Method and system for providing dynamically changing programming categories

• US 6,452,611 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Contemporary Display LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Corporate Media Partners
• Inventors: Gerba, George, Nichols, Michael, Lambert, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/103,316
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/356, 345/328-330, 345/333, 345/340, 345/352-355, 345/821, 345/786, 345/721, 345/720, 345/722, 345/726, 345/822-824, 345/853-855, 709/217, 725/109, 725/46, 725/41
• US Class Current: 715/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

A method and system for providing dynamically changing sets of categories of television programming. The method involves a person or intelligent agent generating at a head end a first data set identifying programming categories based at least in part on programming choices available for viewing at a first time. This data set is transmitted from the head end to remote receivers, which display the set of programming categories to the viewer who can select a category and view the various programming choices within the category. The method further involves generating a second data set identifying different programming categories based at least in part on programming choices available for viewing at a second time later than the first time. This second set is also transmitted to remote receivers so that viewers see an updated set of programming categories. Thus, viewers are always presented with categories for which programming is currently available.

Claims

1. A method for providing a dynamically changing set of categories of television programming, the method comprising:

generating a first data set identifying a first plurality of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices available for viewing within each category at a first time exceeding a threshold;

transmitting the first data set to at least one remote receiver;

generating a second data set identifying a second plurality of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices available for viewing within each category at a second time later than the first time exceeding a threshold; and

transmitting the second data set to the at least one remote receiver;

thereby avoiding presentation of programming categories which are extraneous according to predetermined criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising storing a programing schedule comprising a plurality of television programming choices available at a plurality of different times, storing at least one category associated with programming choices contained in the schedule, and wherein the steps of generating the first and second data sets comprises retrieving information contained within the programming schedule to thereby identify associated categories.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the second data set comprises updating the first data set to account for changes in television programming choices available for viewing from the first time to the second time.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting data representing television programming choices together with the fist data set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the television programming choices are represented as digital data, comprising embedding the first data set within the digital data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting comprises broadcasting the first data set from a central station to a plurality of receivers.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising transmitting with the first data set additional data representing the television programming choices associated with the plurality of categories identified by the fist data set.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the first and second data sets at the at least one remote receiver and presenting on a display device coupled to the receiver the plurality of categories contained in the first and second data sets, respectively.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising presenting the categories identified by the first data set on the display device at the first time and presenting the categories identified by the second set on the display device at the second time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of categories identified by the second data set differs from the number of categories identified by the first data set.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of categories identified by the second data set equals the number of categories identified in the first data set.

12. A method for presenting a dynamically changing set of categories of programming, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices available for viewing within each category at a first time exceeding a threshold;

presenting the programming categories in the first set on a display device;

receiving a second set of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices available for viewing within each category at a second time later than the first time exceeding a threshold; and

presenting the plurality of programming categories in the second set on the display device;

thereby avoiding presentation of programming categories which are extraneous according to predetermined criteria.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising allowing a viewer to select one of the programming categories presented on the display device.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising presenting the television programming choices associated with a selected category.

15. A system for presenting a dynamically changing set of categories of programming available for viewing at a given time, the method comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting from a central station to at least one receiver first data identifying a first set of categories available at a first time and second data identifying a second set of categories available at a second time, each category in the first and second sets being associated with a set of television programming choices available for viewing at the first and second times and being based on a number of television programming choices available for viewing within each category at the first and second times exceeding a threshold, respectively;

a receiver for receiving the first and second data; and

means for presenting on a display device coupled to the receiver the plurality of categories in the first and second data sets;

thereby avoiding presentation of programing categories which are extraneous according to predetermined criteria.

16. The system of claim 15, comprising means for allowing a viewer to select one of the categories from the first or second sets presented on the display device.

17. The system of claim 16, comprising means for presenting at least part of the set of television programming choices associated with a selected category.

18. A computer readable medium containing program code, which, when executed on one or more computers, causes the computer(s) to perform a method for providing a dynamically changing set of categories of television programming, the method comprising:

generating a first data set identifying a first plurality of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices available for viewing within each category at a first time exceeding a threshold;

transmitting the first data set to at least one remote receiver;

generating a second data set identifying a second plurality of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices available for viewing within each category at a second time later than the first time exceeding a threshold; and

transmitting the second data set to at least one receiver;

thereby avoiding presentation of programming categories which are extraneous according to predetermined criteria.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method performed by the computer(s) comprises storing a programming schedule comprising a plurality of television programming choices available at a plurality of different times, storing at least one category associated with programming choices contained in the schedule, and wherein the step of generating the first and second data sets comprises retrieving information contained within the programming schedule to thereby identify associated categories.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein generating the second data set comprises updating the first data set to account for changes in television programming choices available for viewing from the first time to the second time.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method performed by the computer(s) comprises transmitting data representing television programming choices together with the first data set.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the television programming choices are represented as digital data and wherein the method performed by the computer comprises embedding the first data set within the digital data.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the step of transmitting comprises broadcasting the first data set from a central station to the plurality of receivers.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the method performed by the computer(s) comprises transmitting with the first data set additional data representing the television programming choices associated with the plurality of categories identified by the first data set.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method performed by the computer(s) comprises receiving the first and second data sets at the at least one remote receiver and presenting on a display device coupled to the receiver the plurality of categories contained in the first and second data sets, respectively.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method performed by the computer(s) comprises presenting the categories identified by the first data set on the display device at the first time and presenting the categories identified by the second set on the display device at the second time.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the number of categories identified by the second data set differs from the number of categories identified by the first data set.

28. The computer readable media of claim 18, wherein the number of categories identified by the second data set equals the number of categories identified in the first data set.

29. A computer readable medium containing program code, which, when executed on one or more computers, causes the computer(s) to perform a method for presenting a dynamically changing set of categories of programming, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices within each category available for viewing at a first time exceeding a threshold;

presenting the programming categories in the first set on a display device;

receiving a second set of programming categories based on a number of television programming choices with each category available for viewing at a second time later than the first time exceeding a threshold; and

presenting the plurality of programming categories in the second set on the display device;

thereby avoiding presentation of programming categories which are extraneous according to predetermined criteria.