Systems and methods for determining subscription data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10863231-B2
Application number	US-201816175678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2018
Priority date	Apr 20, 2007
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

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 remote device to a source device, a request for subscription data associated with a subscriber, wherein the subscription data indicates a package of media content that the subscriber subscribes to and is authorized to receive;
receiving, at the remote device, the subscription data;
transmitting, from the remote device to a target device, a content request for the package of media content, the content request comprising information associated with the subscription data;
receiving, from the target device, content associated with the package of media content that the subscriber subscribes to and is authorized to receive, wherein the target device 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 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 remote device, identifying information associated with the source device; and
compiling the request for subscription data wherein the request comprises the identifying information associated with the source device.

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

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from the target device, a second package of media content associated with media content that the source device is not authorized to receive based on the subscription data, wherein the target device 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 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 remote device, to display information associated with the channel using the source device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subscription data is received from the target device.

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

10. A remote device for accessing subscription information comprising:
communication circuitry configured to:
transmit, to a source device, a request for subscription data associated with a subscriber, wherein the subscription data indicates a package of media content that the subscriber subscribes to and is authorized to receive;
receive the subscription data;
transmit, to a target device, a content request for the package of media content, the content request comprising information associated with the subscription data; and
receive, from the target device, content associated with the package of media content that the subscriber subscribes to and is authorized to receive, wherein the target device 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 remote 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 remote device of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
obtain identifying information associated with the source device; and
compile the request for subscription data wherein the request comprises the identifying information associated with the source device.

13. The remote 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 source 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 source device.

14. The remote 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 source device.

15. The remote device of claim 10 , wherein:
the communication circuitry is further configured to:
receive, from the target device, a second package of media content associated with media content that the source device is not authorized to receive based on the subscription data, wherein the target device 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 remote device of claim 10 , wherein the communication circuitry is further configured to:
receive, from the target device, a second package of media content associated with media content that the source device is not authorized to receive based on the subscription data, wherein the target device 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.

17. The remote device of claim 16 , wherein:
the control circuitry is further configured to:
identify a channel associated with the second package of media content; and

the communication circuitry is further configured to:
transmit an instruction to display information associated with the channel using the source device.

18. The remote device of claim 10 wherein the communication circuitry is further configured to receive the subscription data from the target device.

19. The remote device of claim 10 wherein the communication circuitry is further configured to receive the subscription data from the source device.

Assignees

• Rovi Guides Inc

Inventors

• Olague Craig Alan
• Archer Kuan Hidalgo
• Strader Christopher

Classifications

• H04N21/41265 Primary

  having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device (unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204) · CPC title

• H04N21/4316

  for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window · CPC title

• H04N21/4532

  involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/47

  End-user applications · 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