Displaying EPG information on a digital television

• US 20060066755A1
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Thurbon, Joseph Anthony, Kowald, Julie Rae, Carlyle, Neil Eric, Hanna, Margaret
• Granted Patent: US 7,721,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/581
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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

Disclosed is a method for displaying a plurality of objects on a display (105). Each object has at least a first attribute and a second attribute. The method sets a range of first attributes to be displayed. A set of objects is then displayed having the same second attribute on a radial line of an ellipse based on a comparison between the range and the first attribute of the objects. Desirably the method is used for displaying information regarding a plurality of broadcast programs on the display, each broadcast program having attributes comprising at least time of transmission and channel of transmission. In that implementation a display period is set. The method then compares the time of broadcast transmission of one or more programs with the display period and then displays (eg. 600) information regarding a set of programs (602, 604, 606) having the same channel of transmission (eg. 12) on at least one radial line of an ellipse, based on the comparison. The described arrangements are particularly useful in displaying television electronic program guide (EPG) information.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a plurality of objects on a display, each said object comprising at least a first attribute and a second attribute, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) setting a range of first attributes to be displayed on the display; and

(b) displaying on the display a set of said objects having the same second attribute on a radial line of an ellipse based on a comparison between the range and the first attribute of one or more said objects.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising step of:

(c) replacing said set of objects displayed on a radial line with a further set of objects displayed on an adjacent radial line in response to a (first) viewer command.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(d) altering the range of display in response to a (second) viewer command; and

(e) repeating step (b).

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the adjacent radial line is either clockwise or counterclockwise adjacent depending on the sense of the first viewer command.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein if no adjacent radial line exists, objects displayed on a radial line are replaced by objects drawn from a reserve list.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein objects being replaced on one of said radial lines are added to said reserve list.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein if the adjacent radial line is void of objects, objects displayed on a radial line are replaced by objects displayed on a symmetrically opposite radial line.

8. A method according to claim 3, wherein said altering step adds a constant amount to the range of display in a direction dependent on the sense of the second viewer command.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the bounds of the radial extent of a displayed object depends on its first attribute.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said displayed objects are labelled with a text label derived from a title of the object.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the angular spacing of said radial lines is determined by the legibility of the text labels.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the ellipse is divided into a focus region and a succession region and the angular spacing of said radial lines in each region is determined as follows:

(i) in the focus region, by the legibility of the text labels; and

(ii) in the succession region, in inverse proportion to the angular distance from the central radial line of the focus region.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the innermost radial extent of objects displayed along radial lines is dependent on an upper bound of the range of display.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the ellipse is divided into a focus region and a succession region and the outermost radial extent of objects displayed along radial lines in the succession region of the ellipse is dependent on a lower bound of the range of display.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the ellipse is divided into a focus region, a succession region, and a vacant region, and information associated with the outermost displayed object along the central radial line of the focus region is displayed in the vacant region.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the eccentricity of the displayed ellipse is dependent on the aspect ratio of the display area.

17. A method according to claim 1 comprising the further step of selecting a displayed object for further processing.

18. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(f) altering the range of display in response to a timer event; and

(g) repeating step (b).

19. A method for displaying information regarding a plurality of broadcast programs on a display, each said broadcast program having attributes comprising at least time of transmission and channel of transmission, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) setting a display period;

(b) comparing the time of broadcast transmission of one or more programs with the display period; and

(c) displaying said information regarding a set of programs having the same channel of transmission adjacent at least one radial line of an ellipse, based on said comparison.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein said ellipse is represented by at least an inner ellipse and a concentrically and like-orientated outer ellipse, said inner ellipse and said outer ellipse each representing a time, there being at least two said radial lines each being common to each said ellipse and defining an area within which information regarding each program of the set is displayable.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein said radial lines each represent a period of time and the outer ellipse represents the present time according to at least one of upon initial display of the set of programs and a default display of the set of programs.

