Display control apparatus and method

• US 20050229211A1
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iino, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,971,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/58
• 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 21/4334 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

The invention relates to a display control apparatus and method that make it possible to easily recognize detailed information relating to an overlap time slot in an apparatus capable of setting recording reservations for programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with each other. Program-11 that will be broadcast from 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. on channel-123 and program-14 that will be broadcast from 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. on channel-124 have an overlap broadcast time of 11:40 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. Of a block of program-11, a portion of the overlap time slot is given a color (hatched) meaning that an action corresponding to a set reservation will be executed in spite of the overlap in broadcast time with the other program. Of a block of program-14, a portion of the overlap time slot is given a color (dotted) meaning that an action corresponding to a set reservation will not be executed because of the overlap in broadcast time with the other program. The invention can be applied to equipment for processing TV programs such as STBs.

Claims

1. A display control apparatus capable of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with each other, characterized by comprising:

reservation setting means for setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for a program;

acquiring means for acquiring electronic program guide information; and

display means for displaying the electronic program guide information acquired by the acquiring means, the display control apparatus further characterized in that;

where a broadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set by the reservation setting means overlaps with that of another program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set, the display means displays the electronic program guide information in such a manner that an overlap first time slot is given prescribed discrimination information for discriminating the overlap first time slot from a non-overlap second time slot.

2. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display means displays the electronic program guide information in such a manner that the first time slot and the second time slot are given different colors.

3. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising priority rank setting means for setting a priority rank to the recording reservation or the viewing reservation that is set for each of the program and the other program, the display control apparatus further characterized in that the display means displays the electronic program guide information by selecting the discrimination information on the basis of the priority ranks set by the priority rank setting means.

4. A display control method of a display control apparatus capable of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with each other, characterized by comprising:

a reservation setting step of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for a program;

an acquiring step of acquiring electronic program guide information; and

a display step of displaying the electronic program guide information acquired by processing of the acquiring step, the display control method further characterized in that;

where a broadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set by processing of the reservation setting step overlaps with that of another program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set, the electronic program guide information is displayed by processing of the display step in such a manner that an overlap first time slot is given prescribed discrimination information for discriminating the overlap first time slot from a non-overlap second time slot.

5. A display control apparatus capable of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with each other, characterized by comprising:

reservation setting means for setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for a program; and

display means for displaying, in list form, pieces of reservation information relating to recording reservations or viewing reservations set by the reservation setting means, the display control apparatus further characterized in that;

where a broadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set by the reservation setting means overlaps with that of another program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set, the display means displays, in list form, the pieces of reservation information to which prescribed pieces of discrimination information indicating whether pieces of reservation information are effective in an overlap time slot are added.

6. The display control apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the display means displays, in list form, the pieces of reservation information to which icons indicating whether the pieces of reservation information are effective in the overlap time slot are added as the pieces of discrimination information.

7. The display control apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the display means displays, in list form, the pieces of reservation information to which indicators are added as the pieces of discrimination information, each of the indicators being such that of a broadcast time slot of the program a time slot during which an action corresponding to a recording reservation or a viewing reservation will be executed and a time slot during which the action corresponding to the recording reservation or the viewing reservation will not be executed are shown in different colors.

8. The display control apparatus according to claim 5, characterized by further comprising priority rank setting means for setting a priority rank to the recording reservation or the viewing reservation that is set for each of the program and the other program, the display control apparatus further characterized in that the display means displays, in list form, the pieces of reservation information by selecting the pieces of discrimination information on the basis of the priority ranks set by the priority rank setting means.

9. A display control method of a display control apparatus capable of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with each other, characterized by comprising:

a reservation setting step of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for a program; and

a display step of displaying, in list form, pieces of reservation information relating to recording reservations or viewing reservations set by processing of the reservation setting step, the display control method further characterized in that;

where a broadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set by processing of the reservation setting step overlaps with that of another program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set, the pieces of reservation information to which prescribed pieces of discrimination information indicating whether pieces of reservation information are effective in an overlap time slot are added are displayed in list form by processing of the display step.