System and method for presenting program guide information in an electronic portable device

• US 20080005764A1
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hayes, Patrick, Arling, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,863,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/482 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 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• 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

Abstract

A controlling device is provided with the ability to present personalized program guide information by using personal preferences provided to a home computing device. The personal preferences are used to filter program guide data received at the home computing device whereby the program guide data will include only programming information for user-specified sources of programming for each of plural, different user-specified periods of time. The filtered program guide data is then downloaded to the controlling device from the home computing device for use in connection with an application of the controlling device that functions to display program guide information within a display of the controlling device.

Claims

1. A method for providing to a controlling device personalized program guide information, comprising:

receiving at a home computing device from a server device via a communications network program guide data;

using personal preferences provided to the home computing device to filter the received program guide data whereby the program guide data will include only programming information for user-specified sources of programming for each of plural, different user-specified periods of time; and

downloading the filtered, received program guide data to the controlling device whereby the downloaded, filtered, received program guide data is available for use in connection with an application of the controlling device used to display program guide information within a display of the controlling device.

4. The method as recited as claim 1, where the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprise at least one of a day of a week and one or more hours within a day of the week.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the home computing device comprises a personal computer.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the personal computer provides a setup wizard and the setup wizard is utilized to gather the personal preferences to be used when filtering the received program guide data.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the home computing device comprises a set-top box.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

8. A method for providing a controlling device personalized program guide information, comprising:

receiving at a home computing device from a server device via a communications network program guide data;

using personal preferences provided to the home computing device for each of a plurality of users separately identifiable to the controlling device to filter the received program guide data whereby the program guide data will include only programming information for user-specified sources of programming for each of plural, different user-specified periods of time for each of the plurality of users; and

downloading the filtered, received program guide data to the controlling device whereby the downloaded, filtered, received program guide data is available for use in connection with an application of the controlling device used to display program guide information within a display of the controlling device.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, where the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprise at least one of a day of a week and one or more hours within a day of the week.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the home computing device comprises a personal computer.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the personal computer provides a setup wizard and the setup wizard is utilized to gather the personal preferences to be used when filtering the received program guide data.

9. (canceled)

14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the home computing device comprises a set-top box.

10. (canceled)

15. A system, comprising:

a controlling device having a display and programming used to display program guide information within the display;

a server device having an associated database of network program guide data; and

a home computing device in communication with the server device and the controlling device, the home computing device having programming that uses personal preferences provided to the home computing device to filter program guide data received from the database via the server device whereby the program guide data will include only programming information for user-specified sources of programming for each of plural, different user-specified periods of time and that causes the filtered, received program guide data to be downloaded to the controlling device whereby the downloaded, filter, received program guide data is available for use by the programming of the controlling device to thereby display personalized program guide information within the display of the controlling device.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprises a day of a week.

17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprises one or more hours a day of a week.

18. The system as recited in claim 15, where the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprise both a day of a week and one or more hours within the day of the week.

19. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the home computing device comprises a personal computer.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the programming comprises a setup wizard and the setup wizard is utilized to gather the personal preferences to be used when filtering the received program guide data.

21. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the home computing device comprises a set-top box.

22. A system, comprising:

a controlling device having a display and programming used to display program guide information within the display;

a server device having an associated database of network program guide data; and

a home computing device in communication with the server device and the controlling device, the home computing device having programming that uses personal preferences provided to the home computing device for each of a plurality of users separately identifiable to the controlling device to filter program guide data received from the database via the server device whereby the program guide data will include only programming information for user-specified sources of programming for each of plural, different user-specified periods of time for each of the plurality of users and that causes the filtered, received program guide data to be downloaded to the controlling device whereby the downloaded, filtered, received program guide data is available for use by the programming of the controlling device to display personalized program guide information within the display of the controlling device for each of the plurality of users when each of the plurality of users is accordingly identified to the controlling device.

23. The system as recited in claim 22 wherein the plural, different user-specified period of time comprises a day of a week.

24. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprises one or more hours of a day.

25. The system as recited in claim 22, where the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprise both a day of a week and one or more hours within the day of the week.

26. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the home computing device comprises a personal computer.

27. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the programming comprises a setup wizard and the setup wizard to gather the personal preferences to be used when filtering the received program guide data.

28. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the home computing device comprises a set-top box.