PROGRAM GUIDE APPLICATION INTERFACE SYSTEM

• US 20110093894A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Knee, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,438,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7755 the recorder being connected to, or coupled with, the antenna of the television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A program guide system is provided that supports a program guide application and multiple non-guide applications. The program guide system has a program guide application interface that allows the non-guide applications to use both device resources and program guide resources. The application interface maintains a list of registered applications and directs control requests from various applications to the current primary application. The application interface also has a user interface input director that directs keystrokes and other user input commands to the appropriate application. If a keystroke for the program guide application is detected while a non-guide application is running, the program guide application is invoked.

Claims

1-43. -43. (canceled)

44. A method for allowing a requesting application implemented on user television equipment to assume control of the user television equipment, the method comprising:

receiving, with a control request processor, a control request from the requesting application;

determining, with the control request processor, whether to transfer control of the user television equipment to the requesting application; and

transferring control of the user television equipment to the requesting application in response to the determination.

45. The method of claim 44 further comprising:

determining whether another application has primary control of the user television equipment.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein determining whether to transfer control of the user television equipment to the requesting application comprises:

determining whether to transfer control of the user television equipment from the application with primary control to the requesting application based on priorities associated with the applications.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein transferring control of the user television equipment to the requesting application comprises:

providing the control request to the application with primary control of the user television equipment, wherein the application with primary control relinquishes control of the user television equipment in response to receiving the control request.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the control request is a first control request, the method further comprising:

transferring control of the user television equipment from the requesting application to the application with primary control in response to a second control request.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein transferring control of the user television equipment from the requesting application to the application with primary control comprises:

providing the second control request to the requesting application, wherein the requesting application relinquishes control of the user television equipment in response to receiving the second control request.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein transferring control of the user television equipment from the requesting application to the application with primary control comprises:

providing the second control request to the application with primary control of the user television equipment, wherein the application with primary control reasserts control of the user television equipment in response to receiving the second control request.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the control request is a request to terminate operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment, and wherein transferring control of the user television equipment to the requesting application comprises:

terminating operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein the control request is a request to suspend operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment, and wherein transferring control of the user television equipment to the requesting application comprises:

suspending operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment.

53. The method of claim 44, wherein the control request is tagged with an identifier associated with the requesting application, and wherein transferring control of the user television equipment to the requesting application comprises:

identifying the requesting application by comparing the identifier of the control request to a plurality of identifiers included in a registered application list.

63. The system of claim 44, wherein the control request is tagged with an identifier associated with the requesting application, and wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

identify the requesting application by comparing the identifier of the control request to a plurality of identifiers included in a registered application list.

54. A system for allowing a requesting application implemented on user television equipment to assume control of the user television equipment, the system comprising:

a control request processor configured to;

receive a control request from the requesting application;

determine whether to transfer control of the user television equipment to the requesting application; and

transfer control of the user television equipment to the requesting application in response to the determination.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

determine whether another application has primary control of the user television equipment.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

determine whether to transfer control of the user television equipment from the application with primary control to the requesting application based on priorities associated with the applications.

57. The system of claim 55, wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

provide the control request to the application with primary control of the user television equipment, wherein the application with primary control relinquishes control of the user television equipment in response to receiving the control request.

58. The system of claim 55, wherein the control request is a first control request, and wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

transfer control of the user television equipment from the requesting application to the application with primary control in response to a second control request.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

provide the second control request to the requesting application, wherein the requesting application relinquishes control of the user television equipment in response to receiving the second control request.

60. The system of claim 58, wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

provide the second control request to the application with primary control of the user television equipment, wherein the application with primary control reasserts control of the user television equipment in response to receiving the second control request.

61. The system of claim 55, wherein the control request is a request to terminate operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment, and wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

terminate operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment.

62. The system of claim 55, wherein the control request is a request to suspend operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment, and wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

suspend operation of the application with primary control of the user television equipment.