VERTICALLY ORIENTED PROGRAM GUIDE FOR MEDIA CONTENT ACCESS SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20090164906A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Relyea, Don, Roberts, Brian, Stallings, Heath
• Granted Patent: US 9,118,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/730
• 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

An exemplary system includes a media content processing subsystem configured to provide a program guide graphical user interface having at least a first viewing pane and a second viewing pane to a display for presentation to a user, provide a selector object within the first viewing pane, and provide a list of content channels within the first viewing pane. When one content channel of the list of content channels is located within the selector object, the media content processing subsystem is further configured to provide within the second viewing pane a vertically oriented time axis and a vertically oriented list of at least one media content instance entry corresponding to at least one media content instance available via the one content channel during a time period represented by the time axis.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a media content processing subsystem configured to

provide a program guide graphical user interface having at least a first viewing pane and a second viewing pane to a display for presentation to a user,

provide a selector object within said first viewing pane, and

provide a list of content channels within said first viewing pane;

wherein one content channel of said list of said content channels is configured to be selectively located within said selector object; and

wherein, when said one content channel is located within said selector object, said media content processing subsystem is further configured to provide within said second viewing pane a vertically oriented time axis and a vertically oriented list of at least one media content instance entry corresponding to at least one media content instance available via said one content channel during a time period represented by said time axis.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to provide at least one graphical block within said second viewing pane, said at least one graphical block representing said at least one media content instance.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one graphical block is vertically sized to correspond to said time period represented by said time axis.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to provide enhanced program guide information corresponding to said at least one media content instance within said at least one graphical block.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to expand a size of said at least one graphical block in response to a user input command.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to provide a graphical object configured to indicate a current time and vertically scroll along said time axis.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said time period represented by said time axis is user-definable.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein when another of said content channels is selectively located within said selector object, said media content processing subsystem is further configured to update one or more contents of said second viewing pane.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem comprises a set-top box.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one facility configured to direct said at least one processor to

generate a program guide graphical user interface having at least a first viewing pane and a second viewing pane,

generate a selector object within said first viewing pane, and

generate a list of content channels within said first viewing pane; and

an output driver configured to provide said program guide graphical user interface to a display for presentation to a user;

wherein, when one content channel of said list of said content channels is selectively located within said selector object, said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to generate within said second viewing pane a vertically oriented time axis representing a plurality of time slots and a vertically oriented list of a plurality of media content instance entries corresponding to a plurality of media content instances available via said one content channel during said time slots.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to provide a plurality of graphical blocks within said second viewing pane, said graphical blocks each representing a distinct media content instance within said plurality of media content instances.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said graphical blocks are vertically sized to correspond to said time slots.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to provide enhanced program guide information corresponding to at least one of said media content instances within at least one of said graphical blocks.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to expand a size of said graphical blocks in response to a user input command.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to provide a graphical object configured to indicate a current time and vertically scroll along said time axis.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein when another of said content channels is selectively located within said selector object, said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to update one or more contents of said second viewing pane.

17. A method comprising:

providing a program guide graphical user interface having at least a first viewing pane and a second viewing pane to a display for presentation to a user;

providing a selector object within said first viewing pane to said display for presentation to said user;

providing a list of content channels within said first viewing pane to said display for presentation to said user; and

in response to one content channel of said list of said content channels being selectively located within said selector object, providing within said second viewing pane a vertically oriented time axis and a vertically oriented list of at least one media content instance entry corresponding to at least one media content instance available via said one content channel during a time period represented by said time axis.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing at least one graphical block within said second viewing pane, said at least one graphical block representing said at least one media content instance.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing enhanced program guide information corresponding to said at least one media content instance within said at least one graphical block.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising updating one or more contents of said second viewing pane when another of said content channels is selectively located within said selector object.