| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080288460 | MULTIMEDIA CONTENT SEARCH AND RECORDING SCHEDULING SYSTEM - Techniques described herein enable searching for multimedia content and for downloading or scheduling the recording of the multimedia content. The multimedia content may have been previously stored on one or more databases. The client device may download or schedule the recording of multimedia content in one step, for example, in one touch. When desired multimedia content is not available, the multimedia content is added to the client device's wish list. When the client device's does not have a wish list, the client device's wish list may be created on the spot. During the scheduling of the recording, a tag associated with the multimedia content is checked to determine whether the multimedia content is live or delayed. When the tag indicates the multimedia content is live or delayed, the client device prompts with a suggestion to add extra time to the end of the recording of the multimedia content. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20080288461 | SWIVEL SEARCH SYSTEM - A method and apparatus for performing an integrated search is provided. An interface is provided that allows users to search and select any data related to a searchable term. Searchable terms may comprise titles of content, actors, and tags. Upon receiving results from the initial search, the user progresses through the initial search by selecting a result from the initial search and conducting a further search of that selection. The search may progress through many layers of searching in order to find information useful to the user and the user may perform actions based upon results of the search. The search implements a display with two columns, the first column displaying selectable data, and the second column displaying results to the selected data. The search is further customizable based upon a privacy level selected by the user. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20090240692 | HIERARCHICAL TAGS WITH COMMUNITY-BASED RATINGS - A method for generating and maintaining hierarchical tags with community-based ratings is provided. Tags for media streams are organized into a hierarchical format. Users may select tags from the hierarchical tag database that describes a particular multimedia content. If the user is unable to locate a desired tag, the user may submit a new tag. Upon submission of the new tag, a librarian approves the tag before storing and placing the tag in the hierarchical tag database. Users are also able to rate the quality of the association between the tag and the multimedia content. If a tag is rated low, the tag may be removed from the hierarchical tag database. If the tag is rated highly, display of the tag in a list of tags becomes more prominent. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090256718 | MULTIMEDIA MOBILE PERSONALIZATION SYSTEM - A multimedia mobile personalization system provides a remote control that detects a user's electronic tag, e.g. an RFID tag. The remote control notifies a multimedia device of the user's identity. The multimedia devices tailors it operations to the user's preferences stored locally. Multimedia content such as broadcast or recorded television programs, music play lists, and the like could be sorted, displayed, or restricted, depending on the user identifier. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090259939 | MULTIMEDIA MOBILE PERSONALIZATION SYSTEM - A multimedia mobile personalization system provides a remote control that detects a user's electronic tag, e.g. an RFID tag. The remote control notifies a multimedia device of the user's identity. The multimedia devices tailors it operations to the user's preferences stored locally. Multimedia content such as broadcast or recorded television programs, music play lists, and the like could be sorted, displayed, or restricted, depending on the user identifier. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20100040345 | AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF PROGRAM SUBJECT MATTER AND SCHEDULING PADDING - A DVR user instructs the DVR to record a program. The DVR determines whether the program is of a particular type. If the program is of the particular type, then the DVR presents, to the DVR user, a user interface that enables the DVR user to alter the parameters of the time interval during which the DVR will record the program. After the user has modified the recording time parameters (e.g., start and end recording times) for the program using DVR-presented user interfaces, the DVR stores the modified recording time parameters on the DVR's hard disk drive. The DVR then automatically records the program, beginning and ending at the stored times as modified by the DVR user (rather than the EPG data-specified times). | 02-18-2010 |
| 20100198822 | METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR ADAPTIVE SEARCH - A method and apparatus for an adaptive search user interface is provided. An interface is provided that returns search results upon receiving each alphanumeric character of a search query term. Correlations of prefixes of alphanumeric characters and search results selected from previous searches are stored in a correlation matrix. Based upon the correlations in the correlation matrix, relevance rankings for search results with respect to the prefixes of alphanumeric characters are updated. Search results may be grouped based upon one or more common traits. Relevance rankings are also updated based upon the rate of change of selections recorded for a search result. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100293579 | Correlation of Media Metadata Gathered From Diverse Sources - A DVR, server, or other agent correlates media metadata from diverse sources, like an EPG data provider and multiple video-on-demand (VOD) service providers. Metadata sets from different sources are compared in order to attempt to identify identical programs to which the metadata sets pertain. From at least one metadata set, information about the program that the other metadata set lacks is selected. A “canonical” data structure instance for the program is created. The information that is lacking from at least one of the metadata sources is inserted into that instance. For each source from which a program is available, the DVR stores the identity of that source on the DVR's persistent storage device in association with the canonical data structure instance for that program. The DVR receives search criteria from a user and then searches the stored canonical data structure instance for programs that satisfy the criteria. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100319014 | Multimedia Mobile Personalization System - A multimedia mobile personalization system allows a user to record and play multimedia content on a set top box at a location other than his home using the user's preferences from his home DVR. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20110067048 | CUSTOMIZING DVR FUNCTIONALITY - Techniques described herein enable parents to establish a child-protective “kids zone” on a DVR. According to one technique, a DVR receives, from a parent, identities of content items that the parent does not want children to view. The DVR maps the identities to a kids zone. During times that the DVR is set to operate in the kids zone operational mode, the DVR prevents itself from presenting any content items that are associated with the identities. However, during these times, the DVR still may obtain and store these content items. At other times, during which the DVR is not set to operate in the kids zone operational mode, the DVR may allow itself to present the content items that are associated with the identities, including content items that the DVR obtained and stored during times that the DVR was set to operate in the kids zone operational mode. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110154407 | Broadcast Program Recording Overrun and Underrun Scheduling System - A broadcast program recording overrun and underrun scheduling system provides a system for adjusting the start and end times of a broadcast program's recording schedule that has a start and end broadcast time. The viewer selects a particular broadcast program to record from the program guide using a remote input device. The system schedules the broadcast program to be recorded by inserting the program's information such as program identifier, start and end times, and storage duration into a recording schedule database. The system allows the viewer to adjust the scheduled start and/or end recording times for a broadcast program by specifying the time increment to add or subtract from the start and/or end recording times of a specific program or series of programs. | 06-23-2011 |
