# US 2014/0157307 A1 · Method and apparatus for delivery of programs and metadata to provide user alerts to tune to corresponding program channels before high interest events occur during playback of programs > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0157307 A1 - Document ID: US20140157307A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/233,544 - Filed: 2012-07-20 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-21 - Assignees: Sirius XM Radio Inc. - Inventors: Stuart Anderson Cox - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140157307A1 ## CPC - H04N 21/478: Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application - H04N 21/4331: {Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback} - H04N 21/435: Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream - H04N 21/454: Content {or additional data} filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements - H04N 21/47214: {for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market (stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224)} - H04N 21/8133: {specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video programme} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Systems, methods and devices are provided to alert a user of content delivered on multiple channels to events of interest occurring on channels other than the channel being listened to or viewed. Playback of content in which an event of interest or key event has occurred is time-shifted or delayed at the content transmission source or at the user device. Metadata that identifies events of interest in the content is transmitted to the user device. The user device generates alerts to the user based on the metadata in sufficient lead time to enable the user to not only tune to a channel on which an event of interest is occurring, but to do so sufficiently in advance of an event of interest so as to hear and/or see relevant portions of the content leading up to and/or following such an event ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of alerting a user of a currently tuned channel to events of interest occurring on other currently available channels: receiving at a receiver at least one transmitted stream comprising a program channel and playing back the program channel to the user as the currently tuned channel; receiving metadata indicating a key event in another program channel; delaying the other program channel a designated amount of time; and generating at the receiver at least one of a visible and audible alert relating to the key event in response to receiving the key event indication in the metadata; wherein the designated amount of time comprises at least a period of time that enables the user to tune to the other channel prior to playback of the key event. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising the receiver switching to the other program channel in response to the alert, wherein switching is one of automatically performed in response to the alert, and performed manually in accordance with a user input. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising continuing to play the currently tuned channel when the user ignores the alert and provides no user input to switch to the other program channel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the other program channel is currently available for transmission to the receiver, and is transmitted to the receiver in the at least one stream or via another stream. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the other program channel is in the at least one stream and the receiver demultiplexes the other program channel therefrom for playback in response to the alert. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the designated amount of time comprises a period of time that enables the receiver to playback a selected amount of the other program channel that precedes the key event. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the delay is provided to the other program channel at its transmission source. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the delay is provided to the other program channel by buffering the other program channel at the receiver as it is received. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein delaying comprises buffering the other program channel at the receiver in a buffer having first in first out (FIFO) operation. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, in the buffered program channel, a buffered playback point that is delayed from real-time reception of the other program channel by at least the designated amount of time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the buffered playback point is delayed from real-time reception of the other program channel by an amount of time that depends on at least one of type of key event, type of program, and time value provided in the metadata. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the buffer is sized to cache the key event and a selected amount of time preceding the key event in the other channel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the buffer is sized to cache a selected amount of time following the key event. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein buffering comprises buffering multiple other channels received simultaneously. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising dynamically allocating memory among the multiple buffered channels depending on at least one of type of key event, type of program, and time value provided in the metadata for the respective multiple other channels. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising designating at the receiver which currently available channels on one or more streams to buffer based on at least one of user input and automatic determination based on history of channel use at the receiver. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein generating an alert comprises determining at the receiver if the received metadata relates to a channel of interest to user based on the designated channels. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata is transmitted via the at least one stream or in a separate stream. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the channels and metadata can be transmitted using the same or different transmission modes selected from the group consisting of at least one of broadcast, multicast, unicast, satellite transmission, terrestrial wireless system, FM radio transmission, HD radio transmission, cable television carrier, streamed over an internet, cellular communication, dedicated IP connection, and wireline communication. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata identifies a channel in which a key event is occurring. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata is received at the receiver in real-time with respect to occurrence of the key event in the other program channel, and the other program channel is delayed using one of transmission delay from the source of the other program channel, and buffering the other program channel as it is received at the receiver. