Adaptive On-Screen Guide for Channel Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional abbreviated on-screen content guides are limited in navigating across multiple channels, particularly when users' favorite channels are spaced far apart, and manually created favorite channels lists can be tedious and fail to promote discovery of new content.
Innovation Solution
A system that predicts channel targets based on past user behavior and adaptively generates a channel lineup by analyzing channel tuning data, inferring user mood, and using collaborative filtering to suggest relevant channels and content, thereby minimizing the need for manual favorites lists and enhancing content discovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a full-screen content guide is used to provide detailed information about channel lineup, then the user can browse through channels easily, but the guide dominates the display area and interrupts the viewing experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the full-screen guide into an abbreviated one-line guide format that displays only essential information (channel name and next program) in a compact form at the bottom of the screen, allowing users to access detailed information on-demand through remote control interactions without permanently occupying display space
2Area of stationary object
If a conventional abbreviated guide is used to minimize display interruption, then the viewing experience is preserved, but the guide provides only a limited view and constrained navigation across channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic navigation where the abbreviated guide adapts its content based on user interactions, allowing expansion to full-screen mode for detailed browsing, and automatically adjusting the displayed channel sequence based on favorites lists and viewing history to prioritize relevant channels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that receives user inputs (channel tuning commands, favorite channel selections) and generates an optimized channel sequence, acting as a mediator between the user's navigation needs and the guide display
3Adaptability or versatility
If users manually create favorite channels lists to navigate to preferred channels, then channel selection is personalized, but the process is tedious and requires repeated updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service functionality where the system automatically generates and updates personalized channel sequences based on user behavior patterns, viewing history, and implicit preferences, eliminating the need for manual favorites list creation and maintenance while still providing personalized navigation
4Device complexity
If a fixed channel lineup is used in the abbreviated guide, then the guide structure is simple, but it fails to promote discovery of new content and adapts poorly to user preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static channel lineup into a dynamic sequence that automatically reorders channels based on user favorites, viewing history, and behavioral patterns, allowing the guide structure to adapt to user preferences while maintaining the simplified one-line display format
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for generating a content item sequence for display via an abbreviated on-screen guide are disclosed herein. Content selection commands are entered via a user interface of a computing device. Transition data, which describes content item playback transitions caused by the content selection commands, is stored in a buffer. Based on the transition data, a content family, which comprises a plurality of content items, is generated. A determination is made as to whether a content item currently being played back is included in the content family. In response to determining that the currently played-back content item is included in the content family, an on-screen guide, which comprises an abbreviated content item listing of the plurality of content items of the content family, is generated for display.