WO2007072369A2

WO2007072369A2 - Notification of a live event on television

Info

Publication number: WO2007072369A2
Application number: PCT/IB2006/054873
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nikola Gidalov
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.; U.S. Philips Corporation
Priority date: 2005-12-20
Filing date: 2006-12-14
Publication date: 2007-06-28
Also published as: WO2007072369A3

Abstract

Specific occurrences corresponding to preferences of a user are subscribed to and recorded (216, 228, 320). A broadcasted signal (212) carrying a live event monitored for a subscribed-to occurrence is received. Upon detection of the occurrence, a notification message is received (S504). At that time, a comparison is made between the received message and the recorded occurrences to filter out part of or the whole message based on lack of match between the recorded occurrences and content of the message (S516, S520). The user may be notified and/or the broadcasted signal may be processed in the event of a match (S540).

Description

NOTIFICATION OF A LIVE EVENT ON TELEVISION

The present invention relates to monitoring a live broadcasted event for a predefined occurrence of interest, and to notifying a user of the occurrence detected and/or recording or presenting the occurrence.

The number of entertainment services, including television (TV) and radio broadcasted over satellite and terrestrial channels is growing every day. The content providers and broadcasters usually combine the programming by content, as by sports, by movies, etc. Sophisticated systems have been developed to allow the user, based on an electronic programming guide (EPG) or Teletext, to search for and choose his or her preferred programming or service.

These systems are useful when the programming is divided into units whose start and end are well-defined or pre-set. However, for live TV channels like those carrying live sport events, this is not the case. All football matches, for example, in the same league may be scheduled for the same afternoon slot. Since several matches can be simultaneously broadcasted on different channels, the user is unable to easily keep track of the status of matches on channels other than the one to which he or she is currently tuned. The user may therefore miss a goal scored in a match shown another channel.

One solution is to interrupt the current broadcast, and temporarily broadcast the match where the goal was scored. However, the user may not want the current program to be interrupted, or may prefer not to see the other broadcast right now.

Another approach is to gather, at an external server for all users, subscriptions to or other indications concerning respective occurrences, monitor the event being broadcasted for the subscribed-to or indicated occurrences, and selectively distribute notifications of detected occurrences to the respective users. The users can then switch to the particular channel or be switched there automatically.

However, the user discloses private information when selecting or otherwise specifying an occurrence of interest. This data, reflecting preferences of the viewing public, is valuable not only to the broadcaster and content provider, but to anyone seeking to sell goods or services to the viewing audience. Yet, the viewer might want to avoid receiving unsolicited advertising targeted to perceived preferences of the viewer. It is possible, also, that selections the user has made in subscribing to certain occurrences are selections the user wants to keep confidential. Although the broadcaster or its service provider may maintain a policy of keeping the subscriptions confidential, the remoteness of the server affords the possibility of unauthorized physical access. Servers typically are connected or connectable to user interfaces, through which a hacker may gain access to the personal information. If the hacker obtains a counterfeit badge, for example, and thereby gains entry to a restricted location where the server is kept, the server may be hacked, and personal information of the view could be revealed.

The present invention is directed to addressing the shortcomings of the prior art.

In brief, specific occurrences corresponding to preferences of a user are subscribed to and recorded. A broadcasted signal carrying a live event monitored for a subscribed-to occurrence is received. Upon detection of the occurrence, a notification message is received. At that time, a comparison is made between the received message and the recorded occurrences to filter out part of or the whole message based on lack of match between the recorded occurrences and content of the message. The user may be notified and/or the broadcasted signal may be processed in the event of a match.

Details of the invention are set forth below with the aid of the following drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is flow diagram of exemplary communication in monitoring a live event for a predetermined occurrence and dispatching notification to the user, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of exemplary communication in receiving the notification, and either recording or presenting an occurrence extracted from a received broadcast of the live event, according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is block diagram of one example of a consumer electronics device, according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary event monitoring and occurrence notification process, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary broadcast reception and notification filtering process, in accordance with the present invention; and FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of exemplary communication in receiving and processing the incoming broadcast.

