Interactive television program guide display

• US 20050015804A1
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Entertainment Company LP (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: LaJoie, Michael L., Brown, Ralph W., Johnson, Stephen M., Krakirian, Haig H., Buehl, Joseph G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• 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 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A full service cable television system and method are provided. The system comprises a cable headend, at least one fiber transport, at least one distribution hub, at least one hybrid fiber coax plant, and a plurality of set-top terminals. The system delivers television programs, advanced cable services, and online services. Programs and services are transmitted to the set-top terminals in both digital and analog formats to maintain downward compatibility with existing systems. The set-top terminal includes a central processing unit, a unified memory architecture, a memory management unit, communications circuitry, I/O control circuitry, and audio and video output circuitry. Through these components, the set-top terminal provides advanced cable services such as a comprehensive channel navigator, an interactive program guide, impulse Pay-Per-View, Near-Video-On-Demand and Video-On-Demand programming, and advanced configuration controls. The set-top terminal also provides online services such as World Wide Web browsing, Internet e-mail, and home shopping.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. An interactive program guide for displaying information regarding a plurality of television programs on an interactive program guide display, said interactive program guide comprising:

a grid of cells having at least two rows and two columns of said cells, said cells displaying information regarding said television programs, said cells moveable on said program guide display via activation of one of a plurality of user directional actuators; and

a cell highlighter operative to highlight at a designated cell position on said display any one of said cells positioned thereat, said highlighter operative to highlight any one of said cells moved into said designated cell position regardless of which one of said user directional actuators is activated, said highlighter operative to change appearance as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

3. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein some of said cells are of different sizes than others of said cells.

4. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said highlighter is operative to change shape as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

5. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said highlighter is operative to change size as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

6. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said highlighter is operative to expand in size as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

7. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said highlighter is operative to contract in size as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

8. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said plurality of user directional actuators comprises arrow keys on a keypad.

9. The interactive program guide of claim 8 wherein said keypad is part of a handheld remote control device.

10. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said designated cell position is a leftmost cell position on said display.

11. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said designated cell position is a center row leftmost cell position on said display.

12. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said highlighter comprises a cursor.

13. The interactive program guide of claim 2 wherein said highlighter comprises a cell outline having an appearance different than any other cell outline on said display.

14. A method of displaying information regarding a plurality of television programs on an interactive program guide display, said method comprising:

displaying a grid of cells on said display, said grid of cells comprising at least two rows and two columns of said cells, said cells displaying information regarding said television programs;

moving said cells on said display via activation of one of a plurality of user directional actuators; and

highlighting any one of said cells positioned at a designated cell position on said display, said highlighting occurring at said designated cell position regardless of which one of said user directional actuators is activated, said highlighting changing appearance as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said changing appearance comprises changing shape of said highlighting as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said changing appearance comprises changing size of said highlighting as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said changing appearance comprises expanding said highlighting as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said changing appearance comprises shrinking said highlighting as another said cell moves into said designated cell position.

19. Software on a computer readable medium for displaying information regarding a plurality of television programs on an interactive program guide display, said software comprising:

a grid of cells moveable on said display, said cells displaying information regarding said television programs;

a fixed cell position on said grid at which a cell is highlighted regardless of the direction of movement of said grid; and

cell highlighting operative to change appearance as another said cell moves into said fixed cell position.

20. The software of claim 19 wherein some of said cells are of different sizes than others of said cells.

21. The software of claim 19 wherein said cell highlighting expands or contracts as another said cell moves into said fixed cell position.