Method and apparatus for displaying electronic program guide information

• US 20050160456A1
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Moskowitz, David K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,402,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/45
• 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 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• 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 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4545 Input to filtering algorithms, e.g. filtering a region of the image
• 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
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a logically organized electronic program guide separated into categories. Each category has a theme. Inside each theme-based category there is a listing of television programming. In this way, the subscriber can locate a desired theme and then determine a desired program from the list in the category.

Claims

1. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user comprising:

a. storing at the user location electronic program guide information;

b. selecting a category of channels to for which electronic program guide information is to be displayed;

c. displaying electronic program guide information only for the category of channels selected.

2. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 1 wherein the electronic program guide information includes information which categorizes channels.

3. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 1 wherein the user selects the category of channels for which electronic program guide information is to be displayed.

4. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 2 wherein the user selects the category of channels for which electronic program guide information is to be displayed.

5. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 3 wherein the electronic program guide information includes information which categorizes channels.

6. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 2 further comprising the step of filtering the stored electronic program guide information for channels that correspond to the selected category.

7. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 3 further comprising the step of filtering the stored electronic program guide information for channels that correspond to the selected category.

8. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 2 wherein the categories of the channels for which electronic program guide information is to be displayed is pre-determined.

9. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 3 wherein the categories of the channels for which electronic program guide information is to be displayed is pre-determined.

10. A method for displaying filtered electronic program guide information to a television user according to claim 3 wherein the user can access the various categories of electronic program guide information by successively pushing the electronic program guide button on a remote control.