FIG. 1 depicts exemplary communication in monitoring a live event for a predetermined occurrence and dispatching notification to the user, according to the present invention. An exemplary broadcasting site 104, in accordance with the present invention, includes at least one camera 108, and a broadcaster office 112 receiving the feed 116 from the camera(s) 108. For each feed 116, is a video window 120 in the broadcaster office 112. Editing or production personnel monitoring an event by means of the windows 120 switch feeds to respective audiovisual (AV) output channels 124. The latter correspond to television channels. An encoder 128 monitors the event by viewing a respective channel 124 to detect a predetermined occurrence. This occurrence is preferably one that has been subscribed to by at least some of the viewers, although, due to the privacy accorded user subscriptions, the encoder would generally not know whether any subscriptions have been made for the particular predetermined occurrence(s). Although a single broadcasting site 104 is shown, any number of broadcasting sites may supply output to any number of encoders 128. The encoder 128 may be a person, or may be a computer performing pattern recognition using techniques well-known in the art. As pictured in FIG. 1, the encoder 128 is monitoring a single channel 124, and using a light pen 132 to indicate when she visually detects on-screen any of one or more subscribed-to occurrences. An example of an occurrence is the onset of a tie-breaker segment of a particular tennis match, or service at match point. Upon detection, a notification message is sent to a multiplexer 136. The message is multiplexed with the output channels 124. In the case of digital broadcast, such as digital video broadcast (DVB) multimedia home platform (MHP), the notification message may be conveyed in private packets included in the broadcast signal along with the TV or cable channels. In the case of an analog broadcast, the notification message can be conveyed in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) as Teletext. The VBI is the time interval during which an electron beam scanner in a television tube diagonally returns upward across the tube to start the scanning of the next frame. The multiplexed broadcast signal 138 is sent to a transmitting base station, e.g., satellite 140 or terrestrial 144, which relays an output signal 148.

As shown in FIG. 2, the relayed signal is received at a respective receiving base station 204, 208, which, in the case of cable TV, may reside at a head end local to the viewer. The resulting broadcasted signal 212 is received at a set-top box (STB) 216 of a user or viewer. Audiovisual output 220 from the STB 216 is received, and is presented on a television 224 and/or is recorded internally in the STB. A remote control 228 can be operated by the user to, in addition to performing any of the typically associated functions, schedule or subscribe to occurrences of interest. This may be accomplished by means of an interactive user interface viewable on the screen of the TV 224 or panel, such as an LCD panel, of the STB 216. The subscriptions are saved in the STB 216, preferably in a secure manner such that they are not communicated out. Thus, this private information of the user is protected. In one embodiment, all communication 212 with the outside is oneway, i.e., incoming to the STB, such that there is no interaction between the STB 216 and the infrastructure 204, 208. The configuration in FIG. 2 can exclude the STB 216, and a one-way analog broadcast would be received directly by the TV 224. The configuration can also include a firewall, so that the STB 216 and/or TV 224 behind the firewall can be protected from intrusions originating from an unknown transmission source.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a consumer electronics (CE) device 310 such as the STB 216 or TV 224. The CE device 310 includes a subscription module 320 for taking and recording subscriptions to user-selected or -designated occurrences. Further included is storage memory 325 for recording the subscriptions and the incoming broadcasted signal 212. The two types of recordings may be in separate memories. Thus, for example, the memory for subscriptions, and possibly for computer programs, can be any variety of random access memory (RAM), while the memory for the broadcast 212 may be a hard disk or optical disc. The CE device 310 also has a receiver 330 for receiving the broadcasted signal to be recorded and/or presented immediately, a comparison unit 340 for comparing the received signal with the recorded subscriptions, a processing section 350 for deciding whether and how to act on the comparison, and a user interface 360 by which the user selects or provides subscriptions. The combination of the STB 216 and the TV 224, or merely the TV if the configuration excludes the STB, may include more than one tuner, so that the user may view his current channel uninterrupted while an occurrence of interest on another channel is being recorded to memory 320. The components 320 through 360 may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware or in any other known and suitable form. FIG. 4 provides, by way of illustrative and non- limitative example, an event monitoring and occurrence notification process 400 according to the present invention. A live event is monitored by the encoder 128 for a particular occurrence that is unscheduled or whose time of occurrence is unscheduled (step S410). As mentioned above, the encoder 128 would not necessarily know if any viewer has subscribed to the particular occurrence, since this information is private. It is contemplated, however, that the broadcaster or content provider may elicit, on a voluntary basis, e.g., through surveys or questionnaires, what occurrences are likely to be of interest. Regarding the unscheduled nature of the particular occurrence giving rise to the monitoring, sudden-death overtime in a specific football game, for example, is unscheduled on any EPG or other published programming guide; whereas, although the half-time show may be scheduled, its start time or time for happening is unscheduled due to the uncertainty and variation of time durations between play in football. On the one hand, the subscriber may pick, from a menu provided by the broadcaster, an occurrence to thereby subscribe. Alternatively, a particular occurrence may be selected by the subscription module 320 automatically based upon user preference it gleans from monitoring behavior of the user. This behavior may include interaction with the CE device 310, e.g., changing channels, query-and-answer sessions using the remote control 228. Alternatively or in addition, the CE device 310 can include monitoring equipment such as a camera and/or microphone, and visual pattern/voice recognition facility, to glean user preferences. For instance, certain gestures by the user may be commands indicating appreciation or lack thereof in connection with a just seen program or commercial, or involuntary behavior may be interpreted. Thus, the subscription module 320 may subscribe the user to a particular occurrence without having to make the user aware of the subscription. When the occurrence is detected, the user can be notified, as by an on-screen icon, of the possibility of switching channels to the occurrence of potential interest.

