DISPLAY APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ENHANCED ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20120284751A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Ryoung, Bae, Yujin
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/41
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A method of controlling a display apparatus including receiving, via a receiving unit, first metadata corresponding to contents to be displayed on the display apparatus from at least a first source externally connected to the display apparatus, said first metadata including channel information and broadcast programs to be broadcast for each channel included in the channel information; matching, via a controller thumbnail images with the broadcast programs; generating, via the controller, an enhanced program guide including a designated time zone indicating when a broadcast program is to be broadcast and a corresponding matched thumbnail image; and displaying via the display apparatus, the enhanced program guide based on a selection signal requesting the enhanced program guide be displayed.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a display apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, via a receiving unit, first metadata corresponding to contents to be displayed on the display apparatus from at least a first source externally connected to the display apparatus, said first metadata including channel information and broadcast programs to be broadcast for each channel included in the channel information;

matching, via a controller thumbnail images with the broadcast programs;

generating, via the controller, an enhanced program guide including a designated time zone indicating when a broadcast program is to be broadcast and a corresponding matched thumbnail image; and

displaying via the display apparatus, the enhanced program guide based on a selection signal requesting the enhanced program guide be displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed enhanced program guide includes a mode change option for switching between a first mode in which matched thumbnail images of the broadcast programs are displayed for a single channel and a second mode in which matched thumbnail images of the broadcast programs are displayed for multiple channels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the displayed enhanced program guide includes at least one of 1) a channel change option for changing the enhanced display guide to display matched thumbnail images of the broadcast programs for another channel and 2) a time zone option for changing the designated time zone displayed in the enhanced broadcast program guide.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning priorities to at least first and second broadcast programs to be broadcast, when the first and second broadcast programs are to be broadcast during a same time interval,

wherein the enhanced program guide displays only a thumbnail image for a highest ranked broadcast program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first broadcast program is assigned a higher priority than the second broadcast program when the first broadcast program has a start time that is earlier than the second broadcast program.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first broadcast program is assigned a higher priority than the second broadcast program when at least one of 1) the first broadcast program has been previously viewed more times than the second broadcast program and 2) the first broadcast program has a longer viewing time than the second broadcast program.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first broadcast program is assigned a higher priority than the second broadcast program when an audience rating of the first broadcast program is higher than an audience rating of the second broadcast program.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the first broadcast program is assigned a higher priority than the second broadcast program when the first broadcast program has a larger number of recommendations from a social network service (SNS) than the second broadcast program.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein when multiple broadcast programs are to be broadcast during a same time interval, the displayed enhanced program guide further includes a single thumbnail image for one of the multiple broadcast programs and an indicator indicating how many multiple broadcast programs are to be broadcast.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the enhanced program guide displays each matched thumbnail image of the multiple broadcast programs upon receiving a selection signal requesting each of the multiple broadcast programs be displayed for the same time interval.

11. A network device for providing an enhanced electronic program guide (EPG), the network device comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive first metadata corresponding to contents to be displayed on the display apparatus from at least a first source externally connected to the display apparatus, said first metadata including channel information and broadcast programs to be broadcast for each channel included in the channel information;

a controller configured to match thumbnail images with the broadcast programs, and to generate an enhanced program guide including a designated time zone indicating when a broadcast program is to be broadcast and a corresponding matched thumbnail image; and

a display unit configured to display the enhanced program guide based on a selection signal requesting the enhanced program guide be displayed.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the displayed enhanced program guide includes a mode change option for switching between a first mode in which matched thumbnail images of the broadcast programs are displayed for a single channel and a second mode in which matched thumbnail images of the broadcast programs are displayed for multiple channels.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the displayed enhanced program guide includes at least one of 1) a channel change option for changing the enhanced display guide to display matched thumbnail images of the broadcast programs for another channel and 2) a time zone option for changing the designated time zone displayed in the enhanced broadcast program guide.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to assign priorities to at least first and second broadcast programs to be broadcast, when the first and second broadcast programs are to be broadcast during a same time interval, and

wherein the enhanced program guide displays only a thumbnail image for a highest ranked broadcast program.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to assign the first broadcast program a higher priority than the second broadcast program when the first broadcast program has a start time that is earlier than the second broadcast program.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to assign the first broadcast program a higher priority than the second broadcast program when at least one of 1) the first broadcast program has been previously viewed more times than the second broadcast program and 2) the first broadcast program has a longer viewing time than the second broadcast program.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to assign the first broadcast program a higher priority than the second broadcast program when an audience rating of the first broadcast program is higher than an audience rating of the second broadcast program.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to assign the first broadcast program a higher priority than the second broadcast program when the first broadcast program has a larger number of recommendations from a social network service (SNS) than the second broadcast program.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein when multiple broadcast programs are to be broadcast during a same time interval, the displayed enhanced program guide further includes a single thumbnail image for one of the multiple broadcast programs and an indicator indicating how many multiple broadcast programs are to be broadcast.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the enhanced program guide displays each matched thumbnail image of the multiple broadcast programs upon receiving a selection signal requesting each of the multiple broadcast programs be displayed for the same time interval.