Electronic television program guide with selective updating

• US 5,917,481 A
• Filed: 12/15/1997
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Corporation Of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Corporation Of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Rzeszewski, Theodore S., Gimber, Tobin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, NATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US08/990,796
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 348/210, 348/12, 348/906, 348/553, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/566, 348/567, 348/568, 348/569, 348/570, 455/3.1
• US Class Current: 715/721
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 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 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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

Abstract

A method and device for receiving and storing an electronic television (TV) program guide. In a satellite, cable or broadcast TV system, electronic TV program guides may be coded into the video signals received by the TV receiver. Many currently available TV receivers also allow users to program a list of "select-channels." When the receiver is in its select-channel mode, the receiver only tunes to the channels the user stored in the list of select channels. The present invention limits the memory and processing power required to store an electronic TV program guide by only storing program guide information associated with the channels stored by the user in connection with the select-channels function of the receiver. In receivers having a second tuner, the second tuner may be used to automatically update the stored program guide.

Claims

1. A video signal receiving device comprising:

a tuning system capable of tuning to predetermined frequency channels and converting radio frequency signals received on said predetermined frequency channels into video signals;

a decoder for receiving said video signals from said tuning system, said video signals comprising a program guide;

a microprocessor for controlling said tuning system and said decoder; and

a memory coupled to said microprocessor, said memory operative for storing a programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels and a portion of said program guide, said portion of said program guide being related to said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels;

wherein said microprocessor is programmed to repeatedly compare said portion of said program guide stored in said memory with a corresponding portion of said program guide contained in said video signals and received subsequent to storing of said portion of said program guide in said memory.

2. A video signal receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said microprocessor updates said portion of said program guide stored in memory when new information is contained in said corresponding portion of said program guide contained in said video signals.

3. A video signal receiving device according to claim 1, further comprising a display device.

4. A video signal receiving device according to claim 3, wherein said microprocessor makes said program guide available for display by said display device according to the following protocol:

if said tuning system is tuned to one of said predetermined frequency channels that is not among said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels, the program guide associated with said one of said predetermined frequency channels is obtained from said video signals and made available for display, but is not stored in memory;

if said tuning system is tuned to one of said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels, said microprocessor determines whether said portion of said program guide stored in said memory and associated with the selected frequency channel is current,

if said portion of said program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is current, the program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is read from said memory and displayed on said display device, and

if said portion of said program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is not current, the program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is obtained from said video signals and made available for display, and stored in said memory.

5. A video signal receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said program guide is contained in the vertical blanking interval of said video signals.

6. A video signal receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said program guide is contained in a video portion or an audio portion of said video signals.

7. A video signal receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said tuning system comprises a tuner, and said microprocessor automatically updates said portion of said program guide stored in said memory according to the following protocol:

sequentially tuning said tuner to each one of said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels;

determining whether the program guide associated with any of said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels is not current;

capturing program guide information for those programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels that are not current from the video signals; and

storing said captured program guide information in said memory.

8. A method of generating a program guide in a video signal receiving device, said method comprising of the steps:

tuning to predetermined frequency channels and converting radio frequency signals received on the predetermined frequency channels to video signals, said video signals comprising said program guide;

decoding said video signals so as to extract said program guide;

storing a programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels and a portion of said program guide in memory, said portion of said program guide being related to said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels; and

repeatedly comparing said portion of said program guide stored in said memory with a corresponding portion of said program guide contained in said video signals and received subsequent to storing of said portion of said program guide in said memory.

9. A method of generating a program guide in a video signal according to claim 8, further comprising the step of updating said portion of said program guide stored in memory when new information is contained in said corresponding portion of said program guide contained in said video signals.

10. A method of generating a program guide in a video signal according to claim 8, further comprising the step of displaying said program guide.

11. A method of generating a program guide in a video signal according to claim 10, further comprising making said program guide available for display by said display device according to the following steps:

if said tuning device is tuned to one of said predetermined frequency channels that is not among said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels, the program guide associated with said one of said predetermined frequency channels is obtained from said video signals and made available for display, but is not stored in memory;

if said tuning device is tuned to one of said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels, determining whether said portion of said program guide stored in said memory and associated with the selected frequency channel is current,

if said portion of said program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is current, the program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is read from said memory and displayed on said display device, and

if said portion of said program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is not current, the program guide associated with the selected frequency channel is obtained from said video signals and made available for display, and stored in said memory.

12. A method of generating a program guide in a video signal according to claim 8, wherein said program guide is contained in the vertical blanking interval of said video signals.

13. A method of generating a program guide in a video signal according to claim 8, wherein said program guide is contained in a video portion or an audio portion of said video signals.

14. A method of generating a program guide in a video signal receiving device according to claim 8, wherein said program guide stored in memory is automatically updated according to the following steps:

sequentially tuning to each one of said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels;

determining whether the program guide associated with any of said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels is not current;

capturing the program guide for those programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels that are not current from the video signals; and

storing said captured program guide information in said memory.

15. A method of generating a program guide, said method comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of favorite channels, and storing a list of said favorite channels in memory;

generating a database for storing program guide information associated with each of said favorite channels;

selecting a channel for viewing;

determining if said selected channel is one of said favorite channels;

if said selected channel is one of said favorite channels and said program information associated with said selected favorite channel is current, said program information associated with said selected favorite channel is displayed,

if said selected channel is one of said favorite channels and said program information associated with said selected favorite channel is not current, said program information associated with said selected favorite channel is updated and then displayed.

16. A method of generating a program guide according to claim 15, wherein said program information associated with said favorite channel is updated by decoding a video signal corresponding to said favorite channel, said video signals comprising said program guide information associated with said favorite channel, and storing said program guide information associated with said favorite channel in said database.

17. A method of generating a program guide according to claim 15, wherein if said selected channel is not one of said favorite channels, program guide information associated with said selected channel is obtained by decoding a video signal comprising said program guide information and displaying said program guide information, said program guide information associated with said selected channel not being stored in memory.

18. A method of generating a program guide according to claim 15, wherein said program guide information is contained in the vertical blanking interval of said video signals.

19. A method of generating a program guide according to claim 15, wherein said program guide is contained in a video portion or an audio portion of said video signals.

20. A computer program stored onto a recordable medium for execution in a computer system for automatically controlling presentations of an electronic program guide for at least one user viewing video delivered to a computer display, said program comprising the steps of:

generating a database comprising data representing said electronic program guide and representing said user'"'"'s favorite video channels;

determining if a currently selected channel is one of the favorite channels identified in said database;

capturing data from a video decoder if said selected channel is not a favorite channel, said data representing the program guide associated with said selected channel, making said data available for display;

if said selected channel is one of said favorite channels and said program guide information associated with said selected channel is current, said program information associated with said favorite channel is displayed, and

if said selected channel is one of said favorite channels and said program information associated with said selected channel is not current, said program information associated with said favorite channel is captured from said video decoder, stored in said database and displayed.