Method and system for simultaneously displaying a television program and information about the program

• US 6,239,794 B1
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E-Guide Inc.
• Inventors: Leung, Elsie, Mankovitz, Roy J., Kwoh, Daniel S., Yuen, Henry C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US08/475,395
• Time in Patent Office: 2,183 Days
• Field of Search: 348/565, 348/906, 348/12, 348/563, 348/564, 348/566, 348/567, 348/570, 348/731, 348/732
• US Class Current: 725/41
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A television viewer uses a PIP format for display of program related information such as television program listings from a program schedule data base in the background and moving, real time or stored video clip images of a program selected from the displayed listings in the PIP window. All the text of the background information lies outside the PIP window. In one embodiment, as the viewer selects a particular program from the display of current television program listings by means of a cursor or a code number, the corresponding program automatically appears in the PIP window.

Claims

1. A method of channel surfing with television apparatus having a tuner and a screen, the method comprising in the order recited the steps of:

storing in a memory a plurality of current and future television program listings representing telecast programs, each program listing including a channel identification;

displaying in a first area of the screen some of the program listings including a current program listing;

marking the current program listing in the first area of the screen;

retrieving from the memory the channel identification of the marked program listing;

using the retrieved channel identification to set the tuner to receive the telecast program represented by the marked program listing;

displaying in a second area of the screen the telecast program received by the tuner;

displaying a future program listing among the program listings in the first area of the screen; and

marking the future program listing in the first area of the screen in place of the current program listing without changing the program displayed in the second area.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising replacing the current program listings in the first area of the screen with future program listings for a single channel.

3. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising replacing the current program listings in the first area of the screen with future program listings for a single time.

4. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising replacing the current program listings in the first area of the screen with future program listings for a single theme.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the step of displaying in the second area displays the entire image of the program telecast on the particular channel.

6. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of displaying in a third area of the screen a description of the program represented by the marked program list.

7. The method of claim 6, in which the marking steps mark the program listing with a cursor of a given color and the step of displaying in a third area displays a background of the given color.

21. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of displaying in a third area of the screen a description of the current or future program corresponding to the marked program listings.

8. A method of channel surfing with television apparatus having a tuner and a screen, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in a memory a plurality of current and future television program listings representing telecast programs;

setting the tuner to receive the program telecast on a particular channel;

displaying the received program full screen;

switching from the full screen display to a program guide mode;

in the program guide mode simultaneously displaying in a first area of the screen the program telecast on the particular channel, displaying in a second area of the screen some of the program listings stored in the memory including the current program listing corresponding to the program displayed in the first area, marking the program listing corresponding to the program displayed in the first area with a cursor, and displaying in a third area of the screen a description of the program displayed in the first area;

moving the cursor to mark a future program listing displayed in the second area; and

switching the display in the third area to a description of the program corresponding to the marked future program listing responsive to the cursor movement without changing the program displayed in the first area.

9. The method of claim 8, in which the storing step stores current program listings including a channel identification and the step of displaying in the second area displays current program listings, the method additionally comprising the steps of:

retrieving from the memory the channel identification of the marked program listing; and

using the retrieved channel identification to set the tuner to receive the telecast program represented by the marked program listing; and

substituting on the screen for the program telecast on the particular channel the telecast program represented by the marked program listing.

10. The method of claim 9, in which the storing step also stores future program listings, the method additionally comprising the step of replacing the current program listings in the second area of the screen with some of the future program listings stored in the memory without changing the program displayed in the first area.

11. The method of claim 8, in which the storing step stores future program listings, the step of displaying in the second area displays future program listings, the step of marking a program listing marks a future program listing, and the step of displaying in a third area of the screen a description of the program represented by the marked program listing displays the description without changing the program displayed in the first area.

12. An entertainment system comprising:

a television display having a screen;

a television tuner for recovering currently telecast video programs;

a source of a schedule of program listings including listings for currently telecast video programs, a program description at a first level of detail for each program listing, and a program description at a second level of detail for each program listing;

means for displaying some of the program listings for currently telecast video programs from the source in a first area of the screen;

an input device for selectively marking one of the displayed program listings for a currently telecast video program;

means responsive to the input device for controlling the tuner to display in a second smaller and nonoverlapping area of the screen simultaneously with the program listings the currently telecast video program corresponding to the marked program listing, such that the entire image of the video program is visible in real time;

means for displaying in a third area of the screen the program description at the first level of detail corresponding to the marked program listing; and

means responsive to the input device for substituting the program description at the second level of detail corresponding to the marked program listing for the program listings displayed in the first area.

13. A method of channel surfing with television apparatus having a tuner and a screen, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in a memory a plurality of current television program listings representing telecast programs, each program listing including a channel identification;

setting the tuner to receive a current program telecast on a particular channel;

displaying in a first area of the screen at least some of the current program listings stored in the memory;

simultaneously displaying in a second area of the screen in real time a current television program;

successively marking on the screen current program listings displayed in the first area;

successively retrieving from the memory channel identifications of the marked program listings;

using the retrieved channel identifications to set the tuner successively to receive the current telecast programs represented by the marked program listings and successively to display such programs in the second area of the screen as program listings are marked in the first area; and

responsive to a user command, maintaining the current telecast program displayed in the second area as program listings are successively marked in the first area.

14. The method of claim 13, additionally comprising the step of displaying a first prompt in a third area of the screen;

the maintaining step comprising the step of activating the first prompt responsive to the user command.

15. The method of claim 14, additionally comprising the step of displaying a second prompt in the third area of the screen;

the setting and displaying steps comprising the step of activating the second prompt responsive to a user command after activating the first prompt.

16. The method of claim 13, additionally comprising the step of displaying a prompt in the third area of the screen;

the setting and displaying steps comprising the step of activating the prompt responsive to a user command.

17. The method of claim 16, in which the stored program listings include themes, the method additionally comprising the step of selecting a theme and the step of displaying program listings in a first area of the screen displays program listings that meet the selected theme.

18. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising the step of displaying in a third area of the screen description of the program marked in the first area.

19. The method of claim 18, additionally comprising the steps of also storing a plurality of future television program listings in the memory, displaying one or more of the future program listings in the first area, marking one of the displayed future program listings, and changing the description in the third area to a description of the program corresponding to the marked future program listing without changing the television program displayed in the second area.

20. An entertainment system comprising:

a television display having a screen;

a source of a schedule of television program listings, a program description at a first level of detail for each program listing, and a program description at a second level of detail for each program listing;

means for displaying some of the program listings for from the source in a first area of the screen;

an input device for selectively marking one of the displayed program listings;

means for displaying in a second area of the screen the program description at the first level of detail corresponding to the marked program listing; and

means responsive to the input device for substituting the program description at the second level of detail corresponding to the marked program listing for the program listings displayed in the first area.