Database for use in method and apparatus for displaying television programs and related text
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for displaying television program information comprising the steps of:
- storing in electronic memory electronic program guide information including for each television program, title, start time, and regional channel name;
storing in electronic memory a channel map that links channel names with local channel numbers;
selecting a particular on-screen guide for display;
retrieving from electronic memory electronic program guide (EPG) information required to display the selected on-screen guide, including title, start time, and regional channel name;
retrieving from electronic memory the local channel number linked to each regional channel name retrieved from electronic memory;
displaying the retrieved titles, start times, regional channel names, and the local channel numbers as the selected on-screen guide.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A database consisting of inventive data structures is used to facilitate the creation of electronic program guides when used with a television program schedule system. The database is periodically updated with television program schedule information and is interrogated by a schedule system in order to create program guides.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A method for displaying television program information comprising the steps of:
-
storing in electronic memory electronic program guide information including for each television program, title, start time, and regional channel name; storing in electronic memory a channel map that links channel names with local channel numbers; selecting a particular on-screen guide for display; retrieving from electronic memory electronic program guide (EPG) information required to display the selected on-screen guide, including title, start time, and regional channel name; retrieving from electronic memory the local channel number linked to each regional channel name retrieved from electronic memory; displaying the retrieved titles, start times, regional channel names, and the local channel numbers as the selected on-screen guide. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
-
-
4. Apparatus for displaying television program listings on the screen of a monitor comprising:
-
a memory having a first area in which the titles of television programs to be telecast are stored at specified addresses and a second area in which the specified addresses of the titles are stored in a grid of times and channels, a designated location in the second area being assigned to each telecast time and channel such that the address of the title of a program is stored in the location designated for the telecast time and channel of that program; means responsive to a request to display a program guide for scanning the locations of times of a channel in the second area to retrieve the addresses stored therein; means for retrieving the titles at the addresses in the first area; means for composing program listings from the retrieved titles and the times for display on the screen; and means for coupling the composed listings to the screen. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 30)
-
-
13. Apparatus for displaying television program listings on the screen of a monitor comprising:
-
a memory having a first area in which the titles of television programs to be telecast are stored at specified addresses and a second area in which the specified addresses of the titles are stored in a grid of time and channels, a designated location in the second area being assigned to each telecast time and channel such that the address of the title of a program is stored in the location designated for the telecast time and channel of that program; means responsive to a request to display a program guide for scanning the locations of channels of a time in the second area to retrieve the addresses stored therein; means for retrieving the titles at the addresses in the first area; means for composing program listings from the retrieved titles and the channels for display on the screen; and means for coupling the composed listings to the screen. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. Apparatus for displaying television program listings on the screen of a monitor comprising:
-
a memory having a first area in which show data items for a particular theme are stored, each show data item including the address of one of the other show data items to be telecast so as to link the show data items for the theme to each other and a second area in which the address of one of the show data items to be telecast is stored in a designated location; means responsive to a request to display a theme specific program guide for retrieving the address in the designated location of the second area; means responsive the address in the designated location for retrieving the addresses of the remaining show data items; means for retrieving the show data items; means for composing theme specific program listings from the retrieved show data items for display on the screen; and means for coupling the composed listings to the screen. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. A method of storing show data items in a memory for display on a television screen, the method comprising the steps of:
-
transmitting to the memory show data items each representing a time period, a channel, and a title of a program to be telecast during the time period on the channel; storing the title of each show data item at a specific address in a first area of the memory; and storing the specific address at a location in a second area of the memory assigned to the telecast time and channel represented by the show data item. - View Dependent Claims (27)
-
-
28. A method of displaying internal television channel numbers in an electronic program guide (EPG) comprising the steps of:
-
storing in memory an EPG identifying television programs by title, provider channel designation, and time of telecast; storing in memory a table that links internal channel numbers and provider channel designations; selecting from the EPG television programs meeting one or more criteria; recovering from memory the title, provider channel designation, and time of telecast of programs meeting the one or more criteria; recovering from memory the internal channel number of each provider channel designation recovered from memory; and displaying the title, internal channel number, and time of telecast of each of the selected programs. - View Dependent Claims (29)
-
Specification