Receiving apparatus and display control method

• US 6,347,400 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1997
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohkura, Yukiko, Kohno, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US08/950,567
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.210, H04/N.704, H04/N.100, H04/N.102, H04/N.114, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 455/3.1, 345/327, 345/372, 348/10, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/6, 348/906, 725/60, 725/40, 725/43, 725/44
• US Class Current: 725/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• 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 time display bar is displayed in a purchasing picture, and an elapsed time indication bar for indicating an elapsed broadcast time of a selected PPV program with respect to its total broadcast time is displayed in the time display bar. By looking at the time display bar, a user can immediately and visually recognize the progress in time of the selected PPV program at the present time. Where the selected PPV program accommodates NVOD, time display bars for candidate PPV programs having the same contents as the selected PPV program and to be broadcast on different channels are also displayed in the purchasing picture. This provides more effective user interface.

Claims

1. A receiving apparatus which receives transmitted program information of a plurality of programs together with transmitted video and audio signals thereof, comprising:

selecting means for selecting a desired program from among the plurality of programs; and

chargeable program information display control means for displaying information relating to a chargeable program that is selected by a given user operation from among programs selectable by the selecting means, the chargeable program information display control means concurrently displaying a broadcast schedule of the selected program, an information field indicating whether the selected program is chargeable and the price thereof, and a graphic display indicating progress in time of the selected chargeable program at a current time prior to a purchase of the chargeable program, said graphic display being a display of elapsed broadcast time with respect to a total broadcast duration of the selected chargeable program;

wherein the chargeable program information display control means concurrently displays, as part of the information relating to the chargeable program, information relating to chargeable programs broadcast on other channels that have the same contents as the selected chargeable program, as well as a purchasing icon for enabling the purchase of the selected chargeable program; and

wherein the chargeable program information display control means judges whether the selected chargeable program is or will be additionally broadcast by a near video on demand service on said other channels, and presents a first graphic display if it is judged that the selected chargeable program is not or will not be additionally broadcast by a near video on demand service and a second graphic display if it judged that the selected chargeable program is or will be additionally broadcast by the near video on demand service.

2. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising program guide information extracting means for extracting program guide information that is superimposed on a broadcast wave received by the receiving means, wherein the chargeable program information display control means displays the information relating to the chargeable program based on the extracted program guide information.

3. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chargeable program information display control means judges whether there exists a preview relating to the selected chargeable program, and presents the graphic display if it is judged that there is no preview.

4. A display control method for a receiving apparatus which receives transmitted program information of a plurality of programs together with transmitted video and audio signals thereof and displays program information of a selected program, the display control method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a chargeable program has been selected by a given user operation;

presenting a graphic display indicating progress in time of the selected chargeable program at a current time prior to a purchase of the chargeable program if it is determined that the chargeable program has been selected, said graphic display being a display of elapsed broadcast time with respect to a total broadcast duration of the selected chargeable program;

concurrently displaying, on a screen with said graphic display, a broadcast schedule of the selected program, an information field indicating whether the selected program is chargeable and the price thereof, and information relating to chargeable programs broadcast on other channels that have the same contents as the selected chargeable program, as well as a purchasing icon for enabling the purchase of the selected chargeable program;

judging whether the selected chargeable program is or will be additionally broadcast by a near video on demand service on other channels; and

presenting a first graphic display if it is judged that the selected chargeable program is not or will not be additionally broadcast by a near video on demand service and a second graphic display if it is judged that the selected chargeable program is or will be additionally broadcast by the near video on demand service.

5. The display control method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of extracting program guide information that is superimposed on a received broadcast wave, wherein the presenting step displays the information relating to the chargeable program based on the extracted program guide information.

6. The display control method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether there exists a preview relating to the selected chargeable program; and

presenting the graphic display if it is judged that there is no preview.

7. A receiving apparatus which receives transmitted program information of a plurality of programs together with transmitted video and audio signals thereof, comprising:

selecting means for selecting a desired program from among the plurality of programs; and

chargeable program information display control means for displaying information relating to a chargeable program that is selected by a given user operation from among programs selectable by the selecting means, the chargeable program information display control means concurrently displaying a broadcast schedule of the selected program, an information field indicating whether the selected program is chargeable and the price thereof, and a graphic display indicating progress in time of the selected chargeable program at a current time prior to a purchase of the chargeable program, said graphic display being a display of elapsed broadcast time with respect to a total broadcast duration of the selected chargeable program;

wherein the chargeable program information display control means concurrently displays, as part of the information relating to the chargeable program, information relating to chargeable programs broadcast on other channels that have the same contents as the selected chargeable program, as well as a purchasing icon for enabling the purchase of the selected chargeable program, and further displays a plurality of time bars in addition to the graphic display indicating progress in time of the selected chargeable program, with each time bar associated with a near video on demand (NVOD) program broadcast of the same contents as said selected chargeable program on a respective channel and at a respective time and each time bar indicating progress in time of the associated NVOD program, and with respective purchasing icons displayed in association with the NVOD programs of the same contents to enable a purchase of the program on the channel corresponding thereto by a selection of one of said purchasing icons.

9. The receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said time bars are displayed on a screen without any concurrent display of any other time bar of a program having different content than said selected chargeable program.

8. A display control method for a receiving apparatus which receives transmitted program information of a plurality of programs together with transmitted video and audio signals thereof and displays program information of a selected program, the display control method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a chargeable program has been selected by a given user operation;

presenting a graphic display indicating progress in time of the selected chargeable program at a current time prior to a purchase of the chargeable program if it is determined that the chargeable program has been selected, said graphic display being a display of elapsed broadcast time with respect to a total broadcast duration of the selected chargeable program;

concurrently displaying, on a screen with said graphic display, a broadcast schedule of the selected program, an information field indicating whether the selected program is chargeable and the price thereof, and information relating to chargeable programs broadcast on other channels that have the same contents as the selected chargeable program, as well as a purchasing icon for enabling the purchase of the selected chargeable program; and

displaying a plurality of time bars in addition to the graphic display indicating progress in time of the selected chargeable program, with each time bar associated with a near video on demand (NVOD) program broadcast of the same contents as said selected chargeable program on a respective channel and at a respective time and each time bar indicating progress in time of the associated NVOD program, and displaying respective purchasing icons in association with the NVOD programs of the same contents to enable a purchase of the program on the channel corresponding thereto by a selection of one of said purchasing icons.

10. The display control method according to claim 8, wherein said time bars are displayed on a screen without any concurrent display of any other time bar of a program having different content than said selected chargeable program.