Systems and methods for presenting a television program guide
First Claim
1. A system for simultaneously displaying a given television channel and program guide data for a television channel other than the given television channel on a viewer'"'"'s display screen when a viewer activates a program guide, comprising:
- a tuner that receives a plurality of television channels;
a computer that automatically tunes the tuner to the given television channel when the viewer activates the program guide; and
a signal combiner that is coupled to the tuner and that causes at least a portion of the given television channel and the program guide data for the television channel other than the given television channel to be simultaneously displayed on the viewer'"'"'s display screen.
15 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system interactively controlled by a TV viewer remote control transmitter displays portions of a scroll program guide on the viewer'"'"'s display screen. A tuner receives TV radio frequency or optical transmission signals in a plurality of cable channels and passes a viewer usable signal to a signal combiner. A computer receives control signals from the TV viewer remote control transmitter. It controls the tuner to pass the viewer usable signal in response to one of the control signals. It receives and stores a scroll input picture image signal containing local program guide data and generates a scroll output picture image signal consisting of at least a portion of the scroll input picture image signal. The signal combiner combines the viewer usable signal from the tuner with the output picture image signal from the computer to provide a display signal for input to the viewer'"'"'s display screen. The computer is responsive to variable control signals from the remote to advance, back up, and freeze the scroll output picture image signal. It is also responsive to directional control signals from the remote to reposition a "highlight" background to corresponding program data slots on the scroll grid and to display further program information corresponding to the program of the data slot shown in "highlight". In addition, it is responsive to further directional control signals to redraw the grid to display earlier or later time segment program data than is normally displayed on the viewer'"'"'s screen.
141 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A system for simultaneously displaying a given television channel and program guide data for a television channel other than the given television channel on a viewer'"'"'s display screen when a viewer activates a program guide, comprising:
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a tuner that receives a plurality of television channels; a computer that automatically tunes the tuner to the given television channel when the viewer activates the program guide; and a signal combiner that is coupled to the tuner and that causes at least a portion of the given television channel and the program guide data for the television channel other than the given television channel to be simultaneously displayed on the viewer'"'"'s display screen. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for simultaneously displaying a given television channel and program guide data for a television channel other than the given television channel on a viewer'"'"'s display screen when a viewer activates a program guide, comprising:
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receiving a plurality of television channels; automatically tuning to the given television channel when the viewer activates the program guide; and causing at least a portion of the given television channel and the program guide data for the television channel other than the given television channel to be simultaneously displayed on the viewer'"'"'s display screen. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification