Systems and methods for determining subscription data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10158909-B2
Application number	US-201715704556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2017
Priority date	Apr 20, 2007
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A media guidance application is provided by which users can view program listings associated with programming that the user may access using other user equipment devices. The media guidance application, implemented on, for example, a remote system, may determine through communications with television equipment whether or not the television equipment is authorized to provide a particular package of television programming to be viewed by the user. For example, an online program guide application may determine whether or not television equipment allows a user to view particular channels and, based on that determination, proceed to determine what packages of programming the user subscribes to. A customized program guide may then be displayed based on what programming the user subscribes to on various systems.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of using a media guidance application, the method comprising:
transmitting, from a first user equipment device to a second user equipment device, a user request for subscription data associated with the second user equipment device, wherein the subscription data associated with the second user equipment device indicates a package of media content that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive;
receiving, at the first user equipment device, the subscription data associated with the second user equipment device;
transmitting, to a remote server, a content request for the package of media content that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive, the content request comprising information associated with the subscription data;
receiving, from the remote server, content associated with the package of media content that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive, wherein the remote server selects the package of media content by comparing each available package of media content of a plurality of available packages of media content to the information associated with the subscription data and determines that the package of media content corresponds to the subscription data; and
generating for display, at the first user equipment device, the content associated with the package of media content.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a programming package identifier from the subscription data, wherein the content request for the package of media content comprises the programming package identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, at the first user equipment device, identifying information associated the second device; and
compiling the user request for subscription data wherein the user request comprises the identifying information associated the second device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a channel associated with the package of media content;
transmitting an instruction, from the first user equipment device, to tune to the channel using the second user equipment device; and
determining whether the second user equipment device is able to tune to the channel.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying that a fault exists causing one or more packages of media content corresponding to the subscription data to be not viewable at the second user equipment.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from the remote server, a second package of media content associated with media content that the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive based on the subscription data, wherein the remote server selects the second package of media content by comparing each available package of media content of the plurality of available packages of media content to the subscription data and determines that the second package of media content does not correspond to the subscription data;
generating, at the first user equipment device, content associated with the second package of media content.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
identifying a channel associated with the second package of media content; and
transmitting an instruction, from the first user equipment device, to display information associated with the channel using the second user equipment device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subscription data is received from the remote server.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subscription data is received from the second user equipment device.

10. A first user equipment device for displaying subscription information comprising:
communication circuitry configured to:
transmit, to a second user equipment device, a user request for subscription data associated with the second user equipment device, wherein the subscription data associated with the second user equipment device indicates a package of media content that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive;
receive the subscription data associated with the second user equipment device;
transmit, to a remote server, a content request for the package of media content that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive, the content request comprising information associated with the subscription data; and
receive, from the remote server, content associated with the package of media content that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive, wherein the remote server selects the package of media content by comparing each available package of media content of a plurality of available packages of media content to the information associated with the subscription data and determines that the package of media content corresponds to the subscription data; and

control circuitry configured to:
generate for display the content associated with the package of media content.

11. The first user equipment device of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
identify a programming package identifier from the subscription data; and
generate the content request for the package of media content comprising the programming package identifier.

12. The first user equipment device of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
obtain identifying information associated the second user equipment device; and
compile the user request for subscription data wherein the user request comprises the identifying information associated the second user equipment device.

13. The first user equipment device of claim 10 , wherein:
the control circuitry is further configured to:
identify a channel associated with the package of media content; and
determine whether the second user equipment device is able to tune to the channel; and

the communication circuitry is further configured to:
transmit an instruction to tune to the channel using the second user equipment device.

14. The first user equipment device of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
identify that a fault exists causing one or more packages of media content corresponding to the subscription data to be not viewable at the second user equipment.

15. The first user equipment device of claim 10 , wherein:
the communication circuitry is further configured to:
receive, from the remote server, a second package of media content associated with media content that the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive based on the subscription data, wherein the remote server selects the second package of media content by comparing each available package of media content of the plurality of available packages of media content to the subscription data and determines that the second package of media content does not correspond to the subscription data; and

the control circuitry is further configured to:
generate content associated with the second package of media content.

16. The first user equipment device of claim 10 , wherein the communication circuitry is further configured to:
receive, from the remote server, a second package of media content associated with media content that the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive based on the subscription data, wherein the remote server selects the second package of media content by comparing each available package of media content of the plurality of available packages of media content to the subscription data and determines that the second package of media content does not correspond to the subscription data.

Assignees

• Rovi Guides Inc

Inventors

• Olague Craig Alan
• Archer Kuan Hidalgo
• Strader Christopher

Classifications

• H04N5/44543

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N21/41

  Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals · CPC title

• H04N21/4332 Primary

  by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository (interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739) · CPC title

• H04N21/4627

  Rights management {associated to the content (security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4622

  Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859) · CPC title