Rovi Guides, Inc.

Tivo Corporation

Tivo Solutions Inc.

Adeia Guides Inc.

Rovl Guides, Inc.

Rovi Product Corporation

Margret B Schmidt

Alexander William Liston

William L Thomas

Jonathan A Logan

Ajay Kumar Gupta

Mathew C Burns

Gabriel C Dalbec

James M Barton

Shelly Glennon

Paul Stevens

Robert F Poniatowski

Robin Hayes

David Sandford

Brian W Beach

Kenichiro Tanaka

Alex Liston

Elizabeth V Riley

David E Pope

Bruce Klein

Richard Eugene Fulcher

Kimberly Paluch

Richard Lee

James Cheng

Nicholas Lovell

Richard Alcazar

Glen Sanford

Matthew Flannery

Gabriel C Dalbac

Methods and systems are described herein for calculating a predicted time when a first user will be exposed to a spoiler of a first media asset. A media guidance application may retrieve an initial transmission time of the first media asset and a transmission time of a second media asset that precedes the transmission time of the first media asset. The media guidance application may retrieve electronic communications from a second user whose electronic communications the first user has viewed, and determine a subset of the electronic communications that correspond to the second media asset. The media guidance application may calculate a length of time from the transmission time of the second media asset to the earliest availability time of an electronic communication in the subset. The media guidance application may calculate the predicted time based on the transmission time of the first media asset and the length of time.

Systems and methods for calculating a predicted time when a user will be exposed to a spoiler of a media asset

Systems and methods for presenting custom navigation options are described herein. In some embodiments, the media guidance application displays a first portion of a media asset, and receives a user selection of an entity depicted within the portion. The media guidance application identifies a playlist of media asset portions associated with the entity, and generates for display a transport bar associated with the entity comprising an indicator identifying the entity and only one or more regions associated with the playlist of media asset portions. The media guidance application then receives a second user selection, and generates for display a second portion of the media asset associated with the entity in response. In some embodiments, the media guidance application identifies the playlist by searching a custom presentation database for entries associated with the entity, and retrieves the playlist from the identified entry.

Systems and methods for navigating media assets

Methods and systems are described herein for providing streamlined access to media assets of interest to a user. The method includes determining that a supplemental viewing device, through which a user views a field of view, is directed at a first field of view. The method further involves detecting that the supplemental viewing device is now directed at a second field of view, and determining that a media consumption device is within the second field of view. A first media asset of interest to the user that is available for consumption via the media consumption device is identified, and the supplemental viewing device generates a visual indication in the second field of view. The visual indication indicates that the first media asset is available for consumption via the media consumption device, and the visual indication tracks a location of the media consumption device in the second field of view.

Augmented reality content recommendation

Systems and methods are provided herein for receiving a request from a user to access a video that is scheduled for transmission, simultaneously to a plurality of users, beginning from a scheduled start time. The request is received after the scheduled start time the transmission is performed by a linear service to which the user subscribes. In response to receiving the request, the systems and methods may generate for display the video to the user, and may receive, during display of the video, a command from the user to start playback of the video over from the beginning. In response to receiving the command, the systems and methods may identify a non-linear service to which the user subscribes that offers a non-linear copy of the video, and may play back the non-linear copy of the video from the beginning.

Systems and methods for switching from a non-linear service to a linear service

Methods and apparatuses for presenting menus to DVR users and users of other media playback devices are described. After a DVR (or other media device) has finished playing a recorded television program (or other content), or in response to other specified events, the DVR presents a screen which comprises a menu. In addition to or in alternative to 'save' and “delete” options, the menu comprises one or more options. Each of these other options may correspond to a separate item. For example, a user's selection of such an option may cause the DVR to display or play certain content on the user's television set. Additionally, or alternatively, these other options, when selected by a user, may cause the DVR to display a user interface through which the user can actually interact with content, such as an item that was featured or referenced in the television program that the user was just watching.

Method and apparatus for menu placement on a media playback device

Methods and systems are provided herein for recommending a media asset based on a geographic location at which that media asset was frequently consumed. For example, the system may monitor a location, such as New York City or Times Square, to determine popular media assets watched there, such as 'The Avengers,' and when another user visits New York City, the system may then notify the user that the movie, such as “The Avengers,” is associated with New York City. The system stores the geographic locations associated with the media asset in the database based on the consumption of the media asset so that other users may be notified which media assets are associated with each geographic location.

Methods and systems for recommending media assets based on the geographic location at which the media assets are frequently consumed

Systems and methods are described herein such that, a media guidance application presents, in an interactive program guide, a virtual content source for binge watching a program series. The media guidance application may determine a program series a user is currently watching. The media guidance application may receive a user selection of a media asset. The media guidance application may determine a length of time between a current time and a start time of the media asset. The media guidance application may determine the next episodes of the program series the user can watch before the start time of the media asset and present them using a virtual content source.

Systems and methods for creating a virtual channel for binge watching

Systems and methods for disambiguation of an ambiguous entity in a search query based on the gaze of a user. These systems and methods may be implemented by a media guidance application (e.g., executed by user equipment associated with the user). In some aspects, the media guidance application may monitor the gaze of the user and attempt to disambiguate the ambiguous entity based on an area of the screen the user viewed while issuing the search query. If the media guidance application receives an indication that it did not disambiguate the ambiguous entity in the search query correctly, the media guidance application may increase the area of the screen that the user viewed in order to find an additional entity. This may allow the media guidance application to quickly and accurately find the correct answer to the user's search query.

System and methods for disambiguating an ambiguous entity in a search query based on the gaze of a user

A media content management system that enables users to manage media content collections is disclosed. A media device is configured to receive requests to create media content collections for particular media content and, in response, to retrieve information related to the media content, and to generate one or more interfaces displaying information about created media content collections. In an embodiment, retrieving information related to a media content may include determining, for one or more episodes of the media content, whether the episode is available from various content sources, including both broadcast and broadband content sources. By enabling a media device to automatically retrieve and present information related to the availability of media content episodes across any number of different broadcast and broadband sources, users can more easily interact with and view information about particular media content of interest to the users.

Managing collections of episodic media content

Methods and systems are provided herein for recommending a media asset based on a geographic location at which that media asset was frequently consumed. For example, the system may monitor a location, such as New York City or Times Square, to determine popular media assets watched there, such as 'The Avengers,' and when another user visits New York City, the system may then notify the user that the movie, such as 'The Avengers,' is associated with New York City. The system stores the geographic locations associated with the media asset in the database based on the consumption of the media asset so that other users may be notified which media assets are associated with each geographic location.

A method and apparatus for displaying branded video tags. An advertiser provides additional content associated with broadcast advertising content to a service provider that downloads the additional content to a digital video recorder (DVR). The service provider inserts command tags into the content that are intercepted by the DVR and interpreted as commands that instruct the DVR to perform specific actions when the DVR receives the stream from a broadcaster. The DVR intercepts and translates any tags inserted into the content stream while the DVR is playing the content stream. Tags can cause the DVR to display a branded video tag to the user which is a displayed icon that requests an interaction by the user and has an advertiser's logo(s) displayed in its vicinity.

Method and apparatus for displaying branded video tags

Systems and methods for enabling a user to start a scheduled program over by retrieving the same program from a non-linear source

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Margret B Schmidt