Method and apparatus for displaying television programs and related text

• US 20050204384A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1994
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Mankovitz, Roy J., Kwoh, Daniel S., Leung, Elsie, Yuen, Henry C.
• Application Number:
  US11/064,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20050204384A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A television viewer uses a PIP format for display of program related information such as television program listings from a program schedule data base in the background and moving, real time or stored video clip images of a program selected from the displayed listings in the PIP window. All the text of the background information lies outside the PIP window. In one embodiment, as the viewer selects a particular program from the display of current television program listings by means of a cursor or a code number, the corresponding program automatically appears in the PIP window.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A system comprising:

a video display;

a video signal tuner;

a memory that stores program listings for a plurality of television programs;

means for displaying a plurality of program identifiers, each related to one of the program listings, in a schedule area of the video display;

means for displaying a cursor highlighting a first program identifier in the schedule area;

means for displaying substantially all of an image output by the video signal tuner in a video area of the video display; and

means for displaying in a description area of the video display, additional information from the program listing related to the first program identifier highlighted by the cursor in the schedule area, wherein the additional information comprises information not in the first program identifier, and wherein the plurality of program identifiers, the image output by the video signal tuner and the additional information are simultaneously displayed.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein each of the program identifiers includes at least a program title.

33. The system of claim 31 further comprising:

a user input; and

means for moving the cursor in the schedule area, based on input received from the user input, to highlight a second program identifier and automatically change the additional information in the description area to additional information from the program listing identified by the second program identifier.

34. The system of claim 31 further comprising:

a user input; and

means for controlling the video signal tuner to automatically tune to the channel of the program corresponding to the program identifier highlighted in the schedule area by the cursor in response to movements of the cursor in the schedule area, based on input received from the user input.

35. The system of claim 31 further comprising:

means for controlling the video signal tuner not to change tuning when the cursor in the schedule area is moved from highlighting a first program identifier to highlighting a second program identifier.

36. The system of claim 31 to 35 in which the means for displaying additional information displays the description area such that the description area does not significantly overlap the video area.

37. The system of claim 31 wherein all of the image output by the video signal tuner is displayed in the video area of the video display.

38. The system of claim 31 wherein the schedule area does not overlap the video area.

39. The system of claim 31 in which the means for displaying additional information displays the description area such that the description area does not significantly overlap the schedule area.

40. A method for using a video display, a video signal tuner and a memory, comprising:

storing program listings for a plurality of television programs in the memory;

displaying a plurality of program identifiers, each related to one of the program listings, in a schedule area of the video display;

displaying a cursor highlighting a first program identifier in the schedule area;

displaying substantially all of an image output by the video signal tuner in a video area of the video display, the video area being arranged so that the schedule area does not significantly overlap the video area; and

displaying in a description area of the video display, additional information from the program listing related to the first program identifier highlighted by the cursor in the schedule area, wherein the additional information comprises information not in the first program identifier, and wherein the plurality of program identifiers, the image output by the video signal tuner and the additional information are simultaneously displayed.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the program identifiers include at least a program title.

42. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

moving the cursor in the schedule area, based on input received from a user input, to highlight a second program identifier and automatically change the additional information in the description area to additional information from to the program listing identified by the second program identifier.

43. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

controlling the video signal tuner to automatically tune to the channel of the program corresponding to the program identifier highlighted in the schedule area by the cursor in response to movements of the cursor in the schedule area, based on input received from a user input.

44. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

controlling the video signal tuner not to change tuning when the cursor in the schedule area is moved from highlighting a first program identifier to highlighting a second program identifier.

45. The method of claim 40 in which displaying additional information displays the description area such that the description area does not significantly overlap the video area.

46. The method of claim 40 wherein displaying substantially all of the image output by the video signal tuner comprises displaying all of the image output by the video signal tuner.

47. The method of claim 40 wherein displaying substantially all of an image output by the video signal tuner in a video area of the video display such that the schedule area does not significantly overlap the video area comprises displaying the schedule area such that the schedule area does not overlap the video area.

48. The method of claim 40 in which displaying additional information displays the description area such that the description area does not significantly overlap the schedule area.