Program guide and reservation system for network based digital information and entertainment storage and delivery system
View Patent ↗In a broadband communications system, e.g., a cable system, programming content can be readily reserved and accessed for viewing using interactive program guides in accordance with the invention. Such programming content may include in-progress programs, future programs and previously broadcast programs which are recorded at a headend in the cable system, and which may or may not have overlapping broadcast times. In addition, the user may reserve programs at a set-top terminal, and may also do so remotely from the terminal through a communications network such as, the Internet, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a wireless telephone network, etc.
1. A method for facilitating a user at a user location to reserve a broadcast program for subsequent access to content thereof, the method comprising:
receiving at a location remote from the user location content of a program from a content provider before broadcast of the program;
substantially simultaneously recording the content of the program at, and broadcasting the content of the program from, the location remote from the user location;
causing an identifier for the broadcast program to be available for selection by a user for a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the recorded broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights granted by the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program;
receiving a selection by a user of the identifier; and
allowing the user to access the recorded broadcast program in response to the received selection.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the program includes a TV program.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the program includes video content.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection of the identifier is received via a communications network.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the communications network includes at least part of an Internet.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the communications network includes at least part of a telephone network.
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a message to the user to archive the recorded content.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the selection is received.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the identifier is listed.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising charging the user a fee for archiving the recorded content.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein an opportunity to archive the recorded content is available for a predetermined period after the message is sent.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein the recorded content is archived by storing the recorded content in a device selected by the user.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected device includes a video cassette recorder (VCR).
17. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected device includes a digital video disk (DVD) player.
18. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected device includes a personal video recorder (PVR).
19. A method for allowing a user to reserve a broadcast program for subsequent review of content of the program, the method comprising:
obtaining rights from a content provider to the content of the program;
receiving, at a location remote from the user location, the content of the program from the content provider;
substantially simultaneously recording the content of the program at, and broadcasting the content of the program from, the location remote from the user location;
determining a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights received by the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program; and
causing an identifier of the broadcast program to be available for selection by a user for the determined duration to reserve the program.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.
21. The method of claim 19 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.
22. The method of claim 19 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.
23. The method of claim 19 wherein the program includes a TV program.
24. The method of claim 19 wherein the program includes video content.
25. A system for facilitating a user at a user location to reserve a broadcast program, recorded and broadcast substantially simultaneously, for subsequent access to content thereof, the system comprising:
an interface for receiving, at a location remote from the user location, from a content provider, content of a program to be broadcast;
a server for recording the content of the program, the server being located remotely from the user location;
a processor for determining a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program;
a processor for causing an identifier of the broadcast program to be available for selection by one or more users for the determined duration; and
a mechanism for receiving a selection by a user of the identifier, access by the user to the recorded content of the broadcast program being allowed in response to the received selection.
26. The system of claim 25 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.
27. The system of claim 25 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.
28. The system of claim 25 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.
29. The system of claim 25 wherein the program includes a TV program.
30. The system of claim 25 wherein the program includes video content.
31. The system of claim 25 wherein the selection of the identifier is received via a communications network.
32. The system of claim 31 wherein the communications network includes at least part of an Internet.
33. The system of claim 31 wherein the communications network includes at least part of a telephone network.
34. The system of claim 25 further comprising an output device for sending a message to the user to archive the recorded content.
35. The system of claim 34 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the selection is received.
36. The system of claim 34 wherein the message is sent after a predetermined period from when the identifier is listed.
37. The system of claim 34 wherein the user is charged a fee for archiving the recorded content.
38. The system of claim 34 wherein an opportunity to archive the recorded content is available for a predetermined period after the message is sent.
39. The system of claim 34 wherein the recorded content is archived by storing the recorded content in a device selected by the user.
40. The system of claim 39 wherein the selected device includes a VCR.
41. The system of claim 39 wherein the selected device includes a DVD player.
42. The system of claim 39 wherein the selected device includes a PVR.
43. The system of claim 39 comprising a headend.
44. A system for allowing a user to reserve a broadcast program for subsequent review of content of the program, rights being obtained from a content provider to the content of the program, the system comprising:
an interface for receiving, at a location remote from the user location, from the content provider, the content of the program, the content of the program being substantially simultaneously broadcast from, and recorded at, the location remote from the user location;
a processor for determining a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, at any point during which duration the broadcast program is accessible by a user, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program; and
a processor for causing an identifier of the broadcast program to be available for selection by a user for the determined duration to reserve the program.
45. The system of claim 44 wherein the identifier of the program includes a title of the program.
46. The system of claim 44 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the time of broadcast of the program content.
47. The system of claim 44 wherein the identifier is listed with respect to the program channel on which the program content is broadcast.
48. The system of claim 44 wherein the program includes a TV program.
49. The system of claim 44 wherein the program includes video content.
50. Apparatus for accessing by a user one or more broadcast programs on a selected one of a plurality of channels, comprising:
an output for providing programming on a selected one of the plurality of channels, such programming being substantially simultaneously recorded at, and broadcast from, a location remote from user locations; and
a mechanism for enabling selection of an identifier of a broadcast program at any point during a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider of the broadcast program for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program.
51. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein the identifier includes a title of the at least one program.
52. A method for accessing by a user one or more broadcast programs on a selected one of a plurality of channels, comprising:
providing programming on a selected one of the plurality of channels, such programming being substantially simultaneously recorded at, and broadcast from, a location remote from user locations;
presenting an identifier of a broadcast program at any point during a duration after broadcast of the content of the program, the duration being based on rights received from the content provider of the broadcast program for permitting reservation of the broadcast program by one or more users for access at any point during a specified amount of time following broadcast of the program.
53. The method of claim 52 wherein the identifier includes a title of the at least one program.