IP Library Granted Patent US 10,261,999
Granted Patent B2
US 10,261,999 · App. 15/343,426 · Granted Apr 16, 2019

Searching multimedia based on trigger events

Inventors: Jim Funk (Los Altos, CA); Brandon Noffsinger (Colorado Springs, CO)
Assignee: ROKU, INC.
G06F17/30038G06F17/3005G06F17/30023G06F17/3051G06F17/30864G06F17/30867H04N21/237H04N21/2387H04N21/4126H04N21/4668H04N21/47208H04N21/47217H04N21/4828H04N21/8405
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,261,999
App. No.
15/343,426
Granted
Apr 16, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for intelligent content searching is disclosed herein. The system saves all searches executed by the user and periodically re-executes one or more of the previously saved searches and display the subsequent search results to the user at an appropriate time without any user intervention. In one aspect, the system periodically re-executes one or more of the previously saved searches upon the occurrence of a trigger event, which may be trending events, news events, type of menus and/or screens accessed, new content being added on one or more service providers, a boot event, passage of time since last search, etc. In this way, users do not need to set alert or follow any search topic.

Claims (49)

1. A method for searching content, comprising:

receiving at least one keyword from a client device;

performing, by a local processor, a first search for content on one or more content servers using the at least one keyword;

sending a first search result of the first search to a user device for display;

automatically storing, in a memory communicatively coupled to the local processor, the first search including the at least one keyword;

automatically performing, by the local processor, a subsequent search of the stored first search using at least the stored at least one keyword upon detection of a trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises an access of a particular content channel by the user device, wherein at least one of the stored keywords is associated with the particular content channel; and

automatically sending a subsequent search result of the subsequent search to the user device for display, wherein the subsequent search results comprise content associated with the trigger event, wherein at least some of the content associated with the trigger event was created prior to occurrence of the trigger event.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the client device and the user device are the same device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the client device and the user device are different devices.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent search results comprises content associated with the trigger event being added to one or more of the content servers after the trending event.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least the content associated with the trigger event was created prior to occurrence of the trigger event comprises a movie related to the trigger event.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trigger event comprises at least one of: the access of the particular content channel or a social network function comprising a post to the social network platform.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the post is associated with a user profile corresponding to the first search.

8. A method for searching content, comprising:

detecting an access of a particular content channel at a remote user device;

determining, by a local processor, that a trigger event corresponds to the access of the particular content channel;

receiving, from the remote user device, a plurality of keywords associated with the particular content channel;

identifying, by the local processor, one or more previous searches that include one or more of the keywords; wherein the one or more previous searches were previously executed and stored in a memory communicatively coupled to the local processor prior to the detecting;

automatically executing the identified one or more previous searches based on the trigger event, wherein the automatic execution generates subsequent search results; and

providing the subsequent search results for display on a display screen associated with the remote user device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent search results comprises programming content added to a particular content channel after an occurrence of the trending event.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the identifying comprises:

determining one or more previous searches that were previously executed prior to the detecting that do not include any of the one or more keywords and are not automatically executed.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

automatically displaying the subsequent search result on the display screen.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the subsequent search results includes programming content added to one or more of a plurality of content servers after the receiving the first search result.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the automatically displaying comprises displaying at least one or more of the subsequent search results on the display screen while the user is browsing channels.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the automatically displaying comprises initiating a search screen and displaying at least one or more of the subsequent results in the search screen, wherein the search screen allows a user to enter one or more search terms.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the programming content is played based upon a user selection of a programming option.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the programming content comprises a television show, movie, or news event.

17. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having stored therein one or more instructions operational on a client device, which when executed by a processor the instructions cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

detecting an access of a particular content channel at a remote user device;

determining, by a local processor, that a trigger event corresponds to the access of the particular content channel;

determining a plurality of keywords associated with the particular content channel;

identifying, by the local processor, one or more previous searches that include one or more of the keywords, wherein the one or more previous searches were previously executed and stored in a memory communicatively coupled to the local processor prior to the detecting;

automatically executing, by the local processor, the identified one or more previous searches based on the trigger event, wherein the automatic execution generates subsequent search results; and

providing the subsequent search results for display on a display screen of the remote user device.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the identifying comprises:

determining one or more previous searches that were previously executed prior to the detecting that do not include any of the one or more keywords and are not automatically executed.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the previous searches includes a search of a plurality of content channels.

20. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

detect an access of a particular content channel;

determine that a trigger event corresponds to the access of the particular content channel;

determine a plurality of keywords associated with the particular content channel;

identify, by the at least one processor, one or more previous searches that include one or more of the keywords, wherein the one or more previous searches were previously executed and stored in the memory prior to the detecting;

automatically execute the identified one or more previous searches based on the trigger event, wherein the automatic execution generates subsequent search results; and

provide the subsequent search results for display on a display screen associated with the remote user device.

Assignments (8)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2024
From: ROKU, INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 068982/0377 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT (REEL/FRAME 051300/0931) Recorded Feb 22, 2023
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
To: ROKU, INC.; ROKU DX HOLDINGS, INC.
Reel/Frame 062826/0205 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT (REEL/FRAME 048385/0375) Recorded Feb 22, 2023
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
To: ROKU, INC.
Reel/Frame 062826/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 16, 2019
From: ROKU, INC.; ROKU DX HOLDINGS, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
Reel/Frame 051300/0931 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2019
From: SILICON VALLEY BANK, AS BANK
To: ROKU, INC.
Reel/Frame 048420/0841 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 20, 2019
From: ROKU, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
Reel/Frame 048385/0375 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2017
From: FUNK, JIM; NOFFSINGER, BRANDON
To: ROKU, INC.
Reel/Frame 043023/0023 →
AMENDED AND RESTATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 12, 2017
From: ROKU, INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 042768/0268 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14536339 · Nov 7, 2014
Continuation In Part 13778068 · Feb 26, 2013
Continuation In Part 13431932 · Mar 27, 2012
Related Publication 20170124076A1 · May 4, 2017
Cited By (1)
US 12,627,863