Display controlling apparatus and method, and storage medium

• US 20020066099A1
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohno, Tomoyuki
• Application Number:
  US09/995,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20020066099A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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

Abstract

A display controlling apparatus of the present invention is for controlling a display apparatus which displays TV program information, and comprises receiving means for receiving program information on a plurality of programs, display control means for controlling so as to display first program information on the plurality of programs on the basis of the program information received by the receiving means on display means, and selection means for selecting first program information relating to an arbitrary program in the first program information displayed on the display means, wherein the display control means is constructed so as to control so as to display second program information on a program relating to the first program information selected by the selection means, and controls so as to display the second program information on a plurality of the selected programs.

Claims

1. A display controlling apparatus for controlling a display apparatus which displays TV program information, comprising:

receiving means for receiving program information on a plurality of programs;

display control means for controlling so as to display first program information on said plurality of programs on the basis of the program information received by said receiving means on display means; and

selection means for selecting first program information relating to an arbitrary program in the first program information displayed on said display means,

wherein said display control means controls so as to display second program information on a program relating to said first program information selected by said selection means, and controls so as to display the second program information on a plurality of said selected programs.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second program information is information more detailed than said first program information.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second program information includes at least one piece of information of a title of a program, information concerning contents of the program, information concerning a genre to which the program belongs, charge information to the program, and information concerning a broadcasting time of the program.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first program information is displayed in the form of a program table indicating program titles with channel number information being a vertical axis (horizontal axis) and broadcasting time information on program being a horizontal axis (vertical axis).

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said display control means controls so as to display said first program information and second program information on a program relating to said first program information selected by said selection means on the same screen.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said selection means can select arbitrary first program information in a state that said second program information, and

said display control means controls so as to display second program information relating to said further selected first program information on the same screen as said displayed second program information.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

when selecting further arbitrary first program information by said selection means,

said display control means controls so as to selectively display first program information on said plurality of programs so as not to eliminate a display of the first program information selected by said selection means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said display control means controls so as to fixedly display said second program information to an arbitrary area in said screen and so as to selectively display said first program information in said screen.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

after fixedly di splaying said second program information in said arbitrary area, said display control means displays second program information relating to a program of the first program information selected by said s election means selectively in accordance with the selection operation and adjacent to said selected first program information.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said receiving means receives program information relating to programs transmitted by different transmission paths, and

said display control means controls so as to display a plurality of pieces of said second program information relating to programs transmitted by said different transmission paths, respectively.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

said display control means controls so as to fixedly display said second program information in an arbitrary area in said screen and so as to selectively display first program information on a program transmitted by a transmission path different from the program of the displayed second program information in said screen.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

said transmission paths include at least one of digital television broadcasting by a communication satellite (CS), digital broadcasting by a broadcasting satellite (BS), digital television broadcasting by ground waves, and digital television broadcasting by cable transmission.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein

said second program information is information more detailed than said first program information.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein

said second program information includes at least one piece of information of a title of a program, information concerning contents of the program, information concerning a genre to which the program belongs, charge information to the program, and information concerning a broadcasting time of the program.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein

said first program information is displayed in the form of a program table indicating program titles with channel number information being a vertical axis (horizontal axis) and broadcasting time information on program being a horizontal axis (vertical axis).

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein

said display control step controls so as to display said first program information and second program information on a program relating to said first program information selected by said selecting step on the same screen.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein

said selecting step can select arbitrary first program information in a state that said second program information, and

said display control step controls so as to display second program information relating to said further selected first program information on the same screen as said displayed second program information.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein

when selecting further arbitrary first program information by said selecting step,

said display control step controls so as to selectively display first program information on said plurality of programs so as not to eliminate a display of the first program information selected by said selecting step.

20. A method according to claim 13, wherein

said display control step controls so as to fixedly display said second program information to an arbitrary area in said screen and so as to selectively display said first program information in said screen.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein

after fixedly displaying said second program information in said arbitrary area, said display control step displays second program information relating to a program of the first program information selected by said selecting step selectively in accordance with the selection operation and adjacent to said selected first program information.

22. A method according to claim 13, wherein

said receiving step receives program information concerning programs transmitted by different transmission paths, and

said display control step controls so as to display a plurality of pieces of said second program information relating to programs transmitted by said different transmission paths, respectively.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein

said display control step controls so as to fixedly display said second program information in an arbitrary area in said screen and so as to selectively display first program information on a program transmitted by a transmission path different from the program of the displayed second program information in said screen.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein

said transmission paths include at least one of digital television broadcasting by a communication satellite (CS), digital broadcasting by a broadcasting satellite (BS), digital television broadcasting by ground waves, and digital television broadcasting by cable transmission.

27. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

said detailed program information includes at least one piece of information of a title of a program, information concerning contents of the program, information concerning a genre to which the program belongs, charge information to the program, and information concerning a broadcasting time of the program.

28. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

said program information is displayed in the form of a program table indicating program titles with channel number information being a vertical axis (horizontal axis) and broadcasting time information on program being a horizontal axis (vertical axis).

29. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

said display control means controls said display means so as to fixedly display said detailed program information to an arbitrary area in said screen and so as to selectively display said program information in said screen.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, wherein

after fixedly displaying said detailed program information in said arbitrary area, said display control means controls so as to selectively display detailed program information relating to a program of the program information selected by said selection means in accordance with the selection operation.

31. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

said receiving means receives EPG data relating to programs transmitted by different transmission paths, and

said display control means controls so as to display a plurality of pieces of said detailed program information relating to programs transmitted by said different transmission paths, respectively.

32. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein

said display control means controls so as to fixedly display said detailed program information in an arbitrary area in said screen and so as to selectively display program information on a program transmitted by a transmission path different from the program of the displayed detailed program information in said screen.

33. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein

said transmission paths include at least one of digital television broadcasting by a communication satellite (CS), digital broadcasting by a broadcasting satellite (BS), digital television broadcasting by ground waves, and digital television broadcasting by cable transmission.

13. A display controlling method for controlling a display apparatus which displays TV program information, comprising:

the receiving step of receiving program information on a plurality of programs;

the display control step of controlling so as to display first program information on said plurality of programs on the basis of said received program information on display means; and

the selecting step of selecting first program information relating to an arbitrary program in the first program information displayed on said display means,

wherein said display control step controls so as to display second program information on a program relating to said selected first program information, and controls so as to display the second program information on a plurality of said selected programs.

25. A storage medium storing program data for executing the following display controlling method:

the receiving step of receiving program information on a plurality of programs;

the display control step of controlling so as to display first program information on said plurality of programs on the basis of said received program information on display means; and

the selecting step of selecting first program information relating to an arbitrary program in the first program information displayed on said display means,

wherein said display control step controls so as to display second program information on a program relating to said selected first program information, and controls so as to display the second program information on a plurality of said selected programs.

26. A display controlling apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving television signals including EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data indicating program information on a plurality of programs;

output means for outputting program table data for list-displaying program information relating to said plurality of programs on the basis of the EPG data received by said receiving means, to display means;

selection means for selecting program information relating to an arbitrary program from a list display of the program information displayed on said display means; and

display control means for controlling said display means so as to display detailed program information relating to the program of the program information on the same screen as the list display of said program information in accordance with a selection operation by said selection means,

wherein in a state that detailed program information relating to the first program selected by said selection means is displayed by said display means, said selection means can further select program information relating to an arbitrary program in the program information relating to said plurality of programs, and said display control means controls so as to display detailed program information relating to said selected second program on the same screen as the detailed program information relating to said first program.

34. A display controlling method for controlling a display apparatus which displays TV program information, comprising steps of:

receiving television signals including EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data indicating program information on a plurality of programs;

outputting program table data for list-displaying program information relating to said plurality of programs on the basis of said received EPG data, to display means;

selecting program information relating to an arbitrary program from a list display of the program information displayed on said display means; and

controlling said display means so as to display detailed program information relating to the program of the program information on the same screen as the list display of said program information in accordance with said selection operation; and

in a state that detailed program information relating to said selected first program is displayed by said display means, capable of selecting program information relating to an arbitrary program in the program information relating to said plurality of programs, controlling said display means so as to display detailed program information relating to said selected second program on the same screen as the detailed program information relating to said first program.

35. A storage medium storing program data for executing the following display controlling method:

receiving television signals including EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data indicating program information on a plurality of programs;

outputting program table data for list-displaying program information relating to said plurality of programs on the basis of said received EPG data, to display means;

selecting program information relating to an arbitrary program from a list display of the program information displayed on said display means; and

controlling said display means so as to display detailed program information relating to the program of the program information on the same screen as the list display of said program information in accordance with said selection operation; and

in a state that detailed program information relating to said selected first program is displayed by said display means, capable of selecting program information relating to an arbitrary program in the program information relating to said plurality of programs, controlling said display means so as to display detailed program information relating to said selected second program on the same screen as the detailed program information relating to said first program.