Abstract:
A system and method are described that provide television content broadcast system subscribers with convenient access to aggregated web feed content. In one embodiment, a television content broadcast system ( 20 ) maintains a database ( 21 ) linking one or more particular subscribers with one or more sources of web feed content. The television content broadcast system ( 20 ) downloads web feed content for a subscriber from the one or more sources associated with the subscriber, either at the user&#39;s request or to a cache ( 22 ). The television content broadcast system ( 20 ) sends the downloaded web feed content through a web content interface ( 30 ( 2 )) to a television receiver ( 41 ), or through a web content interface ( 30 ( 3 )) to a local memory ( 51 ) in a set-top box ( 50 ). In another embodiment, the television content broadcast subscribers also have accounts on a web content aggregation system ( 10 ). Web content aggregation system ( 10 ) retrieves web feed content associated with the user, and sends the web feed content to television content broadcast system ( 20 ) for forwarding to the appropriate subscriber.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/797,770 filed on May 4, 2006 and International Application No. PCT/US2007/068250 filed on May 4, 2007. The entireties of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to web feed content aggregation systems of any web syndication type (e.g., RSS and Atom) and television content broadcast systems of any TV broadcasting type (e.g., cable and satellite). The present invention specifically relates to an interfacing between the web feed content aggregation system and the television content broadcast system to facilitate a television display of web feed content, particularly on-demand. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Web feed content is the textual/visual/aural content of any web syndication type including, but not limited to, web text content, web image content, web video content, web audio content and web animation content. A web feed content aggregation system is a system structurally configured on a user subscription account basis to retrieve syndicated web feed content (e.g., RSS, Atom and other XML formats) published by web servers. 
         [0004]    Television content is the textual/visual/aural content of telecommunication systems including, but not limited to, TV text content, TV image content, TV video content, TV audio content and TV animation content. A television content broadcast system is a system structurally configured to receive and broadcast television content on a user subscription account basis. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The present invention is a web feed content interface for facilitating an exchange of web feed content between a web feed content aggregation system and a television content broadcast system, and for facilitating an exchange of web feed content between a television content broadcast system and a television or a set top box for purposes of a television display of the web feed content, particularly on-demand. 
         [0006]    In one form of the present invention, the web feed content aggregation system is operable to facilitate a user management of web feed content based on a web feed content aggregator subscription account of a user, and the television content broadcast system is operable to facilitate a user management of a display of television content based on a television content broadcast subscription account of the user. The web feed content interface of the present invention is established between the web feed content aggregation system, the television content broadcast system and a television to facilitate an exchange of web feed content between the web feed content aggregation system and the television content broadcast system based on an account association of the user&#39;s web feed content aggregator subscription account and the television content broadcast subscription account whereby a television display of the web feed content can be managed by the user, particularly on-demand. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a web feed content aggregation system, a television content broadcast system and a web feed content interface in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of a television content broadcast system, a television and a web feed content interface in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates one embodiment of a television content broadcast system, a set top box and a web feed content interface in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 ; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates a second exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a web feed content aggregation system  10  structurally configured on a user subscription account basis to retrieve syndicated web feed content of any format (e.g., RSS, Atom and other XML formats) published by any type of web server. Commercial examples of web feed content aggregation system  10  include, but is not limited to, (1) www.feedgazer.com; (2) www.google.com/reader; (3) my.yahoo.com; (4) www.pluck.com; (5) www.newsgator.com; (6) www.rojo.com; (7) www.bloglines.com; (8) www.feedlounge.com; (9) www.netvibes.com; (10) www.newsfirerss.com; (11) www.rrsowl.com; (12) www.rrsexpress.net; (13) www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/; (14) www.rssfwd.com/; (15) www.raggle.org/; and (16) www.planetplanet.org/. 
         [0013]    While any of the current and future web feed content aggregation systems may be employed in accordance with the inventive principles of the present invention, www.feedgazer.com is currently preferred in view of its capability to enable a user with a management of individual web feeds of any type based on a web feed content aggregation subscription account established by www.feedgazer.com on behalf of the user and to read in lists of web feeds of any type from additional web feed content aggregation subscription accounts established by third party web feed content aggregation systems on behalf of the user. As such, web feed content aggregation system  10  is shown in  FIG. 1  as receiving web feed content WFC for populating a table  11  representing a web feed content aggregation WFCA of web feed content WFC on a web feed content aggregation subscription account WFCASA basis, of which web feed content aggregation subscription accounts FG 01 , FG 02  and FG 03  of www.feedgazer.com are shown. As previously described, web feed content WFC can either be directly subscribed by the user via www.feedgazer.com (“RSS”) and/or indirectly subscribed by the user via one or more third party web feed content aggregation systems (“OPML”). 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  further illustrates a television content broadcast system  20  structurally configured to receive and broadcast television content on a user subscription account basis. Commercial examples of television content broadcast system  20  include, but are not limited to, cable television providers such as (1) Insight Communications; (2) Comast; (3) Adelphia; (4) Austar; (5) Bright House Networks; (6) CableOne; (7) Cable TV Hong Kong; (8) Cablevision (US); (9) Cablevision (Canada); (10) Canal Digital; (11) Charter; (12) Champion Broadband; (13) Cogeco; (14) Columbus Communications; (15) Com Hem; (16) Cox; (17) Eastlink; (18) Foxtel; (19) GCI; (20) Global Destiny; (21) Globosat; (22) Kabel Deutschland; (23) Knology; (24) MASTV; (25) MCV Broadband; (26) Mediacom; (27) Midcontinent Communications; (28) Millennium Digital Media; (29) Neighbourhood Cable; (30) Net Brasil; (31) NTL; (32) Ono; (33) Optus; (34) Persona; (35) RCN; (36) Rogers; (37) Satview Broadband Ltd; (38) Service Electric; (39) SkyCable; (40) Shaw; (41) StarHub CableTV; (42) Suddenlink; (43) TDC; (44) Tele2; (45) TelstraClear InHomeTV; (46) Time Warner; (47) TransACT; (48) TV Cabo; (49) Vidéotron; (50) Virgin Media; (51) WOW! Internet Cable Phone; and (52) WightCable. 
         [0015]    Further commercial examples of television content broadcast system  20  include, but are not limited to, satellite television providers such as (1) AlphaStar; (2) ART; (3) Astro; (4) Astro Nusantara; (5) Athina Sat; (6) Austar; (7) Bell ExpressVu; (8) Canal Digital; (9) CanalSat; (10) Cyfra+; (11) DialogTV; (12) Digital+; (13) Digiturk; (14) DirecTV; (15) Dish Network| Dish TV; (16) DStv; (17) Euro1080; (18) Freesat; (19) Freesat from Sky; (20) FreeView (NZ); (21) Foxtel; (22) GlobeCast World TV; (23) Globosat; (24) Glorystar; (25) Home2US; (26) NTV Plus; (27) NOVA Cyprus; (28) NOVA Greece; (29) Orbit; (30) Premiere; (31) PrimeStar; (32) SelecTV; (33) Showtime Arabia; (34) Sky Angel; (35) Sky Digital; (36) SKY Italia; (37) Sky PerfecTV!; (38) Sky TV (NZ); (39) Star Choice; (40) STAR TV; (41) Tata Sky; (42) TPS; (43) TV Cabo; (44) UBI World TV; (45) Viasat; (46) Voom; and (47) WOWOW. 
         [0016]    While any of the current and future television content broadcast systems may be employed in accordance with the inventive principles of the present invention, such systems having an On Demand capability or the like are preferred in view of the ease and convenience a user would have in managing a television display of web feed content based on a remote control of these features as known in the art. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  further illustrates a web feed content interface  30 ( 1 ) structurally configured to exchange web feed content WFC between web feed content aggregation system  10  and television content broadcast system  20  based on an account association of each web feed content aggregator subscription account (“WFCASA”) of system  10  to a television content broadcast subscription account (“TCBSA”) of system  20  as represented by a table  21 , in which television content broadcast subscription accounts IN 01 , IN 02  and IN 03  of Insight Communications for example are shown associated with respective web feed content aggregator subscription accounts FG 01 , FG 02  and FG 03  of www.feedgazer.com for example. 
         [0018]    In view of the numerous and variety of possible commercial implementations of systems  10  and  20  in practice, the present invention neither imposes any limitations nor any restrictions as to the manner by which web feed content interface  30 ( 1 ) is structurally configured to exchange and format web feed content WFC between systems  10  and  20 . 
