Program guide data management for media content access systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9473476-B2
Application number	US-87166307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2007
Priority date	Jan 5, 2007
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

An exemplary system includes a data loader and a data slicer. The data loader is configured to receive and process raw program guide data, and to store the processed program guide data in a data store, the processing including generating a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data. The data slicer is configured to generate a program guide data configuration from the processed program guide data, the program guide data configuration including program guide data organized into a plurality of data structures based on categories of the program guide data. The plurality of data structures includes at least one channel data structure, at least one schedule data structure, at least one detailed program information data structure, and indices for use as references between different ones of the data structures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a data preprocessor configured to receive raw program guide data, process the raw program guide data, and store the processed program guide data in a data store, the data preprocessor being configured to generate a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data;
wherein the data preprocessor comprises a data slicer that divides the processed program guide data by program date and stores the divided processed program guide data in discrete schedule files, each discrete schedule file storing twenty-four hours of program guide data aligned by program date;
wherein the data preprocessor further:
identifies a current day and determines that a current discrete schedule file among the discrete schedule files matches the current day;
caches the current discrete schedule file on the current day in response to determining that the current discrete schedule file matches the current day;
receives, on the current day, via a network, a plurality of requests from a plurality of client-side content processing subsystems for program guide data corresponding to the current day;
provides, on the current day, via the network, in response to each of the plurality of requests, the cached current discrete schedule file to each of the plurality of client-side content processing subsystems.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing further includes identifying a unique series identifier for each series of program episodes represented in the raw program guide data, the data preprocessor being configured to generate each unique series identifier by
generating a unique series string based on a predetermined set of data fields associated with the corresponding program, and
using a predefined heuristic to generate the unique series identifier based on the unique series string.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data preprocessor is configured to generate each unique program identifier by
generating a unique program string by concatenating data included in a predetermined set of data fields associated with the corresponding program and removing at least one pre-selected character from the concatenation, the at least one pre-selected character comprising at least one character that introduces undesired textual variations across a set of textual fields, each textual field within the set of textual fields individually representing the corresponding program, and
using a predefined heuristic to generate the unique program identifier based on the unique program string.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the data preprocessor is configured to repeatedly append a different extender to the unique program string and generate another unique program identifier until it is determined that the unique program identifier has not been assigned to another unique program string.

5. The system of claim 1 , the data preprocessor further configured to generate a program guide data configuration from the processed program guide data, the program guide data configuration including program guide data organized into a plurality of data structures based on categories of the program guide data, the plurality of data structures including
at least one channel data structure,
at least one schedule data structure,
at least one detailed program information data structure, and
indices for use as references between different ones of the data structures.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the program guide data configuration includes individually compressed program guide data strings configured for individual decompression.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the program guide data configuration includes compressed program guide data strings and uncompressed program guide data strings, the uncompressed program guide data string being used more frequently than the compressed program guide data strings according to program guide data usage patterns.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one channel data structure includes a plurality of channel data structures, the at least one schedule data structure includes a plurality of schedule data structures, and the at least one detailed program information data structure includes a plurality of detailed program information data structures.

9. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a network interface unit configured to provide at least a subset of the program guide data configuration to a content processing subsystem via the network.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data preprocessor comprises a data loader that is separate from the data slicer.

11. A system comprising:
a data preprocessor including a data loader configured to receive raw program guide data, process the raw program guide data, and store the processed program guide data in a data store, the data loader being configured to generate a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data, wherein the data preprocessor is configured to generate each unique program identifier by
generating a unique program string and
using a predefined heuristic to generate the unique program identifier based on the unique program string; and
the data preprocessor further including a data slicer configured to generate a program guide data configuration from the processed program guide data, the program guide data configuration including program guide data organized into a plurality of data structures based on categories of the program guide data, the plurality of data structures including
at least one channel data structure,
at least one schedule data structure,
at least one detailed program information data structure, and
indices for use as references between different ones of the data structures;
wherein the data slicer divides the processed program guide data by program date and stores the divided processed program guide data in discrete schedule files, each discrete schedule file storing twenty-four hours of program guide data aligned by program date;
wherein the data preprocessor further:
identifies a current day and determines that a current discrete schedule file among the discrete schedule files matches the current day;
caches the current discrete schedule file on the current day in response to determining that the current discrete schedule file matches the current day;
receives, on the current day, via a network, a plurality of requests from a plurality of client-side content processing subsystems for program guide data corresponding to the current day;
provides, on the current day, via the network, in response to each of the plurality of requests, the cached current discrete schedule file to each of the plurality of client-side content processing subsystems.

12. A method comprising:
receiving raw program guide data;
processing the raw program guide data, including assigning a unique program identifier for each program represented in the raw program guide data;
dividing the processed program guide data by program date and storing the divided processed program guide data in discrete schedule files, each discrete schedule file storing twenty-four hours of program guide data aligned by program date;
organizing the processed program guide data into a plurality of data structures based on one or more categories of the processed program guide data, wherein the plurality of data structures includes at least one channel data structure, at least one schedule data structure, and at least one detailed program information data structure;
identifying a current day and determining that a current discrete schedule file among the discrete schedule files matches the current day;
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Assignees

• Raju Mukunda
• Patel Laxmi
• James Anita Mal
• Ruiz-Velasco Enrique
• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Raju Mukunda
• Patel Laxmi
• James Anita Mal
• Ruiz-Velasco Enrique

Classifications

• H04N21/482

  End-user interface for programme selection · CPC title

• H04N5/76

  Television signal recording · CPC title

• H04N5/907

  using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories (H04N5/91 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• H04N7/17318

  Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests · CPC title