Method for acquisition and display of an on-screen program guide

• US 5,459,522 A
• Filed: 06/10/1994
• Issued: 10/17/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zenith Electronics Corporation (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Pint, Charles S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murrell, Jeffrey S.
• Application Number:
  US08/258,291
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/906, 348/563, 348/468, 348/467, 348/465, 348/478, 348/725
• US Class Current: 348/478
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A method for translating the generic, raw information of a broadcast on-screen program guide service into a displayable screen signal that can drive TV electronics, utilizing the step of building a virtual generic screen before creating the displayable screen signal in order to ease the translation burden from generic to TV specific information.

Claims

1. A method for acquisition and display of an on-screen program guide on a television comprising:

A) receiving broadcast raw data of an on-screen program guide;

B) processing the raw data to obtain data necessary to create a generic program guide screen;

C) storing the data necessary to create the generic screen in memory;

D) constructing a generic virtual screen of a program guide from the necessary data;

E) translating the generic screen to a displayable screen; and

F) displaying the screen on a TV.

2. A method for acquisition and display of an on-screen program guide on a television comprising:

A) receiving broadcast raw data of an on-screen program guide in the vertical blanking interval of a broadcast signal;

B) removing the raw data from the vertical blanking interval of the broadcast signal;

C) processing the raw data to obtain fragments necessary for the display of the on-screen program guide;

D) storing the raw data fragments in a program guide memory;

E) assembling the raw fragments into generic virtual screen blocks;

F) assembling the generic virtual screen blocks into a generic virtual whole screen;

G) storing the generic virtual whole screen in the program guide memory;

H) translating the generic virtual whole screen into a displayable screen format understandable by the television display electronics; and

I) displaying the displayable program guide on the television.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising:

polling the program guide memory with a controller of the television to determine if there is generic virtual screen information ready for translation.