Client-server electronic program guide
AssigneeUnited Video Properties, Inc.
InventorsMichael D. Ellis, Thomas R. Lemmons, William L. Thomas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A client-server interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide client is implemented on user television equipment. The interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to define expressions that are processed by the program guide server. The program guide server may provide program guide data, schedules reminders, schedules program recordings, and parentally locks programs based on the expressions. Users' viewing histories may be tracked. The program guide server may analyze the viewing histories and generates viewing recommendations, targets advertising, and collects program ratings information based on the viewing histories.
Claims17
A method for use in a client-server interactive television program guide system for tracking a user's viewing history, comprising:
- tracking a user's viewing history;
- storing the user's viewing history on a program guide server;
- finding programs with the program guide server that are consistent with the user's viewing history;
- determining, with the program guide server, whether the programs found by the program guide server were not previously viewed on user television equipment;
- and
- displaying, with a program guide client implemented on the user television equipment, a display of program titles, wherein the display:
- includes the programs found by the program guide server, wherein some of the programs have been previously viewed on the user television equipment and some of the programs have not been previously viewed on the user television equipment;
- and
- visually distinguishes the programs determined by the program guide server to have been previously viewed from the programs that have not been previously viewed.
A client-server interactive television program guide system for tracking a user's viewing history, comprising:
- means for tracking a user's viewing history with a program guide server;
- means for determining, with the program guide server, whether programs that are consistent with the individual user's viewing history have been previously viewed on user television equipment;
- and
- means for displaying, with a program guide client implemented on the user television equipment, a display of program titles, wherein the display:
- includes the programs that are consistent with the individual user's viewing history, wherein some of the programs have been previously viewed on the user television equipment and some of the programs have not been previously viewed on the user television equipment;
- and
- visually distinguishes the programs determined by the program guide server to have been previously viewed from the programs that have not been previously viewed.
A client-server interactive television program guide system for tracking a user's viewing history, comprising:
- user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide client is implemented, wherein the interactive television program guide client is wherein the interactive television program guide client is programmed to provide an individual user's viewing history information to a program guide server over a communications path, wherein:
- the program guide server is programmed to find programs based on the individual user's viewing history information, determine whether the programs found by the program guide server have been previously viewed on user television equipment, and to indicate the programs to the interactive television program guide client over the communications path;
- and
- the interactive televiBion program guide client is further programmed to display, on the user television equipment, a display of program titles, wherein the display:
- includes the programs found by the program guide server, wherein some of the programs have been previously viewed on the user television equipment and some of the programs have not been previously viewed on the user television equipment;
- and
- visually distinguishes the programs determined by the program guide server to have been previously viewed from the programs that have not been previously viewed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.