System for displaying programming information

• US 6,008,803 A
• Filed: 08/07/1998
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rowe, Keith, Matthews, Joseph H. III, Lawler, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/130,659
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/328, 345/341, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354, 345/146, 345/973, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/10, 348/552, 348/563, 348/564, 348/589, 348/906
• US Class Current: 715/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar

Abstract

A system for retrieving and displaying programming information in response to selection of a category of programming information. Programming information is presented via a schedule display having a category display, a subcategory category display, and a program display. The category display displays an array of category tiles representing categories of programming information. The subcategory display displays an array of subcategory tiles representing subcategories that are associated with the categories of the category display. The program display displays an array of program tiles that are associated with the subcategories of the subcategory display. A viewing panel extends along each of the displays for displaying one each of the category, subcategory, and program tiles. Classes of programming information are selected by scrolling the tiles of the associated displays until the desired class items are presented within the viewing panel.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving and displaying items of electronic information, comprising the steps of:

scrolling a first display, which contemporaneously displays a first plurality of the items of electronic information, until a first item of the first plurality of the items of electronic informaton appears within a viewing panel and is proximate to an indicator that provides an indication of the selection of the first item, wherein the viewing panel extends along and defines a portion of the first display and a portion of a second display;

moving the indicator along the viewing panel to the second display; and

scrolling the second display, which contemporaneously displays a second plurality of the items of information, until a second item of the second plurality of the items of electronic information appears within the viewing panel and is associated with the indicator, so that the indicator provides an indication of the selection of the second item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator supplies a visual indication of at least one direction that the indicator can be moved along the viewing panel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator supplies a visual indication of at least one direction that the second display can be scrolled while the indicator is proximate to the second display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing panel displays one item of each of the first and second plurality of the items of electronic information.

5. A system for displaying items of electronic information, comprising:

a first display for contemporaneously displaying a first plurality of the items of electronic information;

a second display for contemporaneously displaying a second plurality of the items of the electronic information;

a viewing panel extending along and defining only a portion of each of the first and the second displays to display one item of each of the first plurality of items of electronic information and the second plurality of items of electronic information for viewing within the viewing panel; and

an indicator operative for moving only along the viewing panel to provide an indication of the selection of one of the items displayed by the viewing panel when the indicator is moved to a position proximate to one of the first display or the second display.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the viewing panel is highlighted to emphasize each item of the first and second plurality of items of electronic information framed by the viewing panel.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the indicator is responsive to the position of the indicator along the viewing panel to provide an indication of each direction that the indicator may be moved along the viewing panel.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein

the first display is operative for scrolling the first plurality of items of electronic information so that different items of the first plurality of items of electronic information may be displayed by the viewing panel;

the indicator is responsive to its placement along the viewing panel and proximate to the first display to provide an indication of each direction that the first plurality of items of electronic information is scrollable within the first display; and

the indicator is further responsive to its placement along the viewing panel and proximate to the second display to provide an indication of each direction that the second plurality of items of electronic information is scrollable within the second display.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the indicator is further responsive to the position of the indicator along the viewing panel to provide an indication of each direction that the indicator may be moved along the viewing panel.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein

the indicator is a focus indicator;

and

the system further comprises a navigation indicator that is coupled to and moves with the focus indicator, and the navigation indicator is responsive to the position of the focus indicator along the viewing panel to provide an indication of each direction that the focus indicator may be moved along the viewing panel.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the navigation indicator comprises a group of directional arrows.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein

the first display is operative for scrolling the first plurality of items of electronic information so that different items of the first plurality of items of electronic information may be displayed by the viewing panel;

and

the focus indicator is positionable along the viewing panel to provide an indication of the selection of an item of the first plurality of items of electronic information that is displayed by the viewing panel, and while the focus indicator is positioned to provide an indication of the selection of an item of the first plurality of items of electronic information, the navigation indicator is responsive to the positioning of the first plurality of items of electronic information relative to the viewing panel to provide an indication of each direction that the first group may be scrolled.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the electronic information items of the first display and the second display are scrollable independent of each other.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the viewing panel extends in a fixed position across only the portion of the first display and the second display.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein the indicator provides an indication of each direction that the first display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the first display and an indication of each direction that the second display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the second display.

