Methods, Systems, and Products for Enhanced Electronic Programming Guides

• US 20090133068A1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Steading, David, Stefanik, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,038,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• 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 21/482 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 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for generating an enhanced programming guide. Programming events are associated as packages of programming. The programming guide is generated as a programming grid of cells. The programming grid lists a wrapper associated with each package and each package'"'"'s associated events. The wrapper surrounds all the cells in the programming grid that are associated with the events for each package.

Claims

1. A method of providing an enhanced programming guide, comprising:

associating programming events as packages of programming; and

generating the programming guide as a programming grid of cells listing a wrapper associated with each package and each package'"'"'s associated events, the wrapper surrounding all the cells in the programming grid that are associated with the events for each package.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a mode of operation for the programming guide in which inputs to a navigator scroll within the programming grid from one wrapper to another wrapper of different packages of programming.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising highlighting each wrapper in the programming grid as the navigator scrolls from one package to another package.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a mode of operation for the programming guide in which inputs to a navigator scroll from a cell associated with a programming event in a package to another cell associated with another programming event within the same package.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising highlighting each cell in the programming grid as the navigator scrolls from the programming event to the another programming event within the same package.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when a package contains non-contiguous programming events, then prompting to switch to a different mode of operation of the programming guide.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously listing each package'"'"'s wrapper and each package'"'"'s associated programming events.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising relating the wrapper to each package'"'"'s associated programming events.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising expanding the programming guide to include information associated with a programming event within a package.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising collapsing the programming guide to minimize information associated with a programming event within a package.

11. A system providing an enhanced programming guide, comprising:

a processor communicating with memory;

the processor associating programming events as packages of programming; and

the processor generating the programming guide in the memory as a programming grid of cells that lists a wrapper associated with each package and each package'"'"'s associated events, the wrapper surrounding all the cells in the programming grid that are associated with the events for each package.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor generates a mode of operation for the programming guide in which inputs to a navigator scroll within the programming grid from one wrapper to another wrapper of different packages of programming.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor causes each wrapper to be highlighted in the programming grid as the navigator scrolls from one package to another package.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor further generates a mode of operation for the programming guide in which inputs to a navigator scroll from a cell associated with a programming event in a package to another cell associated with another programming event within the same package.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor causes each cell to be highlighted in the programming grid as the navigator scrolls from the programming event to the another programming event within the same package.

16. Processor-readable memory storing data, the data causing a processor to perform a method for generating a programming guide, the method comprising:

associating programming events as packages of programming; and

generating the programming guide as a programming grid of cells listing a wrapper associated with each package and each package'"'"'s associated events, the wrapper surrounding all the cells in the programming grid that are associated with the events for each package.

17. The processor-readable memory according to claim 16, further comprising data for generating a mode of operation for the programming guide in which inputs to a navigator scroll within the programming grid from one wrapper to another wrapper of different packages of programming.

18. The processor-readable memory of claim 17, further comprising data for highlighting each wrapper in the programming grid as the navigator scrolls from one package to another package.

19. The processor-readable memory according to claim 16, further comprising data for generating a mode of operation for the programming guide in which inputs to a navigator scroll from a cell associated with a programming event in a package to another cell associated with another programming event within the same package.

20. The processor-readable memory of claim 19, further comprising data for highlighting each cell in the programming grid as the navigator scrolls from the programming event to the another programming event within the same package.