Live channel switching and return during commercial breaks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9113200-B2
Application number	US-201314042053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2013
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Aug 18, 2015
Grant date	Aug 18, 2015

Abstract

A device may detect a commercial break for a channel. The channel may be provided for output to a user. The device may determine another channel to provide based on detecting the commercial break for the channel. The other channel may not be associated with a commercial break. The device may provide the other channel for output to the user. The device may monitor the channel to detect that the commercial break for the channel has ended. The device may provide the channel for output to the user based on detecting that that the commercial break for the channel has ended.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
one or more processors to:
determine a set of preferred channels;
detect a commercial break for a first channel,
the first channel being provided for output to a user via an output device;

determine another channel to provide, from the set of preferred channels, based on detecting the commercial break for the first channel,
the other channel not being associated with a commercial break;

provide the other channel for output to the user via the output device;
monitor the first channel to detect that the commercial break for the first channel has ended;
record the first channel;
determine that a user device is not within a particular proximity of the output device,
the user device being different than the output device;

provide an indication to the user, via the user device, that the commercial break for the first channel has ended based on the user device not being within the particular proximity of the output device;
receive a request to return to the first channel from the user based on providing the indication to the user that the commercial break for the first channel has ended;
determine a starting playback position in the recorded first channel based on the request to return to the first channel,
the starting playback position being associated with detecting that the commercial break for the first channel has ended; and

provide the recorded first channel at the starting playback position for output to the user via the output device.

2. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
receive, from the user device, information that identifies a set of channel type preferences; and
where the one or more processors, when determining the set of preferred channels, are further to:
determine the set of preferred channels based on the set of channel type preferences.

3. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
receive information identifying one or more viewership metrics; and
where the one or more processors, when determining the set of preferred channels, are further to:
determine the set of preferred channels based on the one or more viewership metrics.

4. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
tune to the other channel;
process a data stream associated with the other channel;
determine that the other channel is not in a commercial break based on processing the data stream associated with the other channel; and
where the one or more processors, when determining the other channel to provide, are further to:
determine the other channel based on determining that the other channel is not in a commercial break.

5. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more processors are further to:
receive information identifying the user;
retrieve a set of stored channel preferences associated with the user; and
where the one or more processors, when determining the set of preferred channels, are further to:
determine the set of preferred channels based on the set of stored channel preferences associated with the user.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive a request to configure segment skipping,
the request including an indication of a segment to be skipped;

determine a set of preferred channels associated with segment skipping based on receiving the request to configure segment skipping;
store an indication of the segment to be skipped and the set of preferred channels associated with segment skipping;
provide a first channel for output to a user via an output device;
determine that the first channel is providing the segment to be skipped;
select a second channel from the set of preferred channels associated with segment skipping based on determining that the first channel is providing the segment to be skipped;
determine that the second channel is not providing the segment to be skipped;
provide the second channel for output to the user, via the output device, based on determining that the second channel is not providing the segment to be skipped;
determine that the first channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped;
record the first channel;
determine that a user device is not within a particular proximity of the output device,
the user device being different than the output device;

provide an indication to the user, via the user device, that the first channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped,
the indication being provided based on the user device not being within the particular proximity of the output device;

receive a request to return to the first channel from the user based on providing the indication to the user that the first channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped;
determine a starting playback position in the recorded first channel based on the request to return to the first channel,
the starting playback position being associated with detecting that the first channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped; and

provide the recorded first channel at the starting playback position for output to the user via the output device.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine that the first channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped, further cause the one or more processors to:
monitor the first channel; and
determine that the first channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped based on monitoring the first channel.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the second channel for output to the user, further cause the one or more processors to:
determine that the second channel has begun to provide the segment to be skipped;
select a third channel from the set of preferred channels associated with segment skipping based on determining that the second channel has begun to provide the segment to be skipped;
determine that the third channel is not providing the segment to be skipped; and
provide the third channel for output to the user based on determining that the third channel is not providing the segment to be skipped.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the third channel for output to the user, further cause the one or more processors to:
monitor the second channel;
determine that the second channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped based on monitoring the second channel; and
provide the second channel for output to the user based on determining that the second channel is no longer providing the segment to be skipped.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
receive information identifying a popularity measurement associated with the set of preferred channels; and
where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to select a second channel from the set of preferred channels associated with segment skipping, further cause the one or more processors to:
determine a second channel based on the information identifying the popularity measurement associated with the set of preferred channels.

11. The non-transitory computer-reada

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Ren Dahai

Classifications

• H04H60/375

  Commercial · CPC title

• H04H20/14

  for monitoring programmes · CPC title

• H04N21/4383 Primary

  Accessing a communication channel · CPC title

• H04N21/454

  Content {or additional data} filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements · CPC title

• H04H60/37

  for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID · CPC title