Consolidated Content Guide for Multi-Provider Access

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cable networks require users to switch between different devices and service providers to view content from multiple sources, such as cable network and over-the-top services, making it inconvenient to access a consolidated list of available content.

Innovation Solution

A processing resource detects subscriptions to multiple content service providers, receives messages indicating available content, and produces a consolidated content guide that includes titles from both cable network and over-the-top services, allowing users to view available content from multiple sources in a single interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users access content from multiple service providers through separate devices and interfaces, then each service provider can maintain its own content delivery system, but users must switch between devices and interfaces to view content from different sources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser convenienceVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges content guides from multiple service providers (cable network and over-the-top services) into a single consolidated content guide interface. This allows users to access content from different sources through one unified interface, eliminating the need to switch between separate devices and service interfaces, thereby improving ease of operation without significantly increasing system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The processing resource is designed to receive content availability information from multiple different service providers and present it through a single universal content guide interface. This multi-functional approach enables the system to handle diverse content sources (cable, over-the-top, and other services) through one consolidated system, improving user convenience while maintaining manageable system architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a consolidated content guide aggregates content from multiple service providers, then users can access all available content through a single interface, but the processing resource must manage and integrate information from multiple sources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent source diversityVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The processing resource acts as an intermediary between multiple service providers and the user interface. It receives content availability information from various service providers, processes and consolidates this information, and presents it through a unified content guide. This intermediary role enables the system to handle diverse content sources effectively while managing processing complexity through standardized information handling protocols

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If users switch between different service provider interfaces to view content, then each service provider can optimize its own content delivery, but users experience inconvenience and time loss

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice provider content deliveryVSAvoiduser time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The processing resource performs preliminary action by proactively aggregating content availability information from multiple service providers and presenting it in a consolidated guide before the user needs to access specific content. This allows users to view all available content from different sources in one interface, eliminating the time-consuming process of switching between separate service provider interfaces and reducing user time loss while maintaining reliable content delivery from each provider

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9674581B2Content discovery and playback in a network environment

Publication Date: 2017.06.06 TIME WARNER CABLE ENTERPRISES LLC

AI summary

A processing resource detects that a subscriber entity subscribes to at least a first content service provider and a second content service provider. The processing resource receives a first message indicating content available to the subscriber entity for selective retrieval from the first content service provider. The processing resource receives a second message indicating content available to the subscriber entity for selective retrieval from the second content service provider. Based on at least the first message and the second message, the processing resource produces a content guide to include at least first content available to the subscriber entity for retrieval from the first service provider and second content available to the subscriber entity for retrieval from the second service provider. Via display of the content guide, a respective subscriber is able to view content available from multiple service providers.