Media Service User Interface Systems and Methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016127780-A1
Application number	US-201514675581-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An exemplary computer-implemented media service user interface system detects a request for information about a media program series and, in response, generates a media program series page for the media program series and provides a view of at least a portion of the media program series page for display on a display screen. In certain examples, the system generates the media program series page by determining, across multiple different media content presentation sources by way of which media content is accessible through a media service for presentation by a media content access device, episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service, and populating the media program series page with page content that represents the episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
detecting, by a computer-implemented media service user interface system, a request for information about a media program series; in response to the request:
generating, by the computer-implemented media service user interface system, a media program series page for the media program series, the generating comprising
determining, across multiple different media content presentation sources by way of which media content is accessible through a media service for presentation by a media content access device, episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service, and
populating the media program series page with page content that represents the episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service; and

providing, by the computer-implemented media service user interface system, a view of at least a portion of the media program series page for display on a display screen communicatively coupled to the media content access device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple different media content presentation sources comprise at least two of:
a scheduled media content presentation source that distributes media programs in accordance with a distribution schedule; a look-back media content presentation source that provides temporary access to the media programs previously distributed by the scheduled media content presentation source in accordance with the distribution schedule; a digital-video-recording media content presentation source that provides access to recordings of one or more of the media programs previously distributed by the scheduled media content presentation source in accordance with the distribution schedule; and an on-demand media content presentation source that provides on-demand access to media programs.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the multiple different media content presentation sources comprise a first media content presentation source and a second media content presentation source; and the page content that represents the episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service comprises
a first entry that represents a first episode of the media program series that is accessible by the media content access device through the first media content presentation source, and
a second entry that represents a second episode of the media program series that is accessible by the media content access device through the second media content presentation source.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the multiple different media content presentation sources comprise a first media content presentation source and a second media content presentation source; and the determining of the episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service comprises
identifying that a particular episode of the media program series is available for access by the media content access device through the first media content presentation source and the second media content presentation source, and
selecting, from the first media content presentation source and the second media content presentation source and based on a predefined media content presentation source prioritization heuristic, the first media content presentation source to be associated with the particular episode of the media program series in the media program series page.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the page content that represents, in the view of at least a portion of the media program series page, the episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service indicates that the particular episode of the media program series is available for access by way of the first media content presentation source.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the view of at least a portion of the media program series page comprises a row of column header menu options representing seasons of the media program series, each column header menu option selectable to trigger a display of information about a respective season of the media program series.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein each column header menu option is mapped to a list of sub-menu entries representing episodes of the respective season of the media program series.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the view of at least a portion of the media program series page comprises a menu option selectable to request that a view of a media program provider portal page for a provider of the media program series be displayed in place of the view of at least a portion of the media program series page.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
detecting, by the computer-implemented media service user interface system, a selection of the menu option; and in response to the selection of the menu option:
generating, by the computer-implemented media service user interface system, the media program provider portal page for the provider of the media program series; and
providing, by the computer-implemented media service user interface system, a view of at least a portion of the media program provider portal page for display on the display screen in place of the view of at least a portion of the media program series page.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the request for information about the media program series is received while a view of a user interface page other than the media program provider portal page and the media program series page is displayed on the display screen.

11 . The method of claim 1 , embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

12 . A method comprising:
detecting, by a media content access device associated with an end-user account with a media service, a request for information about a media program series; in response to the request:
generating, by the media content access device, a media program series page for the media program series, the generating comprising
determining, across multiple different media content presentation sources by way of which media content is accessible through the media service for presentation by the media content access device, episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service, and
populating the media program series page with page content that represents the episodes of the media program series that are available for access by the media content access device through the media service; and

providing, by the media content access device, a view of at least a portion of the media program series page for display on a display screen communicatively coupled to the media content access device.

13 . The method of claim 12 , embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

14 . A system comprising:
at least one physical computing device that: detects a request for information about a media program series and in response to the request:
generates a media program series page for the media program series, the generating comprising
determining, across multiple different media content presentation sources by way of which media content is accessible through a media service for presentation by a media content access device, episodes of the media program

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Roberts Brian F
• Higa George M
• Lemus Anthony

Classifications

• H04N21/4725

  using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots {(details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4622 Primary

  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

• H04N21/8133

  specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video programme · CPC title

• H04N21/458

  Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules {; time-related management operations (arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4755

  for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre (retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306) · CPC title