METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PRESENTING SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION IN AN ELECTRONIC PROGRAMMING GUIDE

• US 20100077432A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: VanDuyn, Luke, White, James Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4438 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein facilitate the display of television guide information to a user simultaneously with supplemental content related to the guide information. An electronic programming guide is initially displayed in first and second portions of a display menu. Responsive to a user selections the size of the display menu devoted to the electronic programming guide data is modified to free space for the display of supplemental content. Thus, the supplemental content is presented in a first portion of the display menu previously devoted to the electronic programming guide, and the electronic programming guide is simultaneously presented in a second portion of the display menus

Claims

1. A method for displaying television guide information, the method comprising:

displaying a programming guide in first and second portions of a display menu;

receiving user input selecting a region of the programming guide;

displaying supplemental content in the first portion of the display menu responsive to the user input; and

displaying the programming guide in the second portion of the display menu, simultaneously with the display of the supplemental content in the first portion of the display menu, responsive to the user input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving second user input, requesting to exit the supplemental content; and

displaying the programming guide, in the first and second portions of the display menu, responsive to the second user input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of the programming guide corresponds with a particular television program, and wherein displaying the supplemental content further comprises:

identifying the supplemental content based on the particular television program selected in the programming guide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of the programming guide corresponds with a particular television channel, and wherein displaying the supplemental content further comprises:

identifying the supplemental content based on the particular television channel selected in the programming guide.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the supplemental content comprises an advertisement for an upcoming event related to the particular television channel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the advertisement comprises a video preview regarding the upcoming event.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying a control element, associated with recording of the upcoming event, with the advertisement in the first portion of the display menu;

receiving user input, via the control element, requesting to record the upcoming event; and

setting a recording timer for the upcoming event, responsive to the user input.

8. A television receiver comprising:

a tuner that receives television programming from a programming source;

an input interface communicatively coupled to an input device; and

a processor configured to;

output a display menu, for display by an associated display device, the display menu including a programming guide in first and second portions of the display menu;

process user input, received from the input device via the input interface, the user input selecting a region of the programming guide;

identify supplemental content for display in the display menu based on the region of the programming guide selected by the user; and

output simultaneously, for display in the display menu, supplemental content in the first portion of the display menu and the programming guide in the second portion of the display menu.

9. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein:

the input interface receives second user input from the input device, the second user input requesting to exit the supplemental content; and

the processor outputs the programming guide in the first and second portions of the display menu, responsive to the second user input.

10. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein the region of the programming guide corresponds with a particular television program, and wherein the processor identifies the supplemental content based on the particular television program selected in the programming guide.

11. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein the region of the programming guide corresponds with a particular television channel, and wherein the processor identifies the supplemental content based on the particular television channel selected in the programming guide.

12. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein the supplemental content comprises an advertisement for an upcoming event related to the particular television channel.

13. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the advertisement comprises a video preview of the upcoming event.

14. The television receiver of claim 13 further comprising:

a storage medium that stores the video preview prior to reception of the user input.

15. The television receiver of claim 12, further comprising:

a storage medium configured to store a video signal associated with the upcoming event;

the processor outputting a control element, associated with recording of the upcoming event, in the first portion of the display menu associated with the advertisement;

the input interface receiving user input, via the control element, requesting to record, the upcoming event;

the processor setting a recording timer for the upcoming event, responsive to the user input; and

the processor coordinating the storage of the video signal associated with the upcoming event responsive to the recording timer.

16. A television receiver comprising:

a tuner that receives television programming from a programming source,

an input interface communicatively coupled to an input device to receive user input; and

a processor configured to;

output the television programming in a first portion of the display menu;

output a programming guide in second and third portions of the display menu, the programming guide presented in a grid including a plurality of cells, with at least a portion of the cells of the grid corresponding with particular television programs;

process the user input, the user input selecting a chosen cell of the grid;

identify supplemental content for display in the display menu, based on the chosen cell, responsive to processing the user input; and

output simultaneously, for display in the display menu, supplemental content in the second portion of the display menu and the programming guide in the third portion of the display menu, responsive to processing the user input.

17. The television receiver of claim 16, wherein:

the input interface receives second user input from the input device, the second user input requesting to exit the supplemental content; and

the processor outputs the programming guide in the second and third portions of the display menu, responsive to the second user input.

18. The television receiver of claim 16, wherein the chosen cell of the programming guide corresponds with a particular television program, and wherein the processor identifies the supplemental content based on the particular television program selected in the programming guide.

19. The television receiver of claim 16, wherein the chosen cell of the programming guide corresponds with a particular television channel, and wherein the processor identifies an advertisement regarding an upcoming event of the particular television channel based on the chosen cell and displays the advertisement in the second portion of the display menu.

20. The television receiver of claim 19, further comprising:

a storage medium configured to store a video signal associated with the upcoming event;

the processor outputting a control element, associated with recording of the upcoming event, with the advertisement in the second portion of the display menu;

the input interface receiving user input, via the control element, requesting to record the upcoming event;

the processor setting a recording timer for the upcoming event, responsive to the user input; and

the processor coordinating the storage of the video signal associated with the upcoming event responsive to the recording timer.