Information display system

• US 20030237100A1
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Piotrowski, Tony E.
• Application Number:
  US10/176,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20030237100A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• 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 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for automatically displaying program guide information for television programs using information from the Extended Data Services (EDS) or similar type data services. The system allows for the automatic display of program related information automatically as a user scrolls (surfs) through various program channels. The information is displayed in an unobtrusive manner.

Claims

1. A method of providing television program related information to a viewer, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a television, an audio/visual signal including embedded content information;

extracting the embedded content information;

formatting the embedded content information for display to the viewer; and

when the viewer changes a current television channel to another television channel, automatically displaying the formatted content information to the viewer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the formatted content information is displayed in an automatic program display (APD) window.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the embedded content information includes at least one of current program information, future program information, length of a current program, elapsed time since the beginning of a current program, a program title, a content advisory, a program description, a network/content provider name, a station ID, a time of day, a national weather service, or a program type.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the embedded content information is formatted in accordance with a format selected by the viewer.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically updating information related to the audio/visual program stored in the television.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the updated information is the time of day.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the updated information is content provider information such a network name.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of extracting the embedded content information audio/visual signal using a data capture module.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of recording rating-type information for television programs being viewed.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of providing the recorded rating-type information to a content provider via a remote network connection.

12. A system for providing television program related information to a viewer, the system comprising:

a television receiver capable of receiving an audio/visual signal including embedded content information;

a data capture circuit arranged to extract the embedded content information; and

a controller arranged to format the embedded content information for display to the viewer,

wherein when the viewer changes a current television channel to another television channel, the controller automatically displays the formatted content information to the viewer.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the data capture module forms part of a closed captioning system.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the audio/visual signal is a television program and the embedded content information is an extended data services (EDS) packet that is extracted from line 21 of a vertical blanking internal.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the data capture module forms part of a teletext system.

16. A receiver comprising:

means for receiving a television signal including program related data inserted in a vertical blanking interval;

means for extracting the program related data;

means for formatting the extracted program related data for a display; and

means for determining whether a current channel has changed; and

means for automatically displaying the formatted extracted program related data when said means for determining indicated that the current channel has been changed.

17. The receiver according to claim 16, wherein the formatted program related data is displayed in a semi-transparent format.

18. The receiver according to claim 16, wherein the program related data includes at least one of current program information, future program information, length of a current program, elapsed time since the beginning of a current program, a program title, a content advisory, a program description, a network/content provider name, a station ID, a time of day, a national weather service, or a program type.

19. The receiver according to claim 16, further including means for customizing a format and an amount of information to be displayed in accordance with a viewer'"'"'s preference using an on-screen-display (OSD) menu and a remote control unit.