Method and apparatus for browsing television channel information by category

• US 6,243,145 B1
• Filed: 05/01/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schlarb, John M., Rodriguez, Arturo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): SaJous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US09/071,602
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/906, 348/569, 348/731, 348/734, 348/1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.2, 455/5.1, 345/327
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• 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

Abstract

A cable television system (100) includes a display (235) for displaying program information, a terminal (120) for controlling the presentation of the program information, a memory (240) for storing operational parameters, and a receiver (220) for receiving user inputs. A method for presenting the program information within the cable television system (100) includes the steps of storing the program information, including channel information and category information indicative of categories and channels associated with the categories, receiving (510) a command indicating that channel information is to be presented, and driving (520) the display (235) to present only program information associated with channels included in a selected category. The display (235) can, for instance, be driven with a browse banner (310) or a program guide that includes channel information about channels included in the selected category and omits channel information about channels not included in the selected category.

Claims

1. A terminal for providing program information to a display in a cable television system, the terminal comprising:

a memory for storing the program information including channel information and category information indicative of categories and channels associated with the categories;

a receiver coupled to the memory for receiving at least one user input indicative of a selection of a category; and

a processor, coupled to the memory and the receiver and, when in a browse mode, operative for;

setting, in response a first user input indicative of the selection of a category, a selected category as the category associated with the first user input;

determining, in response to a second user input indicative of the selection of a category, if the category associated with the second user input is a different category from the category associated with the first user input; and

setting, in response to the category associated with the second user input being a different category, the selected category to be the category associated with the second user input; and

activating the display to present only program information associated with channels included in the selected category.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the receiver is operative to receive scrolling related user input and the processor is responsive to the scrolling related user input to cause the scrolling display on the display of only the program information associated with the channels included in the selected category.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the receiver is operative to for receive category display user input and the processor is responsive to the category display user input to cause the display on the display of information indicative of the selected category.

4. A method for providing program information to a subscriber of a cable television system including a terminal for controlling the presentation of the program information, a memory for storing operational parameters, and a receiver for receiving user inputs, the method comprising the steps of:

storing the program information, including channel information and category information indicative of categories and channels associated with the categories;

receiving a command indicating that channel information is to be presented;

driving a display to present only program information associated with channels included in a selected category, including presentation of information about a first channel included in the selected category and, responsive to receiving a scroll command, presentation of information about a second channel included in the selected category; and

in response to receiving a category change command, changing the selected category within the memory and updating the program information that is presented by the display to reflect that the selected category has been changed.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

causing the display to present information indicative of the selected category.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the driving step comprises the step of:

presenting a program guide on the display, the program guide displaying channel information for channels included in the selected category and omitting channel information for channels not included in the selected category.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the driving step comprises the step of:

presenting a browse banner on the display, the browse banner displaying channel information indicative of a first channel included in the selected category and program information indicative of a program name and program time for the first channel.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, subsequent to the presenting step, the steps of:

receiving a category display command; and

displaying a category banner along with the browse banner, the category banner presenting information indicative of the selected category.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, subsequent to the displaying step, the steps of:

receiving a category change command;

displaying information indicative of a next category within the category banner; and

updating the memory to indicate that the next category is the selected category.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising, subsequent to the displaying step, the steps of:

receiving a programming command indicative of a selected channel to be removed from the selected category; and

updating the memory to indicate that the selected channel is included within the selected category.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, subsequent to the displaying step, the steps of:

receiving a programmed command indicative of a selected channel to be removed from the selected category; and

updating the memory to indicate that the selected channel is no longer included within the selected category.

12. A method for providing program information to a subscriber of a cable television system, the method comprising the steps of:

storing the program information, including channel information and category information indicative of categories and channels associated with the categories;

receiving a command indicating that channel information is to be presented for a selected category;

causing the presentation of a browse banner on a display, the browse banner displaying program information and channel information associated with only the channels included in the selected category, the initial channel information indicative of a first channel included in the selected category and the initial program information indicative of a program name and program time corresponding to the first channel;

receiving a category display command; and

causing the presentation of a category banner along with the browse banner, the category banner presenting information indicative of the selected category.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of causing the presentation of a browse banner further comprises the steps of:

presenting information about a first channel included in the selected category;

receiving a scroll command; and

presenting information about a second channel included in the selected category.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a category change command;

changing the selected category within the memory; and

updated the program information that is presented by the display to reflect that the selected category has been changed.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a category change command;

displaying information indicative of a next category within the category banner; and

updating the memory to indicate that the next category is the selected category.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising, subsequent to displaying information, the steps of:

receiving a programming command indicative of a selected channel to be added to the selected category; and

updating the memory to indicate that the selected channel is included within the selected category.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising, subsequent to displaying information, the steps of:

receiving a programming command indicative of a selected channel to be removed from the selected category; and

updating the memory to indicate that the selected channel is no longer included within the selected category.

18. A method for creating a table associating a plurality of categories with a plurality of channels, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning at least one of the plurality of categories to at least one of the plurality of channels;

assigning a particular bit location within a binary number to each of the plurality of categories;

creating a binary number for the at least one channel, wherein the binary number includes a bit at each particular bit location for each category assigned to the at least one channel; and

creating a table associating the binary number for the at least one channel to the at least one channel, wherein the binary number associates the assigned at least one category to the at least one channel.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the binary number for the at least one channel includes a single bit at a particular location representing a single category assigned to the at least one channel.

20. The method of claim 18, further including the steps of:

creating, following the step of creating a table, a new binary number for the at least one channel to reflect a new assignment of the at least one of the plurality of categories to the at least one of the plurality of channels; and

updating the table to associate the new binary number to the at least one channel.

21. The method of claim 18, further including the step of causing a restricted display of program information based on a user selected category and the table, wherein the program information is restricted to the portion of program information for the channels in the table to which the selected category is assigned.

22. The method of claim 18, further including the step of causing a restricted tuning of channels based on a user selected category and the table, wherein the tuning is restricted to the channels in the table to which the selected category is assigned.