Program guide data selection device

• US 20030090524A1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Segerberg, Tomas, Bernhardson, Marcus
• Granted Patent: US 6,910,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/786
• 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 21/4755 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

Abstract

A digital interactive television set has a programming guide data selection device for selecting program guide data corresponding to available programming content. A processor (2) is operable to filter the programming guide data according to different filter categories such as time, channel and content type, and also individual filter ranges associated with the respective categories, and provide a corresponding display on the television set by means of a graphical user interface process (27). The interface provides horizontal and vertical scroll bars (V,H) which each comprise a plurality of scroll bar elements, the scroll bar elements of the horizontal scroll bar signifying individual filter ranges of the filter categories, such that when selected individually, the scroll bar elements of the vertical scroll bar signify individual program content items from the program data that fall within the filter category and range of the selected horizontal scroll bar element, at least one of the scroll bar elements of the horizontal scroll bar comprising a multiple depiction of more than one of said individual filter ranges of filter categories, whereby an individual one of the filter ranges may be selected from the multiple depiction.

Claims

1. A programming guide data selection device for selecting program guide data corresponding to available programming content, comprising:

a processor operable to filter the programming guide data according to different filter categories and individual filter ranges associated with the respective categories, and

a graphical user interface to provide first and second transversely extending scroll bars which each comprise a plurality of scroll bar elements, the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar signifying individual filter ranges of the filter categories, such that when selected individually, the scroll bar elements of the second scroll bar signify individual program content items from the program data that fall within the filter category and range of the selected first scroll bar element, at least one of the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar comprising a multiple depiction of more than one of said individual filter ranges of the filter categories, whereby the filter ranges may be selected from the multiple depiction individually.

2. The device of claim 1 including a focus region, the scroll bars being configured so that their scroll bar elements can be scrolled through the focus region.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the multiple depiction of said more than one filter category ranges comprises a three dimensional depiction thereof.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar include multiple facets that signify individual filter ranges of different categories.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the elements are polygonal and are rotatable about a common axis extending longitudinally of the first scroll bar.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the elements are rotatable in unison about said axis.

7. The device of claim 3 wherein the elements each include facets associated with respective different filter categories.

8. The device of claim 2 further including a controller operable by a user to scroll the scroll bars individually through the focus region.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the controller includes a selector device to select an individual scroll bar element corresponding to a filter category and range.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the controller includes a selector device to select a filter category and range corresponding to an individual scroll bar element when scrolled into the focus region.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to perform multiple filtering whereby scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar are selected successively, and the scroll bar elements of the second scroll bar signify individual program content items from the program data that fall within the filter categories and ranges of all of the successively selected first scroll bar elements.

12. An interactive display device for displaying content from a plurality of different sources thereof on a display screen, including a programming guide data selection device for selecting program guide data corresponding to available programming content, comprising:

a processor operable to filter the programming guide data according to different filter categories and individual filter ranges associated with the respective categories,

a graphical user interface to provide a display on the display screen that includes first and second transversely extending scroll bars which each comprise a plurality of scroll bar elements, the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar signifying individual filter ranges of the filter categories, such that when selected individually, the scroll bar elements of the second scroll bar signify individual program content items from the program data that fall within the filter category and range of the selected first scroll bar element, at least one of the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar comprising a multiple depiction of more than one of said individual filter ranges of filter categories, whereby an individual one of the filter ranges may be selected from the multiple depiction and

a controller operable by a user to select that scroll bar elements.

13. The device of claim 12 further including the display screen.

14. The device according to claim 12 comprising a control unit for a multi-channel television set.

15. The device according to claim 14 and comprising a set top box.

16. The device of claim 12 configured to receive programming data selected from a group consisting of satellite transmissions, cable transmissions, the Internet and pre-recorded digital data.

17. The device of claim 12 wherein the controller comprises a handheld device connected to the circuitry by a wireless link.

18. A data carrier provided with a program to be run by a processor to provide a graphical user interface for a programming guide data selection device which is operable to select program guide data corresponding to available programming content, the interface including first and second transversely extending scroll bars which each comprise a plurality of scroll bar elements, the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar. signifying individual filter ranges of the filter categories, such that when selected individually, the scroll bar elements of the second scroll bar signify individual program content items from the program data that fall within the filter category and range of the selected first scroll bar element, at least one of the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar comprising a multiple depiction of more than one of said individual filter ranges of filter categories, whereby an individual one of the filter ranges may be selected from the multiple depiction

19. A method of operating a graphical user interface to select content items from programming guide data the user interface including first and second transversely extending scroll bars which each comprise a plurality of scroll bar elements, the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar signifying individual filter ranges of the filter categories, such that when selected individually, the scroll bar elements of the second scroll bar signify individual program content items from the program data that fall within the filter category and range of the selected first scroll bar element, at least one of the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar comprising a multiple depiction of more than one of said individual filter ranges of filter categories, whereby an individual one of the filter ranges may be selected from the multiple depiction, the method comprising:

selecting an individual filter range and category from the multiple depiction for an individual one of the scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar, and

displaying program content items from the programming data corresponding to the selected an individual filter range and category in the scroll bar elements of the second scroll bar.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the selecting of the groupings from the multiple depiction includes rotating the elements of the first scroll bar.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the selecting of the groupings from the multiple depiction includes shuffling facets which signify the individual filter category ranges.

22. The method of claim 19 including performing multiple filtering whereby scroll bar elements of the first scroll bar are selected successively, and such that the scroll bar elements of the second scroll bar signify individual program content items from the program data that fall within the filter categories and ranges of all of the successively selected first scroll bar elements.