Program guide display controller at user terminal of television broadcasting system

• US 5,929,932 A
• Filed: 10/18/1996
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hama, Yoshinori, Hara, Nobuhiro, Tsunoda, Hiroshi, Kondo, Takahiro, Otsuki, Masako
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US08/733,805
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 348/569, 348/906, 348/563, 348/564
• US Class Current: 725/47
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 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 program guide display controller at a user terminal of a television broadcasting system in which a user can enter a program guide display command for displaying a program guide on a display device, and the user can set contents for restricting the program guide displayed on the display device. A memory is provided for storing the restricting contents set by the user. A display control is provided for displaying a program guide adapted to the restricting contents stored in the memory on the display device when the program guide display command is entered by the user.

Claims

1. A program guide display controller at a user terminal of a television broadcasting system, comprising:

first entry means for enabling a user to enter a program guide display command for displaying a program guide screen on a display device;

second entry means for enabling the user to enter a menu screen display command for displaying a menu screen for making the user set contents for restricting the program guide displayed on the display device;

means for simultaneously displaying both the program guide screen and the menu screen when the program guide display command or the menu screen display command is entered as well as making active only one of the screens which corresponds to the entered command;

storage means for storing the set restricting contents on the menu screen; and

program contents display control means for setting displayed contents on the program guide screen to contents adapted to the restricting contents stored in the storage means.

2. A program guide display controller at a user terminal of a television broadcasting system, comprising:

entry means for entering a first command for displaying a menu screen for performing various types of setting and a second command for displaying a program guide screen, and

means for simultaneously displaying both the menu screen and the program guide screen when the first command or the second command is entered as well as making active only one of the screens which corresponds to the entered command.

3. A program guide display controller at a user terminal of a television broadcasting system, comprising:

entry means for entering a first command for displaying a menu screen for performing various types of setting and a second command for displaying a program guide screen;

first display control means for simultaneously displaying both the menu screen and the program guide screen when the first command or the second command is entered as well as making active only one of the screens which corresponds to the entered command; and

second display control means for displaying the screen which is active and the screen which is not active out of the menu screen and the program guide screen so that the menu screen and the program guide screen can be visually identified.

4. The program guide display controller according to claim 3, wherein

the second display control means displays the screen which is active by opacity and displays the screen which is not active by halftones.

5. The program guide display controller according to claim 4, wherein

the second display control means comprises means for separately preparing color pallets used for the menu screen and color pallets used for the program guide screen, setting the transmittance of each of the color pallets for the menu screen to a value corresponding to the opacity as well as setting the transmittance of each of the color pallets for the program guide screen to a value corresponding to the halftones, and setting the transmittance of each of the color pallets for the program guide screen to a value corresponding to the opacity when the program guide screen is active as well as setting the transmittance of each of the color pallets for the menu screen to a value corresponding to the halftones.