Interactive content guide for television programming

• US 20060218588A1
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hillcrest Laboratories Incorporated (CEVA Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kelts, Brett R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A navigation interface display system generates a navigation element that organizes television programming data in an easy-to-use manner. The navigation element employs a hierarchical display protocol for a plurality of selection items that represent the various television programs, channels, and/or networks. The hierarchical display scheme displays a limited number of active selection items at a first magnification level and additional active selection items at a second magnification level. In addition, the selection items are displayed on distinctive areas or features of the navigation element, where such features represent different content genres or categories. Subcategories can also be displayed in a hierarchical manner, thus providing additional information related to the content as the magnification level of the navigation element changes.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. An interactive program guide method comprising:

displaying, at a first magnification level, a first number of selection items from a category of televised programming; and

displaying, at a second magnification level, a second number of selection items from said category.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein said second magnification level corresponds to a higher magnification relative to said first magnification level;

and said second number of selection items is greater than said first number of selection items.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein said second magnification level corresponds to a higher magnification relative to said first magnification level;

and said first number of selection items is a subset of said second number of selection items.

30. A method according to claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a second category of televised programming; and

displaying, on said display, a number of selection items from said second category.

31. A method according to claim 27, wherein said category represents a programming genre;

and said first number of selection items identify specific providers of content related to said programming genre.

32. A method according to claim 27, wherein said category represents a programming genre;

and said first number of selection items identify specific programs related to said programming genre.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein said step of displaying at said second magnification level further comprises the step of:

changing, in addition to said change from said first level of magnification to said second level of magnification, a visual characteristic of at least one of said selection items.

40. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of:

progressively scaling and displaying, between said first displaying step and said second displaying step, at least one of said first number of selection items to provide a visual impression of movement of said at least one of said first number of selection items toward an observer.

33. An interactive program guide for television programming, comprising:

a display region configured to display a plurality of selection items corresponding to a plurality of media items;

a first subset of said selection items rendered on said display region as selection items at a first hierarchical level; and

a second subset of said selection items rendered on said display region as selection items at a second hierarchical level;

wherein said first and second hierarchical levels respectively correspond to low and high magnification levels.

34. An interactive program guide according to claim 33, further comprising a subset of said selection items rendered on said display region as inactive selection items at said first hierarchical level.

35. An interactive program guide according to claim 34, wherein said inactive selection items are rendered on said display region in a visually distinguishable manner relative to active selection items.

36. An interactive program guide according to claim 33, wherein said second subset includes said first subset of selection items.

37. An interactive program guide according to claim 33, wherein a prioritization metric determines said first and second subsets.

39. The interactive program guide of claim 33, wherein at least one of said selection items is displayed at both said first hierarchical level and said second hierarchical level, and further wherein said at least one of said selection items is displayed at said second hierarchical level with a visual characteristic, other than a change in magnification, that differs from the manner in which said at least one of said selection items was displayed at said first hierarchical level.

41. The interactive program guide of claim 33, further comprising a zoom function for transitioning between said first hierarchical level and said second hierarchical level by progressively scaling and displaying at least one of said first subset of selection items to provide a visual impression of movement of said at least one of said first subset of selection items toward an observer.