisement if a series of checkpoints are satisfied. The method further includes making replacement decisions based upon marketing tools such as programming ratings collection and analysis systems. A system for replacing a scheduled advertisement using an interactive server operable for managing advertisements, receiving and responding to requests, storing data, and inserting advertisements into a schedule based on the new pricing methodology is also disclosed. | 07-21-2011 |
20110321080 | Systems, Methods, and Products for Presenting Content - Methods, systems, and products modify and/or block content. A program is received, along with a default rating of the program and dynamic ratings of portions of the program. A preference is received from memory to at least one of block and modify the program. When a dynamic rating is missing for a portion of the program, then revert to the default rating and block the portion of the program from presentation. | 12-29-2011 |
20120124090 | Method and System for Targeted Content Distribution Using Tagged Data Streams - Methods, systems, and products target content based on profiles. A content tag associated with a content item is received and compared to a profile tag. When no match occurs, and the user profile contains no more profile tags, then another content tag is retrieved and successively compared to the profile tags until a match occurs. A score is incremented when the match occurs, and the score is compared to a threshold value. When the score satisfies the threshold value, then the content item is appropriate for presentation. | 05-17-2012 |
20120246001 | Methods, Systems, and Products for Targeting Advertisements - Methods, systems, and products target advertisements to users. Clickstream data is received and compared to a purchase history. When a common attribute is determined, an advertisement associated with the attribute is retrieved and targeted to a user. | 09-27-2012 |
20120260279 | Methods, Systems, and Products for Tailored Content - Methods, systems, and products tailor content to users. Clickstream data is merged with a user attribute and content information. A merged record is compared to advertising attributes of advertisements. When the merged record matches an advertising attribute, an advertisement associated with the advertising attribute is retrieved and sent to the user. | 10-11-2012 |
20130014166 | Method And Systems For Providing Information About Programs Available For Viewing - A user interface is presented on a monitor of a media device for providing information about available programs. The user interface includes an array having three columns (channel, current show, and next show) with commonly aligned rows. Each row of the channel column includes an indicator. Each row of the current show column includes a title naming a program currently available on a channel of the media device corresponding to the indicator in a commonly aligned row of the channel column. Each row of the next show column includes a title naming a show available after the current program on the same channel. The currently available program may be displayed on the monitor in response to a viewer selected row, indicator, and/or title in the array. | 01-10-2013 |
20130227611 | Method and system for tracking network use - An interactive media delivery system enables interactive media programming to a multimedia device and also tracks a subscriber's use of the multimedia device. For example, the device tracks events, such as a change in programming, a change in channel selection, and/or the subscriber's interaction with a particular interactive services application. Each event may be stored as an event record in a database, and one or more of the event records may be merged with content data to form event timelines of programming or other activity to the multimedia device over a selected time period. Further, timelines may be analyzed to generate ratings and other information about programming and may also be correlated with demographics data for marketing analysis. | 08-29-2013 |
20150020108 | Methods And Systems For Providing Information About Programs Available for Viewing - A user interface is presented on a monitor of a media device for providing information about available programs. The user interface includes an array having three columns (channel, current show, and next show) with commonly aligned rows. Each row of the channel column includes an indicator. Each row of the current show column includes a title naming a program currently available on a channel of the media device corresponding to the indicator in a commonly aligned row of the channel column. Each row of the next show column includes a title naming a show available after the current program on the same channel. The currently available program may be displayed on the monitor in response to a viewer selected row, indicator, and/or title in the array. | 01-15-2015 |