When the subscribed-to occurrence is detected by the encoder 128 (step S420), a notification message is multiplexed into the broadcast signal 138 (step S430). FIG. 5 represents an exemplary broadcast reception and notification filtering process 500, in accordance with the present invention. Private packets, in the case of a digital broadcast, or Teletext in the case of an analog broadcast, can be monitored in the received signal 212 to detect notification that a subscribed-to occurrence has been detected (step S504). For an analog broadcast (step S508), the message is received during the VBI (step S512). However, it is, at the outset, unknown if any notification message detected in the incoming broadcast 212 pertains to an occurrence subscribed-to by the user whose receiver 330 is receiving the broadcast. Firstly, preferences of the viewer are kept confidential within the CE device 310. Secondly, numerous viewers, typically, would be receiving the same broadcast 212 simultaneously, each viewer having his or her individual preferences. Each occurrence in each notification message has an identifier of the occurrence. The comparison unit 340 reads the identifiers in the recorded subscriptions from memory 325 and matches them against identifiers in the notification message (step S516). Non- matching portions of the notification message are thereby filtered out. If any portion is not filtered, i.e., due to a match (step S520), the processing section 350 decides on how to proceed. The user may be notified (steps S530, S540), as by the appearance of an icon on the viewing screen of the TV 224. Clicking on the icon, using the remote control 228, can switch the user to the channel carrying the broadcast 212. In that event, the broadcast 212 is processed to extract, for viewing, the occurrence identified in the matching (steps S550, S560). Notification to the user, alternatively, may be in the form of a small picture in a TV 224 with a picture-in-picture (PIP) capability. The user then uses the remote to dispense with the small picture or enlarge it. As another alternative, the user can be switched automatically, without prior notification, to the channel carrying the occurrence. In a preferred embodiment, recorded subscriptions contain respective priority values or ranks. Sufficient value or rank, in comparison to that accorded the currently viewed program, or competing subscribed-to occurrences concurrently being notified in the incoming broadcast 212, can determine how notification and/or automatic channel switching is currently performed. Thus, if one currently detected occurrence outranks another currently detected occurrence, in terms of user preference indicated by the user or otherwise gleaned, the outranking occurrence is notified to the user and/or appears onscreen. As a further alternative, the occurrence may be recorded to memory 325, rather than presented, so that the occurrence can be played back later at the viewer's convenience. Ranking may also be applied in deciding which of competing concurrent occurrences to record. In the case of two tuners, the recording can be performed while the user is using one of the tuners to continue to view the current channel.

FIG. 6 portrays an embodiment alternative to the broadcast and message receiving and processing embodiment of FIG. 2. As mentioned above, the broadcasted signal 212 is typically concurrently received by numerous users. FIG. 6 shows, for simplicity of illustration two televisions 610, and their respective remote controls 620, comprising a receiving system 630 for viewers. Notably, the television 610 here is the CE device 310, and is not connected to a set-top box. Instead, the televisions 610 retain the user subscriptions, on having a subscription to occurrence A, the other having subscriptions to occurrences A and B. Accordingly, the televisions 610 filter the notification message differently, according to their respective recorded subscriptions. The televisions 610 are receiving an analog broadcast, and have no interaction with the infrastructure 204, 208.

