Systems and methods for presenting an interactive user interface

• US 20040045024A1
• Filed: 02/03/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemmons, Thomas R., Allison, Donald W., Marshall, Connie T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,385,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

A system interactively controlled by a TV viewer remote control transmitter displays portions of a scroll program guide on the viewer'"'"'s display screen. A tuner receives TV radio frequency or optical transmission signals in a plurality of cable channels and passes a viewer usable signal to a signal combiner. A computer receives control signals from the TV viewer remote control transmitter. It controls the tuner to pass the viewer usable signal in response to one of the control signals. It receives and stores a scroll input picture image signal containing local program guide data and generates a scroll output picture image signal consisting of at least a portion of the scroll input picture image signal. The signal combiner combines the viewer usable signal from the tuner with the output picture image signal from the computer to provide a display signal for input to the viewer'"'"'s display screen. The computer is responsive to variable control signals from the remote to advance, back up, and freeze the scroll output picture image signal. It is also responsive to directional control signals from the remote to reposition a “highlight” background to corresponding program data slots on the scroll grid and to display further program information corresponding to the program of the data slot shown in “highlight”. In addition, it is responsive to further directional control signals to redraw the grid to display earlier or later time segment program data than is normally displayed on the viewer'"'"'s screen.

Claims

1. A method for invoking an interactive user interface, comprising:

receiving a user interface invocation command from a user;

invoking the interactive user interface in response to receipt of the user interface invocation command so that a user interface display is presented to the user;

tuning to a television channel in response to the user invoking the interactive user interface; and

displaying at least a portion of the television channel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the television channel provides a continuous presentation of promotional videos for television programs and services.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel videos and programming data channel data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel videos.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid of program guide data on one portion of a display and the programming data channel videos to be displayed on another portion of the display.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising enabling the user to adjust how quickly the automatically scrolling grid is scrolled.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel data.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising causing the programming data channel data to be masked when the interactive user interface and the at least a portion of the television channel are displayed.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid containing a plurality of time slots; and

enabling the user to advance the grid by at least one of the time slots.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid containing a plurality of time slots; and

enabling the user to move the grid backward by at least one of the time slots.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid; and

enabling the user to control in which direction the grid scrolls.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid; and

enabling the user to stop the grid from scrolling.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling the user to select an item of program guide data in the interactive user interface; and

causing additional information on the selected item to be displayed.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as a grid; and

enabling a user to enter a highlight mode in which a portion of the grid corresponding to a selected television program is highlighted.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising causing information related to the selected television program to be displayed.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising enabling the user to move the highlighted portion of the grid.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising enabling the user to exit the highlight mode.

18. A system for invoking an interactive user interface, comprising:

a user input device that receives a user interface invocation command from a user;

a computer that invokes the interactive user interface in response to receipt of the user interface invocation command so that a user interface display is presented to the user;

a tuner that tunes to a television channel in response to the user invoking the interactive user interface; and

a display that displays at least a portion of the television channel.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the television channel provides a continuous presentation of promotional videos for television programs and services.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel videos and programming data channel data.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel videos.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the computer also causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid of program guide data on one portion of a display and the programming data channel videos to be displayed on another portion of the display.

23. The system of claim 22 further comprising a remote control that enables the user to adjust how quickly the automatically scrolling grid is scrolled.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel data.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the computer also causes the programming data channel data to be masked when the interactive user interface and the at least a portion of the television channel are displayed.

26. The system of claim 18 wherein the computer also causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid containing a plurality of time slots, and wherein the system further comprises a remote control that enables the user to advance the grid by at least one of the time slots.

27. The system of claim 18 wherein the computer also causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid containing a plurality of time slots, and wherein the system further comprises a remote control that enables the user to move the grid backward by at least one of the time slots.

28. The system of claim 18 wherein the computer also causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid, and wherein the system further comprises a remote control that enables the user to control in which direction the grid scrolls.

29. The system of claim 18 wherein the computer also causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid, and wherein the system further comprises a remote control that enables the user to stop the grid from scrolling.

30. The system of claim 18 further comprising a remote control that enables the user to select an item of program guide data from the interactive user interface, and wherein the computer also causes additional information on the selected item to be displayed.

31. The system of claim 18 wherein the computer also causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as a grid, and the system further comprises a remote control that enables a user to enter a highlight mode in which a portion of the grid corresponding to a selected television program is highlighted.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the computer also causes information related to the selected television program to be displayed.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the remote control also enables the user to move the highlighted portion of the grid.

34. The system of claim 31 wherein the remote control also enables the user to exit the highlight mode.