Electronic program guide system and electronic program guide displaying method

• US 5,808,694 A
• Filed: 03/01/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shintani, Peter, Takahashi, Naomasa, Usui, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsia, Sherrine
• Application Number:
  US08/609,716
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 348/906
• US Class Current: 725/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• 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 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic program guide system and an electronic program guide displaying method that allow a desired program to be selected in a short time and at a high degree of reliability. EPG data of programs received by an IRD 4 through a satellite and EPG data of programs transmitted as a ground wave and received by a TV receiver 5 are converted into EPG data with an integrated format by an EPG receiver 6. The integrated EPG data is then output and displayed to the TV receiver 5.

Claims

1. An electronic program guide system comprising:

storage means for storing a first electronic program guide of a first system and a second electronic program guide of a second system differing from said first system; and

an integrating system for integrating said first and second electronic program guides into an integrated electronic program guide, wherein said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides in a predetermined uniform format different from formats of said first and second systems which formats are also different from each other.

2. An electronic program guide system according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores said first and second electronic program guides after said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides.

3. An electronic program guide system according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores said first and second electronic program guides before said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides, and said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides when said first and second electronic program guides are read out from said storage means.

5. An electronic program guide system according to claim 1, further comprising receiving means for receiving said first and second electronic program guides from said first and second systems respectively.

6. An electronic program guide system according to claim 1, further comprising generating means for generating display data of said integrated electronic program guide.

7. An electronic program guide system according to claim 6, further comprising specifying means for specifying a condition for displaying said integrated electronic program guide.

8. An electronic program guide system according to claim 6, further comprising display means for displaying said integrated electronic program guide based on said display data generated by said generating means.

4. An electronic program guide system comprising:

storage means for storing a first electronic program guide of a first system and a second electronic program guide of a second system differing from said first system; and

an integrating system for integrating said first and second electronic program guides into an integrated electronic program guide, wherein said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides by adjusting said first electronic program guide to a first predetermined format of said second electronic program guide or adjusting said second electronic program guide to a second predetermined format of said first electronic program guide.

14. An electronic program guide system according to claim 4, wherein said storage means stores first and second electronic program guides after said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides.

15. An electronic program guide system according to claim 4, wherein said storage means stores first and second electronic program guides before said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides, and said integrating system integrates said first and second electronic program guides when said first and second electronic program guides are read out from said storage means.

16. An electronic program guide system according to claim 4, further comprising receiving means for receiving said first and second electronic program guides from said first and second systems, respectively.

17. An electronic program guide system according to claim 4, further comprising generating means for generating display data of said integrated electronic program guide.

18. An electronic program guide system according to claim 17, further comprising specifying means for specifying a condition for displaying said integrated electronic program guide.

19. An electronic program guide system according to claim 17, further comprising display means for displaying said integrated electronic program guide based on said display data generated by said generated means.

9. An electronic program guide system comprising:

storage means for storing a first electronic program guide of a first system and a second electronic program guide of a second system differing from said first system;

an integrating system for integrating said first and second electronic program guides into an integrated electronic program guide;

selecting means for selecting a desired program from said integrated electronic program guide;

generating means for generating a first command for specifying said desired program selected by said selecting means; and

converting means for converting said first command generated by said generating means into a second command of a third system to which said desired program belongs.

10. An electronic program guide system according to claim 9, wherein said converting means has a rewritable memory.

11. An electronic program guide system according to claim 9, wherein said converting means is provided to a remote commander.

12. An electronic program guide displaying method comprising steps of:

storing a first electronic program guide of a first system and a second electronic program guide of a second system differing from said first system;

integrating said first and second electronic program guides into an integrated electronic program guide by adjusting said first program guide to a first predetermined format of said second electronic program guide or adjusting said second electronic program guide to a second predetermined format of said first electronic program guide; and

displaying said integrated electronic program guide.

13. An electronic program guide system for transmitting electronic program guides different from area to area and selecting an electronic program guide of a predetermined area on a receiving side of said electronic program guide system, wherein said electronic program guide contains mail-matter delivery-area information and said mail-matter delivery-area information is used for identifying an area to which mail matter is to be delivered.

20. An electronic program guide displaying method comprising steps of:

storing a first electronic program guide of a first system and a second electronic program guide of a second system differing from said first system;

integrating said first and second electronic program guides into an integrated electronic program guide by integrating said first and second electronic program guides in a predetermined uniform format different from formats of said first and second systems which formats are also different from each other; and

displaying said integrated electronic program guide.

21. An electronic program guide system comprising:

first receiving means for receiving a broadcasting signal of a first system;

second receiving means for receiving a broadcasting signal of a second system differing from said first system;

storage means for storing a first electronic program guide of said first system and a second electronic program guide of said second system;

display means for displaying said first and second electronic program guides;

selecting means for selecting a desired program from the displayed first and second electronic program guides,

generating means for generating a command to tune the desired program selected by said selecting means,

determining means for determining which system of said first and second systems broadcasts the selected program; and

transmitting means for transmitting said generated command in response to a system determination of said determining means.