Patent Publication Number: US-2020296479-A1

Title: Media content delivery selection

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/945,454, filed on Nov. 19, 2015, entitled “Media Content Delivery Selection,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Media content such as videos, television programming, movies, sporting events, and the like, may be delivered from a variety of sources, e.g., a conventional cable television or satellite network, a computer server connected to the Internet, etc. Further, users within customer premises may access media content via a variety of devices, e.g., a television connected to a set top box, a laptop, desktop, or tablet computer, etc. 
     Often, a media content source provides access to media content according to categories to which items of media content are assigned. For example, media content items may be accessed by selection of the television channel, a genre, a subscription level (e.g., basic or premium), etc. In some instances, the media content provider may wish to make a particular category or categories of media content, e.g., a premium channel, available to users on a temporary and/or promotional basis. That is, the media content provider may make available to one or more users a category of media content to which the user has not subscribed or otherwise obtained access. However, with the goal of getting the user to access the media content and/or category of media content, the media content provider faces the challenge of getting the user to access, and hopefully purchase, the media content and/or category of media content. 
     DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary media content delivery system. 
       FIG. 2  is diagram of an exemplary process for detecting and displaying selected media content. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Introduction 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary media content delivery system  100 . A media source  105  in the system  100  includes media content  110 , e.g., streaming content, examples of an item of content  110  including a video presentation such as a movie, television program, sporting event, video clip, etc. Further, the media source  105  may organize areas items of media content  110  according to channels, or other categories, e.g., genre, subscription level (e.g., basic or premium), rating, etc. The media content  110  may be provided in a known manner, e.g., via a network  135  to a media device  145  that is generally located in a customer premises  140 . 
     As discussed further below, media content  110  is generally provided with metadata  120 , including an indication of a category and/or an indication that a category of media content  110  is to be displayed, substantially immediately, upon activation of a display and without user input to select an item of media content  110  for display. For example, a premium channel that the media source  105  has made available to users not subscribing to the premium channel as part of a promotion could be indicated in the metadata  120 . A media device  145  in a customer premises  140  is programmed to recognize the indication of a category in the metadata  120 , and to actuate display of media content  110  in one or more categories pre-stored in a memory of the media device  145 . Content  110  in such predetermined categories is sometimes referred to herein as “selected content  110 .” Continuing the previous example, the media device  145  could, upon activation of a display, e.g., a powering up of the media device  145  and/or associated display device  150 , cause display of an item of selected media content  110  being provided according to the indicated category. 
     Exemplary System Elements 
     Media Source 
     In general, media source  105  may include various known elements in various known arrangements for processing, storing, and providing media content  110  and related data. Elements of the media source  105  may be local to one another and/or may be distributed amongst multiple locations. For example, media source  105  may include one or more computer servers (some or all of which may be referred to as “media servers”) and data storage devices, e.g., for storing and processing content  110  and other data such as discussed herein. 
     In general, the media source  105  may be any one or some combination of various mechanisms for delivering media content  110 , e.g., one or more computing devices and storage devices, and may depend on a type of media content  110  being provided. By way of example and not limitation, media content  110  data may be provided as video-on-demand through a cable, satellite, or internet protocol television (IPTV) distribution system, as streaming Internet video data, or as some other kind of data. Accordingly, the media source  105  may include one or more of a cable or satellite television headend, a video streaming service such as generally includes a multimedia web server (or some other computing device), or some other mechanism for delivering multimedia data. In general, examples of media content  110  include various types of data, including audio, video, images, etc. 
     Media content  110  is generally delivered via the network  135  in a digital format, e.g., as compressed audio and/or video data. The media content  110  generally includes, according to such digital format, media data  115  and media metadata  120 . For example, MPEG refers to a set of standards generally promulgated by the International Standards Organization/International Electrical Commission Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). H.264 refers to a standard promulgated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Accordingly, by way of example and not limitation, media content  110  may be provided in a format such as the MPEG-1, MPEG-2 or the H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coating standards (AVC) (H.264 and MPEG-4 at present being consistent), or according to some other standard or standards. For example, media content  110  could be audio data formatted according to standards such as MPEG-2 Audio Layer III (MP3), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), etc. Further, the foregoing standards generally provide for including metadata, e.g., media metadata  120 , along with media data  115 , in a file of media content  110 , such as the media metadata  120  discussed herein. 
     Media content  110  includes media content as it is usually provided for general distribution, e.g., a movie, television program, video file, audio file, etc. in a form has provided by a distributor of the media content  110 . Alternatively or additionally, media content  110  may be modified from the form provided by a general distributor of content (e.g., recompressed, re-encoded, etc.). The media data  115  includes data by which a display, playback, representation, etc. of the media content  110  is presented on a media device  145  and/or display device  150 . For example, media data  115  generally includes units of encoded and/or compressed video data, e.g., frames of an MPEG file or stream. 
     An item of media content  110  typically includes metadata  120  describing the item of media content. Media metadata  120  in media content  110  may include metadata as provided by an encoding standard such as an MPEG standard. Alternatively and/or additionally, media metadata  120  could be stored and/or provided separately to a media device  145 , apart from media data  115 . Further, in addition to metadata  120  included in a particular item of media content  110 , the media device  145  could receive metadata not included in media content  110 , e.g., metadata provided to a set-top box media device  145  identifying a category such as a programming channel or the like. In one example, the media device  145  receives a table or tables form the media source  105  that specifies, for each available item of media content  110  at a particular time, channels associated with each available item of media content  110   
     Accordingly, the media device  145  may be programmed to associate the category with media content  110  items included therein, e.g., provided in the programming channel. Yet further, metadata  120  for a media content item  110  could include an identifier for a category of items of media content  110 , the category identifier possibly being associated with delivery of a programming channel or the like, such as is known, to the media device  145  and/or being included in metadata  120  for an item of media content  110 . As explained above, a category identifier may indicate various categorizations of media content  110  e.g., channels of programming, genres, subscription levels, etc. 
     Further, as noted above, media metadata  120  for an item of media content  110  generally provides various descriptive information for the item of media content  110 . Examples of media metadata  120  include information such as content  110  title, chapter, actor information, Motion Picture Association of America MPAA rating information, reviews, and other information that describes an item of media content  110 . Information for metadata  120  may be gathered from a content producer, e.g., a movie studio, media information aggregators, and other sources such as critical movie reviews. 
     Network 
     Communications to and from the media source  105 , customer premises  140 , and possibly other sites may occur via the network  135 . In general, the network  135  represents one or more mechanisms for delivering content  110  from the media source  105  to a media device  145 . Accordingly, the network  135  may be one or more of various wired or wireless communication mechanisms, including any desired combination of wired (e.g., cable and fiber) and/or wireless (e.g., cellular, wireless, satellite, microwave, and radio frequency) communication mechanisms and any desired network topology (or topologies when multiple communication mechanisms are utilized). Exemplary communication networks include wireless communication networks, local area networks (LAN) and/or wide area networks (WAN), including the Internet, etc. 
     Customer Premises 
     Turning to the customer premises  140 , the media device  145  is generally a device including a computer processor and associated storage, e.g., volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, etc., and capable of communicating via the network  135 . Exemplary media devices  145  include a set-top box, a personal computer such as a laptop, handheld, or tablet computer, a smart phone, etc. 
     The media device  145  may include a display and/or may be connected to a display device  150 , e.g., a television, or may incorporate a display device  150 , e.g., a display of a personal computer. When content  110  is referred to herein as being “displayed,” it is to be understood that such display could include any possible mode of displaying media data, such as a display of visual data, audio data, etc. For example, content  110  could be displayed by showing video or image data on a screen with or without sound, by playing audio data with or without a visual display, etc. 
     The media device  145  is typically programmed to receive media content  110 , including content data  115  and metadata  120  for an item of media content  110 , and to interpret the metadata  120 , e.g., in a known manner. For example, the media device  145  could be a set top box or the like, and could include programming to identify one or more channels of content  110  as is known. Further, the media device  145 , e.g., a set-top box, could include programming to automatically tune, e.g., in a known manner, to a channel of media content  110  identified with a category indicated, e.g., in metadata  120 , to have a priority status for display, e.g., to be promotional content. Yet further, the media device  145  could include programming to for display, e.g., to be provided to a display  150  such as a television, when the media device  145  is activated to display media content  110 , e.g., when a set-top box is powered up from a standby mode to an active mode as is known. Advantageously, a user may thereby be provided with media content  110  associated with a category, e.g., a channel, that a provider of the media content  110  wishes to promote or to otherwise expose to the user. 
     Exemplary Process 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of an exemplary process  200  for detecting and displaying selected media content  110 . The process  200  may be executed according to program instructions stored in a memory of the media device  145 , e.g., a memory of a set-top box, personal computing device, etc. 
     The process  200  begins in a block  205  in which the media device  145  receives, from a media source  105 , multiple items of media content  110 . Typically, one or more, possibly all, of the items of media content  110  are associated with a category, such as a channel of programming or the like. Further, it will be understood that the media device  145  may receive only a portion of an item of media content  110 , e.g., metadata  120 . In any event, the media device  145  in the block  205  is typically in a standby mode or the like. For example, a set-top box is typically known to have a low-power standby mode in which the set-top box may receive data, e.g., metadata  120  indicating available channels of programming, from the media source  105 . 
