Method and apparatus for providing a program guide having search parameter aware thumbnails

An apparatus for presenting a program guide, comprising a processor communicatively coupled to a memory storing instructions:

• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for receiving a media program in a video-on-demand system, the media program received from a media program source wherein the media program comprises a plurality of video frames, the media program one of a plurality of media programs of a media program database;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for searching the plurality of video frames of the received media program to identify a set of video frames that depict different performers;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for generating thumbnail metadata for the identified set of video frames, the thumbnail metadata relating information describing one of the plurality of performers to an identifier of the identified video frame that depicts the one of the plurality of performers;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for associating the thumbnail metadata with the received media program in a the media program database;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search parameter having a search value associated with one of the plurality of performers;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for searching the media program database for the search value for the performer;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for determining when the search value corresponds to the information describing a performer in the plurality of performers;
• and
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for determining the identifier related to the information describing the performer in the thumbnail metadata;
• and
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for providing a search result identifying the media program, wherein a thumbnail of a video frame that depicts the performer is determined using the determined identifier and used to identify the media program in the search result, and wherein different thumbnails of different video frames that depict different performers in the plurality of performers are used to identify the media program in search results corresponding to different search requests for different performers.

A program storage device, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps of presenting a program guide, the method comprising:

• (a) receiving a media program, the media program received from a media program source wherein the media program comprises a plurality of video frames, the media program one of a plurality of media programs of a media program database;
• (b) searching the plurality of video frames of the received media program to identify a set of video frames that depict different performers in a plurality of performers;
• (c) generating thumbnail metadata for the identified set of video frames, the thumbnail metadata relating information describing one of the plurality of performers to an identifier of the identified video frame that depicts the one of the plurality of performers;
• (d) associating the thumbnail metadata with the received media program in the media program database;
• (e) accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search parameter having a search value associated with one of the plurality of performers;
• (f) searching the media program database for the search value;
• (g) determining when the search value corresponds to the information describing a performer in the plurality of performers;
• (h) determining the identifier related to the information describing the performer in the thumbnail metadata;
• and
• (i) providing a search result identifying the media program, wherein a thumbnail of a video frame that depicts the performer is determined using the determined identifier and used to identify the media program in the search result, and wherein different thumbnails of different video frames that depict different performers in the plurality of performers are used to identify the media program in search results corresponding to different search requests for different performers.

A method of presenting a program guide, describing a plurality of media programs, each media program having a plurality of video frames, the method comprising:

• accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search parameter having a search value;
• searching a media program database for the search value, the media program database having first metadata associated with a first individual video frame of the media program;
• determining if the first metadata includes the search value for a performer, wherein the first metadata associated with the first individual video frame of the media program is generated by performing:
• receiving the media program from a media program source;
• searching the plurality of video frames of the media program to identify a video frame that depicts the performer;
• and
• generating the first metadata associated with the video frame that depicts the performer, the first metadata relating information describing the performer to an identifier of the identified video frame that depicts the performer;
• and
• providing the program guide comprising a thumbnail depicting the performer included in the first individual video frame of the media program associated with the first metadata to the user if the first metadata includes the search value, wherein the thumbnail is used to identify the media program in the program guide, and wherein different thumbnails of different video frames that depict different performers are used to identify the media program in the program guide for different search requests for different performers.

An apparatus for presenting a program guide, describing a plurality of media programs, each media program having a plurality of video frames, the apparatus having a processor and a memory storing instructions and further comprising:

• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search parameter having a search value;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for searching a media program database for the search value, the media program database having first metadata associated with a first individual video frame of the media program;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for determining if the first metadata includes the search value for a performer, wherein the first metadata associated with the first individual video frame of the media program is generated by:
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for receiving the media program from a media program source;
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for searching the plurality of video frames of the media program to identify a video frame that depicts the performer;
• and
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for generating the first metadata associated with the video frame that depicts the performer, the first metadata relating information describing the performer to an identifier of the identified video frame that depicts the performer;
• and
• means, performed by the processor according to the instructions stored in the memory, for providing the program guide comprising a thumbnail depicting the performer included in the first individual video frame of the media program associated with the first metadata to the user, wherein the thumbnail is used to identify the media program in the program guide, and wherein different thumbnails of different video frames that depict different performers are used to identify the media program in the program guide for different search requests for different performers.

A program storage device, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps of presenting a program guide for a video-on-demand system describing a plurality of media programs, each media program having a plurality of video frames, the method steps comprising:

• accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search parameter having a search value;
• searching a media program database for the search value, the media program database having first metadata associated with a first individual video frame of the media program;
• determining if the first metadata includes the search value for a performer, wherein the first metadata associated with the first individual video frame of the media program is generated by performing:
• receiving the media program from a media program source;
• searching the plurality of video frames of the media program to identify a video frame that depicts the performer;
• and
• generating the first metadata associated with the video frame that depicts the performer, the first metadata relating information describing the performer to an identifier of the identified video frame that depicts the performer;
• and
• providing the program guide comprising a thumbnail depicting the performer included in the first individual video frame of the media program associated with the first metadata to the user using the determined identifier, wherein the thumbnail is used to identify the media program in the program guide, and wherein different thumbnails of different video frames that depict different performers are used to identify the media program in the program guide for different search requests for different performers.