TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING BROADCAST INFORMATION

• US 20080222690A1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Mi Sun
• Granted Patent: US 8,286,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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

Abstract

A terminal displays a broadcast program from a first provider, and displays one or more identifiers from additional broadcast providers. Upon selection of one of the identifiers of the additional providers, additional information of broadcasts from the additional provider is also displayed thereby enabling a user to decide whether to continue to display the broadcast program from the first provider or to display a broadcast program from the additional provider.

Claims

1. A method for providing a program list on a mobile terminal operable within a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving program data from a wireless transmitting entity;

displaying the received program data on a display associated with the mobile terminal; and

displaying the program list on a region of the display simultaneously while displaying the received program data, wherein the program list comprises provider logos and/or channel logos which respectively identify various providers and channels available for selecting.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the program list responsive to user input received by the mobile terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the provider logos and the channel logos individually comprise either a graphic or an image.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein one of the various providers comprises a plurality of channels available for selecting.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

displaying a channel logo for each of the plurality of channels.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

displaying the provider logos and/or channel logos according to predetermined criteria.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the criteria is one of a particular order according to audience rating, user preference according to a predetermined indication of desired channels, or a user designation which identifies a subset of all available channels.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

highlighting a provider logo and/or a channel logo of one or more of the providers and channels based upon program content type.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the program list as a two-dimensional array.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the program list as a scrollable list.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the provider logos and/or the channel logos from one of a broadcast channel, a data broadcast channel, or a wireless communication; and

storing the provider logos and/or the channel logos at the mobile terminal.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input which identifies one of the providers or channels of the program list; and

displaying additional information associated with the identified one of the providers or channels.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

simultaneously displaying the additional information as an overlay to the displaying of the received program data.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

displaying the received program data in a first region of the display; and

simultaneously displaying the additional information in a second and distinct region of the display.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein if the additional information comprises audio, the method further comprises. terminating output of audio associated with the displaying of the received program data and outputting the audio of the additional information.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting sliding user contact on the display, wherein the sliding user contact is from a first region of the display to a second region of the display, wherein the first region is associated with one of the channel logos and the second region is within a predetermined region of the display;

identifying a desired channel to display on the display based upon which of the channel logos is associated with the first region; and

changing program data which is displayed on the display to program data which is associated with the desired channel.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input which identifies one of the channels of the program list, wherein the received program data is associated with the identified one of the channels.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input which identifies one of the providers of the program list;

displaying available channels associated with the identified one of the providers; and

receiving user input which identifies one of the available channels, wherein the received program data is associated with the identified one of the available channels.

19. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a receiver for receiving program data from a wireless transmitting entity;

an input component permitting user input;

a display for displaying the received program data; and

a controller for operating responsive to instructions to provide a program list,

wherein the controller is configured to display the program list on a region of the display simultaneously with displaying of the received program data, wherein the program list comprises provider logos and/or channel logos which respectively identify various providers and channels available for selecting.

20. The mobile terminal according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the provider logos and the channel logos individually comprise either a graphic or an image.

21. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the display is further configured to highlight a provider logo and/or a channel logo of one or more of the providers and channels based upon program content type.

22. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the display is further configured to display the program list as a scrollable list.

23. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the provider logos and/or the channel logos from one of a broadcast channel, a data broadcast channel, or a wireless communication, and wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a storage unit for storing the provider logos and/or the channel logos.

24. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the user input component is further configured to receive user input which identifies one of the providers or channels of the program list, and wherein the display is further configured to display additional information associated with the identified one of the providers or channels.

25. The mobile terminal according to claim 24, wherein the display is further configured to simultaneously display the additional information as an overlay to the displaying of the received program data.

26. The mobile terminal according to claim 24, wherein the display is further configured to display the received program data in a first region of the display, and to simultaneously display the additional information in a second and distinct region of the display.

27. The mobile terminal according to claim 24, further comprises an audio output unit configured to terminate output of audio associated with the displaying of the received program data if the additional information comprises audio, and to output the audio of the additional information.

28. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured

to detect sliding user contact on the display, wherein the sliding user contact is from a first region of the display to a second region of the display, wherein the first region is associated with one of the channel logos and the second region is within a predetermined region of the display,

to identify a desired channel to display on the display based upon which of the channel logos is associated with the first region, and

to change program data which is displayed on the display to program data which is associated with the desired channel.

29. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the input component is further configured to receive user input which identifies one of the channels of the program list, wherein the received program data is associated with the identified one of the channels.

30. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the input component is further configured to receive the user input which identifies one of the providers of the program list,

wherein the display is further configured to display available channels associated with the identified one of the providers, and

wherein the input component is further configured to receive user input which identifies one of the available channels, wherein the received program data is associated with the identified one of the available channels.