ELECTRONIC TELEVISION PROGRAM GUIDE SCHEDULE SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH SCAN FEATURE

• US 20100180302A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Bruce, Knudson, Edward Bruce, Ellis, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,875,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• 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 21/47 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 21/482 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 21/4823 using a channel name

Abstract

An electronic program schedule system which utilizes a receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast television programs for a plurality of television channels and a tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the plurality of channels. A data processor receives and stores in a memory television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs to appear on the plurality of television channels. A user control apparatus, such as a remote controller, is utilized by a viewer to choose user control commands and transmit signals in response to the data processor which receives the signals in response to user control commands. A television receiver is used to display the television programs and television program schedule information. A video display generator receives video control commands from the data processor and program schedule information from the memory and displays a portion of the program schedule information in overlaying relationship with a television program appearing on a television channel in at least one mode of operation of the television programming guide. The data processor controls the video display generator with video control commands, issued in response to the user control commands, to display program schedule information for any chosen one of the plurality of television programs in overlaying relationship with at least one television program then appearing on any chosen one of the plurality of channels on the television receiver. The system includes a scan feature to permit the user to scan program schedule listings for multiple programs in any of the operational modes of the system with the issuance of a single user control command.

Claims

1. A method for displaying television program listings using an interactive television program guide, comprising:

receiving the television program listings;

receiving a plurality of television programs;

displaying a television program on a screen; and

displaying an automatically scanned sequence of the television program listings as an overlay on top of the television program, wherein the displaying of the automatically scanned sequence comprises at least;

automatically displaying a first stationary television program listing for a period of time; and

automatically displaying a second stationary television program listing for a subsequent period of time.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein a user input generates a start scan command and wherein the automatically scanned sequence is displayed in response to the start scan command.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein a user input generates a stop scan command and wherein the displaying of the automatically scanned sequence is terminated in response to the stop scan command.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the periods of time that the first and second stationary television program listings are displayed are user definable.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the displayed television program listings are for programs scheduled to appear on a plurality of television channels.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the displayed television program listings are for programs scheduled to appear during a common time period.

16. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the plurality of television channels comprises a sequence of consecutively numbered channels.

17. The method defined in claim 6 further comprising providing a user with an opportunity to select a desired program in the displayed sequence of television program listings, wherein the desired television program is displayed in response to the user selection.

19. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the displayed television program is on a given channel and wherein the sequence of displayed television program listings contains programs scheduled to appear on the given channel.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the sequence of displayed television program listings contains programs scheduled to appear in a window of time for the given channel.

24. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the sequence of displayed television program listings is determined by category of the program on the given channel.

73. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a key on a user input device having a plurality of keys; and

in response to receiving the user selection;

determining a scan mode and scan direction based on which of the plurality of keys is selected by the user; and

initiating the displaying of the automatically scanned sequence using the determined scan mode and scan direction.

74. The method defined in claim 73 wherein the scan mode is a channel-wise scan or a time-wise scan.

4. (canceled)

8-15. -15. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

21-23. -23. (canceled)

25. An interactive television program guide system implemented on user equipment, the user equipment comprising:

a receiver configured, to receive television program listings;

a tuner configured to tune to a plurality of television programs;

a video display generator configured to display a television program on a screen; and

a processor configured to direct the video display generator to display an automatically scanned sequence of television program listings as an overlay on top of the television program, wherein the processor is further configured to;

automatically direct the display generator to display a first stationary television program listing for a period of time; and

automatically direct the display generator to display a second stationary television program listing for a subsequent period of time.

26. The system defined in claim 25 further comprising:

a user input device configured to provide a user with an opportunity to input a start scan command, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the video display generator to display the automatically scanned sequence in response to the start scan command.

27. The system defined in claim 25 wherein the user equipment further comprises:

a user input device configured to provide a user with an opportunity to input a stop scan command, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the video display generator to terminate the display of the automatically scanned sequence in response to the stop scan command.

29. The system defined in claim 25 wherein the periods of time that the first and second stationary television program listings are displayed are user definable.

30. The system defined in claim 25 wherein the processor is further configured to direct the video display generator to display television program listings for programs scheduled to appear on a plurality of television channels.

31. The system defined in claim 30 wherein the processor is further configured to direct the video display generator to display the television program listings of programs scheduled to appear during a common time period.

40. The system defined in claim 30 wherein the plurality of television channels comprises a sequence of consecutively numbered channels.

41. The system defined in claim 30 further comprising a user input device configured to provide a user with an opportunity to select a desired program in the displayed sequence of television program listings, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the video display generator to display the desired television program in response to the user selection.

43. The system defined in claim 25 wherein the displayed television program is on a given channel and wherein the sequence of television program listings contains programs scheduled to appear on the given channel.

44. The system defined in claim 43 wherein the sequence of television program listings contains programs scheduled to appear in a window of time for the given channel.

48. The system defined in claim 43 wherein the sequence of television program listings is determined by category of the program on the given channel.

75. The system defined in claim 25 wherein the user equipment further comprises:

a user input device having a plurality of keys and configured to receive a user selection of one of the keys, wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to receiving the user selection;

determine a scan mode and scan direction based on which of the plurality of keys is selected by the user; and

direct the video display generator to initiate the display of the automatically scanned sequence using the determined scan mode and scan direction.

76. The system defined in claim 75 wherein the scan mode is a channel-wise scan or a time-wise scan.

28. (canceled)

32-39. -39. (canceled)

42. (canceled)

45-47. -47. (canceled)

49-72. -72. (canceled)