     Next, in a block  210 , the media device  145  determines whether it has detected selected media content  110 . As described above, the media device  145  typically stores in a memory and identifier or other indicator of one or more categories, e.g., a category being a programming channel or the like, of media content  110  that is to be provided to a display  150  upon activation of the display  150 . The media device  145  may store a table or the like of available categories, e.g., programming channels, available to the user, e.g., to which the user has subscribed. Other categories may be indicated as available to the user as selected media content  110 , e.g., the device  145  could be instructed by the media source  105  to store identifiers associated with one or more such categories, e.g., channels being promoted and therefore available to the user for a limited time, whereupon such category could be used by the media device  145  to provide access to, and to display, a category, e.g., programming channel, via the display  150 . Upon detecting availability of a category of one or more categories of selected media content  110 , the process  200  proceeds to a block  215 . If no category of selected media content  110  is detected, then the process  200  proceeds to a block  230 . 
     In the block  215 , the media device  145  determines whether identified selected media content  110 , e.g., according to a programming channel, a genre, etc., meets viewing parameters such as may be stored in a memory of the media device  145 . For example, the media device  145  is known to store parental controls, user preferences, and the like. If an item of selected media content  110  is associated with a category stored in the memory of the media device  145 , but does not meet viewing parameters stored in the media device  145  memory, e.g., violates parental control rules, then typically the media device  145  will be programmed to avoid display of the selected media content  110  even though the media content  110  is associated with a stored category, and the process  200  proceeds to the block  230 . However, if at least one of the one or more selected media content  110  items identified in the block  210  meets viewing parameters stored by the media device  145 , then a block  220  is executed next. 
     In the block  220 , the media device  145  determines whether input has been received to activate the display  150 . As one example of activation of the display  150 , a set-top box or the like could be powered up from a standby mode to a full power or viewing mode, possibly along with a television or other display device  150 . Alternatively, an application, i.e., a computer program, running on a laptop, desktop, tablet, etc., computer media device  145  including programming to receive media content  110  from the media source  105  and to provide the media content  110  to a display  150 , e.g., a computer screen, could be brought from a background state to a foreground state. That is, the program could be minimized, or running as a background process not visible to the user but started by the computer  145  operating system and then brought to what is referred to as a foreground state upon user input, e.g., maximizing an application window, providing input, e.g., selecting an icon or the like, to instantiate an interface of the application for user interaction. In any event, if input is received to actuate the display device  150 , then the process  200  proceeds to a block  225 . Otherwise, the process  200  proceeds to the block  230 . 
     In the block  225 , the media device  145  provides an item of selected media content  110  to the display  150 . Because the media device  145  could identify multiple items of selected media content  110  in the block  210 , e.g., more than one channel of programming could be identified for a promotion at a given time, and further because more than one item of selected media content  110  could pass viewing parameters in the block  210 , the media device  145  may need to choose one of multiple items of selected media content  110  to provide to the display  150 . Accordingly, the media device  145  may be programmed to rank categories and/or items of media content  110  for provision to the display  150 . 
     For example, a memory of the media device  145  may store a list of programming channels to be identified for selected media content  110 , along with an order of priority for display of each of the channels. In this example, the media device  145  would simply select from a highest-ranked channel to choose one of multiple items of selected media content  110 . In another example, the media device  145  could use some other criterion, e.g., channel numbers, and alphabetical order of channels, etc. In yet another example, a criterion could include an expiration date for selected media content  110 , e.g., where a promotion of a particular programming channel ends on a certain date, that date could be assigned as an expiration date, and channels with earlier expiration dates could be given a higher priority. 
     In any case, the process  200  exits the block  225  when display of the selected media content  110  ends or stopped, and then, following the block  225 , the process  200  proceeds to the block  230 . 
     In the block  230 , the media device  145  determines whether the process  200  continues. For example, the media device  145  could be powered totally off, rather than a set-top box running in standby mode, computing device running a media display application in the background, etc., in which case the process  200  ends. However, if the process  200  continues, that is, the media device  145  remains active to receive information via the network  135  from the media source  105 , then the process  200  returns to the block  205 . 
     Conclusion 
     Computing devices such as those discussed herein generally each include instructions executable by one or more computing devices such as those identified above, and for carrying out blocks or steps of processes described above. For example, process blocks discussed above may be embodied as computer-executable instructions. 
     Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of programming languages and/or technologies, including, without limitation, and either alone or in combination, Java™ , C, C++, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, HTML, etc. In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readable media. A file in a computing device is generally a collection of data stored on a computer readable medium, such as a storage medium, a random access memory, etc. 
     A computer-readable medium includes any medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions), which may be read by a computer. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, etc. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes a main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read. 
     In the drawings, the same reference numbers indicate the same elements. Further, some or all of these elements could be changed. With regard to the media, processes, systems, methods, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It further should be understood that certain steps could be performed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed so as to limit the claimed invention. 
     Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims. 
     All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.