Remote control program selection by genre

• US 6,445,306 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ramsey, Carolyn Christine, Rankin, Paul, Trovato, Karen I., Martino, Jacquelyn Annette, Pelletier, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/282,319
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.24, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 725/38, 725/40, 348/563, 348/565, 348/734, 455/140, 455/151.2, 455/352
• US Class Current: 340/12.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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

A remote control system in which a program-up or program-down activation on a control remote device effects the selection of the next or prior available channel that is likely to contain a program of a particular selected genre, or category. The system includes an identification of those programs that are likely to relate to each particular category. When the user selects a category, the user incrementally selects from the programs contained within the selected category. In the system, a list builder includes a number of capabilities for improving the selective quality of the program selection, having access, for example, to an information source that provides the time of each scheduled program on each channel, and an indication of each program'"'"'s genre, rating, and other related items.

Claims

1. A remote control system comprising:

a remote control having a category selector for selecting a selected category from a plurality of categories, and an increment control for communicating an increment command;

means for receiving a plurality of program entries from an information source, each of said program entries including a program identification, a program category and a program channel;

a list builder for creating a plurality of category lists corresponding to said plurality of categories, each category list including program entries of said plurality of program entries based on the program category of each program entry; and

a channel selector, operably coupled to the remote control, for, in response to the increment control, accessing one category list of said plurality of category lists corresponding to the selected category, determining a next program entry from the program entries in said one category list, and determining a channel number based on the program channel of said next program entry.

2. The remote control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said remote control system further comprises:

a user preference device for containing one or more user preferences, and wherein

the list builder creates at least one category list of the plurality of category lists in further dependence upon the one or more user preferences.

3. The remote control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one or more user preferences are based upon a history of prior program selections.

4. The remote control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote control system further comprises:

a display device for displaying the program identification associated with the next program entry.

5. The remote control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote control system further comprises:

a display device for displaying the program identification associated with one or more program entries of the one category list.

6. The remote control system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the program identification includes at least one of:

a text entry, an image, a video segment, an animation, and a link to other information.

7. The remote control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each program entry further includes a program time interval, and the display device displays the program identification in dependence upon the program time interval.

8. A program selection system comprising:

a display device for displaying a plurality of program information items, each including a program identification, one or more associated program categories, and a program channel, said program information items corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of programs;

a control device, operably coupled to the display device, having a selector for selecting one of said program categories, means for causing the display device to display the plurality of program information items in dependence on the one program category, and means for indicating a select program corresponding to one of the plurality of program information items in said one program category; and

a channel determinator, operably coupled to the control device, for determining a select channel number from the program number corresponding to the select program.

9. The program selection system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the program identification includes at least one of:

a text entry, an image, a video segment, an animation, and a link to other information.

10. The program selection system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said program selection system further comprises:

a user preference device for containing one or more user preferences, and wherein

the display device displays the plurality of program information items in further dependence upon the one or more user preferences.

11. The program selection system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the one or more user preferences are based upon a history of prior program selections.

12. The program selection system as claimed in claim 8, further including:

an appliance, operably coupled to the channel determinator, for receiving the select channel number from the channel determinator, and for providing an output in dependence upon the channel number.

13. The program selection system as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

each of the plurality of program information items include an associated program time interval, and

the display device displays the plurality of program information items in dependence upon the program time interval associated with each of the plurality of information items.

14. A method for incrementally scanning programs comprising the steps:

selecting a select category from a plurality of categories;

creating a category list associated with each category of the plurality of categories, wherein the category list includes a plurality of program entries corresponding to the associated category, each of said plurality of program entries including a program identification and a program channel;

receiving an increment command from a user; and

determining, in response to the increment command, a next program entry of the plurality of program entries associated with the select category, and determining, from the program channel, a channel number associated with the next program entry.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, where in said method further comprises the step:

identifying one or more user preferences, and wherein the step of creating the category list of at least one category is further dependent upon the one or more user preferences.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of identifying the one or more user preferences includes creating a history of user selections, and identifying the one or more user preferences in dependence upon the history of user selections.

17. A method of incrementally scanning programs comprising the steps:

receiving a plurality of program entries based upon program information received from an information source, each program entry including a program identification, a program category and a program channel;

selecting a select category from a plurality of categories;

receiving an increment command from a user;

determining, in response to the increment command, a next program entry of the plurality of program entries in which there is a correspondence between the select category and the program category associated with the next program entry; and

determining a channel number based on the program channel associated with the next program entry.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein each program entry includes ancillary information, and said method further comprises the step:

displaying ancillary information from the next program entry.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, each program entry includes ancillary information, and wherein said method further comprises the step:

displaying ancillary information associated with one or more of the plurality of program entries.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the ancillary information includes at least one of:

a text entry, an image, a video segment, an animation, and a link to other information.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein:

each program entry includes a program time interval, and

the step of displaying the ancillary information is based upon the program time interval associated with the one or more of the plurality of program entries.