Interactive television program guide with selectable non-program options

• US 6,526,578 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2001
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Satterfield, Kevin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/933,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/44-47, 725/50, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/44
• 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7755 the recorder being connected to, or coupled with, the antenna of the television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

An interactive program guide system is provided. The program guide system displays a program guide grid on a user'"'"'s television equipment. The grid contains rows of television program listings for various channels. Columns in the grid are associated with the scheduled start times of the listed programs. The grid also contains non-program listings. Non-program listings rows contain selectable non-program options, such as options related to weather or sports information. The user can select a given one of the selectable non-program options by positioning a highlight region on one of the options and pressing an appropriate key on a remote control. When the system receives the corresponding command from the remote control, the system displays additional information for the selected non-program option on the user'"'"'s display screen.

Claims

1. User equipment for use in an interactive program guide system comprising:

means for receiving information for television program listings and selectable non-program options; and

means for simultaneously displaying at least one of the television program listings in at least one row of a grid and at least one of the selectable non-program options in at least one other row of the grid; and

means for panning the at least one of the television program listings without panning the at least one of the selectable non-program options in response to a user indication to pan the at least one of the television program listings.

2. The user equipment defined in claim 1 further comprising:

means for periodically updating the information received for at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options; and

means for displaying the updated information for a given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options in response to a user selecting the given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options.

3. The user equipment defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local weather option.

4. The user equipment defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local sports option.

5. The user equipment defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local events option.

6. The user equipment defined in claim 1 further comprising means for scrolling the grid.

7. User equipment for use in an interactive program guide system comprising:

means for receiving information for television program listings and selectable non-program options; and

means for simultaneously displaying at least one of the television program listings in at least one row of a grid and at least one of the selectable non-program options in at least one other row of the grid; and

means for panning the at least one of the selectable non-program options without panning the at least one of the television program listings in response to a user indication to pan the at least one of the selectable non-program options.

8. The user equipment defined in claim 7 further comprising:

means for periodically updating the information received for at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options; and

means for displaying the updated information for a given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options in response to a user selecting the given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options.

9. The user equipment defined in claim 7 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local weather option.

10. The user equipment defined in claim 7 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local sports option.

11. The user equipment defined in claim 7 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local events option.

12. The user equipment defined in claim 7 further comprising means for scrolling the grid.

13. A method for using user equipment in an interactive program guide system comprising:

receiving information for television program listings and selectable non-program options;

simultaneously displaying at least one of the television program listings in at least one row of a grid and at least one of the selectable non-program options in at least one other row of the grid; and

panning the at least one of the television program listings without panning the at least one of the selectable non-program options in response to a user indication to pan the at least one of the television program listings.

14. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

periodically updating the information received for at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options; and

displaying the updated information for a given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options in response to a user selecting the given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options.

15. The method defined in claim 13 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local weather option.

16. The method defined in claim 13 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local sports option.

17. The method defined in claim 13 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local events option.

18. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising means for scrolling the grid.

19. A method for using user equipment in an interactive program guide system comprising:

receiving information for television program listings and selectable non-program options;

simultaneously displaying at least one of the television program listings in at least one row of a grid and at least one of the selectable non-program options in at least one other row of the grid; and

panning the at least one of the selectable non-program options without panning the at least one of the television program listings in response to a user indication to pan the at least one of the selectable non-program options.

20. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising:

periodically updating the information received for at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options; and

displaying the updated information for a given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options in response to a user selecting the given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options.

21. The method defined in claim 19 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local weather option.

22. The method defined in claim 19 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local sports option.

23. The method defined in claim 19 wherein at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options is a local events option.

24. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising means for scrolling the grid.

25. User equipment for use in an interactive program guide system comprising:

a monitor; and

control circuitry configured to;

receive information for television program listings and selectable non-program options;

direct the monitor to simultaneously display at least one of the television program listings in at least one row of a grid and at least one of the selectable non-program options in at least one other row of the grid; and

pan the at least one of the television program listings without panning the at least one of the selectable non-program options in response to a user indication to pan the at least one of the television program listings.

26. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

periodically update the information received for at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options; and

direct the monitor to display the updated information for a given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options in response to a user selecting the given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options.

27. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein at least one of the selectable non-program options is a local weather option.

28. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein at least one of the selectable non-program options is a local sports option.

29. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein at least one of the selectable non-program options is a local events option.

30. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive the information from a cable system headend.

31. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive the information from a satellite television distribution facility.

32. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein the control circuitry is included in a set-top box.

33. The user equipment defined in claim 25 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the monitor to scroll the grid.

34. User equipment for use in an interactive program guide system comprising:

a monitor; and

control circuitry configured to;

receive information for television program listings and selectable non-program options;

direct the monitor to simultaneously display at least one of the television program listings in at least one row of a grid and at least one of the selectable non-program options in at least one other row of the grid; and

pan the at least one of the selectable non-program options without panning the at least one of the television program listings in response to a user indication to pan the at least one of the selectable non-program options.

35. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

periodically update the information received for at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options; and

direct the monitor to display the updated information for a given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options in response to a user selecting the given one of the at least one of the displayed selectable non-program options.

36. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the at least one of the selectable non-program options is a local weather option.

37. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the at least one of the selectable non-program options is a local sports option.

38. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the at least one of the selectable non-program options is a local events option.

39. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive the information from a cable system headend.

40. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive the information from a satellite television distribution facility.

41. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the control circuitry is included in a set-top box.

42. The user equipment defined in claim 34 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the monitor to scroll the grid.