Electronic Program Guide With Real-Time Viewership Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current electronic program guides (EPGs) lack the capability to effectively integrate and display real-time viewership, message, and supplemental data in a way that enhances the user experience, failing to provide personalized and dynamic content based on user interactions and community engagement.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising multiple clients and a server, where clients collect and transmit viewership, message, and supplemental data over a network, allowing the server to compile and display this information in a personalized format, including visual feedback and trending data, to enhance the EPG with real-time viewership and message data, and supplemental information such as blog posts and social media interactions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If real-time viewership and message data are integrated into EPG, then user engagement and personalization are improved, but system complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepersonalization capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments data collection, processing, and display functions across multiple clients and a central server. Each client independently collects viewership and message data, while the server aggregates and processes this data to generate personalized EPG content, distributing system complexity across multiple components rather than concentrating it in one device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A server acts as an intermediary between multiple clients, receiving viewership and message data from various sources, processing this data centrally, and distributing personalized EPG information back to clients. This intermediary architecture manages system complexity by centralizing data processing while maintaining simple client interfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If multiple data sources are integrated for EPG enhancement, then information completeness is improved, but data integration complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoiddata integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple data sources including viewership data, message data, and supplemental information from various clients and external sources into a unified EPG display. The server consolidates these diverse data streams, integrating them into a coherent personalized guide that presents complete information to users without requiring each client to independently manage multiple data sources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of operation

If personalized EPG interfaces are provided, then user satisfaction is improved, but processing requirements and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser satisfactionVSAvoidprocessing energy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The server performs preliminary processing of viewership and message data in advance, generating personalized EPG content before it is displayed to users. By pre-processing and pre-personalizing content based on accumulated data, the system reduces real-time processing requirements during actual EPG display, lowering energy consumption during user interaction while maintaining high personalization quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2774381B1Systems and methods for displaying viewership and/or message data
Publication Date: 2021.05.19 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP2774381B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2774381B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2774381B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods and systems for enhancing program-viewing experience with viewership, message, and supplemental data include receiving a program identifier for a media program to be viewed; receiving one or more of viewership, message, and/or supplemental data relating to the media program; compiling the viewership, message, and/or supplemental data with the program identifier; storing the viewership, message, and/or supplemental data in a memory in association with the program identifier; and providing display data representing the viewership, message, and/or supplemental data and the program identifier.