Television schedule information transmission and utilization system and process

• US 5,790,198 A
• Filed: 05/04/1994
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Starsight Telecast Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ebright, Alan R., Roop, John H., Sokolik, Konstantine, Warden, David P., Alegiani, Giambattista A., Kochy, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Application Number:
  US08/239,225
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/460, 348/461, 348/478, 348/473, 348/474, 348/468, 348/467, 348/465, 348/6, 348/8, 348/10, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/5, 348/9, 348/476, 358/335, 455/5.1, 455/3.1
• US Class Current: 725/48
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 30/00 Supersonic type aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 15/006 for operating at a number of different times cigar or cigarette receptacles or boxes with means for limiting the frequency of smoking A24F15/005
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/02 Detectors of external physical values, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/18 Decoding time data; Circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/023 remotely controlled
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/80 Indexing information stored in optical or magnetic or other strip attached to cassette or disc, e.g. barcodes attached to a recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3054 Vertical Interval Time code [VITC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/324 Duty cycle modulation of control pulses, e.g. VHS-CTL-coding systems, RAPID-time code, VASS- or VISS-cue signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/328 on a tape [TTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/10 Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements G11B15/04, G11B19/04, G11B27/34, G11B27/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4314 : for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 : Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 : Interfacing an external recording device
• 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 21/47 : 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 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 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 : for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• 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 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 : Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 : Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 : Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 : for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 : for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0888 : Subscription systems therefor
• 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

Abstract

Television schedule information transmission and utilization systems (50A-50D) transmit TV schedule data and associated network control messages provided by computer (54) as packets via the Video Blanking Interval (VBI) lines in the TV signal from various television program providers (51). This data is acquired by regional data processing systems and forwarded by the regional data processing systems to subscriber units (52) and used to construct an internal database. This internal database can be accessed by the subscriber unit (52) to display a TV schedule for the channels that are received by the user'"'"'s TV.

Claims

1. A television schedule information transmission system, which comprises a central data processing system, means connected to said central data processing system for providing schedule information data for a predetermined territory to said central data processing system, said central data processing system including means for formatting the schedule information data for the predetermined territory for incorporation into a predetermined schedule information transmission format, means coupled to said central data processing system for transmitting the schedule information data for the predetermined territory in the predetermined schedule information transmission format, a plurality of regional data processing systems, each located in a region of the predetermined territory, said plurality of regional data processing systems each including means for receiving the schedule information data for the predetermined territory, means for selecting the schedule information data for the region in which each of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the region in a television signal, and a plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems including means for extracting at least a portion of the schedule information data for the region from the television signal, means for storing the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system, means for assembling portions of the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system for display to a user of the subscriber data processing system and a display connected to said means for assembling portions of the schedule information data to display the portions of the schedule information data, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule information, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.

2. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which said system additionally includes at least one intermediate data processing system between at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems and a portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in a region in which said at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located, said intermediate data processing system including means for receiving the schedule information data for the region, means for selecting schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region from the schedule information data for the region and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region, said means for transmitting being coupled to the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems.

3. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 2 in which said at least one intermediate data processing system is a cable operator data processing system.

4. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which the schedule information data is transmitted in the form of commands, the commands including instructions for the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each region and television schedule information used by the commands to assemble portions of the television schedule information to display the portions of the schedule information data.

5. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 4 in which the schedule information commands for the predetermined territory include region commands each identifying channels which are available in one of the regions in the territory and a region identification, each of said regional data processing systems having a region identification for comparing with the region identification of each region command to recognize region commands intended for that regional data processing system.

6. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 4 in which said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions includes:

a means for determining if certain of the television schedule information in the schedule information commands has already been stored within the subscriber data processing system, and

a means for acquiring the certain of the television schedule information from the schedule information commands if it is determined that the certain of the television schedule information has not already been stored within the subscriber data processing system.

7. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 6 in which the certain of the television schedule information includes show titles.

8. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 7 in which the show titles include character strings that have previously been acquired.

9. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 6 in which the certain of the television schedule information includes missing data for future time periods.

10. In a television schedule information transmission system including a central data processing system for a predetermined territory having means for transmitting schedule information data for the predetermined territory and subscriber data processing systems in the predetermined territory, the improvement which comprises a plurality of regional data processing systems, each located in a region of the predetermined territory, said plurality of regional data processing systems each including means for receiving the schedule information data for the predetermined territory, means for selecting the schedule information data for the region in which each of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the region in a television signal to a plurality of said subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule information, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.

11. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems including means for extracting at least a portion of the schedule information data for the region from the television signal, means for storing the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system, means for assembling portions of the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system for display to a user of the subscriber data processing system and a display connected to said means for assembling portions of the schedule information data to display the portions of the schedule information data.

12. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which said system additionally includes at least one intermediate data processing system between at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems and a portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in a region in which said at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located, said intermediate data processing system including means for receiving the schedule information data for the region, means for selecting schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region from the schedule information data for the region and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region, said means for transmitting being coupled to the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems.

13. In a television schedule information transmission system, the method which comprises transmitting schedule information data for a predetermined territory to a plurality of regional data processing systems each located in a region of the territory, selecting the schedule information data for each region with its regional data processing system, transmitting via a television signal the schedule information data to a plurality of subscriber data processing systems each having a memory in each region, storing database items comprising the television schedule information data in the memory, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle, assembling portions of the schedule information data in the television signal received by each subscriber data processing system from the memory using the handle as an index to locate the portions of the schedule information data in the memory for display to a user of each subscriber data processing system, and displaying the portions of the schedule information data to the user.

14. The method of claim 13 additionally comprising the steps of transmitting the schedule information for at least one the regions to at least one intermediate data processing system between at least one of the plurality of regional data processing systems and a portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in a region in which the at least one of the plurality of regional data processing systems is located, and transmitting the schedule information data in the television signal for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region from the intermediate data processing system to the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the schedule information data is transmitted in the form of commands, the commands including instructions for the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each region and television schedule information used by the commands to assemble portions of the television schedule information to display the portions of the schedule information data.

16. The method of claim 15 in which the schedule information commands for the predetermined territory include region commands each identifying channels which are available in one of the regions in the territory and a region identification, each of the regional data processing systems comparing a stored region identification with the region identification of each region command to recognize region commands intended for that regional data processing system.

17. The method of claim 13 in which at least some of the plurality of regional data processing systems transmit the schedule information data in different places of the television signal and each of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems locates the schedule information data in the television signal.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the different places in the television signal comprise different lines of a vertical blanking interval.

19. The method of claim 18 in which the different places in the television broadcast signal comprise different lines of a vertical blanking interval.

20. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 wherein the schedule information data is transmitted in a blanking interval of the television signal.

21. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 wherein the schedule information data is transmitted in a blanking interval of the television signal.

22. The method of claim 13 in which the schedule information data is transmitted in a blanking interval of the television signal.

23. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.

24. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 23 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.

25. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.

26. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.

27. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 26 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.

28. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.

29. The television schedule information transmission method of claim 13 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.

30. The television schedule information transmission method of claim 29 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.

31. The television schedule information transmission method of claim 13 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.

32. In a television schedule information transmission system including a central data processing system having means for transmitting television schedule data, and a subscriber data processing system having means for receiving at least some of the television schedule data transmitted by said central data processing system, the improvement which comprises said subscriber data processing system including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule data, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.

33. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 32 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.

34. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 33 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.

35. The television schedule information transmission system of claim 32 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.

36. In a television schedule information transmission system, the method which comprises transmitting television schedule data, receiving at least some of the television schedule data at a subscriber data processing system as database items comprising the television schedule data, each of the database items having a handle, and using the handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.

37. The television schedule information transmission method of claim 36 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.

38. The television schedule information transmission method of claim 37 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.

39. The television schedule information transmission method of claim 36 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.