Filter criteria and results display apparatus and method

• US 20050216935A1
• Filed: 03/23/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bergeron, Michael A., McKay, Philip, Wibisono, Himgan, Nishikawa, Yuko, Golden, Dayan
• Application Number:
  US10/806,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Filter criteria for a plurality of characterizing descriptor filters are displayed along with characterizing descriptions of programming options that correspond to a present setting of the filters. A viewer readily navigates these displayed elements to discern available programming options and/or to view and select other filter criteria in an intuitive manner and without resort to nested menus.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing access to characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of data;

providing at least a first and a second characterizing descriptor filter;

simultaneously displaying;

a first plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria as corresponds to the first characterizing descriptor filter;

a second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria as corresponds to the second characterizing descriptor filter;

at least a portion of the characterizing descriptors as corresponds to a present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying at least a portion of the characterizing descriptors as corresponds to a present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria further comprises not displaying any of the characterizing descriptors as do not correspond to the present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing access to characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of data further comprises providing access to textual characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing access to characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of data further comprises providing access to characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of audio/visual content.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

simultaneously displaying at least one graphic image as individually corresponds to the at least a portion of the characterizing descriptors as corresponds to a present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein providing access to characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of data further comprises providing access to characterizing descriptors that comprise at least one of:

a programming network identifier;

a broadcast starting time;

a description of the audio/visual content;

content media source.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the plurality of discrete selectable items of audio/visual content are embodied in a plurality of media.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria is selected in response to a remote control device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria is selected in response to a remote control device by scrolling through candidate settings of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

10. An interactive data display system comprising:

characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of data;

at least a first and a second characterizing descriptor filter;

control circuitry that simultaneously displays;

at least one of a first plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria as corresponds to the first characterizing descriptor filter;

at least one of a second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria as corresponds to the second characterizing descriptor filter;

at least a portion of the characterizing descriptors as corresponds to a present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

11. The interactive data display system of claim 10 further comprising:

a remote control device for selecting the present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

12. An interactive program guide system comprising:

characterizing descriptors as individually correspond to a plurality of discrete selectable items of audio/visual content;

at least a first and a second characterizing descriptor filter;

control circuitry that simultaneously displays;

at least one of a first plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria as corresponds to the first characterizing descriptor filter;

at least one of a second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria as corresponds to the second characterizing descriptor filter;

at least a portion of the characterizing descriptors as corresponds to a present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

13. The interactive program guide system of claim 12 further comprising:

a remote control device for selecting the present setting of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

14. The interactive program guide system of claim 13 wherein the remote control device comprises at least one key for scrolling through candidate settings of the first and second plurality of user-selectable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.

15. The interactive program guide system of claim 14 wherein the remote control device further comprises at least one key for moving a focus from one characterizing descriptor filter to another characterizing descriptor filter.

16. The interactive program guide system of claim 12 wherein the control circuitry further simultaneously displays a program of audio/visual content.

17. The interactive program guide system of claim 12 wherein the control circuitry further simultaneously displays a preview of a discrete selectable item of audio/visual content as corresponds to the present setting of the first and second plurality of user-definable characterizing descriptor filter criteria.