IP Library Granted Patent US 7,882,522
Granted Patent B2
US 7,882,522 · App. 11/564,721 · Granted Feb 1, 2011

Determining user interest based on guide navigation

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,882,522
App. No.
11/564,721
Granted
Feb 1, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic program guide (EPG) application is configured to render a program listing, a currently indicated program, and additional data. The EPG application is further configured to automatically determine, based on user-submitted EPG navigation commands, whether or not the user is likely interested in the currently indicated program. If it is determined that the user is likely interested in the currently indicated program, then the additional data that is displayed along with the program listing is detailed data associated with the currently indicated program. In contrast, if it is determined that the user is likely not interested in the currently indicated program, then instead of detailed data associated with the currently indicated program, the additional data that is displayed along with the program listing is content that is targeted to the user.

Claims (47)

1. A method comprising:

rendering an electronic program guide (EPG), the EPG comprising:

a program listing of multiple programs;

a program indicator that indicates a particular program in the program listing; and

a details area comprising a picture-in-picture (PIP) window in which additional data is displayed concurrently with the program listing of multiple programs;

determining a first program that is represented by a program listing currently indicated by the program indicator;

providing detailed data associated with the first program as the additional data displayed in the details area;

receiving a navigation command;

responsive to receiving the navigation command, modifying the program indicator to indicate a second program in the program listing;

automatically determining, based on the navigation command, whether or not a user is likely to be interested in the second program;

when the navigation command comprises an up arrow command, a down arrow command, a left arrow command or a right arrow command, indicating a user request to navigate to a program listing that is adjacent to the program listing of the first program, determining that the user is likely to be interested in the second program;

when the navigation command comprises a page up command, a page down command, a page right command, or a page left command, indicating a user request to navigate to a program listing that is not adjacent to the program listing of the first program, determining that the user is not likely to be interested in the second program;

responsive to determining that the user is likely interested in the second program, displaying detailed data associated with the second program as the additional data displayed in the details area of the EPG; and

responsive to determining that the user is likely not interested in the second program, displaying data that is targeted to the user in the details area of the EPG, the data that is targeted to the user not being associated with the second program and being displayed in the details area instead of the detailed data associated with the second program.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the detailed data associated with the second program comprises a broadcast of the second program.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the detailed data associated with the second program comprises a preview of the second program.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the detailed data associated with the second program comprises at least one of a textual description of the second program, a rating of the second program, or a duration of the second program.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises a product advertisement.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises a program advertisement selected based on a type of programming corresponding to the first program.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises a channel promotion.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, the data that is targeted to the user comprises an on-demand program promotion.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on demographic data associated with the user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on a location within the program listing associated with the second program.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on a channel band that includes a channel over which the second program is available.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising, when the navigation command is a page left or page right command, the data that is targeted to the user is targeted to the user based on a channel over which the first program is available.

13. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a program guide application stored in the memory and executed on the processor, the program guide application configured to:

display a grid of programs available to a user and a details region displayed concurrently with the grid;

indicate a program in the grid of programs;

automatically determine, based on a user-submitted navigation command that resulted in the program being indicated, whether the user is likely interested in the program;

responsive to determining that the user is likely interested in the program, while the program is indicated, present detailed data associated with the program in the details region displayed concurrently with the grid; and

responsive to determining that the user is likely not interested in the program, while the program is indicated, present alternate data to the user in the details region displayed concurrently with the grid, instead of presenting the detailed data associated with the program.

14. The system as recited in claim 13 , wherein the program guide application comprises:

a rendering module to render a graphical representation of electronic program guide data;

a command interface to receive user-submitted commands; and

a user interest detection module to automatically determine whether a user is likely interested in a currently indicated program.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein the program guide application further comprises a picture-in-picture video module to determine, according to whether the user is likely interested in the indicated program, content to be rendered in a PIP window included in the details region.

16. One or more computer-readable media, where the media is not a signal, comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

rendering an arrangement of representations of a plurality of available media programs, the arrangement comprising a details portion for display in conjunction with the representations of the plurality of available media programs;

indicating a representation of a first program of the plurality of available media programs;

identifying detailed data associated with the first program;

automatically determining, based on a user-submitted navigation command that resulted in the representation of the first program being indicated, whether or not a user is likely interested in the first program;

responsive to determining that the user is likely interested in the first program, while continuing to indicate the representation of the first program, rendering the detailed data associated with the first program for display in the details portion of the arrangement; and

responsive to determining that the user is likely not interested in the first program, while continuing to indicate the representation of the first program, instead of rendering the detailed data associated with the first program, rendering alternate data not associated with the first program for display in the details portion of the arrangement.

17. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein the alternate data not associated with the first program comprises data targeted to the user.

Assignments (9)
PARTIAL RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Oct 27, 2022
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: ROVI PRODUCT CORPORATION (AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION)
Reel/Frame 061786/0897 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2022
From: ADEIA TECHNOLOGIES INC.
To: ROVI PRODUCT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 061503/0416 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 21, 2022
From: ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: ADEIA TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Reel/Frame 061744/0952 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
To: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
Reel/Frame 053481/0790 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LLC
To: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
Reel/Frame 053458/0749 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 1, 2020
From: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS INC.; VEVEO, INC.; INVENSAS CORPORATION; INVENSAS BONDING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; TESSERA, INC.; TESSERA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DTS, INC.; PHORUS, INC.; IBIQUITY DIGITAL CORPORATION
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053468/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 25, 2019
From: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051110/0006 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 22, 2019
From: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
To: HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051143/0468 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 8, 2014
From: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
To: ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 034539/0676 →