# US 2014/0157327 A1 · Systems and methods for presenting media program accessibility information > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0157327 A1 - Document ID: US20140157327A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/042,706 - Filed: 2013-09-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Verizon and Redbox Digital Entertainment Services, LLC - Applicants: Verizon and Redbox Digital Entertainment Services, LLC - Inventors: Brian F. Roberts; Imran Arif Maskatia; Paul Bradley Bowers - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140157327A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/0481: based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06Q 30/0607: {Regulating the sale of restricted items, e.g. alcohol} - G06Q 30/0609: {Qualifying participants for shopping transactions (payment transaction verification G06Q20/401)} - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04N 21/218: Source of audio or video content {, e.g. local disk arrays (details of retrieval in video databases G06F16/739)} - 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 21/27: Server based end-user applications - H04N 21/472: End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content {(end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612)} - H04N 21/47202: {for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand} - 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 21/4722: for requesting additional data associated with the content - H04N 21/482: End-user interface for programme selection - 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 21/20: Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof - H04N 21/40: Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - 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 - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An exemplary method includes a media service provider system 1) detecting a request for information about a media program, 2) providing, for display on a display screen in response to the request, an information view for the media program that includes the information about the media program, 3) providing, for display in the information view, a first user-selectable icon associated with one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a first media distribution channel, and 4) providing, for display in the information view, a second user-selectable icon positioned adjacent to the first user-selectable icon and associated with one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a second media distribution channel that is different from the first media distribution channel. Corresponding systems and methods are also described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: detecting, by a media service provider system, a request for information about a media program; providing, by the media service provider system for display on a display screen in response to the request, an information view for the media program that includes the information about the media program; providing, by the media service provider system for display in the information view, a first user-selectable icon associated with a first set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a first media distribution channel; and providing, by the media service provider system for display in the information view, a second user-selectable icon positioned adjacent to the first user-selectable icon and associated with a second set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a second media distribution channel that is different from the first media distribution channel; wherein the providing of the first user-selectable icon comprises dynamically selecting the first set of one or more options based on one or more media program access factors and associating the first set of one or more options with the first user-selectable icon. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the second user-selectable icon comprises dynamically selecting the second set of one or more options based on one or more media program access factors and associating the second set of one or more options with the second user-selectable icon. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media program access factors include one or more of a user account subscription status, a media program content status, a user device capability, and an available media format of the media program. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the media service provider system for display together with the first user-selectable icon and the second user-selectable icon in the information view, an availability indicator that indicates an availability of the media program based on the one or more media program access factors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the availability indicator is a textual notification indicating a suggested action for a user to take with respect to the media program. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the availability indicator is provided for display adjacent to one of the first user-selectable icon and the second user-selectable icon in the information view. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: detecting, by the media service provider system, a user selection of one of the first user-selectable icon, the second user-selectable icon, and the availability indicator; and facilitating, by the media service provider system in response to the user selection, user access to the media program. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first media distribution channel is a digital media distribution channel through which the media program is digitally distributed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of the first media distribution channel are accessible by way of a drop down menu associated with the first user-selectable icon and include at least one of an option to rent the media program, an option to buy the media program, and an option for subscription access to the media program. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second distribution channel is a kiosk-based distribution channel through which the media program is accessible to a user by way of a kiosk that vends a physical copy of the media program. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein: the physical copy of the media program comprises at least one of a first format of computer-readable disc and a second format of computer readable disc; and the second set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of the second media distribution channel are accessible by way of a drop down menu associated with the second user-selectable icon and include at least one of an option to find the first format of computer-readable disc and an option to find the second format of computer-readable disc at an available kiosk location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium. ### Claim 13 A method comprising: detecting, by a media service provider system, a request for information about a media program; providing, by the media service provider system for display on a display screen in response to the request, an information view for the media program that includes the information about the media program; providing, by the media service provider system for display in the information view, a first user-selectable icon associated with a first set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a first media distribution channel; providing, by the media service provider system for display in the information view, a second user-selectable icon positioned adjacent to the first user-selectable icon and associated with a second set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a second media distribution channel that is different from the first media distribution channel; selecting, by the media service provider system based on one or more media program access factors, a preferred media program access option; and providing, by the media service provider system for display together with the first user-selectable icon and the second user-selectable icon in the information view, a graphical object indicating the preferred media program access option, the graphical object configured to be selected with a single user input to initiate access to the media program by way of the preferred media program access option. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more media program access factors include one or more of a user account subscription status, a media program content status, a user device capability, and an available format of the media program. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the providing of the graphical object indicating the preferred media program access option comprises: selecting, based on the one or more media program access factors, the preferred media program access option from the first set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of the first media distribution channel; and providing the graphical icon for display as part of the first user-selectable icon. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the providing of the graphical object indicating the preferred media program access option comprises: selecting, based on the one or more media program access factors, the preferred media program access option from the second set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of the second media distribution channel; and providing the graphical icon for display as part of the second user-selectable icon. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the first media distribution channel is a digital media distribution channel through which the media program is digitally distributed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the first user-selectable icon includes a split functionality in which a first portion of the first user-selectable icon is mapped to the preferred media program access option and a second portion of the first user-selectable icon is mapped to a drop down menu of the first set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of the first media distribution channel. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the first set of one or more options for accessing the first media distribution channel includes at least one of an option to rent the media program, an option to buy the media program, and an option for subscription access to the media program. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the first preferred media program access option includes a watch now option that, in response to a receipt of the single user input selecting the watch now option, initiates a playback of the media program on the display screen. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the second user-selectable icon includes a split functionality in which a first portion of the second user-selectable icon is mapped to the preferred media program access option and a second portion of the second user-selectable icon is mapped to a drop down menu of the second set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of the second media distribution channel. ### Claim 22 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the second distribution channel is a media vending kiosk-based distribution channel through which the media program is accessible to a user by way of a kiosk that vends a physical copy of the media program. ### Claim 23 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium. ### Claim 24 A system comprising: a processor; and a user interface facility that directs the processor to provide, in a graphical user interface (“GUI”), an information view for a media program, the information view including information about the media program, a first user-selectable icon associated with a first set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a first media distribution channel, and a second user-selectable icon positioned adjacent to the first user-selectable icon and associated with a second set of one or more options for accessing the media program by way of a second media distribution channel that is different from the first media distribution channel.