Method and system for storing program guide data in a user device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10824221-B2
Application number	US-201816029782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2018
Priority date	Sep 30, 2010
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A system and method for operating system includes a first user device, a second user device, and a first device having a controller and a first database storing a first data object of a first type of data associated therewith and a second database storing a second data object of a second type of data associated therewith different than the first type of data. The second database is accessible separately from and simultaneously with the first database. The second data object forms a second portion of a display. The controller has an application interface selecting a selected database from the first, second database or both and separately and simultaneously accessing the first and second database based on the first user input command and the second user input command to obtain stored data and separately and simultaneously communicating stored data to the first user device and to the second user device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing, at a database interface of a first device, a first data object having a first type of data associated therewith;
providing, at the database interface of the first device, a second data object having a second type of data associated therewith, said second type different than the first type of data;
storing the first data object in a first database within the first device through control of the database interface, said first database storing the first type of data and not the second type of data;
storing the second data object in a second database that is accessible separately from and simultaneously with the first database of the first device through control of the database interface, said second database storing the second type and not the first type;
generating a first user input command from a first user device;
communicating the first user input command to the database interface;
generating a second user input command from a second user device different than the first user device;
communicating the second user input command to the database interface;
separately and simultaneously accessing the first database and the second database from the database interface based on the first user input command and the second user input command and separately and simultaneously communicating stored data to the first user device and the second user device through the database interface; and
displaying stored data through the first user device and second user device in response to accessing.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein providing a first data object comprises providing a first program guide object.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein providing a second data object comprises providing a second program guide object.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a first program guide data object comprises receiving a program object, a schedule object and a channel object.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the program object, schedule object and channel object comprise grid guide data.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein receiving a second program guide data object comprises an extended data object comprising data about content different than the grid guide data.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein the extended data object comprises an extended program object and at least one of a biological information object, a graphics object and a parental guidance object.

8. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein the extended data object comprises an extended program object and a biographical information object.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a first data object comprises receiving a first program guide data object through a first network and wherein receiving a second data object comprises receiving a second program guide data object through a second network different than the first network.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein receiving a first program guide data object comprises receiving the first program guide data object through a satellite and wherein receiving a second program guide data object comprise receiving the second program guide data object through a terrestrial network.

11. A system comprising:
a first user device;
a second user device;
a first device comprising;
a controller;
a database interface;
a memory coupled to the controller comprising a first database coupled to the database interface storing a first data object of a first type of data associated therewith under control of the database interface, said first data object forming a first portion of a display and a second database coupled to the database interface storing a second data object of a second type of data associated therewith different than the first type of data under control of the database interface, said second database accessible separately from and simultaneously with the first database through the database interface, said second data object forming a second portion of a display;
a user interface module coupled to the controller receiving a first user input command from the first user device and a second user input command from the second user device;
said controller comprising the database interface in electronic communication with the user interface module selecting a selected database from the first database, the second database or both and separately and simultaneously accessing the first database and the second database based on the first user input command and the second user input command to obtain stored data and separately and simultaneously communicating stored data to the first user device and to the second user device through the database interface;
a first display associated with the first user device displaying the stored data; and
a second display associated with the second user device displaying the stored data.

12. A user device as recited in claim 11 wherein the first data object comprises a first program guide object.

13. A user device as recited in claim 12 wherein the first program guide object comprises at least one of a program object, a schedule object and a channel object.

14. A user device as recited in claim 11 wherein the second data object comprises a second program guide object.

15. A user device as recited in claim 14 wherein the second program guide object comprises at least one of a program object, a schedule object and a channel object.

16. A user device as recited in claim 14 wherein the second data object comprises an extended data object comprising data about content different than grid guide data.

17. A user device as recited in claim 16 wherein the extended data object comprises an extended program object.

18. A user device as recited in claim 16 wherein the extended data object comprises an extended program object and at least one of a biological information object, a graphics object and a parental guidance object.

19. A user device as recited in claim 16 wherein the extended data object comprises an extended program object and a biographical information object.

20. A user device as recited in claim 11 wherein the first data object is received through a first network and the second data object is received through a second network, said second network different than the first network.

Assignees

• Directv Group Inc

Inventors

• Wu Leo
• Tran Huy Q
• Hansen Flemming R
• Leong Peter
• Chang Eric H
• Chen Gordon H

Classifications

• 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

• H04N21/6143

  involving transmission via a satellite · 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

• H04N21/482

  End-user interface for programme selection · CPC title

• H04N21/6112

  involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T · CPC title