Multimedia content search system
View Patent ↗Techniques described herein enable a service to receive search requests from client systems and perform an integrated search across databases containing informational data for broadcast content and broadband content. The service receives the search request from the client device and formulates a query for at least one broadband database and at least one partner broadcast database. The service queries each broadband database with a compatible query that the service creates using information regarding the type of database queries each partner's database requires. Partners pay the service provider a fee for placing data in the database or for having their database searched by the service. The service formats the data received from the searches of the databases into a user interface screen that is presentable by the client device. The screen information instructs the client device on how it should respond to any key presses by the user.
1. A method, comprising:
receiving, from a client device at a server, a user request to search for information about a program series without the user indicating whether the search is for broadcast content or broadband content;
in response to receiving the user request to search for information about the program series:
automatically selecting, by the server, at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and at least one broadband multimedia content information database;
and sending, by the server, one or more search queries to the selected at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and to the selected at least one broadband multimedia content information database;
receiving, from the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database, first search results indicating one or more upcoming broadcast showings of one or more episodes of the program series;
receiving, from the at least one broadband multimedia content information database, second search results indicating the availability of one or more episodes of the program series from one or more broadband content sources;
filtering the first search results to remove upcoming broadcast showings from channels to which the client device is not subscribed; and
causing display, at the client device, of a graphical user interface including both: 1) a first option to display information about the one or more upcoming broadcast showings of the one or more episodes of the program series from a channel to which the client device is subscribed, and 2) a second option to display information about the availability of the one or more episodes of the program series from one or more broadband content sources;
in response to receiving the user request to search for information about the program series and in response to automatically selecting the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and the at least one broadband multimedia content information database:
generating a first query compatible with a first type of the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database; and
generating a second query compatible with a second type of the at least one broadband multimedia content information database;
wherein causing display of the graphical user interface includes generating a user interface screen that is suitable for the client device to display.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one broadband multimedia content information database is hosted by at least one broadband content provider, the broadband content provider a partner of a service provider that owns or operates the server and a provider of content to subscribers of the service provider.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one broadband multimedia content information database is hosted by at least one broadband content provider, the broadband content provider a partner of a service provider that owns or operates the server and a provider of content to subscribers of the service provider; and wherein a partner pays a fee to the service provider for the server to access the partner's broadband content information database.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein causing display of the graphical user interface includes creating display information that contains user input response instructions for the client device.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising creating a compatible query for a particular broadband database using information regarding a type of database queries that the particular broadband database requires.
6. An apparatus comprising:
a client device communicator, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives, from a client device, a user request to search for information about a program series without the user indicating whether the search is for broadcast content or broadband content;
a database communicator, implemented at least partially in hardware, that, in response to receiving the user request to search for information about the program series:
automatically selects at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and at least one broadband multimedia content information database; and
sends one or more search queries to the selected at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and to the selected at least one broadband multimedia content information database;
wherein the database communicator receives, from the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database, first search results indicating one or more upcoming broadcast showings of one or more episodes of the program series;
wherein the database communicator receives, from the at least one broadband multimedia content information database, second search results indicating the availability of one or more episodes of the program series from one or more broadband content sources;
wherein the database communicator filters the first search results to remove upcoming broadcast showings from channels to which the client device is not subscribed; and
wherein the client device communicator subsystem causes display, at the client device, of a graphical user interface including both: 1) a first option to display information about the one or more upcoming broadcast showings of the one or more episodes of the program series from a channel to which the client device is subscribed, and 2) a second option to display information about the availability of the one or more episodes of the program series from one or more broadband content sources;
wherein the database communicator: in response to receiving the user request to search for information about the program series and in response to automatically selecting the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and the at least one broadband multimedia content information database:
generates a first query compatible with a first type of the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database; and
generates a second query compatible with a second type of the at least one broadband multimedia content information database;
wherein causing display of the graphical user interface includes generating a user interface screen that is suitable for the client device to display.
7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one broadband multimedia content information database is hosted by at least one broadband content provider, the broadband content provider a partner of a service provider that owns or operates the server and a provider of content to subscribers of the service provider.
8. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one broadband multimedia content information database is hosted by at least one broadband content provider, the broadband content provider a partner of a service provider that owns or operates the server and a provider of content to subscribers of the service provider; and wherein a partner pays a fee to the service provider for the server to access the partner's broadband content information database.
9. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein causing display of the graphical user interface includes creating display information that contains user input response instructions for the client device.
10. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the database communicator creates a compatible query for a particular broadband database using information regarding a type of database queries that the particular broadband database requires.
11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions, which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of:
receiving, from a client device at a server, a user request to search for information about a program series without the user indicating whether the search is for broadcast content or broadband content;
in response to receiving the user request to search for information about the program series:
automatically selecting, by the server, at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and at least one broadband multimedia content information database; and
sending, by the server, one or more search queries to the selected at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and to the selected at least one broadband multimedia content information database;
receiving, from the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database, first search results indicating one or more upcoming broadcast showings of one or more episodes of the program series;
receiving, from the at least one broadband multimedia content information database, second search results indicating the availability of one or more episodes of the program series from one or more broadband content sources;
filtering, at the server, the first search results to remove upcoming broadcast showings from channels to which the client device is not subscribed; and
causing display, at the client device, of a graphical user interface including both: 1) a first option to display information about the one or more upcoming broadcast showings of the one or more episodes of the program series from a channel to which the client device is subscribed, and 2) a second option to display information about the availability of the one or more episodes of the program series from one or more broadband content sources;
wherein the instructions cause performance of: in response to receiving the user request to search for information about the program series and in response to automatically selecting the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database and the at least one broadband multimedia content information database:
generating a first query compatible with a first type of the at least one broadcast multimedia content information database; and
generating a second query compatible with a second type of the at least one broadband multimedia content information database;
wherein causing display of the graphical user interface includes generating a user interface screen that is suitable for the client device to display.
12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 , wherein the at least one broadband multimedia content information database is hosted by at least one broadband content provider, the broadband content provider a partner of a service provider that owns or operates the server and a provider of content to subscribers of the service provider.
13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 , wherein the at least one broadband multimedia content information database is hosted by at least one broadband content provider, the broadband content provider a partner of a service provider that owns or operates the server and a provider of content to subscribers of the service provider; and wherein a partner pays a fee to the service provider for the server to access the partner's broadband content information database.
14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 , wherein causing display of the graphical user interface includes creating display information that contains user input response instructions for the client device.
15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 , wherein the instructions cause performance of creating a compatible query for a particular broadband database using information regarding a type of database queries that the particular broadband database requires.