Electronic program guide displayed simultaneously with television programming

• US 20060031881A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barrett, Peter T., Yaksick, Jeffrey D., Danker, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A method for displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) to a viewer. The method includes displaying one or more data slices representative of broadcast programming to a viewer. In response to input from the viewer, the displayed number of data slices is increased, for example, from one slice to two slices. In browser mode the viewer can scroll through multiple EPG data slices without selecting to view full mode EPG, while in full mode the EPG can expand from a single column of data slices to multiple columns of data slices based upon viewer selections. The EPGs of the present invention can display programming that a viewer is more likely to watch at a particular time than other programming. A data slice representing the predicted programming can be inserted into the EPG so that the viewer can identify programming that is likely to be of interest.

Claims

1. In a system that includes a processor and a display device on which video program can be displayed, a method for displaying an electronic program guide in a predictive manner to a viewer by way of the display device, the method comprising the acts of:

retrieving an electronic program guide comprising a plurality of data slices representing a plurality of programs,

predicting at least one program of the plurality of programs that a viewer is more likely to watch at a particular time than others of the plurality of programs at the particular time;

based on the act of predicting, inserting at least one data slice representing the at least one program into one or more display screens associated with the electronic program guide; and

in response to input from the viewer selecting a particular one of the one or more display screens, displaying the selected display screen, including the at least one data slice, to the viewer using the display device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predicting act comprises:

(a) retrieving stored demographic information associated with the viewer; and

(b) analyzing the stored demographic information to identify at least one type of program that a viewer is more likely to watch than other types of program; and

(c) based upon the identified type of program, analyzing the available programs to identify at least one program of the plurality of programs that a viewer is more likely to watch at a particular time than others of the plurality of programs at the particular time.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predicting act comprises:

(a) retrieving stored data associated with viewing preferences of the viewer;

(b) analyzing the stored data to identify at least one type of program that a viewer is more likely to watch than other types of program; and

(c) based upon the identified type of program, analyzing the plurality of data slices to identify at least one program of the plurality of programs that a viewer is more likely to watch at a particular time than others of the plurality of programs at the particular time.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one data slice has a format different from substantially all other data slices inserted within the one or more display screens.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more display screens comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion comprising one or more of the plurality of data slices.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the inserting act comprises inserting the at least one data slice into the upper portion, the at least one data slice being a copy of one of the plurality of data slices incorporated in the lower portion.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least one data slice is substantially continually maintained with the at least one program.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of data slices comprises a numerical channel element, the plurality of data slices in the lower portion capable of being examined by the viewer in numerical order of the numerical channel elements as the at least one data slice in the upper portion remains unchanged.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of data slices comprises a numerical channel element, the plurality of data slices in the lower portion capable of being examined by the viewer in numerical order of the numerical channel elements as the at least one data slice in the upper portion changes based upon the plurality of data slices viewable by the viewer.

2. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the retrieving act comprises retrieving the electronic program guide from at least one of a local data source and a remote data source.

11. A computer product for implementing, in a system that includes a processor and a display device on which television programming can be displayed, a method of displaying an electronic program guide in a predictive manner to a viewer by way of a display device, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions for implementing the method, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the acts of;

retrieving an electronic program guide comprising a plurality of data slices representing a plurality of programs,

predicting at least one program of the plurality of programs that a viewer is more likely to watch at a particular time than others of the plurality of programs at the particular time;

based on predicting at least one program, inserting at least one data slice representing the at least one program into one or more display screens associated with the electronic program guide; and

in response to input from the viewer selecting a particular one of the one or more display screens, displaying the selected display screen, including the at least one data slice, to the viewer using the display device.