16. A method for retrieving and displaying electronic information comprising category items and information items, the category items presented within a category display and the information items presented within an information display, comprising the steps of:

scrolling the category display until a first category item appears within a viewing panel extending in a fixed position along and defining only a portion of the category display and only a portion of the information display, the category display operable to contemporaneously display more than one of the category items and being scrollable when an indicator movable along the viewing panel is positioned proximate to the category display;

moving the indicator along the viewing panel from the category display to a position on the viewing panel proximate to the information display;

scrolling the information display that corresponds to the first category, wherein the information display comprises a selection of the information items and the information display is scrolled until a first information item appears within the viewing panel, the information display operable to contemporaneously display more than one of the information items and being scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the information display,

wherein the first category item and the first information item are presented within the viewing panel.

17. The method recited in claim 16, wherein:

the category display contemporaneously displays the category items; and

the information display contemporaneously displays the selection of the information items.

18. The method recited in claim 17, wherein the step of scrolling the category display until a first category item appears within the viewing panel causes the selection of the information items to correspond with the first category item.

19. The method recited in claim 16, wherein the indicator comprises a focus frame, and further comprising the step of moving the focus frame along the viewing panel to the category display, wherein the focus frame is operative to supply an indication of user control of the category display when the focus frame is positioned along the category display;

and wherein the step of scrolling the category display comprises scrolling in a selected vertical direction the category items until the first category item appears within the viewing panel.

20. The method recited in claim 19, further comprising:

the step of moving the focus frame along the viewing panel to the information display, wherein the focus frame is operative to supply an indication of user control of the information display when the focus frame is positioned along the information display; and

the step of scrolling the information display comprises scrolling in a selected vertical direction the selection of the information items until the first information item appears within the viewing panel.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the indicator provides an indication of each direction that the category display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the category display and an indication of each direction that the information display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the information display.

22. A system for displaying items of electronic information, comprising:

a category display for contemporaneously displaying a plurality of category tiles representing categories of the items of electronic information in response to scrolling the category tiles;

an information display for contemporaneously displaying a plurality of information tiles representing the items of electronic information in response to scrolling the information tiles, wherein each of the items of electronic information is associated with at least one of the categories; and

a viewing panel extending along only a portion of each of the category display and the information display for displaying one each of the category tiles and information tiles; and

an indicator, movable only along the viewing panel, operative to provide an indication of the selection of one of the category tiles displayed within the viewing panel when the indicator is positioned proximate to the category display, the indicator further operative to provide an indication of the selection of one of the information tiles when the indicator is positioned proximate to the information display,

wherein the information display, responsive to one of the category tiles representing a selected category appearing within the viewing panel, displays at least one of the information tiles representing an available one of the items of electronic information associated with the selected category,

wherein the category display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the category display and the information display is scrollable when the indicator is moved from a position proximate to the category display to a position proximate to the information display.

23. The system recited in claim 22, wherein the array of category tiles are maintained in alphabetical order.

24. The system recited in claim 22, wherein each of the information tiles comprises at least a program name, program date and start time, and program channel.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the category display and the information display are operative to respectively display up to a predetermined number of the category tiles and the information tiles.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the category tiles are stored within a database and are retrievable to support the display of the category tiles by the category display.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the information tiles are stored within the database, and at least one of the information tiles representing one of the items of electronic information associated with the selected category is retrieved from the database in response to one of the category tiles representing the selected category appearing within the viewing panel.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the category display and the information display are scrollable independent of each other.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the indicator provides an indication of each direction that the category display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the category display and an indication of each direction that the information display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the information display.

30. A method for retrieving and displaying electronic information comprising category items and information items, the category items presented within a category display and the information items presented within an information display, comprising the steps of:

scrolling the category display until a first category item appears within a viewing panel extending in a fixed position along and defining only a portion of the category display and only a portion of the information display, the category display operable to contemporaneously display more than one of the category items and being scrollable only while an indicator movable along the viewing panel is positioned proximate to the category display;

moving the indicator along the viewing panel from a position proximate to the category display to a position proximate to the information display, which is operable to contemporaneously display more than one of the information item;

scrolling the information display until a first information item appears within the viewing panel while the indicator is positioned proximate to the information display, the first information item corresponding to the category for the first category item,

wherein the viewing panel displays the first category item and the first information item and the indicator provides an indication of each direction that the category display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the category display and an indication of each direction that the information display is scrollable when the indicator is positioned proximate to the information display.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the indicator further supplies a visual indication of at least one direction that the indicator can be moved along the viewing panel.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the indicator comprises:

a focus indicator operative to provide an indication of the selection of the first category item when the focus indicator is positioned proximate to the category display and to provide an indication of the selection of the first information item when the focus frame is positioned proximate to the information display; and

a navigation indicator, movable with the focus indicator, for providing an indication of each direction that the focus indicator may be moved along the viewing panel based on the position of the focus indicator on the viewing panel.