Interactive content guide for television programming

• US 20020059603A1
• Filed: 04/09/2001
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hillcrest Laboratories Incorporated (CEVA Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kelts, Brett R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• 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

Abstract

A navigation interface display system generates a navigation element that organizes television programming data in an easy-to-use manner. The navigation element employs a hierarchical display protocol for a plurality of selection items that represent the various television programs, channels, and/or networks. The hierarchical display scheme displays a limited number of active selection items at a first magnification level and additional active selection items at a second magnification level. In addition, the selection items are displayed on distinctive areas or features of the navigation element, where such features represent different content genres or categories. Subcategories can also be displayed in a hierarchical manner, thus providing additional information related to the content as the magnification level of the navigation element changes.

Claims

1. An interactive program guide method comprising:

displaying a navigation object on a display element, said navigation object representing a category of televised programming;

displaying, on said display element at a first magnification level, a first number of active selection items from said category, said first number of active selection items being displayed on or proximate to said navigation object; and

displaying, on said display element at a second magnification level, a second number of active selection items from said category, said second number of active selection items being displayed on or proximate to said navigation object.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said second magnification level corresponds to a higher magnification of said navigation object, relative to said first magnification level; and

said second number of active selection items is greater than said first number of active selection items.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein;

said second magnification level corresponds to a higher magnification of said navigation object, relative to said first magnification level; and

said first number of active selection items is a subset of said second number of active selection items.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a second navigation object on said display element, said second navigation object representing a second category of televised programming; and

displaying, on said display element, a number of active selection items from said second category, said number of active selection items from said second category being displayed on or proximate to said second navigation object.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said category represents a programming genre; and

said first number of active selection items identify specific providers of content related to said programming genre.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said category represents a programming genre; and

said first number of active selection items identify specific programs related to said programming genre.

7. An interactive program guide for television programming, comprising:

a display element configured to display a plurality of selection items corresponding to a plurality of television programs;

a first subset of said selection items rendered on said display element as active selection items at a first hierarchical level; and

a second subset of said selection items rendered on said display element as active selection items at a second hierarchical level;

wherein

a prioritization metric determines said first and second subsets.

8. An interactive program guide according to claim 7, further comprising a subset of said selection items rendered on said display element as inactive selection items at said first hierarchical level.

9. An interactive program guide according to claim 8, wherein said inactive selection items are rendered on said display element in a visually distinguishable manner relative to said active selection items.

10. An interactive program guide according to claim 7, wherein said second subset includes said first subset of selection items.

11. An interactive program guide according to claim 7, wherein said first and second hierarchical levels respectively correspond to relatively low and high magnification levels.

13. An interactive program guide according to claim 12, wherein:

said second magnification level corresponds to a higher magnification of said navigation object, relative to said first magnification level; and

said first number of active selection items is a subset of said second number of active selection items.

14. An interactive program guide according to claim 12, further comprising:

a second navigation object rendered on said display element, said second navigation object representing a second category of televised programming; and

a number of active selection items from said second category, said number of active selection items from said second category being rendered on said display element on or proximate to said second navigation object.

15. An interactive program guide according to claim 12, wherein:

said category represents a programming genre; and

said first number of active selection items identify specific providers of content related to said programming genre.

16. An interactive program guide according to claim 12, wherein:

said category represents a programming genre; and

said first number of active selection items identify specific programs related to said programming genre.

18. An interactive television program guide according to claim 17, further comprising a preview element configured to present content represented by a selected one of said active selection items.

19. An interactive television program guide according to claim 17, further comprising a selection item information element for said navigation element, said selection item information element containing data relating to a currently selected active selection item.

20. An interactive television program guide according to claim 17, further comprising a time-shifting element for said navigation element, said time-shifting element generating a time-shifting request that causes a rendering of said navigation element corresponding to a selected time slot.

21. An interactive television program guide according to claim 20, wherein said time-shifting element comprises a plurality of components representing different time slots.

12. An interactive program guide for television programming, comprising:

a display element;

a navigation object rendered on said display element, said navigation object representing a category of televised programming;

a first number of active selection items from said category, said first number of active selection items being rendered on said display element at a first magnification level on or proximate to said navigation object; and

a second number of active selection items from said category, said second number of active selection items being rendered on said display element at a second magnification level on or proximate to said navigation object.

17. An interactive television program guide comprising:

a navigation element rendered in a display element, said navigation element comprising a navigation object representing a category of televised programming;

a number of active selection items rendered on said navigation element, each of said active selection items representing content accessible through said interactive navigation interface; and

a number of inactive selection items rendered on said navigation element.

22. A method for displaying television programming information on a display element, said method comprising:

obtaining television program data for a number of television channels;

processing said television program data according to a categorization scheme;

creating categories of televised programming in response to said processing step; and

generating a number of navigation objects according to said categories and in accordance with a hierarchical organization.

23. A method according to claim 22, further comprising the step of displaying a number of selection items corresponding to television programs included in a first one of said categories, said displaying step being performed in accordance with said hierarchical organization.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein:

said creating step creates a second category of televised programming in response to said processing step;

said displaying step displays said number of selection items on a first navigation object; and

said displaying step displays a second number of selection items corresponding to television programs included in said second category on a second navigation object.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein:

said displaying step displays said number of selection items on a navigation object rendered at a first magnification level; and

said displaying step displays a second number of selection items corresponding to television programs included in said category on a second navigation object that represents said navigation object rendered at a second magnification level.

26. A method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of providing programming information based upon said television program data for at least one of said number of selection items.