Specialized media presentation via an electronic program guide (EPG)

• US 20050240964A1
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barrett, Peter T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An electronic program guide (EPG) is enhanced to have entries that enable access to one or more images. When an image-related entry is selected by a user, a television-based device presents the one or more images that are associated with the selected entry. In a described search-related implementation, portions of the EPG, such as actors and actresses names, are presented as links. Selection of a link effectuates a search of a group of files and is followed by the visual presentation of a slide show of images resulting from the search. In a described email-related implementation, a third party can email images to an email address that is associated with the television-based device. In response to the emailed images, an image entry is added to the channel lineup of the EPG. Selection of the image entry causes the device to visually present the emailed images in a slide show.

Claims

1. A device that is capable of producing an electronic program guide (EPG) having at least one entry that enables access to one or more images;

wherein selection of the at least one entry by user input causes the device to retrieve the one or more images and to present the one or more images on an associated display screen.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a television-based set-top box and the associated display screen is separate from the device.

3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the associated display screen is integral with the device.

4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one entry comprises a linked symbol.

5. The device as recited in claim 4, wherein the linked symbol comprises alphanumeric characters that are indicated as being a hyperlink.

6. The device as recited in claim 4, wherein the linked symbol comprises at least part of a name of an actor or actress.

7. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one entry comprises a linked image channel or a linked image cell.

8. The device as recited in claim 7, wherein selection of the linked image channel by the user input causes the device to present images associated with multiple image cells of the selected linked image channel;

and wherein selection of the linked image cell by the user input causes the device to present images associated with the selected linked image cell.

9. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the EPG also includes entries directed to programs for television channels.

10. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is adapted to retrieve the one or more images from storage at which the one or more images were previously saved responsive to receipt of an email having a destination address that is associated with the device.

11. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein the device is further adapted to retrieve the one or more images from at least one of local storage at the device or remote storage at a server of a television-based network.

12. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is adapted to retrieve the one or more images using a search service and a search request formulated responsive to at least one word of the at least one entry.

13. The device as recited in claim 12, wherein the device is further adapted to parse and transform search results received from the search service prior to presentation of the one or more images on the associated display screen.

14. A device comprising:

a search effectuator that effectuates a search responsive to selection of a link that is included as part of an electronic program guide (EPG); and

a search results scrubber that scrubs search results, which are in a first format, from the effectuated search to produce scrubbed search results, which are in a second format, for presentation on an associated display screen.

15. The device as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a link target monitor that monitors a selector of the EPG to detect when links are being selected based on input from a user.

16. The device as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a scrubbed results presenter that presents the scrubbed search results in the second format on the associated display screen.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein the scrubbed results presenter comprises a slide show viewer.

18. The device as recited in claim 14, wherein the search effectuator formulates a search request using at least one word of the selected link as a keyword target.

19. The device as recited in claim 14, wherein the search effectuator sends a search request to a search service through a television network via a server and over a general network.

20. The device as recited in claim 19, wherein the general network comprises the internet, and the search service comprises a third party search engine;

and wherein the search effectuator formulates a search request in accordance with the third party search engine.

21. The device as recited in claim 14, wherein the search results scrubber parses the search results to produce parsed search results and transforms the parsed search results to produce parsed and transformed search results in the second format.

22. The device as recited in claim 21, wherein the search results scrubber screen scrapes the search results to produce the parsed and transformed search results in the second format.

23. The device as recited in claim 21, wherein the first format comprises a hypertext markup language (html) format, and the second format comprises an extensible markup language (xml) format.

24. An arrangement for media access via an electronic program guide (EPG) in conjunction with a search, the arrangement comprising:

effectuation means for effectuating a search responsive to selection of a link of the EPG; and

scrub means for scrubbing search results from the effectuated search to produce scrubbed search results in an accessible format.

25. The arrangement as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

monitor means for monitoring link targets of the EPG to detect when a link is being selected by user input.

26. The arrangement as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

presentation means for presenting on an associated display screen the scrubbed search results as produced by the scrub means in the accessible format.

27. The arrangement as recited in claim 24, wherein the effectuation means comprises:

formulation means for formulating a search request using at least part of a link target of the selected link of the EPG.

28. The arrangement as recited in claim 24, wherein the effectuation means comprises:

transmission means for transmitting a search request that is related to the selected link to a search service.

29. The arrangement as recited in claim 24, wherein the scrub means comprises:

parse means for parsing the search results to produce parsed search results; and

transformation means for transforming the parsed search results to produce parsed and transformed search results in the accessible format.

30. The arrangement as recited in claim 24, wherein the arrangement comprises at least one of (i) one or more processor-accessible media or (ii) at least one device.

31. One or more processor-accessible media comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a device to perform actions comprising:

monitoring at least one link displayed as part of an electronic program guide (EPG) to detect selection of the at least one link;

if the at least one link is selected;

effectuating a search of a group of files responsive to the selected at least one link;

receiving search results from the effectuated search, the search results in a first format; and

scrubbing the search results in the first format to produce scrubbed search results in a second format.

32. The one or more processor-accessible media as recited in claim 31, wherein the action of effectuating comprises actions of:

formulating a search request using the selected at least one link to determine at least one keyword; and

sending the search request to a search service.

33. The one or more processor-accessible media as recited in claim 32, wherein the at least one keyword comprises at least part of a name of an actor or an actress;

and wherein the action of sending comprises an action of;

sending the search request to the search service through a television network and over the internet.

34. The one or more processor-accessible media as recited in claim 31, wherein the action of scrubbing comprises actions of:

parsing the search results in the first format to produce parsed search results; and

transforming the parsed search results to produce parsed and transformed search results in the second format; and

wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, direct the device to perform a further action comprising;

presenting the parsed and transformed search results on a display screen from a file in the second format.

35. The one or more processor-accessible media as recited in claim 31, wherein the scrubbed search results comprise uniform resource locators (URLs) for multiple media files.

36. The one or more processor-accessible media as recited in claim 35, wherein each media files comprises an image file of multiple image files;

and

wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, direct the device to perform a further action comprising;

presenting the multiple image files on a display screen with a slide show mechanism.

37. The one or more processor-accessible media as recited in claim 31, wherein the one more processor-accessible media comprise at least one of (i) one or more storage media or (ii) one or more transmission media.

38. A method comprising:

displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) having at least one linked name;

monitoring a selector of the EPG to detect if the at least one linked name is selected;

if the at least one linked name is selected;

effectuating a search with a search service using a search request formulated to identify at least part of the at least one linked name as a search term for the search;

receiving search results in a first format from the effectuated search;

scrubbing the search results in the first format to produce scrubbed search results in a second format; and

presenting the scrubbed search results on a display screen.

39. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein the effectuating comprises:

sending the search request over the internet to a third party search engine comprising the search service.

40. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein the scrubbing comprises:

parsing and transforming the search results in the first format to produce the scrubbed search results in the second format.