System and method for controlling the broadcast and recording of television programs and for distributing information to be displayed on a television screen

• US 6,233,734 B1
• Filed: 03/02/1999
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Videoguide, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Videoguide, Inc.
• Inventors: Westberg, Thomas E., Macrae, Douglas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/260,117
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 345/327, 345/328, 455/3.1, 455/5.1, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 348/906, 348/460, 348/563, 348/569, 348/564, 348/10
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A system is disclosed for providing programming and other information to television viewers for enabling them to control their respective television receivers. A central broadcasting computer and associated memory gathers and stores the information to be provided, and broadcasts it in a viewing area. An information receiver positioned in close proximity to the television is linked to said central broadcasting computer to receive signals representing said information from said central broadcasting computer. The received signals are converted video displays viewable on the television receiver'"'"'s screen, and the user can use the displays to control the television receiver and other devices, such as video cassette recorders, used with the television receiver.

Claims

1. A method for presenting television program listings to television viewers comprising the steps of:

transmitting information including program schedule listings from a variety of sources to a central computer that stores the transmitted information in its own databases;

transmitting the stored information over a wide area network to a plurality of pager terminals that cover a specific geographic region;

converting the information at the pager terminals into program listings data suitable for broadcasting from the pager terminals;

broadcasting the television program listing data from the pager terminals;

receiving the data in the vicinity of each of the plurality of television receivers that have a display screen;

storing the received data in a memory associated with each television receiver; and

processing the data for display of television program listings.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the broadcasting step broadcasts the television program listings during the night.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the broadcasting step brodacasts the television program listings part of the time, depending upon usage of the pager terminals.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the data is broadcast in the 931 MHz frequency band.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the data is broadcast in analog form.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the data is converted to digital form before the storing step.

7. The method of claim 3, in which the broadcasting step broadcasts the television program listings during the night.

8. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of displaying the processed television program listings on the screen as an electronic program guide.

9. The method of claim 8, additionally comprising the step of displaying a television program on the screen instead of the electronic program guide.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is in a TCP/IP communications format.

10. Apparatus for alternatively displaying television program listings and a television program, the apparatus comprising:

a television monitor having a display screen;

first means for intercepting a television signal from a first transmission link;

means for selecting a television program from the intercepted television signal;

second means independent of the first means for intercepting from a second transmission link a pager signal that carries television program listing data;

means for storing the television program listing data in memory;

means for displaying some of the program listings of the stored data on the screen; and

means for substituting the selected television program on the screen for the displayed program listings.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which the displaying means comprises means for processing the data for display of television program listings on the screen and means for connecting the processing means to the monitor.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the monitor, the first means, the selecting means, and the substituting means are housed in a television set;

the second means, the storing means, and the processing means are housed in a set top box; and

the connecting means includes a cable from the set top box to the television set.