# US 12,010,193 B2 · Methods and systems for alerting users regarding availability of unconsumed content

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,010,193 B2
- Document ID: US12010193B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/858,264
- Filed: 2022-07-06
- Published: 2023-02-02
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2016-06-29
- Assignees: Rovi Guides, Inc.
- Applicants: Rovi Guides, Inc.
- Inventors: Sakura Saito
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12010193B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/00: Administration; Management
- G06F 21/10: Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material (protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16) {; Digital rights management [DRM]}
- G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
- G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q 30/0207: Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q 30/0224: {based on user history}
- H04L 65/612: for unicast
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46)
- H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
- H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)}
- H04L 67/55: Push-based network services
- H04L 67/60: Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources (admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70)
- H04N 21/2407: {Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads (arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14)}
- H04N 21/2541: {Rights Management (protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)}
- H04N 21/2543: Billing {, e.g. for subscription services (payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21)}
- H04N 21/25808: {Management of client data (terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303)}
- H04N 21/25825: {involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone (optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06)}
- H04N 21/25833: {involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities (allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055)}
- H04N 21/25866: {Management of end-user data (customer care in data networks H04L41/5077)}
- H04N 21/2743: Video hosting of uploaded data from client
- H04N 21/41422: {located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle (arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62)}
- H04N 21/4335: Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions {(storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90)}
- H04N 21/44204: {Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31)}
- H04N 21/4424: {Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used (error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04)}
- H04N 21/4432: {Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server (resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57)}
- H04N 21/4438: {Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface}
- H04N 21/4524: {involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00)}
- H04N 21/4583: {Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programmes in the same time slot}
- H04N 21/4627: Rights management {associated to the content (security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)}
- H04N 21/47217: {for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks (specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312)}
- H04N 21/4882: {for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895)}
- H04N 21/6125: {involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82)}
- H04N 21/6175: {involving transmission via Internet (broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82)}
- H04N 21/8456: {by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments}
- H04N 21/26283: {for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic programme guide data}
- H04N 21/462: Content or additional data management e.g. creating a master electronic programme guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end or controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
- H04N 21/47202: {for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand}
- H04N 21/6587: Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Methods and systems are described for a media guidance application that limits the incentive for authorized users to share content with unauthorized users, while still allowing users to access content virtually anywhere. Specifically, the media guidance application allows an authorized user to receive only a portion of a media asset that he or she is authorized to access on a different device, after a designated time period, and/or when the remaining portion of the media asset is inaccessible.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for alerting users regarding availability of unconsumed content, the method comprising:
generating for display a media asset on a first device;
estimating using processing circuitry, based on a user's viewing progress, a completion date on which a user will complete viewing the media asset;
determining whether the completion date falls within a time period during which the media asset is available to the user; and
in response to the determining that the completion date falls outside the time period;
retrieving access authorization data for a user profile associated with the user's viewing progress;
determining, based on the access authorization data, that unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is authorized for consumption on a second device distinct from the first device; and
in response to the determining that the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is authorized for consumption on the second device, generating for display an indication that a portion of the media asset corresponding to the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is available for download to the second device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the media asset is a series comprising a plurality of episodes;
estimating the completion date comprises determining a portion of the series consumed by the user during a single viewing session and determining a number of viewing sessions required to consume all remaining portions of the series.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein:
estimating the completion date further comprises determining a frequency at which the user conducts the viewing sessions; and
the completion date is estimated based on a current date and the determined frequency.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
estimating the date of completion comprises dividing the amount of unconsumed content by a rate at which the user views the media asset.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the media asset is a series of media content; and
estimating the date of completion comprises:
determining a length of the series of media content;
determining an amount of time required to consume the entire series of media content based on a rate at which the user consumes the series of media content and the length of the series of media content;
adding the determined amount of time to a current date.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein an end of the time period corresponds to a date associated with release of new media content in the series.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein an end of the time period corresponds to a date associated with release of new media content in the series.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
in response to a user selection to download the unconsumed content, creating a new media asset corresponding to the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset for download.

### Claim 9

A system for alerting users regarding availability of unconsumed content, the system comprising:
input/output circuitry; and
processing circuitry configured to:
cause to generate for display a media asset;
estimate, based on a user's viewing progress, a completion date on which a user will complete viewing the media asset;
determine whether the completion date falls within a time period during which the media asset is available to the user; and
in response to the determining that the completion date falls outside the time period;
retrieve access authorization data for a user profile associated with the user's viewing progress;
determine, based on the access authorization data, that unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is authorized for consumption on a second device distinct from the first device; and
in response to the determining that the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is authorized for consumption on the second device, generate for display to a first device an indication that a portion of the media asset, corresponding to the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset, is available for download to a second device.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the media asset is a series comprising a plurality of episodes, and the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate the completion date by determining a portion of the series of media content consumed by the user during a single viewing session and determine a number of viewing sessions required to consume all remaining portions of the series of media content.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate the completion date based on a current date and a frequency at which the user conducts the viewing sessions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate the date of completion by dividing an amount of the unconsumed media content by a rate at which the user views the media content.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the media asset is a series of media content; and the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate the date of completion by:
determining a length of the series of media content;
determining an amount of time required to consume the entire series of media content based on a rate at which the user consumes the series of media content and the length of the series of media content; and
adding the determined amount of time to a current date.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein an end of the time period corresponds to a date associated with release of new media content in the series.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
in response to a user selection to download the unconsumed content, create a new media asset corresponding to the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset for download.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is authorized for consumption one time or a specified number of times on the second device.