Method and apparatus for displaying an electronic program guide

• US 6,538,672 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Dobbelaar, Astrid M. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NHON D
• Application Number:
  US09/498,879
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 345/716, 345/719, 345/720-721, 345/764, 345/810, 345/835, 345/769, 345/788, 345/799, 345/800, 345/798, 345/805, 345/722, 345/817, 345/828, 345/845
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• 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

The invention relates to a method of and apparatus for displaying an electronic program guide. The method includes the step of displaying an axis (21) on the screen (20) which corresponds to a particular program attribute (e.g. channel name, broadcast time, program category, program title). The user may select a value from the axis, causing a pictogram (27) to be displayed, showing information about programs corresponding to the selected value. The pictogram'"'"'s position corresponds to the position of the selected value. A new value may be selected by dragging the pictogram and/or shifting the axis.

Claims

1. A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis;

user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and

displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram'"'"'s position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value;

wherein the step of selecting a value comprises dragging the pictogram to a new position on the display screen, the new position'"'"'s coordinate along said coordinate axis determining a newly selected value.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the pictogram is dragged until its coordinate reaches an extremity of the coordinate axis, the step of shifting said coordinate axis is performed to obtain a subsequent adjustment of the selected value.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises a step of user-operably assigning another one of the program attributes to the coordinate axis.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying values relating to a further one of the program attributes on the display screen along a further coordinate axis, the method proceeding similarly with respect to the combination of said coordinate axis and said further coordinate axis.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, said program attribute is the channel number and said further program attribute is the broadcast time.

6. A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis;

user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and

displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram'"'"'s position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value;

wherein the step of selecting a value comprises shifting said coordinate axis, the pictogram'"'"'s coordinate determining a newly selected value.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein that the speed of shifting said coordinate axis is proportional to the difference between the pictogram'"'"'s coordinate and the coordinate of a user-adjustable cursor position.

8. A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis;

user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and

displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram'"'"'s position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value;

wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving data to indicate a program of particular interest, and the step of displaying a symbol representing such a program at a position having a coordinate in accordance with the program'"'"'s value relating to the selected program attribute.

9. An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs, comprising decoding means for receiving and decoding attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the apparatus further comprises display means for displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis, and selection means for user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute, the display means being adapted to display a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram'"'"'s position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value,

wherein the selection means comprise dragging means for dragging the pictogram to a new position on the display screen, the new position'"'"'s coordinate along said coordinate axis determining a newly selected value.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the decoding means are further adapted to receive data to indicate a program of particular interest, the display means being adapted to display a symbol representing such a program at a position having a coordinate in accordance with the program'"'"'s value relating to the selected program attribute.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the apparatus further comprises assigning means for user-operably assigning another one of the program attributes to the coordinate axis.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the display means are further adapted to display values relating to a further one of the program attributes on the display screen along a further coordinate axis, the selection means being adapted to operate similarly with respect to the combination of said coordinate axis and said further coordinate axis.

13. An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs, comprising decoding means for receiving and decoding attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the apparatus further comprises display means for displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis, and selection means for user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute, the display means being adapted to display a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram'"'"'s position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value,

wherein the selection means comprise shifting means for shifting said coordinate axis, the pictogram'"'"'s coordinate determining a newly selected value.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, the display means being adapted to display a cursor at a user-adjustable position, wherein the shifting means are adapted to shift said coordinate axis at a speed which is proportional to the difference between the pictogram'"'"'s coordinate and the coordinate of the cursor'"'"'s position.