# US 2021/0345006 A1 · Content consumption and notification in a network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0345006 A1 - Document ID: US20210345006A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/375,613 - Filed: 2021-07-14 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2013-10-21 - Assignees: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC - Applicants: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC - Inventors: Peter Stern; Ethan Wolf; Craig Vanderborgh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210345006A1 ## CPC - H04N 21/4826: {using recommendation lists, e.g. of programmes or channels sorted out according to their score} - H04N 7/17309: {Transmission or handling of upstream communications} - H04N 21/231: Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion - H04N 21/2385: Channel allocation (H04N21/266 takes precedence); Bandwidth allocation (H04N21/24 takes precedence {; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16}) - H04N 21/2393: {involving handling client requests (scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60)} - H04N 21/252: {Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data} - H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/2665: Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite - H04N 21/4314: {for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid} - H04N 21/4316: {for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window} - H04N 21/44222: {Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)} - H04N 21/4753: {for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password (cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08)} - H04N 21/4756: {for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie} - H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04N 21/84: Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)} - H04N 21/25875: {involving end-user authentication (restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06)} - H04N 21/25883: {being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address (arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A data analyzer engine can be configured to receive feedback indicating different content currently consumed by subscribers in a cable network environment. The data analyzer engine analyzes the feedback to identify most popular consumed content amongst the different content and produces a content guide to include multiple selectable channels from which content is available for retrieval over a shared communication link in the cable network environment. The content guide can include one or more selectable viewing options to view a rendition of content being identified as more or most popular. Each of one or more playback devices or other suitable resources retrieves and initiates display of the content guide on a display screen. Accordingly, a subscriber can view different available content options as well as an identification of content that is currently the most popular consumed content amongst viewers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: initiating distribution of selected streaming content to a first subscriber in a network environment, the first subscriber playing back a rendition of the selected streaming content on a display screen; and initiating display of a notification on the display screen, the notification indicating availability of popular streaming content as specified by content ranking information, the content ranking information indicating a content ranking. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as in claim 1, wherein the identity of the popular streaming content as specified by the notification indicates an identity of the popular streaming content and is different than the selected streaming content played back on the display screen. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as in claim 1, wherein the identity of the popular streaming content as specified by the notification is the selected streaming content currently played back on the display screen. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method as in claim 2 further comprising: initiating display of the notification on the display screen in response to detecting that the selected content currently played back on the display screen is less popular than the popular streaming content as indicated by the content ranking. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method as in claim 4 further comprising: producing an information guide to indicate the popular streaming content; and initiating display of the information guide on the display screen. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method as in claim 5 further comprising: in response to receiving selection of a selectable viewing option from the information guide, tuning to a channel as specified in the information guide from which the popular streaming content is available. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method as in claim 1, wherein the content ranking is based at least in part on a number of subscribers in the network environment that currently retrieve the different streaming content for consumption. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method as in claim 1 further comprising: displaying the notification over the rendition of the selected streaming content on the display screen. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method as in claim 1, wherein the notification indicates that the rendition of the selected streaming content on the display screen is not the most popular content. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method as in claim 1, wherein the notification is selectable by a viewer to playback the popular streaming content on the display screen. ### Claim 11 A system comprising: a display management resource operative to: initiate distribution of selected streaming content to a first subscriber in a network environment, the first subscriber playing back a rendition of the selected streaming content on a display screen; and initiate display of a notification on the display screen, the notification indicating availability of popular streaming content as specified by content ranking information, the content ranking information indicating a content ranking. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system as in claim 11, wherein the identity of the popular streaming content as specified by the notification is different than the selected streaming content played back on the display screen. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system as in claim 11, wherein the identity of the popular streaming content as specified by the notification is the selected streaming content currently played back on the display screen. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system as in claim 12, wherein the display management resource is further operative to: initiate display of the notification on the display screen in response to detecting that the selected content currently played back on the display screen is less popular than the popular streaming content as indicated by the content ranking. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system as in claim 14, wherein the display management resource is further operative to: produce an information guide to indicate the popular streaming content; and initiate display of the information guide on the display screen. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system as in claim 15, wherein the display management resource is further operative to: in response to receiving selection of a selectable viewing option from the information guide, tune to a channel as specified in the information guide from which the popular streaming content is available. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system as in claim 11, wherein the content ranking is based at least in part on a number of subscribers in the network environment that currently retrieve the different streaming content for consumption. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The system as in claim 11, wherein the display management resource is further operative to: display the notification over the rendition of the selected streaming content on the display screen. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The system as in claim 11, wherein the notification indicates that the rendition of the selected streaming content on the display screen is not the most popular content. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The system as in claim 11, wherein the notification is selectable by a viewer to playback the popular streaming content on the display screen. ### Claim 21 Computer-readable hardware storage having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware, causing the computer processor hardware to: initiate distribution of selected streaming content to a given subscriber in a network environment, the given subscriber playing back a rendition of the selected streaming content on a display screen; and initiate display of a notification on the display screen, the notification indicating availability of popular streaming content in a content ranking, the popular streaming content different than the selected content played back on the display screen.