IMPROVED ELECTRONIC TELEVISION PROGRAM GUIDE SCHEDULE SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20110131601A1
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1994
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Michael, Youman, Roger, Alten, Jerry, Davis, Bruce
• Application Number:
  US13/017,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131601A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/472 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

An electronic program schedule system which includes 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.

Claims

1-64. -64. (canceled)

65. A system for displaying a program, the system comprising:

a processor adapted to;

receive a user input selecting one of a plurality of placement positions in which to position an overlay on a display screen;

cause a program to be displayed on the display screen;

cause the overlay to be generated for display on the display screen; and

cause the overlay to be displayed in the placement position previously selected by the user simultaneously with the program on the display screen.

66. The system of claim 65 wherein the overlay obscures a portion of the program corresponding to the user selected placement position.

67. The system of claim 65 wherein the overlay includes program information retrieved from a memory and wherein the displayed program information is interactive.

68. The system of claim 65 wherein the processor is adapted to display a setup screen, wherein the user input selecting the placement position is received using the setup screen, and wherein the setup screen is displayed before the program and the overlay are displayed.

69. The system of claim 65 wherein the placement position of the overlay is selected based on an operating mode of the system.

70. The system of claim 65 wherein a first of the plurality of placement positions is selected for a first operating mode of the system and a different second of the plurality of placement positions is selected for a second operating mode of the system.

71. The system of claim 65 wherein the selection of the one of the plurality of placement positions is received before the program is displayed.

72. The system of claim 65 wherein the program is a television program.

73. The system of claim 65 wherein the overlay is a locally generated graphic.

74. A method for displaying a program, the method comprising:

receiving, with control circuitry, a user selection of one of a plurality of placement positions in which to position an overlay on a display screen;

displaying a program on the display screen;

generating, with the control circuitry, the overlay for display on the display screen; and

displaying simultaneously with the program on the display screen the overlay in the placement position previously selected by the user.

75. The method of claim 74 wherein the overlay obscures a portion of the program corresponding to the user selected placement position.

76. The method of claim 74 further comprising:

retrieving program information from a memory; and

displaying the retrieved program information in the overlay, wherein the displayed program information is interactive.

77. The method of claim 74 further comprising displaying a setup screen, wherein the user input selecting the placement position is received using the setup screen, and wherein the setup screen is displayed before the program and the overlay are displayed.

78. The method of claim 74 wherein the placement position of the overlay is selected based on an operating mode of the guide.

79. The method of claim 74 wherein a first of the plurality of placement positions is selected for a first operating mode of the guide and a different second of the plurality of placement positions is selected for a second operating mode of the guide.

80. The method of claim 74 wherein the program is a television program.

81. The method of claim 74 wherein the overlay is a locally generated graphic.

82. A method for displaying a program, the method comprising:

receiving, with control circuitry, a user selection of a placement position in which to position an overlay on a display screen;

displaying a program on the display screen;

locally generating, with the control circuitry, a graphic for display on the display screen; and

displaying simultaneously with the program on the display screen the locally generated graphic in the placement position previously selected by the user.