IMPROVED ELECTRONIC TELEVISION PROGRAM GUIDE SCHEDULE SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20110276995A1
• Filed: 07/19/2011
• Published: 11/10/2011
• 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: Davis, Bruce, Morris, Michael, Youman, Roger, Alten, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US13/185,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276995A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• 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 method of using a program guide system for tuning between a plurality of television channels, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of channel tuning sequences each comprising a subset of television channels or a rearranged sequence of television channels;

receiving a user selection of a first of a plurality of tuning sequence activation keys on the user input device, wherein each of the plurality of tuning sequence activation keys causes a different one of the plurality of channel tuning sequences to be activated;

in response to receiving the user selection, activating a first of the plurality of channel tuning sequences corresponding to the first tuning sequence activation key; and

controlling a sequence of tuning of the plurality of television channels in response to change-channel commands from the user input device, such that the television channels are tuned in an order defined by the first channel tuning sequence.

66. The method of claim 65 further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a second of the plurality of tuning sequence activation keys on the user input device;

in response to receiving the user selection of the second tuning sequence activation key, activating a second of the plurality of channel tuning sequences; and

controlling the sequence of tuning of the plurality of television channels in response to change-channel commands from the user input device, such that the television channels are tuned in an order defined by the second channel tuning sequence.

67. The method of claim 65, wherein the tuning sequence activation keys on the user input device are implemented as different buttons of the user input device.

68. The method of claim 65, wherein the change-channel commands include selection of direction arrow keys of the user input device.

69. The method of claim 65 further comprising limiting a display of schedule information only to those channels that are designated in the activated channel tuning sequence.

70. The method of claim 65, wherein the change-channel commands include channel up and channel down commands on the user input device.

71. The method of claim 65, wherein the plurality of channel tuning sequences include user defined channels and categorical entries.

72. The method of claim 65, wherein the user television equipment includes a set top box.

73. The method of claim 65, wherein the user input device is a remote control.

74. A system of using a program guide system for tuning between a plurality of television channels, the system comprising:

a user input device comprising a plurality of tuning sequence activation keys; and

processing circuitry configured to;

store a plurality of channel tuning sequences each comprising a subset of television channels or a rearranged sequence of television channels;

receive a user selection of a first of the plurality of tuning sequence activation keys, wherein each of the plurality of tuning sequence activation keys causes a different one of the plurality of channel tuning sequences to be activated;

in response to receiving the user selection, activate a first of the plurality of channel tuning sequences corresponding to the first tuning sequence activation key; and

control a sequence of tuning of the plurality of television channels in response to change-channel commands from the user input device, such that the television channels are tuned in an order defined by the first channel tuning sequence.

75. The system of claim 74, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

receive a user selection of a second of the plurality of tuning sequence activation keys on the user input device;

in response to receiving the user selection of the second tuning sequence activation key, activate a second of the plurality of channel tuning sequences; and

control the sequence of tuning of the plurality of television channels in response to change-channel commands from the user input device, such that the television channels are tuned in an order defined by the second channel tuning sequence.

76. The system of claim 74, wherein the tuning sequence activation keys on the user input device are implemented as different buttons of the user input device.

77. The system of claim 74, wherein the change-channel commands include selection of direction arrow keys of the user input device.

78. The system of claim 74, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to limit a display of schedule information only to those channels that are designated in the activated channel tuning sequence.

79. The system of claim 74, wherein the change-channel commands include channel up and channel down commands on the user input device.

80. The system of claim 74, wherein the plurality of channel tuning sequences include user defined channels and categorical entries.

81. The method of claim 74, wherein the user television equipment includes a set top box.

82. The system of claim 74, wherein the user input device is a remote control.