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, where the receiver is selected from the group consisting of a radio receiver for at least one of AM, FM, HD and SDARS programming, a computer, a personal computer, a laptop, a portable programmable computing device, a mobile phone, a television, and a personal navigation device. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, where the channels can provide content type selected from the group of audio, video, image, text, data, and graphics. ### Claim 24 In a receiver arranged to receive a multiple channel broadcast or multiple channel content delivery streaming service, a method of alerting a user of the receiver to events of interest occurring on channels other than the currently tuned channel, comprising: receiving data comprising at least one regular audio or video program channel, decoding and playing the content of said regular channel to a user; receiving data comprising at least one alert supported audio or video program channel, and metadata associated with said at least one alert supported program channel, said metadata comprising information regarding a key event; decoding and buffering the content of said at least one alert supported channel in a buffer so that it can be played back to a user with a time delay; decoding the metadata of said at least one alert supported channel and generating at least one of a visual and audible alert relating to the key event for each alert supported channel. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising switching to the alert supported program channel identified in the alert and playing back said channel from the buffer at a playpoint that begins prior to the key event. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, wherein said switching is one of automatically performed in response to the alert, and performed upon receipt of a user signal to switch to the alert supported signal. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, further comprising continuing to play the regular channel if the user ignores the alert and provides no user signal. ### Claim 28 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein said visual alert is provided on a display of the receiver, and said audible alert provided via a speaker. ### Claim 29 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the alert supported program channel is transmitted to the receiver in one of a same stream as the regular channel or via another stream. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29, wherein the alert supported channel and the regular channel are received in the same stream, and the receiver demultiplexes the alert supported channel therefrom for playback in response to the alert. ### Claim 31 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein said buffer has a first in first out (FIFO) operation. ### Claim 32 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, wherein the playpoint is delayed from real-time reception of the alert supported channel by an amount of time that depends on at least one of type of key event, type of content on said channel, and timing data provided in the metadata. ### Claim 33 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the buffer is sized to cache said key event for each of said at least one alert supported channel beginning from a defined interval preceding the key event. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The method of claim 33, wherein the buffer is sized to further cache a defined time interval following the key event. ### Claim 35 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein, for multiple alert supported channels, said buffering comprises buffering all of said multiple alert supported channels. ### Claim 36 (depends on 35) The method of claim 35, further comprising dynamically allocating memory among the multiple buffered channels depending on at least one of type of key event, type of content on channel, and timing data provided in the metadata for the respective multiple alert supported channels. ### Claim 37 (depends on 35) The method of claim 35, further comprising designating at the receiver an alert supported channel based on at least one of user input and automatic determination based on history of channel use at the receiver. ### Claim 38 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the metadata is received at the receiver in real-time with respect to occurrence of the key event in the other program channel ### Claim 39 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the metadata for said at least one alert supported channel is transmitted together with, or separate from, said data comprising at least one alert supported audio or video channel. ### Claim 40 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the metadata identifies an alert supported channel in which a key event is occurring. ### Claim 41 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the channels and metadata can be transmitted using the same or different transmission modes selected from the group consisting of at least one of broadcast, multicast, unicast, satellite transmission, terrestrial wireless system, FM radio transmission, HD radio transmission, cable television carrier, streamed over an internet, cellular communication, dedicated IP connection, and wireline communication. ### Claim 42 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, where the receiver is selected from the group consisting of a radio receiver for at least one of AM, FM, HD and SDARS programming, a computer, a personal computer, a laptop, a portable programmable computing device, a mobile phone, a television, and a personal navigation device. ### Claim 43 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, where the channels can provide content type selected from the group of audio, video, image, text, data, and graphics. ### Claim 44 In a receiver arranged to receive a multiple channel broadcast or multiple channel content delivery streaming service, a method of alerting a user of the receiver to events of interest occurring on channels other than the currently tuned channel, comprising: receiving data comprising at least one regular audio or video program channel, decoding and playing the content of said regular channel to a user; receiving metadata associated with at least one alert supported program channel, said metadata comprising information regarding a key event; decoding the metadata of said at least one alert supported channel and generating at least one of a visual and audible alert relating to the key event for each alert supported channel. ### Claim 45 (depends on 44) The method of claim 44, further comprising: receiving delayed audio or video program data for said at least one alert supported channel; and switching to the alert supported program channel identified in the alert and playing said channel, from a playpoint prior to the key event. ### Claim 46 (depends on 45) The method of claim 45, wherein the delay is provided to the alert supported program channel at its transmission source. ### Claim 47 (depends on 46) The method of claim 46, wherein said switching is one of automatically performed in response to the alert, and performed upon receipt of a user signal to switch to the alert supported signal.