Home entertainment system and method of its operation

• US 20050198668A1
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Index Systems Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Shalkey, Eric, Shoaff, P. Christopher, Yuen, Henry C., Ward, Thomas Edward III
• Granted Patent: US 8,689,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

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.

Claims

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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide function is a record function, the program schedule information about the second television program includes at least one of time, day, channel, and length of the second television program, the retrieving step retrieves at least one of the time, day, channel, and length of the second television program, and the executing step schedules the second television program for recording.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide function is a watch function, the program schedule information about the second television program includes at least one of time, day, channel, and length of the second television program, the retrieving step retrieves at least one of the time, day, channel, and length of the second television program, and the executing step schedules the second television program to be displayed on the screen when telecast.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide function is a details function, the program schedule information about the second television program includes details about the second television program, the retrieving step retrieves the details about the second television program, and the executing step displays the details about the second television program on the screen.

5. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of issuing a viewer command to invoke the retrieving and executing steps.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second television program is concurrent with the first program.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second television program is a future program.

14. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of providing a network that concurrently broadcasts a plurality of programs on different channels, respectively, including the first and second television program.

15. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the step of concurrently recording the second program and watching the first program.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of issuing a viewer command comprises selecting one of a plurality of icons appearing in the announcement, the advertisement, or the first television program, each icon representing one of a plurality of electronic program guide functions.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of issuing a viewer command comprises responding to an icon appearing in the announcement, the advertisement, or the first television program.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of issuing a viewer command additionally comprises displaying a second announcement or a second advertisement.

19. The method of claim 18, in which the step of issuing a viewer command additionally comprises responding to the second announcement or the second advertisement displayed to invoke the retrieving and executing steps.

20. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of storing a program announcement while the television is turned off.

21. The method of claim 20, additionally comprising the step of turning the television on and displaying an icon to alert a viewer of the existence of the stored announcement.

22. The method of claim 21, additionally comprising the step of issuing a viewer command to view and display the stored announcement.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the stored announcement includes a plurality of announcements and the plurality of announcements are viewed in succession.

24. The method of claim 22, additionally comprising the step of responding to the display of the stored announcement to invoke the retrieving and executing steps.

6. A home entertainment system comprising:

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.

7. The home entertainment system of claim 6, additionally comprising a signal signaling the availability of an electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program during, before, or after the announcement.

8. The home entertainment system of claim 7, wherein the signal is an icon on the display screen.

9. The home entertainment system of claim 8, additionally comprising a screen display of a list of electronic program guide functions responsive to a viewer command, and an electronic program guide function selector, the microprocessor being configured to execute the selected electronic program guide function.

10. The home entertainment system of claim 7, wherein the signal displays a plurality of icons on the screen, each icon representing a different electronic program guide function.

11. The home entertainment system of claim 10, additionally comprising a selector of one of the plurality of icons, the microprocessor being configured to execute the electronic program guide function represented by the selected icon.

25. The home entertainment system of claim 6, wherein the second television program is concurrent with the first television program.

26. The home entertainment system of claim 6, wherein the second television program is a future program.

27. The home entertainment system of claim 6 additionally comprising a network that concurrently broadcasts a plurality of programs on different channels, respectively, the plurality of programs including the first program and the second program.

28. The home entertainment system of claim 6, wherein the first program is watched while the second program is recording.

29. The home entertainment system of claim 6 wherein a program announcement is stored in the memory while the television is turned off.

30. The home entertainment system of claim 29, additionally comprising an alert icon displayed on the display screen when the television is turned on, the alert icon signaling the availability of an electronic program guide function with respect to the second television program.

31. The home entertainment system of claim 30, additionally comprising a screen display of a list of electronic program guide functions responsive to a viewer command, and an electronic program guide function selector, the microprocessor being configured to execute the selected electronic program guide function.

32. The home entertainment system of claim 31, wherein the stored announcement includes a plurality of announcements and the plurality of announcements are viewed in succession.