Systems and methods for contextually linking television program information
First Claim
1. An interactive electronic program guide (IPG) including a display screen comprising:
- a database local to a viewer for storing television schedule information including information about television programs and a plurality of criteria associated with each television program; and
a microprocessor local to the viewer configured to automatically generate a set of favorite criteria about television programs that the viewer would likely be interested in, search the database for identifying a television program that includes at least one of the favorite criteria, tag the identified television program stored in the local database that includes the at least one of the favorite criteria, and activate a function of the IPG related to the tagged television program without viewer'"'"'s intervention.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides systems and methods for providing television schedule information to a viewer, and for allowing the viewer to link, search, select and interact with information in a remote database, e.g., a database on the internet. The television schedule information can be displayed on a variety of viewer interfaces, such as televisions screens, computer monitors, PCTV screens and the like. The television schedule information may be stored on the viewer'"'"'s computer, television, PCTV, or a remote server (e.g., a website), or the television schedule information may be downloaded from a remote database to the viewer'"'"'s computer, television or PCTV.
277 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An interactive electronic program guide (IPG) including a display screen comprising:
-
a database local to a viewer for storing television schedule information including information about television programs and a plurality of criteria associated with each television program; and
a microprocessor local to the viewer configured to automatically generate a set of favorite criteria about television programs that the viewer would likely be interested in, search the database for identifying a television program that includes at least one of the favorite criteria, tag the identified television program stored in the local database that includes the at least one of the favorite criteria, and activate a function of the IPG related to the tagged television program without viewer'"'"'s intervention. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method for identifying favorite television programs for a viewer in an interactive television program guide (IPG) having a display screen, the method comprising:
-
storing television schedule information in a database local to the viewer including information about television programs and a plurality of criteria associated with each television program;
automatically generating a set of favorite criteria about television programs that the viewer would likely be interested in;
searching the database for identifying a television program that includes at least one of the favorite criteria;
tagging the identified television program stored in the local database that includes the at least one of the favorite criteria; and
activating a function of the IPG related to the tagged television program without viewer'"'"'s intervention. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. An interactive electronic program guide (IPG) including a display screen comprising:
-
means local to a viewer for storing television schedule information including information about television programs and a plurality of criteria associated with each television program; and
means local to the viewer for automatically generating a set of favorite criteria about television programs that the viewer would likely be interested in;
means local to the viewer for searching the database for identifying a television program that includes at least one of the favorite criteria;
means local to the viewer for tagging the identified television program stored in the local database that includes the at least one of the favorite criteria; and
means local to the viewer for activating a function of the IPG related to the tagged television program without viewer'"'"'s intervention. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
Specification