Broadcast receiving apparatus

• US 6,166,778 A
• Filed: 03/27/1997
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirai, Yoshikazu, Maekawa, Emiko, Monma, Ayako, Hirose, Chie, Naito, Eiichiro, Harada, Yoshinori, Yamamoto, Sozo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/827,173
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 348/906, 348/578, 348/734, 348/327, 348/328
• US Class Current: 348/569
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The present invention relates to, in a broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving broadcast in multiple channels, controllability of setting of desired programs out of multiple programs being broadcast, and various manipulations and selections about such programs, inspection of the charge amount situation, and prevention of wrong use about connection to a telephone circuit, and these manipulations are effected in an interactive manner with the screen display shown in appropriate display format, layout, shape and color, considering psychological effects, according to the natural flow of thought of general users who manipulate. More specifically, the menu panel showing manipulation items in layers is displayed characters and expression of proper size suited to the broadcast receiving apparatus, and the layer index is attached to the menu panel, so that the layer of the present manipulation may be known at a glance, and moreover in the program list display, an official program name display column is displayed in a predetermined specific position, outside of the program list display column, and the display state of this official program name display column is maintained if the picture is changed to the broadcast content briefing picture or reserve condition customize picture. In addition, the access to the modem or IC card is indicated by the indicator, and the charge amount detail can be known from the IC card.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving apparatus for use with a display and, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined time period in a program list column, comprising:

means for displaying a program description in a specified region of the display for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

means for displaying other programs by separation lines between program displays,

means for displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines,

means for displaying i) an official program name column which includes detailed information of one of said programs, and ii) a program list column which includes a time column and a channel column, when the program list is displayed by entering a program list display mode,

means for displaying the detailed information of said program in the official program name column when the cursor is moved to said program in the program list column,

means for maintaining a display state of the official program name column when a mode of the apparatus is changed from the program list display mode to a broadcast content briefing mode by selecting said program with the cursor of a controller, and

means for displaying content briefing display for displaying a detailed content about the selected program.

2. A broadcast receiving apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for maintaining the display state of the official program name column, and

means for displaying a customized display selecting a reception format of the selected program in substantially an entire area of the content briefing display, when a reserve instruction button appears in the content briefing display in the broadcast content briefing mode,

wherein the reserve instruction button is activated to change from the broadcast content briefing display to a reserve condition customize display.

3. A broadcast receiving apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

means for displaying a confirmation display for confirming a program reservation in substantially an entire area of a customize display,

when the display is changed from the customize display to the confirmation display.

4. A broadcast receiving apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for displaying i) a broadcast data column in a predetermined position on the display, ii) the official program name column, and iii) at least one of the program list column, content briefing display, customize display and confirm display.

5. A broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1

means for displaying said official program name column displays said official program name has been added of said program corresponding to a cell specified by a cursor in the program list column,

means for varying a display format of the cell specified by the cursor different from the display format when not specified, and

means for varying the display format of the official program name column to be substantially similar to the cell specified by the cursor.

6. A broadcast receiving apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

means for displaying an attribute of the program corresponding to a cell in the program list column by a corresponding icon when the program is assigned with at least one of a charge attribute and an age limit attribute, and

means for displaying an explanatory statement corresponding to the icon in the official program name column when the cell is specified by the cursor.

7. A broadcast receiving apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

means for displaying i) a broadcast data column in a predetermined position on the display, ii) the official program name column, and at least one of i) the program list column, content briefing display, iii) customize display and iv) confirm display.

8. A broadcast receiving apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

means for displaying i) a broadcast data column in a predetermined position on the display, ii) the official program name column, and at least one of i) the program list column, ii) content briefing display, iii) customize display and iv) confirm display.

9. A broadcast receiving apparatus for use with a display and, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined time period in a program list column, comprising:

means for displaying a program description in a specified region of the display for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

means for displaying other programs by separation lines between program displays,

means for displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines,

wherein program selection by the at least one of the program rating and the program category is determined by a duration of broadcasting time of the program.

10. A broadcast receiving apparatus for use with a display and, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined time period in a program list column, comprising:

means for displaying a program description in a specified region of the display for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

means for displaying other programs by separation lines between program displays,

means for displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines,

wherein program selection by the at least one of the program rating and the program category is determined by a predetermined rank of importance.

11. A broadcast receiving apparatus for use with a display and, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined time period in a program list column, comprising:

means for displaying a program description in a specified region of the display for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

means for displaying other programs by separation lines between program displays,

means for displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines,

means for displaying the program description by one line each in the means for displaying.

12. A program display method, for use with a display, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined period, and a program description in a program list column, comprising the steps of:

a) displaying the program description in a specified region for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

b) displaying other programs by a plurality of separation lines between the program displays, and

c) displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines

wherein detailed information about the program of the further display is displayed in a official program name column.

13. A program display method, for use with a display, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined period, and a program description in a program list column, comprising the steps of:

a) displaying the program description in a specified region for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

b) displaying other programs by a plurality of separation lines between the program displays, and

c) displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines

wherein program selection by the at least one of the program rating and the program category is determined by a duration of broadcasting time of the program.

14. A program display method, for use with a display, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined period, and a program description in a program list column, comprising the steps of:

a) displaying the program description in a specified region for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

b) displaying other programs by a plurality of separation lines between the program displays, and

c) displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines

wherein program selection by the at least one of the program rating and the program category is determined by a predetermined rank of importance.

15. A program display method, for use with a display, having a plurality of programs in a predetermined period, and a program description in a program list column, comprising the steps of:

a) displaying the program description in a specified region for a specific number of programs selected therefrom according to at least one of program rating and program category,

b) displaying other programs by a plurality of separation lines between the program displays, and

c) displaying a corresponding program description by a further display when a cursor is moved to the separation lines

further comprising the step of;

displaying the program description by one line each at the step displaying the program description.