Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with scan feature
First Claim
1. An electronic programming guide for use with a television receiver having a plurality of television channels for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
- memory means for storing television program schedule information for a set of television programs scheduled to appear on said plurality of television channels;
user control means for choosing user control commands, including television channel-tuning and guide scan control commands comprising a guide start scan command, and transmitting signals in response thereto;
data processing means for receiving said signals in response to said user control commands and generating video control commands;
a video display generator adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means and program schedule information from said memory means for displaying a portion of said schedule information comprising listing information for a display signal appearing on a currently tuned channel in at least one mode of operation of said programming guide;
said data processing means being responsive to said start scan command for controlling said video display generator to sequentially display in a predetermined sequence, for each channel in a set of television channels, each said display signal currently appearing on each of said channels in said set with a portion of program schedule information corresponding to said currently appearing display signal, each one of said currently appearing display signals and said corresponding portion of said schedule information being displayed simultaneously and for a predetermined amount of time.
16 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic program schedule system which utilizes a receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast television programs for a plurality of television channels and a tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the plurality of channels. A data processor receives and stores in a memory television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs to appear on the plurality of television channels. A user control apparatus, such as a remote controller, is utilized by a viewer to choose user control commands and transmit signals in response to the data processor which receives the signals in response to user control commands. A television receiver is used to display the television programs and television program schedule information. A video display generator receives video control commands from the data processor and program schedule information from the memory and displays a portion of the program schedule information in overlaying relationship with a television program appearing on a television channel in at least one mode of operation of the television programming guide. The data processor controls the video display generator with video control commands, issued in response to the user control commands, to display program schedule information for any chosen one of the plurality of television programs in overlaying relationship with at least one television program then appearing on any chosen one of the plurality of channels on the television receiver. The system includes a scan feature to permit the user to scan program schedule listings for multiple programs in any of the operational modes of the system with the issuance of a single user control command.
345 Citations
70 Claims
-
1. An electronic programming guide for use with a television receiver having a plurality of television channels for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
-
memory means for storing television program schedule information for a set of television programs scheduled to appear on said plurality of television channels; user control means for choosing user control commands, including television channel-tuning and guide scan control commands comprising a guide start scan command, and transmitting signals in response thereto; data processing means for receiving said signals in response to said user control commands and generating video control commands; a video display generator adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means and program schedule information from said memory means for displaying a portion of said schedule information comprising listing information for a display signal appearing on a currently tuned channel in at least one mode of operation of said programming guide; said data processing means being responsive to said start scan command for controlling said video display generator to sequentially display in a predetermined sequence, for each channel in a set of television channels, each said display signal currently appearing on each of said channels in said set with a portion of program schedule information corresponding to said currently appearing display signal, each one of said currently appearing display signals and said corresponding portion of said schedule information being displayed simultaneously and for a predetermined amount of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. An electronic programming guide for use with a television receiver having a plurality of television channels for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
-
memory means for storing television program schedule information for a set of television programs scheduled to appear on said plurality of television channels; user control means for choosing user control commands, including television channel-tuning and guide scan control commands comprising a guide start scan command, and transmitting signals in response thereto; data processing means for receiving said signals in response to said user control commands; a video display generator adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means and program schedule information from said memory means for displaying portions of said schedule information comprising listing information for display signals scheduled to appear on channels different from a currently tuned channel in at least one mode of operation of said programming guide; said data processing means being responsive to said start scan command for controlling said video display generator to sequentially display in a predetermined sequence, for each channel in a set of television channels, listing information for a television program scheduled to appear on said channel, said listing information being displayed simultaneously with a display signal appearing on said currently tuned channel and for a predetermined amount of time; wherein said listing information for each channel in said sequence is removed from said display before listing information for the next channel in said sequence is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. An electronic programming guide for use with a television receiver having a plurality of television channels for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
-
memory means for storing television program schedule information for a set of television programs scheduled to appear on said plurality of television channels; user control means for choosing user control commands, including television channel-tuning and guide scan control commands comprising a guide start scan command, and transmitting signals in response thereto; data processing means for receiving said signals in response to said user control commands; a video display generator adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means and program schedule information from said memory means for displaying portions of said schedule information comprising single-channel listing information describing display signals scheduled to appear on one of said television channels during a plurality of time periods in at least one mode of operation of said programming guide; said data processing means being responsive to said start scan command for controlling said video display generator to sequentially display said single-channel listing information for each of said plurality of time periods, one time period at a time, in a predetermined sequence, simultaneously with a display signal appearing on said currently tuned channel, and wherein each time period of said single-channel listing information in said sequence is displayed for a predetermined amount of time and wherein said single-channel listing information for a prior time period in said sequence is substantially removed from display before single-channel listing information for a next time period in said sequence is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41)
-
-
40. An electronic programming guide for use with a television receiver having a plurality of television channels for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
-
memory means for storing television program schedule information for a set of television programs scheduled to appear on said plurality of television channels; user control means for choosing user control commands, including television channel-tuning and guide scan control commands comprising a guide start scan command, and transmitting signals in response thereto; data processing means for receiving said signals in response to said user control commands; a video display generator adapted to receive video control commands from said data processing means and program schedule information from said memory means for displaying portions of said schedule information comprising listing information for display signals scheduled to appear on one of said television channels during a plurality of time periods in at least one mode of operation of said programming guide; said data processing means being responsive to said start scan command for controlling said video display generator to sequentially display in a predetermined sequence, for each of said plurality of time periods, listing information for television programs scheduled to appear on said one channel during each of said plurality of time periods, said listing information being displayed simultaneously with a display signal appearing on said currently tuned channel and for a predetermined amount of time, wherein said single-channel listing information for each time period in said sequence is removed from display before listing information for the next time period in said sequence is displayed; and wherein said plurality of time periods comprises future time periods, and the latest of said future time periods is determined by the capacity of said memory means.
-
-
42. In an electronic programming guide, a process for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
-
storing television program schedule information corresponding to display signals currently appearing on a plurality of channels; receiving a start scan control command; scanning each of said plurality of channels in response to said start scan control command and displaying, simultaneously with said display signal currently appearing on each of said channels, said corresponding program schedule information; terminating said scanning in response to a stop scan command or after said currently appearing display signal and corresponding program schedule information have been displayed for each of said plurality of channels. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
-
-
50. In an electronic programming guide, a process for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
-
storing television program schedule information for a plurality of programs scheduled to appear on a television channel at time periods other than a current time period; displaying a display signal currently appearing on said television channel; receiving a start scan control command; scanning program schedule information for said channel by sequentially displaying, simultaneously with said currently appearing display signal, portions of said program schedule information for individual ones of said plurality of programs, each said portion of program schedule information being displayed for a predetermined amount of time; terminating said scanning in response to a stop scan command or after program schedule information for each of said plurality of programs has been displayed. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
-
-
59. In an electronic programming guide, a process for displaying television programs and program schedule information for said television programs comprising:
-
storing television program schedule information for a plurality of programs scheduled to appear on a plurality of television channels during a common time period; displaying a display signal currently appearing on a user selected television channel; receiving a start scan control command; scanning program schedule information for said common time period by sequentially displaying, simultaneously with said currently appearing display signal, portions of said program schedule information for individual ones of said plurality of programs, each said portion of program schedule information being displayed for a predetermined amount of time; terminating said scanning in response to a stop scan command or after program schedule information for each of said plurality of channels has been displayed. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
-
Specification