Electronic program guide having different modes for viewing

• US 6,133,962 A
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation Of America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation Of America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sciammarella, Eduardo A., Servan-Schreiber, Franklin, Proehl, Andrew M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/183,010
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 348/569, 348/906, 348/563, 348/564
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

An improved electronic programming guide (EPG) having time blocks capable of selectively expanding and contracting in size, according to a mode of the EPG, in order to facilitate fast and efficient time navigation through available programming by a viewer of multiple channel broadcast system. In one implementation, when a navigation element remains stationary over a time block for a period of time, a multiple program display mode is initiated, and the time block increases in size relative to other displayed time blocks. Responsive to the navigation element moving outside the time block, a navigation mode is initiated, wherein the time block as well as other displayed time blocks become equal in size, and display only the channel information for a particular channel segment.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) to a viewer of a multiple channel broadcast system, comprising the steps of:

in response to a navigation element of the multiple channel broadcast system remaining stationary over a time block of a plurality of time blocks of the electronic program guide for a predetermined period of time, entering a multiple program display mode in which the time block increases to a first size and the size of the rest of the plurality of time blocks decrease to a second size that is smaller than the first size and channel information for each channel segment of a plurality of channel segments of the time block are displayed on a display screen of the system; and

in response to the navigation element of the system moving outside the time block, entering a navigation mode in which the time block decreases in size and the rest of the plurality of time blocks increase in size so that each time block of the plurality of time blocks are of equal size and only a channel information corresponding to a channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block is displayed on the display screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel information of the channel segment is a title of a program of the channel segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel information corresponding to the channel segment is displayed over the channel segment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation element is controlled by a remote control device of the multiple channel broadcast system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation element is controlled by a computer of the multiple channel broadcast system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation element is controlled by a set-top box of the multiple channel broadcast system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewer of the multiple channel broadcast system controls movement of the navigation element.

8. A storage media containing a computer program for displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) to a viewer of a multiple channel broadcast system, comprising:

in response to a navigation element of the multiple channel broadcast system remaining stationary over a time block of a plurality of time blocks of the electronic program guide for a predetermined period of time, instructions for entering a multiple program display mode in which the time block increases to a first size and the size of the rest of the plurality of time blocks decrease to a second size that is smaller than the first size and channel information for each channel segment of a plurality of channel segments of the time block are displayed on a display screen of the system; and

in response to the navigation element of the system moving outside the time block, instructions for entering a navigation mode in which the time block decreases in size and the rest of the plurality of time blocks increase in size so that each time block of the plurality of time blocks are of equal size and only a channel information corresponding to a channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block is displayed on the display screen.

9. An electronic program guide of a multiple channel broadcast system displayed on a display screen of the system, comprising:

a plurality of time blocks each having a plurality of channel segments, with each channel segment corresponding to a channel a plurality of channels displayed on the display screen; and

a navigation element,

wherein in response to the navigation element remaining stationary over a time block of the plurality of time blocks for a predetermined period of time, entering a multiple program display mode in which the time block increases to a first size and the size of the rest of the plurality of time blocks decreases to a second size that is smaller than the first size and channel information for each channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block are displayed on the display screen; and

in response to the navigation element of the system moving outside the time block, entering a navigation mode in which the time block decreases in size and the rest of the plurality of time blocks increase in size so that each time block of the plurality of time blocks are of equal size and only a channel information corresponding to a channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block is displayed on the display screen.

10. The electronic program guide of claim 9, wherein the channel information of the channel segment is a title of the program of the channel segment.

11. The electronic program guide of claim 9, wherein the channel information corresponding to the channel segment is displayed over the channel segment.

12. The electronic program guide of claim 9, wherein the navigation element is a cursor controlled by a viewer of the multiple channel broadcast system.

13. The electronic program guide of claim 9, wherein the navigation element is controlled by a remote control device of the multiple channel broadcast system.

14. The electronic program guide of claim 13, wherein the navigation element is a cursor.

15. The electronic program guide of claim 9, wherein the navigation element is controlled by a computer of the multiple channel broadcast system.

16. The electronic program guide of claim 15, wherein the navigation element is a cursor.

17. The electronic program guide of claim 9, wherein the navigation element is controlled by a set-top box of the multiple channel broadcast system.

18. The electronic program guide of claim 17, wherein the navigation element is a cursor.

19. An electronic program guide of a multiple channel broadcast system displayed on a display screen of the system, comprising:

a plurality of time blocks each having a plurality of channel segments, with each channel segment corresponding to a channel of a plurality of channels displayed on the display screen;

a navigation element;

means for entering a multiple program display mode in which the time block increases to a first size and the size of the rest of the plurality of time blocks decreases to a second size that is smaller than the first size and channel information for each channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block are displayed on the display screen, in response to the navigation element remaining stationary over a time block of the plurality of time blocks for a predetermined period of time; and

means for entering a navigation mode in which the time block decreases in size and the rest of the plurality of time blocks increase in size so that each time block of the plurality of time blocks are of equal size and only a channel information corresponding to a channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block is displayed on the display screen, in response to the navigation element of the system moving outside the time block.

20. A multiple channel broadcast system capable of providing an electronic program guide (EPG) to a viewer of the multiple channel broadcast system, comprising:

a display screen that displays the electronic program guide, wherein the electronic program guide comprises;

a plurality of time blocks each having a plurality of channel segments, with each channel segment corresponding to a channel of a plurality of channels displayed on the display screen; and

a navigation element;

an antenna for receiving one or more channel to be displayed on the display screen;

an integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) having a computer program that is operatively coupled to the display screen and the antenna; and

a remote control device operatively coupled to the computer program of the IRD that controls navigation of the navigation element, wherein in response to the navigation element remaining stationary over a time block of the plurality of time blocks for a predetermined period of time, entering a multiple program display mode in which the time block increases to a first size and the size of the rest of the plurality of time blocks decreases to a second size that is smaller than the first size and channel information for each channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block are displayed on the display screen, and

in response to the navigation element of the system moving outside the time block, entering a navigation mode in which the time block decreases in size and the rest of the plurality of time blocks increase in size so that each time block of the plurality of time blocks are of equal size and only a channel information corresponding to a channel segment of the plurality of channel segments of the time block is displayed on the display screen.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the channel information of the channel segment is a title of the program of the channel segment.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the channel information corresponding to the channel segment is displayed over the channel segment.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the navigation element is a cursor controlled by a viewer of the multiple channel broadcast system.