| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090112930 | PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS FOR ENHANCING AN ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE - A process of displaying program information on a viewing screen may include: providing an electronic programming guide, the electronic program guide divided into timeslots containing program information; displaying program information from the displayed timeslots on a viewing screen; providing a link to additional information, the link associated with the program information of a particular timeslot; and displaying the additional information upon receiving a user input while displaying the program information of a particular timeslot. A related system may include: a client device configured to receive and display audio-visual programs; an electronic programming guide including a link to additional information associated with the program information of a particular timeslot; and a processor configured to display program information from the displayed timeslots on a viewing screen and to display the additional information on the viewing screen upon receiving a user input while the program information of the particular timeslot is displayed. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20100130141 | Account Tracking System - The present invention is directed to a system and method for identifying and responding to missing or absent receivers. The invention includes determining, at a particular receiver that is a member of a group of receivers, that one member of the group is currently or was at a particular time missing, absent or otherwise unresponsive. Embodiments of the invention are directed to notifying a service provider of a receiver status or absence, which, in response, may take one of a number of predetermined actions. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100131968 | Account-Specific Encryption Key - One embodiment takes the form of a method and apparatus for creating a customer-specific encryption key for encrypting digital information. The encryption key may be based on a customer number and may be associated with several devices such that the devices may encrypt and decrypt the digital information. Because each device may have the same encryption key, the encrypted data may be encrypted by a first device, transferred from the first device to a second device and decrypted and read by the second device. Thus, encrypted digital information may be shared between devices that generate a customer-specific encryption key from a common customer number. In one embodiment, the customer-specific encryption key may be utilized by a set-top box of a television system to encrypt and decrypt a digitally recorded television program. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100325649 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUDITING AUTHORIZATION OF A SERVICE USING DISPLAYED WATERMARKS - Auditing systems and methods detect access authorization of a media device for a service during an audit. An exemplary embodiment receives an audit trigger at a media device communicating the service to a media presentation device, determines whether the media device is authorized to communicate the service to the media presentation device, and communicates a security watermark from the media device to the media presentation device. The security watermark is displayed on a display of the media presentation device and indicates authorization to access the service to an auditor performing the audit. | 12-23-2010 |