Client-server electronic program guide
View Patent ↗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.
1. A method for use in a client-server interactive program guide system for scheduling reminders according to user defined expressions and providing a customized viewing experience to a user based on programs having scheduled reminders, comprising:
providing a user with an opportunity to define an expression with an interactive program guide client implemented on user equipment without requiring the user to navigate the Internet;
storing the expression on a program guide server;
processing the expression with the program guide server to find programs that satisfy the expression;
scheduling with the program guide server reminders for programs that satisfy the expression;
determining at least one program criteria associated with the programs that satisfy the expression;
determining a set of programs for which reminders have not yet been scheduled; and
applying the at least one associated program criteria to the set of programs for which reminders have not yet been scheduled to generate at least one personal viewing recommendation.
2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein scheduling with the program guide server reminders for programs that satisfy the expression comprises providing at least one message from the program guide server to the program guide client before each of the programs that satisfy the expression begin.
3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein scheduling with the program guide server reminders for programs that satisfy the expression comprises providing program identifiers for each of the programs that satisfy the expression from the program guide server to the program guide client, wherein the program identifiers are used by the program guide client to generate reminders prior to the start of the programs.
4. A method for use in a client-server interactive program guide system for scheduling programs for recording according to user defined expressions and providing a customized viewing experience to a user based on the scheduled programs, comprising:
providing a user with an opportunity to define an expression with an interactive program guide client implemented on user equipment without requiring the user to navigate the Internet;
storing the expression on a program guide server;
processing the expression with the program guide server to find programs that satisfy the expression;
scheduling with the program guide server the programs that satisfy the expression for recording;
determining at least one program criteria associated with the programs that satisfy the expression;
determining a set of programs not yet scheduled for recording; and
applying the at least one associated program criteria to the set of programs not yet scheduled for recording to generate at least one personal viewing recommendation.
5. The method defined in claim 4 wherein scheduling with the program guide server the programs that satisfy the expression for recording comprises scheduling the recording of the programs that satisfy the expression at the user equipment.
6. The method defined in claim 4 wherein scheduling with the program guide server the programs that satisfy the expression for recording comprises scheduling the recording of the programs that satisfy the at the program guide server.
7. A client-server interactive program guide system for scheduling reminders according to user defined expressions and providing a customized viewing experience to a user based on programs having scheduled reminders, comprising:
user equipment on which an interactive program guide client is implemented, wherein the program guide client is programmed to provide a user with an opportunity to define an expression without requiring the user to navigate the Internet;
a communications path over which the expression is provided by the interactive program guide client to a program guide server, wherein the program guide server is programmed to find programs that satisfy the expression, to schedule reminders for programs that satisfy the expression, to determine at least one program criteria associated with the programs that satisfy the expression, to determine a set of programs for which reminders have not yet been scheduled, and to apply the at least one program criteria to the set of programs for which reminders have not yet been scheduled to generate at least one personal viewing recommendation.
8. The system defined in claim 7 wherein scheduling with the program guide server reminders for programs that satisfy the expression comprises providing at least one message from the program guide server to the program guide client before each of the programs that satisfy the expression begin.
9. The system defined in claim 7 wherein the program guide server is further programmed to provide program identifiers for each of the programs that satisfy the expression to the interactive television program guide client over the communications path, wherein the program identifiers are used by the interactive program guide client to generate the reminders prior to the start of the programs.
10. A client-server interactive program guide system for scheduling programs for recording according to user defined expressions and providing a customized viewing experience to a user based on the scheduled programs, comprising:
user equipment on which an interactive program guide client is implemented, wherein the interactive program guide client is programmed to provide a user with an opportunity to define an expression without requiring the user to navigate the Internet;
a communications path over which the expression is provided by the interactive program guide client to a program guide server, wherein the program guide server is programmed to find programs that satisfy the expression, and to schedule the programs that satisfy the expression for recording, to determine at least one program criteria associated with the programs that satisfy the expression, to determine a set of programs not yet scheduled for recording, and to apply the at least one program criteria to the set of programs not yet scheduled for recording to generate at least one personal viewing recommendation.
11. The system defined in claim 10 wherein:
the user television equipment comprises a storage device; and
the program guide server is further programmed to schedule the programs that satisfy the expression for recording by the storage device.
12. The system defined in claim 10 wherein the program guide server comprises a storage device on which the programs that satisfy the expression are stored.
13. A method for use in an interactive program guide system for providing a customized viewing experience to a user, comprising:
generating a viewing history database comprising program listings and associated program criteria;
determining at least one of the associated program criteria from the viewing history database that meets a user preference profile;
determining from a program listing database a set of programs not yet watched;
applying the at least one of the associated program criteria to the set of programs not yet watched to generate at least one personal viewing recommendation; and
providing the personal viewing recommendation to a user.
14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein generating a viewing history database comprises storing the program listings and the associated program criteria for at least one of:
programs that the user has watched;
programs for which the user has scheduled reminders;
programs for which the user has scheduled for recording;
programs for which the user has searched; and
programs for which the user has ordered.
15. The method defined in claim 13 wherein the associated program criteria comprises at least one of program categories, ratings, casting, and languages.
16. The method defined in claim 13 wherein the at least one of the associated program criteria is the same as at least one criteria defined in the user preference profile.
17. An interactive program guide system for providing a customized viewing experience to a user, comprising:
user equipment on which an interactive program guide client is implemented, wherein the interactive program guide client is operative to provide the user with an opportunity to create a user preference profile;
a communications path over which the user preference profile is provided by the interactive program guide client to a program guide server, wherein the program guide server comprises:
a first database comprising program listings and associated program criteria based on the user's viewing history at the interactive program guide client,
a second database comprising program listings available from the program guide server, and
processing circuitry operative (1) to determine at least one of the associated program criteria from the first database that meets the user preference profile, (2) to determine from the second database a set of programs not yet watched by the user at the interactive program guide client, (3) to apply the at least one of the associated program criteria to the set of programs not yet watched to generate at least one personal viewing recommendation, and (4) to provide the personal viewing recommendation to the user at the interactive program guide client over the communications path.
18. The system defined in claim 17 wherein the first database comprising program listings and associated program criteria is based on at least one of:
programs that the user has watched;
programs for which the user has scheduled reminders;
programs for which the user has scheduled for recording;
programs for which the user has searched; and
programs for which the user has ordered.
19. The system defined in claim 17 wherein the associated program criteria comprises at least one of program categories, ratings, casting, and languages.
20. The system defined in claim 17 wherein at least one of the associated program criteria is the same as at least one criteria defined in the user preference profile.
21. The method of claim 1 wherein scheduling reminders for programs that satisfy the expression further comprises, for each of the programs that satisfy the expression, storing a program listing and an associated program criteria in a viewing history database.
22. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one of:
providing the user with an opportunity to tune to the personal viewing recommendation,
scheduling with the program guide server a reminder for the personal viewing recommendation;
scheduling with the program guide server the personal viewing recommendation for recording; and
providing the user with an opportunity to order the personal viewing recommendation.
23. The method of claim 4 wherein scheduling programs that satisfy the expression for recording further comprises, for each of the programs that satisfy the expression, storing a program listing and an associated program criteria in a viewing history database.
24. The method of claim 4 further comprising at least one of:
providing the user with an opportunity to tune to the personal viewing recommendation,
scheduling with the program guide server a reminder for the personal viewing recommendation;
scheduling with the program guide server the personal viewing recommendation for recording; and
providing the user with an opportunity to order the personal viewing recommendation.