Home entertainment system and method of its operation
First Claim
1. A method for operating a home entertainment system that includes a display screen, the method comprising the steps of:
- storing in a memory program schedule information about a first television program and program schedule information about a second television program, the program schedule information about the first television program being linked in the memory to the program schedule information about the second television program such that the program schedule information about the second television program can be retrieved by accessing the program schedule information about the first television program;
displaying an announcement or advertisement of the second television program during a telecast time of the first television program;
signaling the availability of an electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program during, before, or after the announcement;
receiving a user command invoking the electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program in response to the signaling;
retrieving from the memory the program schedule information about the second television program by accessing in the memory the program schedule information about the first television program in response to the user command; and
using the program schedule information about the second television program to execute the electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An EPG database for a home entertainment system includes files that contain information about television programs retrievable by time and channel. The files are linked to each other so information about a future television program can be obtained by accessing a file about a current television program. A current television program displayed on the screen of a home entertainment system includes an announcement or advertisement of a future television program. The availability of an electronic program guide function (e.g., record, watch, details, display time, display channel, display by theme, and Internet connection) is signaled during, before, or after the announcement. A command is issued to invoke the EPG function. The information about the future television program is retrieved from the file about the current television program in the database. The EPG function is executed with the retrieved information. As a result, an EPG function can be performed with respect to a future television program without embedding information about the future television program in the television signal.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method for operating a home entertainment system that includes a display screen, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing in a memory program schedule information about a first television program and program schedule information about a second television program, the program schedule information about the first television program being linked in the memory to the program schedule information about the second television program such that the program schedule information about the second television program can be retrieved by accessing the program schedule information about the first television program;
displaying an announcement or advertisement of the second television program during a telecast time of the first television program;
signaling the availability of an electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program during, before, or after the announcement;
receiving a user command invoking the electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program in response to the signaling;
retrieving from the memory the program schedule information about the second television program by accessing in the memory the program schedule information about the first television program in response to the user command; and
using the program schedule information about the second television program to execute the electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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6. A home entertainment system comprising:
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a monitor having a display screen;
a television receiver adapted to display an announcement or advertisement of a second television program during a telecast time of the first television program;
a memory including program schedule information about the first television program and program schedule information about the second television program, the program schedule information about the first television program being linked in the memory to the program schedule information about the second television program such that the program schedule information about the second television program can be retrieved from the memory by accessing in the memory the program schedule information about the first television program; and
a microprocessor configured to accept a viewer command to invoke an electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program in response to a signal signaling the availability of the electronic program guide function, to retrieve from the program schedule information about the first television program in response to the viewer command, the program schedule information about the second television program, and to use the program schedule information about the second television program to execute the electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification