Electronic program-guide system with sideways-surfing capability

• US 6,367,078 B1
• Filed: 12/12/1997
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Video Services Co.
• Inventors: Lasky, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/990,210
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 348/10, 348/13, 348/327, 348/731, 348/734, 725/37, 725/38, 725/39, 725/44, 725/45, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

An electronic program-guide (EPG) system enables a viewer of a television program in a particular category to surf sideways to another program in the same category. The EPG system indicates the availability of such other channels carrying programs in the same category in a channel hat superimposed on the video at the top of the picture. The channel hat may also contain the channel number, title and category of the program in the channel just selected, and it is displayed for a few seconds. Normal surfing up and down to higher or lower-numbered channels is also supported in the usual way in response to the up and down arrow-keys on a remote control device. When the viewer presses the right or left-arrow key, the EPG system surfs sideways to the next higher or lower channel carrying a program in the same category as the current program. Right and left-arrow keys exist on the remote controls of some prior-art electronic program guides without having any function assigned when television programs when the viewer is surfing.

Claims

1. A method of providing channel selection in a receiver, the receiver configured to receive a plurality of channels, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a first channel of a sequence of the plurality of channels in response to a first control signal;

(b) indicating if there is at least one content-related channel having a content in a same category of the first channel;

(c) displaying the at least one content-related channel in response to a second control signal, wherein the second control signal is different from the first control signal; and

(d) displaying a next sequential channel, wherein the next sequential channel comes after a displayed channel in response to a repetition of the first control signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of indicating further comprises the step of displaying a graphical overlay over said first channel.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of displaying a graphical overlay further comprises the step of:

displaying a first signal indicating an existence of a higher number channel; and

displaying a second signal indicating an existence of a lower numbered channel.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying the at least one content-related channel in response to a second control signal occurs without an intervening command.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying a next sequential channel in response to a repetition of the first control signal occurs without an intervening command.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

(e) navigating from a first content-related channel of said at least one channel to a second content-related channel of said at least one channel in response to said second control signal.

7. An apparatus for providing channel selection, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver operative to receive a plurality of channels, to display a first channel, and indicate if there is one or more content-related channels having content in a same category as a content of the first channel;

a first channel control switch configured to provide numerically sequential navigation of said plurality of channels; and

a second channel control switch, different from said first channel control switch configured to provide a navigation of the one or more content-related channels.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a graphical overlay is displayed over said first channel to indicate if there is at least one content-related channel.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a transition from the numerically sequential navigation to the content-based navigation occurs without an intervening command.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a second control-related channel of said at least one content-related channel is displayed after a first content-related channel of said at least one content-related channel in response to said second channel control switch.

11. A channel selection device for use in a video receiver, comprising:

a first channel control switch configured to provide numerically sequential navigation of a plurality of channels supplied to the video receiver; and

a second channel control switch, different from the first channel control switch, configured to provide a content-based navigation of at least a first channel and at least one content-related channel having the same content as a content of the first channel.

12. The channel selection device of claim 11 where a transition from the numerically sequential navigation to the content-based navigation occurs without an intervening command.

13. The channel selection device of claim 11 wherein a second repetition of said second channel control switch displays a second content-related channel of said at least one content-related channel.

14. An apparatus for providing channel selection, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver operative to receive a plurality of channels, wherein the receiver is further operative to indicate if there are at least two channels having a content in the same category;

an apparatus configured to receive a first channel control switch for providing a numerically sequential navigation of said plurality of channels; and

an apparatus configured to receive a second channel control switch, different from the first channel control switch, for providing a content based navigation of the at least two channels having the same content.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein a transition from the numerically sequential navigation to the content-based navigation occurs without an intervening command.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein a transition from the content-based navigation to the numerically sequential navigation occurs without an intervening command.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said apparatus displays said availability of said at least one second channel is a graphical overlay on said first selected program.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said apparatus is configured to display a same-content channel after a repetition of said second control switch.