System and method for searching a database of television schedule information

• US 20050105881A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Mankovitz, Roy J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,761,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

Compressed codes of as few as 1 to 8 digits, which are decoded by a decoder to convert the compressed code into channel, date, time and length information, identify single TV programs or a category of programs and are stored at a central location accessible over telephone lines through pay-per-use, toll free or regular toll numbers from remote locations. The channel, date, time and length information is used to select channels, start recording, and stop recording at the appropriate time or to control viewing on a TV.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A method of communicating television program information comprising:

establishing a communications link between user equipment and a database of television schedule information, the database located at a site remote from the user equipment;

communicating television program selection criteria from the user equipment to the site remote from the user equipment;

searching the database of television schedule information based on the television program selection criteria and deriving program identification data from the database, the program identification data corresponding to television programs meeting the program selection criteria; and

transmitting the program identification data over the communications link to the user equipment.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising controlling the recording of television programs identified by the program identification data, the controlling being performed by the user equipment.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising controlling the viewing of programs identified by the program identification data, the controlling being performed by the user equipment.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the establishing a communications link comprises establishing a telephone connection between the user equipment and the database of television schedule information.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the program identification data includes representations of program channels and times.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the program identification data comprises compressed program codes.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the television program selection criteria comprises at least one of the group consisting of a category, a theme, a personality appearing in the program, a personality involved in the creation of the program, a writer, a sports team, a program title, a portion of a program title, a time period of program airings and a content rating.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the user equipment comprises a cable box controller.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the user equipment comprises a satellite receiver controller.

16. A system for communicating television program information comprising:

user equipment;

a database of program schedule information located at a site remote from the user equipment, wherein the database is configured to be searched based on television program selection criteria and is further configured to derive program identification data for at least one television program corresponding to the television program selection criteria; and

a communications link between the user equipment and the site remote from the user equipment, wherein the communications link is configured to transmit the television program selection criteria from the user equipment to the site remote from the user equipment and to transmit the program identification data from the site remote from the user equipment to the user equipment.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the user equipment is configured to control the recording of programs identified by the program identification data.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the user equipment is configured to control the viewing of programs identified by the program identification data.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the communications link comprises a telephone connection between the user equipment and the remote site.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the program identification data includes representations of program channels and times.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein program identification data comprises compressed program codes.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the television program selection criteria comprises at least one of the group consisting of a category, a theme, a personality appearing in the program, a personality involved in the creation of the program, a writer, a sports team, a program title, a portion of a program title, a time period of program airings and a content rating.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the user equipment comprises a cable box controller.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein the user equipment comprises a satellite receiver controller.