ELECTRONIC TELEVISION PROGRAM GUIDE SCHEDULE SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20020049973A1
• Filed: 07/13/1998
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TCI-TVGOS INC
• Inventors: MORRIS, MICHAEL, ALTEN, JERRY, DAVIS, BRUCE, YOUMAN, ROGER
• Granted Patent: US 6,661,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

An electronic program schedule system which includes a receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast television programs for a plurality of television channels and a tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the plurality of channels. A data processor receives and stores in a memory television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs to appear on the plurality of television channels. A user control apparatus, such as a remote controller, is utilized by a viewer to choose user control commands and transmit signals in response to the data processor which receives the signals in response to user control commands. A television receiver is used to display the television programs and television program schedule information. A video display generator receives video control commands from the data processor and program schedule information from the memory and displays a portion of the program schedule information in overlaying relationship with a television program appearing on a television channel in at least one mode of operation of the television programming guide. The data processor controls the video display generator with video control commands, issued in response to the user control commands, to display program schedule information for any chosen one of the plurality of television programs in overlaying relationship with at least one television program then appearing on any chosen one of the plurality of channels on the television receiver.

Claims

1. An electronic television programming guide for use in connection with a television receiver for displaying a plurality of television programs from a plurality of program sources on a plurality of user-selectable television channels comprising:

user control means for issuing control commands, including channel-control commands;

data processing means for receiving said control commands and for generating video control commands;

a video display generator adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means for generating and displaying a location menu on said television receiver, said location menu identifying for a user one of a plurality of program sources associated with each of said plurality of television channels; and

selection means for allowing said user to select any one of said plurality of television channels identified in said location menu;

said data processing means being responsive to said selection means and adapted to tune said television receiver to the television channel selected by the user in said location menu.

2. The programming guide according to claim 1 wherein said selection means comprises a moveable cursor.

3. The programming guide according to claims 1 or 2 wherein said location menu further comprises tuning-selection messages for allowing said user to define at least one preferred tuning sequence of said television receiver by issuing tuning-selection control commands, in response to said tuning-selection messages, for arbitrarily choosing selected ones from said plurality of television channels;

said data processing means being adapted to receive said tuning-selection control commands defining each said sequence of tuning and to generate a channel-tuning sequence list for each said defined sequence of tuning in accordance with said tuning-selection control commands;

memory means for storing each said channel-tuning sequence list;

said data processing means being further adapted to use one of said channel-tuning sequence lists to control the sequence of tuning of said plurality of television channels on said television receiver such that said television channels are tuned in accordance with said one defined sequence of tuning and in response to channel-control commands from said user control means.

4. The programming guide according to claims 1 or 2 further comprising means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs to appear on said plurality of television channels;

said video display generator being further adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means and program schedule information from said receiving means for displaying portions of said

schedule information on said television receiver in response to a user control-command to display said schedule information.

5. The programming guide according to claim 4 further comprising memory means for storing said television program schedule information and wherein said video display generator receives said program schedule information from said memory means for displaying portions of said schedule information on said television receiver in response to a user control-command to display said schedule information.

6. The programming guide according to claim 3 further comprising means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs to appear on said plurality of television channels;

said video display generator being further adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means and program schedule information from said receiving means for displaying portions of said schedule information on said television receiver in response to a user control-command to display said schedule information.

7. The programming guide according to claim 6 wherein said data processing means is further adapted to use said one channel-tuning sequence list to control the display sequence of said program schedule information on said television receiver such that program schedule information is displayed in order of selected television channels and in response to a user control-command to display said schedule information.

8. The programming guide according to claim 7 further comprising memory means for storing said television program schedule information and wherein said video display generator receives said program schedule information from said memory means for displaying portions of said schedule information on said television receiver.

9. The programming guide according to claim 1 further comprising a virtual channel corresponding to one of said plurality of television channels;

said data processing means being further adapted to cause said location menu to be displayed in response to a user control command to tune said television receiver to said virtual channel.

10. The programming guide according to claim 9 wherein said one television channel corresponding to said virtual channel is located between the highest and lowest television channels.

11. The programming guide according to claims 9 or 10 wherein said one television channel corresponding to said virtual channel is channel zero.

12. The programming guide according to claim 3 further comprising a virtual channel corresponding to one of said plurality of television channels;

said data processing means being further adapted to cause said location menu to be displayed in response to a user control command to tune said television receiver to said virtual channel.

13. The programming guide according to claim 12 wherein said one television channel corresponding to said virtual channel is located between the highest and lowest television channels contained in said one defined sequence of tuning.

14. The programming guide according to claim 13 wherein said one television channel corresponding to said virtual channel is channel zero.

15. The programming guide according to claim 4 further comprising a virtual channel corresponding to one of said plurality of television channels;

said data processing means being further adapted to cause said location menu to be displayed in response to a user control command to tune said television receiver to said virtual channel.

16. The programming guide according to claim 6 wherein said one television channel corresponding to said virtual channel is located between the highest and lowest television channels contained in said one defined sequence of tuning.

17. The programming guide according to claim 16 wherein said one television channel corresponding to said virtual channel is channel zero.

18. An electronic television programming guide for use in connection with a television receiver for displaying a plurality of program sources on a plurality of user-selectable television channels comprising:

user control means for issuing control commands including program schedule display control commands;

storage means for electronically storing television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs, said program schedule information comprising program title information, said program title information comprising a predetermined abbreviated title for at lest one of said plurality of television programs;

data processing means for receiving said user control commands, retrieving said program schedule information, and generating video display generator control commands, said data processing means being adapted to retrieve said predetermined abbreviated title in response to said user control commands;

a video display generator adapted to receive control commands from said data processing means for generating a display of television program schedule listings, said display of program listings comprising program schedule information for at least one channel and at least one time period, said display further comprising said abbreviated title.

19. An electronic television programming guide for use in connection with a television receiver for displaying a plurality of program sources on a plurality of user-selectable television channels comprising:

user control means for issuing control commands including program schedule display control commands, said program schedule display control commands including background display control commands;

storage means for electronically storing television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs, said storage means further comprising a plurality of user-selectable background views;

data processing means for receiving said user control commands, retrieving said program schedule information and said user-selectable background view, and generating video display generator control commands;

a video display generator adapted to receive control commands from said data processing means for generating a display of television program schedule listings, said display of program listings comprising program schedule information for at least one channel and at least one time period, said video display generator further adapted to display said program listings in overlaying relationship with said background view.