Methods and apparatus for providing notifications in a media system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10692360-B2
Application number	US-201816013438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2018
Priority date	Jan 5, 2005
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A system to convey user alert messages is disclosed. The system may have a alert service coupled between alert providers and a number of households. After receiving in the alert service an alert message from an alert provider, the alert service may alter the alert message to identify the household designated to receive the alert message. The alert service sends a notification to a home media system within the household designated to receive the alert message.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for selectively displaying on a display screen alert messages received from an alert provider, comprising:
receiving, at control circuitry, an alert message;
determining an alert provider from which the alert message originated;
retrieving a user's settings for the alert provider;
prior to generating for display content of the alert message, determining, by the control circuitry, whether the user's setting for the alert provider permits automatically generating for display the content of the alert message; and
based on determining that user's setting for the alert provider does not permit automatically generating for display the content of the alert message:
generating for display, on a display screen, an icon representing the alert message; and
generating for display, on the display screen, the content of the alert message upon receiving an input from the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the alert message comprises receiving the alert message from a public distribution network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alert provider is a third party.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is associated with a home media system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the icon comprises a company mark that identifies a company originating the alert message.

6. An alert service system for selectively displaying on a display screen alert messages received from an alert provider, comprising:
control circuitry configured to:
receive an alert message from an alert provider;
determine an alert provider from which the alert message originated;
retrieve a user's settings for the alert provider;
prior to generating for display content of the alert message, determine whether the user's setting for the alert provider permits automatically generating for display the content of the alert message; and
based on determining that user's setting for the alert provider does not permit automatically generating for display the content of the alert message:
generate for display, on a display screen, an icon representing the alert message; and
generate for display, on the display screen, the content of the alert message upon receiving an input from the user.

7. The alert service system of claim 6 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when receiving the alert message, to receive the alert message from a public distribution network.

8. The alert service system of claim 6 , wherein the alert provider is a third party.

9. The alert service system of claim 6 , wherein the control circuitry is associated with a home media system.

10. The alert service system of claim 6 , wherein the icon comprises a company mark that identifies a company originating the alert message.

Assignees

• Rovi Guides Inc

Inventors

• Putterman Daniel
• Peters Gregory
• Bullwinkle Richard
• Dykeman Kim R
• Dietrich Brad

Classifications

• G08B27/008 Primary

  with transmission via TV or radio broadcast · CPC title

• G08B27/00 Primary

  Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations · CPC title

• G08B27/005

  with transmission via computer network · CPC title

• G08B27/006

  with transmission via telephone network · CPC title