As has been demonstrated above, the user is provided with automatic notification and/or channel switching, relating to immediately-current occurrences in live events, based on user preference, but is afforded more assurance that the preferences are kept confidential.

While there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A consumer electronics device (310) for informing of existence of preferred content in a broadcasted signal (212), comprising: a subscription module (320) configured for subscribing to specific occurrences corresponding to preferences of a user of said device; a memory (325) for recording the subscribed-to occurrences; a receiver (330) configured for receiving a broadcasted signal carrying a live event monitored for a particular one of said specific occurrences and, upon detection of said particular one occurrence by means of the monitoring, a message notifying of said detection; a comparison unit (340) configured for comparing, upon said receiving of said message, the recorded occurrences against the received message to filter out part or the whole of said received message based on lack of match with an occurrence of said recorded occurrences; and a processing section (350) configured to be invoked for a non-filtered portion, if any, of said received message, and further configured for, when invoked, at least one of notifying said user and processing the received broadcasted signal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein, in regard to said event monitored, said particular one occurrence is unscheduled or, if scheduled, its time for happening is unscheduled (S410).

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface (360) to said user, said subscribed-to occurrence to be recorded being derived by said device from said user interface.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein said comparison unit is configured for reading said recorded subscribed-to occurrence from said memory and, subsequent to said reading, performing said comparing against the read occurrence (S516).

5. A system (630) comprising the device of claim 1, and further comprising at least one other consumer electronics device to constitute a plurality of devices whose respective comparison units receive corresponding messages representing the same said particular one of the specific occurrences, the plural devices filtering said same particular one differently according to respective user preferences.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein said device is configured for merely oneway communication so as to receive said signal from a source without being operable to transmit to said source (610).

7. The device (610) of claim 6, not comprising a transmitter.

8. The device (610) of claim 1, wherein said signal (212) carries an analog broadcast.

9. The device of claim 1, comprising a television (610), said receiver receiving said message during a vertical blanking interval of said television (S512).

10. The device of claim 1, comprising a television (610) and not a set -top box, nor being communicatively connected to a set-top box.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said processing section is configured for, upon the invocation, and in case of said processing, extracting, from the broadcasted signal received by said device, said particular one occurrence and at least one of presenting, and recording, the extracted occurrence (S560).

12. The device (216) of claim 1, wherein said device does not have a transmitter in communicative connection with a transmitter serving as a source of said signal to be received by said receiver.

13. The device (216) of claim 1, wherein said subscription module is configured to detect user action and, based on the detected action, to derive said preferences.

14. A system comprising said device of claim 1, and further comprising an encoder (128) configured for the monitoring of said live event (S410), the detecting of said occurrence, and, upon said detection, encoding said message to be received.

15. A computer implemented method for informing of existence of preferred content in a broadcasted signal, comprising: subscribing to specific occurrences corresponding to preferences of a user (320); recording the subscribed-to occurrences (216, 325); receiving a broadcasted signal carrying a live event monitored for a particular one of said specific occurrences and, upon detection of said particular one occurrence by means of the monitoring, a message notifying of said detection (S430); comparing, upon said receiving of said message, the recorded occurrences against the received message to filter out part or the whole of said received message based on lack of match with an occurrence of said recorded occurrences (S516, S520); and, for a non- filtered portion, if any, of said received message, at least one of notifying said user and processing the received broadcasted signal (S540, S560).

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, in regard to said event monitored, said particular one occurrence is unscheduled or, if scheduled, its time for happening is unscheduled (S410).

17. The method of claim 15, comprising deriving, from a user interface, said subscribed-to occurrence to be recorded (216, 228).

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising filtering said particular one differently according to respective user preferences, by a plurality of consumer electronics devices (630), said plurality including at least one other than said device, the plural devices receiving corresponding messages representing said particular one of the specific occurrences.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said signal carries an analog broadcast (S508).

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said receiving receives said message during a vertical blanking interval of said television (S512).

21. A computer software product for informing of existence of preferred content in a broadcasted signal, said product having a computer readable medium (325) into which is embedded a program that includes instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of claim 15.