Apparatus and method for controlling display of electrical program guide

• US 5,909,212 A
• Filed: 07/11/1997
• Issued: 06/01/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dyax Corporation (Shire plc), Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hanai, Tomoyuki, Nishina, Yasutomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Chadwick A.
• Application Number:
  US08/893,878
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 348/906, 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/563, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 455/4.2, 455/6.1, 455/5.1, 386/83
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

An improved apparatus is provided to attain enhanced convenience in controlling display of an electrical program guide with a smaller number of manipulating keys. An EPN mode for displaying the electrical program guide includes a main mode to display program information in a main window, a command mode to display EPN command icons in a command window, and an input mode to display an input window for entry manipulation corresponding to a specific command item. And the operation is shiftable to any of such modes selected by manipulation of a command key or an EXE key. In the main mode, there is set either a mode to display broadcast program information or a mode to display recorded program information on the basis of tape library data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling display of an electrical program guide, comprising:

broadcast program information storage means for storing, as broadcast program information, the information relative to broadcast programs extracted from predetermined positions of video signals;

recorded program information storage means for storing, as recorded program information, the information relative to the broadcast programs recorded in recording media; and

display control means capable of displaying, as an electrical program guide to provide the program-related information, the program information relative to both of the broadcast programs and the recorded programs on the basis of the broadcast program information stored in said broadcast program information storage means and also the recorded program information stored in said recorded program information storage means, wherein said display control means is capable of displaying, as an electrical program guide, at least a program information area in the form of a window to display the program information, a command area in the form of a window to display items for selecting a manipulation command relative to said program guide, and an input area in the form of a window to display items for inputting a required parameter corresponding to the selected manipulation command, further comprising manipulation means for controlling manipulation on the displayed picture of said electrical program guide, said manipulation means comprising;

a first mode change manipulator for selectively changing the operation to an electrical program guide display mode or a normal image display mode;

a second mode change manipulator for selectively changing the operation to a mode where a manipulation on the program information area is rendered active in the electrical program guide display mode, or to a mode where a manipulation on the command area is rendered active in the electrical program guide display mode;

a third mode change manipulator for selectively changing the operation to a mode where a manipulation on the command area is rendered active, or to a mode where a manipulation on the input area is rendered active; and

a cursor motion manipulator adapted for manipulation relative to at least the motion of a cursor or setting of parameters on the program information area, the command area and the input area.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display control means is capable of discriminably displaying one area, which is rendered active by said manipulation means, differently from any other area.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when said display means is set in the mode to display the program information relative to the entire broadcast programs being broadcast currently or scheduled to be broadcast on the basis of the broadcast program information stored in said broadcast program storage means, the leftward and rightward directions of the direction indicating manipulators of said manipulation means correspond respectively to the preceding time slots before the broadcast time slot of the program being displayed currently, and to the succeeding time slots after the broadcast time slot of the program being displayed currently.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when said display means is set in the mode to display the program information relative to the broadcast program specified out of the entire programs being broadcast currently or scheduled to be broadcast on the basis of the broadcast program information stored in said broadcast program storage means, the leftward and rightward directions of the direction indicating manipulators of said manipulation means correspond respectively to the preceding channels before the program being displayed currently, and to the succeeding channels after the program being displayed currently.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when said display means is set in the mode to display the program information relative to the recorded programs in the recording medium specified on the basis of the recorded program information stored in said recorded program information storage means, the leftward and rightward directions of the direction indicating manipulators of said manipulation means correspond respectively to the preceding-numbered recording media before the medium being specified currently, and to the succeeding-numbered recording media after the medium being specified currently.