US 8,806,533 B1Granted

System and method for using television information codes

AssigneeUnited Video Properties, Inc.

InventorsErwin Lau, Danny Gaydou, II, Robert Mechler

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Abstract

A system and method for using information codes for recording television programs. Information codes may be published in magazines, newspapers, and the like, much like VCR Plus+™ codes. When a user desires to record one or more television programs based on information codes, the user selects an appropriate command button on his or her input device, and enters the information code that identifies a desired filter category (e.g. an actor filter represented as “01”) followed by a desired filter identifier (e.g. Richard Gere represented as “1234”). A processor receiving the user input searches an electronic program guide database for programs matching the filter information. The identified programs are then stored in a record memory for recording at an appropriate time. The identified programs may be further displayed for verification prior to storage in the record memory. Programs recommended to the viewers may also be identified via information codes.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A video recording system comprising:

a data store that stores media guidance data for a plurality of television programs, the media guidance data including a first filter criteria associated with a first subset of the plurality of television programs and a second filter criteria associated with a second subset of the plurality of television programs, wherein the first subset and the second subset each comprise more than one program;
a microprocessor coupled to the data store, wherein the microprocessor:
receives input from a user that selects a symbol that is presented to the user in a form that prevents the user from identifying which of the first and second subsets of programs is associated with the symbol without referencing a look-up table, wherein the symbol includes an information code, the information code comprising one of the first and second filter criteria;
decodes the information code to identify a user filter criteria;
compares the user filter criteria to the first and second filter criteria, wherein the first and second filter criteria are each determined without user input;
determines that the user filter criteria matches the first filter criteria;
and without user input,
identifies the first subset of the plurality of television programs associated with the first filter criteria for recording, and
stores instructions to record the identified first subset of the plurality of television programs as a result of the identifying.

6 more elements

A computer-implemented method for selecting video programs for recording, the method comprising:

storing media guidance data for a plurality of programs, the media guidance data including a first filter criteria associated with a first subset of the plurality of programs and a second filter criteria associated with a second subset of the plurality of programs, wherein the first subset and the second subset each comprise more than one program;
receiving from a user input that selects a symbol that is presented to the user in a form that prevents the user from identifying which of the first and second subsets of programs is associated with the symbol without referencing a look-up table, wherein the symbol includes an information code, the information code comprising exactly one of the first and second filter criteria;
decoding the received information code to identify a user filter criteria;
comparing the user filter criteria to the first and second filter criteria, wherein the first and second filter criteria are each determined without user input;
determining that the user filter criteria matches the first filter criteria;
and
without user input, identifying the first subset of the plurality of programs associated with the first filter criteria for recording, and storing instructions to record the identified first subset of the plurality of programs as a result of the identifying.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/246,778Filed 7 Oct 2005 · us provisional application
Priority: 8 Oct 2004
Granted: 12 Aug 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04N 21/482
End-user applications: end-user interface for programme selection
H04N 5/782
Using magnetic recording: on tape
H04N 21/4334
Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations: recording operations
H04N 21/47214
End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content…: for…