Universal programming system and method for EPG with added offline archive

• US 20020059606A1
• Filed: 05/11/2001
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan, Kamen, Yakov
• Application Number:
  US09/854,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059606A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An EPG to display programming information in a variety of ways including using 3-D images, alphanumeric text, and video data. In addition, non-EPG objects, such as interaction objects, may be conflated with the presentation of the world and with the program schedule information. A communication module in the EPG receives localized content containing multiple objects from one or more servers coupled to a network. Users may interact with the content (e.g., buy and sell goods and services from local franchises) through a user-interface coupled to the EPG. In addition, a long-term storage database and/or added offline archive stores objects for an additional, predetermined time such as a week, a month, a year, or longer. Users may look up details regarding a past show. Additional services related to past programming may also be provided.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first unit to generate an interactive 3-D electronic programming guide (EPG); and

a database interconnected to an offline archive storing a plurality of objects associated with past programming events.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the system comprises a set-top box, a television, or a VCR.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the system includes a plurality of drivers, one of the drivers communicating with a separate unit to replenish programming information.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein a memory in the system contains a plurality of objects associated with current programming events, a first class of objects providing plurality of virtual worlds included in the 3-D EPG.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the memory in the system includes a second set of objects that includes at least one of a schedule times, channel identification, or title, corresponding to a program.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the second set of objects includes localized content.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the memory in the system includes a third set of non-EPG objects including objects used for e-commerce.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the 3D EPG includes a presentation of a virtual world related to content selected by a user.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein a subset of the virtual world is displayed as a matrix of rectangular boxes containing current program information.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the localized interactive content of the third set of objects is uploaded in real time.

11. The system of claim 10 further including a user interface for a user to interact with the localized interactive content of the 3D EPG.

13. The method of claim 12 further including storing in a memory a plurality of objects associated with current programming events.

14. The method of claim 13 performed by a set-top box, a television system, or a VCR.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the plurality of objects includes a first set of objects providing plurality of virtual worlds included in the 3-D EPG.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of objects includes a second set of objects that includes at least one of a schedule times, channel identification, or title, corresponding to a program.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the second set of objects includes localized content.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the plurality of objects includes a third set of non-EPG objects including objects used for e-commerce.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the 3D EPG includes a presentation of a virtual world related to content selected by a user.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein a subset of the virtual world is displayed as a matrix of rectangular boxes containing current program information.

21. The method of claim 20 further including uploading the localized interactive content of the third set of objects in real time.

22. The method of claim 21 providing a user interface coupled to the EPG for a user to interact with the localized interactive content.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 23 stored in a set-top box, a television, or a VCR.

25. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 24 further including instructions to provide a plurality of drivers, one of the drivers communicating with a separate unit to replenish programming information.

26. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 24 further including instructions to provide a plurality of objects associated with current programming events, including a first class of objects providing plurality of virtual worlds included in the 3-D EPG.

27. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 26 wherein the plurality of objects includes a second set of objects that includes at least one of a schedule times, channel identification, or title, corresponding to a program.

28. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 27 wherein the memory in the system includes a third set of non-EPG objects including objects used for e-commerce.

29. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein the 3D EPG includes a presentation of a virtual world related to content selected by a user.

30. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 29 wherein a subset of the virtual world is displayed as a matrix of rectangular boxes containing current program information.

31. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 30 wherein a user of the system chooses a virtual world to display programming information.

32. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein the second set of objects includes localized content.

33. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 32 wherein the localized interactive content of the third set of objects is uploaded in real time.

34. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 33 further including a user interface for a user to interact with the localized interactive content of the 3D EPG.

12. A method, comprising:

generating an interactive 3-D electronic programming guide (EPG); and

providing a database interconnected to an offline archive storing a plurality of objects associated with past programming events.

23. A machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a sequence of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for providing for a 3-D enabled electronic programming guide (EPG), the method comprising:

generating an interactive 3-D electronic programming guide (EPG); and

providing a database interconnected to an offline archive storing a plurality of objects associated with past programming events.