System and Method to Navigate an Electonic Program Guide (EPG) Display

• US 20100192181A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Friedman, Lee G.
• Application Number:
  US12/361,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20100192181A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• 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 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• 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 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

Systems and methods of navigating and presenting electronic program guide data are provided. A particular method includes displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) detail view at a display device and displaying an EPG map view at the display device concurrently with the EPG detail view. The EPG detail view includes more detailed information than the EPG map view regarding a selected portion of the EPG map view. The selected portion includes a first range of times and a first set of channels. The method also includes receiving EPG control input to change the portion of the EPG map view that is selected. The method further includes modifying the EPG detail view in response to the EPG control input.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) detail view at a display device;

displaying an EPG map view at the display device concurrently with the EPG detail view, wherein the EPG detail view includes more detailed information than the EPG map view regarding a selected portion of the EPG map view, the selected portion including a first range of times and a first set of channels;

receiving EPG control input to change the portion of the EPG map view that is selected; and

modifying the EPG detail view in response to the EPG control input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the EPG control input includes receiving a selection of a second range of times via the EPG map view.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the EPG control input includes receiving a selection of a second set of channels via the EPG map view.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the EPG control input includes:

detecting motion of a controller with respect to the display device; and

determining the control input based on the detected motion.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the control input based on the detected motion comprises determining a first control input when the detected motion of the controller changes a distance between the controller and the display device, wherein the first control input changes a size of the first range of times and a size of the first set of channels.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the control input based on the detected motion comprises determining a second control input when the detected motion of the controller is laterally with respect to the display device, wherein the second control input selects at least one of a second range of times and a second set of channels of the EPG map.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a summary view, wherein the summary view includes information identifying the first range of times and the first set of channels.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a display control input based on detected motion of a controller, and

modifying a font size of the EPG detail view based on the display control input.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a display control input based on detected motion of a controller, and

modifying a level of detail of the detail information of the EPG detail view based on the display control input.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising calibrating positions on the display device with reference to determined positions of a controller before receiving the EPG control input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the EPG map view includes information regarding a first predetermined time period, and wherein the EPG control input causes the EPG map view to be modified to include a second predetermined time period based on motion of a controller with respect to the display device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined time period is a first day and the second predetermined time period is a second day.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the EPG map view changes from the first day to the second day in response to detected motion of the controller toward or away from the display device.

14. A system, comprising:

an electronic program guide (EPG) module to access EPG data and to generate

an EPG display based on the EPG data, wherein the EPG display includes;

an EPG map view indicating available EPG data and highlighting a selected portion of the EPG data; and

an EPG detail view including more detailed information than the EPG map view regarding a first range of times and a first set of channels of the selected portion of the EPG data; and

a display module to send the EPG display to a display device.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a detector to detect a movement of a controller relative to the detector; and

a control module to send a control input to the EPG module based on the detected movement, wherein the EPG module modifies the EPG display based on the control input.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the detector detects the movement of the controller based on light from a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of LEDs are a predetermined distance from one another.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein, when the detected movement changes a distance between the controller and the detector, the control input sent by the control module is to increase or to decease a size of at least one of the first range of times and the first set of channels.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein, when the detected movement is at least one of horizontal and vertical with respect to the detector, the control input sent by the control module is to select at least one of a second set of channels and a second range of times.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the detector is further to receive an action input indication from the controller, wherein:

when the action input indication includes a first action state, the detector monitors a first component of the movement of the controller along a first axis; and

when the action input indication includes a second action state, the detector monitors a second component of the movement of the controller along a second axis and a third component of the movement of the controller along a third axis.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to send an electronic program guide (EPG) display to a display device, the EPG display including an EPG detail view and an EPG map view, wherein the EPG detail view includes detailed information regarding a selected portion of the EPG map view, wherein the selected portion includes a first range of times and a first set of channels; and

computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to modify the EPG detail view in response to received EPG control input to change the portion of the EPG map view that is selected to include a second selected portion.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein channels identified in the EPG map view are sorted according to user preference data.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the first set of channels identified in the EPG detail view are sorted according to user preference data.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the second selected portion of the EPG map view includes the first range of times, a second range of times, the first set of channels, and a second set of channels, and wherein the EPG detail view is modified in response to the EPG control input to include the first range of times, the second range of times, the first set of channels, and the second set of channels.