Method and apparatus for displaying an electronic program guide

• US 6,034,677 A
• Filed: 10/17/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Noguchi, Fujio, Ota, Takaaki, Mugura, Kazuto
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/953,035
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/327, 348/6, 348/10, 348/13, 348/553, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/566-569, 348/570-731, 455/3.1, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/6.1, 455/6.2
• US Class Current: 715/719
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• 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 method and apparatus for displaying programming information by translating the display of a broadcast of a program are provided. Programming information is displayed along with the program broadcast on the screen such that no portion of the broadcast is covered by the programming information. A multiple channel broadcasting system is tuned to a channel to provide a display of a broadcast of a program on a screen. Programming information is displayed that identifies channels in the broadcasting system. When displaying the programming information, the display of the program broadcast is translated to a smaller broadcast window on the screen by superimposing at least one of a series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines over the display of the broadcast on the screen. When removing the programming information from the display, the broadcast system translates the video of a broadcast of a program displayed in the smaller broadcast window to a larger broadcast window by superimposing at least one of a series of successively larger broadcast window outlines over the display device. The broadcast system then causes the display of the programming information to be removed from the display.

Claims

1. In a multiple channel broadcasting system in which programs are broadcasted for display on a screen, a method for generating an on-screen guide for a user to select channels to view, comprising the steps of:

tuning to a channel to provide a display of a broadcast of a program on the screen;

displaying an electronic program guide identifying channels in the broadcasting system;

translating the display of a broadcast of a program to a smaller broadcast window on the screen, said step of translating comprising the steps of superimposing at least one of a series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines over the display of the broadcast on the screen and displaying the broadcast in the smaller broadcast window; and

displaying the electronic program guide along with the broadcast on the screen, such that no portion of the broadcast is covered by the electronic program guide.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a display information packet containing a description of the program is displayed with the electronic program guide.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein an electronic category guide is displayed with the electronic program guide.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display information packet is selectively replaced by an electronic category guide containing a plurality of program categories.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a first broadcast window outline of the series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines is shorter in length and narrower in width than the screen.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein a second broadcast window outline of said series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines is shorter in length and narrower in width than said first outline.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the size of a broadcast window is not changed until the size of a smallest superimposed broadcast window outline equals a predetermined smallest broadcast window size.

8. A system comprising:

a processor configured to be coupled to a display device, said processor,

configured to control the system to tune to a channel in a multiple channel broadcasting system to provide a broadcast of a program on the display device;

configured to control the system to generate an electronic program guide identifying channels in the broadcasting system;

configured to control the system to translate the display of the broadcast of the program to a smaller broadcast window on the display device, said translation superimposing at least one of a series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines over the display of the broadcast on the display device; and

configured to control the system to display the electronic program guide along with the broadcast on the display device, such that no portion of the broadcast is covered by the electronic program guide.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to control the system to generate a display information packet containing a description of said first program.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to control the system to generate an electronic category guide containing a plurality of programming categories.

11. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the size of a broadcast window is not changed until the size of a smallest superimposed broadcast window outline equals said predetermined smallest broadcast window size.

12. A system for generating an on-screen guide, comprising:

a display device;

an electronic program guide displaying on the display device, said electronic program guide identifying channels in a multiple channel broadcasting system;

a broadcast of a program displayed on the display device; and

a controller that translates the broadcast from a first size to a smaller second size when the electronic program guide is displayed by superimposing at least one of a series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines over the display of the broadcast on the screen.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a display information packet containing a description of the first program, the display information packet displayed along with the electronic program guide.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said display information packet is selectively replaced by an electronic category guide containing a plurality of programming categories.

15. The system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the size of a broadcast window is not changed until the size of a smallest superimposed video broadcast window outline equals a predetermined smallest video broadcast window size.

16. A computer readable medium containing executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the system to perform the steps for generating an on-screen guide for a user to select channels in a multiple channel broadcasting system comprising:

tuning to a channel to provide a display of a broadcast of a program on a display;

generating an electronic program guide identifying channels in the broadcasting system;

translating the display of the broadcast of the program to a smaller broadcast window on the screen, said step of translating comprising the steps of superimposing at least one of a series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines over the display of the broadcast on the screen and displaying the broadcast in the smaller broadcast window; and

displaying the electronic program guide along with the broadcast on the screen, such that no portion of the broadcast is covered by the electronic program guide.

17. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 16, wherein a display information packet containing a description of said first program is displayed with the electronic program guide.

18. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17, wherein an electronic category guide containing a plurality of programming categories is displayed with the electronic program guide.

19. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 16, wherein the size of a broadcast window is not changed until the size of a smallest superimposed video broadcast window outline equals a predetermined smallest video broadcast window size.

20. In a multiple channel broadcasting system which displays a first window containing a broadcast of a program and a second window containing programming information, a method for removing the programming information from a display, comprising the steps of:

translating the broadcast of a program displayed in the first window to a larger window on the display by superimposing at least one of a series of successively larger video window outlines over the screen;

removing the display of said programming information from said display;

displaying said video of a broadcast in the area of the largest video window outline.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein the step of removing the display of the programming information is performed prior to the step of translating.

22. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein the step of translating is performed prior to the step of removing the display of the programming information.

23. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein the programming information comprises an electronic program guide.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the programming information includes a display information packet.

25. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the programming information includes an electronic category guide.

26. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein a first outline of said series of successively larger video window outlines is longer in length and wider in width than the first broadcast window.

27. The method as set forth in claim 26, wherein a second outline of said series of successively larger video window outlines is longer in length and wider in width than said first outline.

28. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein said step of translating redisplays the video broadcast in an area defined by each successively larger broadcast window outline.

29. A system comprising:

a processor configured to be coupled to a display device, said processor,

configured to control the system to tune to a channel in a multiple channel broadcasting system to provide a broadcast of a program on said display device in a first window on the display;

configured to control the system to generate programming information identifying channels in the broadcasting system;

configured to control the system to translate video of the broadcast of a program to a smaller broadcast window on the display device, said translation superimposing at least one of a series of successively smaller broadcast window outlines over the broadcast on the display device;

configured to control the system to display the programming information along with the translated broadcast on the display device.

30. The system as set forth in claim 29, wherein the programming information is an electronic program guide.

31. The system as set forth in claim 30, wherein the programming information includes a display information packet, the display information packet containing a description of said first program.

32. The system as set forth in claim 30, wherein the programming information includes an electronic category guide, the electronic category guide containing a plurality of programming categories.

33. The system as set forth in claim 29, wherein the programming information is removed from the display device, said processor,

configured to control the system to translate video of a broadcast of a program displayed in the smaller broadcast window to a larger broadcast window on the display device by superimposing at least one of a series of successively larger broadcast window outlines over the display device;

configured to control the system to remove the display of the programming information from said display device;

configured to control the system to display the video of the broadcast in the area of the largest broadcast window outline.

34. The computer system as set forth in claim 33, wherein the processor controls the system to remove the display of the programming information prior to translating the video of a broadcast of a program.

35. The computer system as set forth in claim 33, wherein the processor controls the system to translate the video of a broadcast of a program prior to removing the display of the programming information.