Universal Programming System and Method for Electronic Programming Guide

• US 20090183203A1
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kamen, Yavok, Kikinis, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 8,104,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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

Abstract

An EPG displays programming information in a variety of ways including using 3-D images, alphanumeric text, and video data. A presentation engine allows viewers and/or programmers to select between varying programming worlds. In addition, non-EPG objects, such as interaction objects, may be conflated with the presentation of the world and with the program schedule information.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a presentation engine configured to receive an indication of a selected one a plurality of virtual worlds, and to present an electronic programming guide (EPG) incorporating the selected virtual world;

a first class of objects defining layout features for least one of the plurality of virtual worlds; and

a second class of objects that include pseudo-descriptive language for defining schedule information that can be displayed as actual programming schedule information in the presented EPG;

wherein the presentation engine uses selected objects from each class of objects to present the EPG incorporating the selected virtual world.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a third class of objects defining interaction objects.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the schedule information defined by the pseudo-descriptive language includes channel identification, title, start time, or run length.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the schedule information defined by the pseudo-descriptive language includes permissive choices of advertisements.

5. The system of claim 1, further including objects that include an entire world description of one of the plurality of virtual worlds.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the selected virtual world is selectable by a viewer.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the presentation engine resides in a set-top box or a television.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the class of objects containing the pseudo-descriptive language includes localized aspects.

9. A method running on a processor, comprising:

receiving an indication of a selected one of a plurality of virtual worlds;

receiving program information;

selecting at least one object from a first class of objects defining layout features for virtual worlds;

selecting at least one object from a second class of objects that include pseudo-descriptive language for defining schedule information that can be displayed as actual schedule information in a program guide; and

utilizing the selected objects to present an EPG based on the selected virtual world, wherein at least some received program information is displayed based on the at least one selected object from the second class.

10. The method of claim 9, further including selecting at least one object from a third class of objects defining interaction objects.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the schedule information defined by the pseudo-descriptive language includes channel identification, title, start time, or run length.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the schedule information defined by the pseudo-descriptive language includes permissive choices of advertisements.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one object from the first class of objects includes an entire world description of one of the plurality of virtual worlds.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the method is performed by a set-top box or a television.

15. A machine-readable storage medium tangibly including instructions that when provided to a processor, cause the processor to perform:

receiving an indication of a selected one of a plurality of virtual worlds;

receiving program information;

selecting at least one object from a first class of objects defining layout features for virtual worlds;

selecting at least one object from a second class of objects that include pseudo-descriptive language for defining schedule information that can be displayed as actual schedule information in a program guide; and

utilizing the selected objects to present an EPG based on the selected virtual world, wherein at least some received program information is displayed based on the at least one selected object from the second class.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the schedule information defined by the pseudo-descriptive language includes channel identification, title, start time, or run length.