         [0019]    In one embodiment, web feed content interface  30 ( 1 ) is structurally configured as a database manager of any type operable to exchange web feed content WFC between systems  10  and  20  in a format suitable for the transmission for the world wide web. Alternatively or concurrently, web feed content interface  30 ( 1 ) is structurally configured as a database manager of any type operable to exchange web feed content WFC between systems  10  and  20  in a format suitable for the broadcast of the web feed content WFC in a television content format. For either embodiment, television content broadcast system  20  preferably, although not required, employs a cache  22  for storing a portion or an entirety of web feed content WFC for each individual television content broadcast subscription account TCBSA. 
         [0020]    Web feed content interface  30 ( 1 ) is considered a front end interface. To further enable television display of the web feed content WFC that is managed by a user of a television content broadcast subscription account TCBSA, a back end web feed content interface  30 ( 2 ) is structurally configured to exchange web feed content WFC between television content broadcast system  20  and either a television  40  via its television receiver  41  (e.g., a cable based receiver) as shown in  FIG. 2  or a set top box  50  via a cache  51  as shown in  FIG. 3 . In either case, in view of the numerous and variety of possible commercial implementations of system  20 , television  40  and set top box  50  in practice, the present invention neither imposes any limitations nor any restrictions as to the manner by which web feed content interface  30 ( 2 ) is structurally configured to exchange and format web feed content WFC system  20 , television  40  and set top box  50 . 
         [0021]    In one embodiment, web feed content interface  30 ( 2 ) is structurally configured as a feed on demand manager operable to enable a user of the television content broadcast subscription account TCBSA to control a display of the web feed content WFC on-demand via a remote control whereby television content broadcast system  20  is responsive to remote control commands to provide the web feed content WFC on-demand in either a world wide web format and/or in a television content format to television receiver  41  or set top box  50  based on the account association. 
         [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3  with a web server  60  serving as web feed content aggregation system  10  ( FIG. 1 ) and a streaming/downloading media server  65  serving as a feed on demand component of television content broadcast system  20  ( FIGS. 1-3 ). A user can utilize a PC  63 , a workstation  64 , a laptop  65  or the like to manage a retrieval of web feed content WFC by server  60  via an internet network  61  of any type from other web servers (not shown) based on the user&#39;s web feed content aggregation subscription account WFCASA (e.g., account FG 01  of  FIGS. 1-3 ). Front end web feed content interface  30 ( 1 ) ( FIG. 1 ) is installed in server  60 , installed in server  65  or distributed among servers  60  and  65  to provide web feed content WFC retrieved by server  60  to server  65  on a web feed content aggregation subscription account basis WFCASA. 
         [0023]    Back end web feed content interface  30 ( 2 ) ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ) is installed in server  65 , installed in a television  67  and a set top box  68 , or distributed among server  65 , television  67  and set top box  68  to provide the web feed content WFC received by server  65  via a telecommunications network  66  of any type in either a world wide web format and/or in a television content format to television  67  or a television  69  via set top box  68  based on an account association of the user&#39;s web feed content aggregation subscription account WFCASA (e.g., account FG 01  of  FIGS. 1-3 ) and television content broadcast subscription account TCBSA (e.g., account IN 01  of  FIGS. 1-3 ). 
         [0024]      FIG. 5 . illustrates an alternative embodiment of  FIG. 4  with web server  60  being connected via a intranet network  70  of any type to streaming/downloading media server  65 . 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , servers  60  and  65  can represent an actual physical implementation of the present invention or a logical domain representation of the present invention. Furthermore, a video on demand system can be integrated in server  65  with a feed on demand system in accordance with the present invention. Commercial examples of video on demand system include, but are not limited to, Akimbo, iN Demand and SeaChange International. 
         [0026]    Still referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , as known in the art servers  60  and  65  include processors and memories. For the purposes of the present invention, term “processor” as used herein is broadly defined as one or more processing units of any type for performing all arithmetic and logical operations and for decoding and executing all instructions related to facilitating an implementation of the present invention. Additionally, the term “memory” as used herein is broadly defined as encompassing all storage space in the form of computer readable mediums of any type. 
         [0027]    In practice, the structural configurations of interfaces  30  are within the skill of those having ordinary skill in the art of web and television formatting and communication protocols, particularly those having skill in database management and video on demand. 
         [0028]    While the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are presently considered to be preferred, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents are intended to be embraced therein.