Systems and methods for determining subscription data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9774902-B2
Application number	US-201514800313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2015
Priority date	Apr 20, 2007
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

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:
receiving, with the media guidance application at a second user equipment device, a user request for subscription information that was transmitted from a first user equipment device;
determining, using the media guidance application on the second user equipment device, whether the second user equipment device is authorized to receive a given package of media content from a remote server; and
in response to determining, on the second user equipment device, that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive the given package of media content from the remote server, transmitting, from the second user equipment device to the first user equipment device, an indication that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive each item within the given package of media content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises instructing the second user equipment device to access content associated with the given package of media content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user request comprises an instruction for the media guidance application to access content contained in the given package of media content.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating the subscription information based on the indication.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining further comprises:
identifying a set of media packages associated with the requested subscription information;
selecting the given package of media content from the set of media packages;
transmitting an instruction, from the media guidance application, to access content associated with the given media package with the second user equipment device; and
determining whether the second user equipment device is able to access the content.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating for display, in response to determining the second user equipment device is authorized to receive the given package of media content, content associated with the given package of media content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining further comprises:
identifying a set of media packages associated with the requested subscription information;
selecting the given package of media content from the set of media packages;
identifying a channel associated with the given package of media content;
transmitting an instruction, from the media guidance application, to tune to the channel using the second user equipment device; and
determining whether the second user equipment device is able to tune to the channel.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
identifying, in response to determining the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive the given package of media content, that a fault exists that is causing the package of media content to be not viewable.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating for display, in response to determining that the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive the given package of media content, a guide that omits content associated with the given package of media content.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating for display, in response to determining that the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive the given package of media content, a guide that identifies additional content, associated with the given package of media content, that is not viewable by the user.

11. A system for displaying subscription information comprising:
communication circuitry configured to:
receive, with the media guidance application at a second user equipment device, a user request for subscription information that was transmitted from a first user equipment device; and
in response to determining, on the second user equipment device, that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive a given package of media content from a remote server, transmit, from the second user equipment device to the first user equipment device, an indication that the second user equipment device is authorized to receive each item within the given package of media content; and

control circuitry configured to:
determine, using the media guidance application on the second user equipment device, whether the second user equipment device is authorized to receive the given package of media content from the remote server.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the control circuitry configured for the determining is further configured to instruct the second user equipment device to access content associated with the given package of media content.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the user request comprises an instruction for the media guidance application to access content contained in the given package of media content.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
generate the subscription information based on the indication.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the control circuitry configured for the determining is further configured to:
identify a set of media packages associated with the requested subscription information;
select the given package of media content from the set of media packages;
transmit an instruction, from the media guidance application, to access content associated with the given media package from the second user equipment device; and
determine whether the second user equipment device is able to access the content.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the video generating circuitry is further configured to:
generate for display, in response to determining the second user equipment device is authorized to receive the given package of media content, content associated with the given package of media content.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the control circuitry configured for the determining is further configured to:
identify a set of media packages associated with the requested subscription information;
select the given package of media content from the set of media packages;
identify a channel associated with the given package of media content;
transmit an instruction, from the media guidance application, to tune to the channel using the second user equipment device; and
determine whether the second user equipment device is able to tune to the channel.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
identify, in response to determining the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive the given package of media content, that a fault exists that is causing the given package of media content to be not viewable.

19. The system of claim 11 comprising video generating circuitry is configured to:
generate for display, in response to determining that the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive the given package of media content, a guide that omits the content associated with the given package of media content.

20. The system of claim 11 comprising video generating circuitry configured to:
generate for display, in response to determining that the second user equipment device is not authorized to receive the given package of media content, a guide that identifies additional content, associated with the given package of media content, that is not viewable by the user.

Assignees

• Rovi Guides Inc

Inventors

• Olague Craig Alan
• Archer Kuan Hidalgo
• Strader Christopher

Classifications

• 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

• H04N21/4532

  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

• H04N5/44591

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N21/41

  Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals · CPC title

• H04N21/4627

  Rights management {associated to the content (security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)} · CPC title