Methods and systems for providing information about programs available for viewing

• US 6,499,138 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stefanik, John, Swix, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoye, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US09/393,113
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/39, 725/40, 725/41, 725/42, 725/43, 725/44, 725/45, 725/46, 725/47, 725/48, 725/49, 725/50, 725/51, 725/52, 725/53, 725/54, 725/55, 725/56, 725/57, 725/58, 725/59, 348/906, 348/563, 348/564
• US Class Current: 725/38
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4823 using a channel name
• 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 user interface is presented on a monitor of a media device for providing information about available programs. The user interface includes an array having three columns (channel, current show, and next show) with commonly aligned rows. Each row of the channel column includes an indicator. Each row of the current show column includes a title naming a program currently available on a channel of the media device corresponding to the indicator in a commonly aligned row of the channel column. Each row of the next show column includes a title naming a show available after the current program on the same channel. The currently available program may be displayed on the monitor in response to a viewer selected row, indicator, and/or title in the array.

Claims

1. A user interface presented on a monitor of a media device for providing a viewer with information about programs and shows available for viewing, the user interface comprising:

an array displaying on the monitor of the media device three columns having commonly aligned rows;

the three columns comprising a channel column, a current show column, and a next show column;

each row of the channel column comprising a channel indicator;

each row of the current show column comprising a current show title, the current show title naming a program available for viewing at the current time on a channel of the media device corresponding to the channel indicator in a commonly aligned row in the channel column; and

each row of the next show column comprising a next show title, the next show title naming a show available for viewing after the program available for viewing at the current time on the channel of the media device corresponding to the channel indicator in the commonly aligned row in the channel column,

whereby the viewer is provided with the information about the program available for viewing at the current time and the show available after the program on a particular channel by a review of a corresponding particular row in the array that is commonly aligned in the three columns.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the array is receptive to a selection of one of the commonly aligned rows as a selected row, and

in response to the selection, the array is operative to cause the selected row to be highlighted.

3. The user interface of claim 2, wherein the selected row comprises a selected current show title in the current show column, the selected current show title naming a selected program available for viewing at the current time;

and

wherein the array is further operative, in response to the selection, to cause the selected program to be displayed on the monitor of the media device.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the array is receptive to a selection of the channel indicator or of the current show title of one of the commonly aligned rows, respectively, as a selected channel indicator or as a selected current show title, and

in response to the selection, the array is operative to cause respectively, the selected channel indicator or the selected current show title to be highlighted.

5. The user interface of claim 4, wherein the selected channel indicator or the selected current show title corresponds by way of the one of the commonly aligned rows to a selected program available for viewing at the current time;

and

wherein the array is further operative, in response to the selection, to cause the selected program to be displayed on the monitor of the media device.

6. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising:

a topic list having topic entries presented on the monitor of the media device prior to or with presentation of the array;

the topic list being receptive to a selection of one of the topic entries as a selected topic entry; and

in response to the selection, the topic list being operative to highlight the selected topic entry.

7. The user interface of claim 6, wherein the array is operative, in response to the selection of the selected topic entry from the topic list, to cause the highlighting of a current show title in the current show column, the current show title naming a program having a topic in common with the selected topic entry from the topic list.

8. The user interface of claim 6, wherein the array is operative, in response to the selection of the selected topic entry from the topic list, to cause the highlighting of a next show title in the next show column as a highlighted next show title, the highlighted next show title naming a show having a topic in common with the selected topic entry from the topic list.

9. The user interface of claim 8, wherein the array is further operative, in response to the highlighting, to receive an indication to view the program having the topic in common with the selected topic entry from the topic list, and to cause the program having the topic in common with the selected topic entry to be displayed on the monitor of the media device.

10. A user interface presented on a monitor of a media device for providing a viewer with information about programs and shows available for viewing in response to an indication of a topic interest from the viewer, the user interface comprising:

A. a topic list having topic entries presented on the monitor of the media device, the topic list being receptive to a selection of one of the topic entries as a selected topic entry, and in response to the selection, the topic list being operative to cause the selected topic entry to be highlighted;

B. an array presented on the monitor of the media device, the array comprising three columns having commonly aligned rows,

the three columns comprising a channel column, a current show column, and a next show column,

each row of the channel column comprising a channel indicator,

each row of the current show column comprising a current show title, the current show title naming a program available for viewing at the current time on a channel of the media device corresponding to the channel indicator in a commonly aligned row in the channel column,

each row of the next show column comprising a next show title, the next show title naming a show available for viewing after the program available for viewing at the current time on the channel of the media device corresponding to the channel indicator in the commonly aligned row in the channel column; and

C. the array being operative, in response to the selection of the selected topic entry from the topic list, to cause the highlighting of a current show title as a highlighted current show title in the current show column, the highlighted current show title naming a program having a topic in common with the selected topic entry of the topic list.

11. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the array is operative, in response to the selection of the selected topic entry from the topic list, to cause highlighting of a next show title as a highlighted next show title in the next show column, the highlighted next show title naming another program having the topic in common with the selected topic entry of the topic list.

12. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the array is operative to receive an indication to view the program having the topic in common with the selected topic entry of the topic list, and to cause the program having the topic in common with the selected topic entry to be displayed on the monitor of the media device.

13. A user interface presented on a monitor of a media device for providing a viewer with information about programs and shows available for viewing in response to an indication of a specialty topic interest from the viewer, the user interface comprising:

A. a topic list having topic entries presented on the monitor of the media device,

a topic entry of the topic list comprising a specialty topic list that may be selectively presented on the monitor of the media device,

the specialty topic list comprising specialty topic entries, the specialty topic entries of the specialty topic list being related to the topic entry of the topic list,

the topic list being receptive to a selection of the topic entry as a selected topic entry, and in response to the selection, the topic list being operative to cause display of the specialty topic list on the monitor of the media device, and

the specialty topic list being receptive to an election of a specialty topic entry from the specialty topic entries of the specialty topic list as an elected specialty topic entry;

B. an array presented on the monitor of the media device, the array comprising three columns having commonly aligned rows,

the three columns comprising a channel column, a current show column, and a next show column,

each row of the channel column comprising a channel indicator,

each row of the current show column comprising a current show title, the current show title naming a program available for viewing at the current time on a channel of the media device corresponding to the channel indicator in a commonly aligned row in the channel column,

each row of the next show column comprising a next show title, the next show title naming a show available for viewing after the program available for viewing at the current time on the channel of the media device corresponding to the channel indicator in the commonly aligned row in the channel column; and

C. the array being operative, in response to the election of the elected specialty topic entry from the specialty topic list, to cause the highlighting of a current show title as a highlighted current show title in the current show column, the highlighted current show title naming a program having a topic in common with the elected specialty topic entry of the specialty topic list.

14. The user interface of claim 13, wherein the array is operative to receive an indication to view the program having the topic in common with the elected specialty topic entry of the topic list, and to cause the program having the topic in common with the elected specialty topic entry to be displayed on the monitor of the media device.