Image reception controller and method with ordered display of previously viewed channels

• US 5,737,029 A
• Filed: 11/03/1995
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Akira, Okumura, Kazumasa, Ohkura, Yukiko, Shudo, Tomoko
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/552,868
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/569, 348/570, 348/506, 348/731, 348/734, 348/12, 348/6, 348/8, 348/9
• US Class Current: 725/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A television reception controller enables the viewer to choose a favorite program from among many broadcasting channels easily and swiftly. The controller displays labels of categories that are NEWS, MOVIE, SPORTS, POLITICS and MUSIC on the top row of the display screen and displays pictures of broadcasting channels of the leftmost category, which have been received in the last four weeks, in small frames in the leftmost column of the screen downwardly in the order of the frequency of reception. The controller responds to the horizontal movement of the cursor to rotate the category labels horizontally and responds to the vertical movement of the cursor on the small-frame pictures and the action of selection to display the picture of the selected broadcasting channel in the main frame of the screen.

Claims

1. An image reception controller, comprising:

reception means for receiving a specified broadcasting channel;

memory means for storing a record of reception of a plurality of broadcasting channels, inclusive of at least programming categories of said plurality of broadcasting channels received by said reception means in a prescribed period in the past;

reception control means for controlling said reception means to receive broadcasting channels of said plurality of broadcasting channels that belong to a category of said plurality of programming categories stored in the memory means in response to an external command of a selected operational mode; and

display control means for displaying labels of said plurality of programming categories along one of the horizontal axis and vertical axis of the display screen and displaying pictures of the broadcasting channels of the category in small frames along the other of said horizontal axis and vertical axis in decreasing order of frequency of reception as indicated in said stored record of reception.

2. The image reception controller according to claim 1, wherein said display control means displays the category labels of said plurality of programming categories on one of a top row and a bottom row of the display screen and displays the small frames in one of a leftmost column and a rightmost column of the display screen.

3. The image reception controller according to claim 2, wherein said display control means includes means for displaying a cursor for pointing to the category label or the small frame to be selected.

4. The image reception controller according to claim 3, further comprising means operated by a user to move the cursor on the display screen.

5. The image reception controller according to claim 4, wherein said display control means includes means for moving the category labels in a horizontal direction in response to operation of said cursor moving means instead of moving the cursor in the horizontal direction.

6. The image reception controller according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising means operated by the user to designate for display the small frame that is pointed to by the cursor.

7. The image reception controller according to claim 6, wherein said cursor moving means and said small frame designation means are arranged for successive operation with one finger of the user.

8. A method of image reception control, comprising steps of:

storing a record of successive receptions of respective broadcasting channels, inclusive of at least programming categories of the broadcasting channels, which have been received over a prescribed time period in the past;

receiving broadcasting channels that belong to a selected programming category in the reception record in response to an external command of a selected operational mode; and

displaying labels of the programming categories along one of the horizontal axis and vertical axis of the display screen and displaying pictures of the broadcasting channels of the selected programming category in small frames along the other of said horizontal axis and vertical axis in decreasing order of frequency of reception as indicated in said stored record of successive receptions.