22. A method according to claim 20 wherein a program of the displayed set is a focus program, the focus program having a start time before a time represented by the outer ellipse and an end time after the time represented by the outer ellipse, and wherein said displaying comprises extending said radial lines beyond said outer ellipse to form a display area within which information regarding the focus program is displayed.

23. A method according to claim 20 further comprising the step of detecting a forward command and thereby identifying a program from the set immediately following the focus program and setting the identified program to be the focus program.

24. A method according to claim 20 further comprising the step of detecting a back command and thereby identifying a program of the set immediately preceding the focus program and setting the identified program to be the focus program.

25. A method according to claim 20 wherein a program of the displayed set is a focus program, the focus program having a start time corresponding to a time represented by the outer ellipse.

26. A method according to claim 20 wherein said inner ellipse forms a boundary within which further information is displayed, said information being at least one of a preview of a program in the set and a channel number of the channel of transmission.

27. A method for displaying information regarding a plurality of broadcast programs on a display, each said broadcast program having attributes comprising at least time of transmission and channel of transmission, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) setting a display period;

(b) comparing the time of transmission of one or more programs with the display period;

(c) displaying said information regarding a set of programs having the same channel of transmission on a radial line of an ellipse, based on said comparison;

(d) replacing said set of programs displayed on a radial line with a further set of programs displayed on an adjacent radial line in response to a first viewer command;

(e) altering the display period in response to a second viewer command;

(f) repeating steps (b) and (c); and

(g) selecting a displayed program for further action.

28. A computer readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon and adapted to make a computer device display a plurality of objects on a display, each said object comprising at least a first attribute and a second attribute, said program comprising:

code for setting a range of first attributes to be displayed on the display; and

code for displaying on the display a set of said objects having the same second attribute on a radial line of an ellipse based on a comparison between the range and the first attribute of one or more said objects.

29. A computer readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon and adapted to make a computer device display information regarding a plurality of broadcast programs on a display, each said broadcast program having attributes comprising at least time of transmission and channel of transmission, said program:

code for setting a display period;

code for comparing the time of broadcast transmission of one or more programs with the display period; and

code for displaying said information regarding a set of programs having the same channel of transmission on at least one radial line of an ellipse, based on said comparison.

30. A computer readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon and adapted to make a computer device display information regarding a plurality of broadcast programs on a display, each said broadcast program having attributes comprising at least time of transmission and channel of transmission, said program comprising:

code for setting a display period;

code for comparing the time of transmission of one or more programs with the display period;

code for displaying said information regarding a set of programs having the same channel of transmission on a radial line of an ellipse, based on said comparison;

code for replacing said set of programs displayed on a radial line with a further set of programs displayed on an adjacent radial line in response to a first viewer command;

code for altering the display period in response to a second viewer command;

code for repeating the comparing and the displaying; and

code for selecting a displayed program for further action.

31. Apparatus for displaying a plurality of objects on a display, each said object comprising at least a first attribute and a second attribute, said apparatus comprising:

a setting arrangement adapted to set a range of first attributes to be displayed on the display; and

a processing arrangement adapted to display on the display a set of said objects having the same second attribute on a radial line of an ellipse based on a comparison between the range and the first attribute of one or more said objects.

32. Apparatus according to claim 31 wherein said apparatus is one of a computer server, a television receiver or a set-top box in a broadcast television system, and the objects represent information regarding a plurality of broadcast programs, each said broadcast program having attributes comprising at least time of transmission and channel of transmission, and

wherein said setting arrangement sets a display period;

and

said processing arrangement compares the time of broadcast transmission of one or more programs with the display period displays a set of programs having the same channel of transmission on at least one radial line of the ellipse, based on said comparison.

33. Apparatus according to claim 32 further comprising:

means for replacing said set of programs displayed on a radial line with a further set of programs displayed on an adjacent radial line in response to a first viewer command;

means for altering the display period in response to a second viewer command;

means for repeating the comparing and the displaying performed by the processing arrangement; and

means for selecting a displayed program for further action.