Interactive program guide with graphic program listings

• US 20060053448A1
• Filed: 08/01/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Reichardt, M. Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,938,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/4823 using a channel name
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• 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 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics

Abstract

Electronic program guides in which program listings may be graphically presented and in which sponsors and celebrities of those programs may be identified are provided. The electronic programs guides may be passive television program guides, interactive television program guides, and/or on-line television program guides. Television show text information, logos and/or trademarks, celebrity images, affiliation indicators, and advertisements may be present in the program listings to enhance the electronic program guides.

Claims

1-66. -66. (canceled)

67. A method for presenting information in an electronic program guide, comprising:

receiving program guide data; and

displaying the received program guide data as buttons.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein at least one button comprises a graphical element.

69. The method of claim 67, wherein at least one button is interactive.

70. The method of claim 67, wherein at least one button comprises a graphically displayed television program listing.

71. The method of claim 70, wherein the title, font, or backdrop of the graphically displayed television program listing is substantially similar to a trademark representative of the program listing.

72. The method of claim 67, wherein the buttons are positioned to not touch each other.

73. The method of claim 67, wherein at least one of the buttons comprises an icon, a graphics logo, a graphic trademark, or a celebrity image.

74. The method of claim 67, further comprising appropriately sizing the height and width of the buttons to accommodate the contents displayed therein.

75. A system for presenting information in an electronic program guide, the system comprising user equipment configured to:

receive program guide data; and

display the received program guide data as buttons.

76. The system of claim 75, wherein at least one button comprises a graphical element.

77. The system of claim 75, wherein at least one button is interactive.

78. The system of claim 75, wherein at least one button comprises a graphically displayed television program listing.

79. The system of claim 78, wherein the title, font, or backdrop of the graphically displayed television program listing is substantially similar to a trademark representative of the program listing.

80. The system of claim 75, wherein the buttons are positioned to not touch each other.

81. The system of claim 75, wherein at least one of the buttons comprises an icon, a graphics logo, a graphic trademark, or a celebrity image.

82. The system of claim 75, further comprising appropriately sizing the height and width of the buttons to accommodate the contents displayed therein.

83. A machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions for use in a system for presenting information in an electronic program guide, the machine-readable instructions comprising:

receiving program guide data; and

displaying the received program guide data as buttons.

84. The machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 83, wherein at least one button comprises a graphical element.

85. The machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 83, wherein at least one button is interactive.

86. The machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 83, wherein at least one button comprises a graphically displayed television program listing.

87. The machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 86, wherein the title, font, or backdrop of the graphically displayed television program listing is substantially similar to a trademark representative of the program listing.

88. The machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 83, wherein the buttons are positioned to not touch each other.

89. The machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 83, wherein at least one of the buttons comprises an icon, a graphics logo, a graphic trademark, or a celebrity image.

90. The machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 83, further comprising appropriately sizing the height and width of the buttons to accommodate the contents displayed therein.