Guest Tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.

Arnon Levy

Peter S Warrick

Lindsey M Carriere

Andrew Terrance MacMillan

Darren T Ziebart

Joseph A Kullos

Diego Fontes

A set-top box receives original video streams and generates a guide video stream that includes each of the original video streams resized and arranged as a plurality of scaled video streams such that all of the scaled video streams are simultaneously visible and playing on the guide video stream. The guide video stream is displayed on a display device and the set-top box provides an interactive user interface on the display device in conjunction with the guide video stream to allow a user of the set-top box to select one of the scaled video streams for full screen playback. In response to the user selecting a particular scaled video stream on the guide video stream for full screen playback, the set-top box plays full screen on the display device a particular original video stream corresponding to the particular scaled video stream as received via the communication interface.

Set-top box generating live-view interactive program guide having plurality of scaled-down video streams and method thereof

A content selector retrieves customization criteria corresponding to a plurality of guests of a hospitality location. According to the criteria, a core set of channels is automatically selected to make available from a plurality of available channels for streaming via the external computer network. Bandwidth between the external computer network and the hospitality location is reserved to ensure all core channels can be concurrently streamed to the hospitality location. An interactive program guide available on the entertainment devices is customized to list at least one of the core channels as available for viewing. For each channel of the core set, the channel is streamed to the hospitality location only when the channel is being viewed on at least one of the entertainment devices. Updated guest related customization criteria is retrieved and the core channels available for viewing are dynamically changed as the guests of the hospitality location change over time.

Content selector dynamically changing core set of streaming channels available for viewing at hospitality location according to guest related customization criteria

One or more processors receive a plurality of original video streams, generate a guide video stream that includes each of the original video streams resized and arranged such that all of the original video streams are simultaneously visible and playing on the guide video stream, and display the guide video stream on a display device. The one or more processors further provide an interactive user interface on the display device in conjunction with the guide video stream to thereby allow a user of the set-top box to select one of the original video streams shown playing on the guide video stream for full screen playback. In response to the user selecting a particular original video stream for full screen playback, the one or more processors play full screen on the display device the particular original video stream as selected by the user.

Generating a live-view interactive program guide with a plurality of television channels and a reserved space for picture-in-picture preview area

A user profile server stores a user profile corresponding to a user identifier. The user profile includes user-specific information of a user associated with the user identifier. The server receives a location update associated with the user identifier, the location update representing a current location of the user associated with the user identifier and determine a hospitality location within a predetermined distance of the current location represented by the location update. The server communicates at least one of the user-specific information to a controller associated with the hospitality location thereby allowing the controller to provide the user-tailored experience to the user according to the at least one of the user-specific information received from the user-profile server. In this way, users who travel during unplanned trips or to locations that do not accept reservations may benefit from user-tailored experiences.

User profile server to provide tailored experience at hospitality locations within predetermined distance from the user

Group live-view interactive program guide

A user profile server stores a particular user profile corresponding to a user who belongs to a plurality of separate loyalty programs, and the particular user profile includes a plurality of different loyalty program user identifiers each identifying the user on a respective one of the separate loyalty programs. The user profile server communicates user a preference included on the particular user profile to a first controller via the computer network and communicates the user preference included on the particular user profile to a second controller via the computer network. The first controller is associated with a first hospitality location where the user is identified according to a first loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile, and the second is controller is associated with a second hospitality location where the user is identified according to a second loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile.

User profile server passing media content preference between entertainment devices to provide user-tailored entertainment experience

Automatically suggesting faster tiered bandwidth based on prior usage at different hospitality establishment

Automatically granting network access and distributing prorated network access payments based on prior usage at different hospitality establishment

Core satellite channels at hospitality establishment automatically selected according to viewing histories

Custom-tailored entertainment experience for user identified by different loyalty program user identifiers at different hospitality locations

A hospitality media system includes a plurality of entertainment devices installed at a hospitality location and a content selector. The content selector is configured to retrieve a plurality of user profiles corresponding to current users of the hospitality location, and automatically adjust content made available on each of the entertainment devices at the hospitality location according to information stored in the user profiles.

Method of providing user-tailored entertainment experience at hospitality location and hospitality media system thereof

A user-profile server for providing a user-tailored entertainment experience across different entertainment devices includes a network connection for coupling the user-profile server to a network. The user-profile server is configured for storing a user profile corresponding to a user identifier, and receiving via the network an electronic bookmark, the electronic bookmark being associated with the user identifier and pertaining to content that was not finished by a user at a first entertainment device. The user-profile server is further configured for updating the user profile to include the electronic bookmark, and communicating via the network at least the electronic bookmark to a controller of a second entertainment device to thereby allow the second entertainment device to play the content automatically starting from a position in the content corresponding to a position indicated by the electronic bookmark. The first entertainment device and the second entertainment device are different devices.

User-profile server for providing user-tailored entertainment experience across different entertainment devices and method thereof

A controller of an entertainment device includes a network connection for coupling the controller to a user-profile server via a network. The controller configured for determining a user identifier corresponding to a user associated with the entertainment device; automatically retrieving a user profile corresponding to the user identifier from the user-profile server, the user profile including an electronic bookmark pertaining to content that was not finished by the user at a different entertainment device; and controlling the entertainment device to allow the user to initiate playing the content at the entertainment device, and to play the content automatically starting from a position in the content corresponding to a position indicated by the electronic bookmark.

Growing community of inventors

Calgary, Canada

Arnon Levy