Media Guidance Application Aggregating Content via Quality of Service

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Users face the inconvenience of having to individually subscribe to and manage accounts with multiple content providers and search through their media content libraries to find content, leading to a fragmented viewing experience.

Innovation Solution

A media guidance application that aggregates media content from various providers, allowing users to manage accounts and search across multiple platforms through a single interface, prioritizing content based on quality of service to provide the best user experience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users subscribe to and manage accounts with multiple content providers individually, then users can access media content from various providers, but the complexity of account management and content search increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess to media content from multiple providersVSAvoidaccount management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple content provider accounts and interfaces into a single unified application interface. The system aggregates content from multiple providers (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.) and presents them through one consolidated search and management interface, eliminating the need for users to separately manage multiple accounts and search across different platforms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified application serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a single sign-on portal for multiple content providers, a consolidated search engine across all providers' libraries, and a centralized management interface. This multi-functional approach allows one interface to replace multiple specialized applications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Loss of information

If users search through multiple content providers' media libraries individually, then users can find specific content, but the time required to locate content increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent discovery efficiencyVSAvoidcontent search time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges the search capabilities of multiple content providers into a single search interface. When a user searches for content, the system simultaneously queries all subscribed content providers' libraries and aggregates the results, allowing users to find content across all providers in one search operation rather than sequentially searching each provider separately.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-aggregating content metadata from all content providers and maintaining an updated index of available content. This allows the search function to quickly retrieve and compare content availability across providers without performing real-time sequential searches, significantly reducing content discovery time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If the application presents all available media listings from multiple providers, then users have complete content options, but the quality of service varies and user experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent availabilityVSAvoidquality of service consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by evaluating and prioritizing content listings based on provider-specific quality metrics. Instead of treating all content equally, the system assesses each content listing's quality of service characteristics (such as streaming quality, availability, and performance) and presents higher-quality options more prominently, allowing users to access complete content options while maintaining consistent quality experience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor quality of service metrics for each content provider and dynamically adjust content presentation. Based on feedback regarding streaming performance, availability, and user experience quality, the system prioritizes content from providers with better service quality, ensuring consistent reliability across the aggregated content offerings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3378219B1Methods and systems for presenting media listings based on quality of service at a user device
Publication Date: 2021.09.15 ADEIA GUIDES INC
  • EP3378219B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3378219B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3378219B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Methods and systems are described for presenting media listings based on quality of service at a user device.