System and method for automatically detecting and generating electronic program guide entries of future programming

• US 6,591,421 B1
• Filed: 08/25/1999
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway 2000, Inc. (Acer, Inc.), Spotware Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Spotware Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Sullivan, Gary E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/383,104
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 348/567, 348/569, 725/40, 725/115, 725/116, 725/145, 725/146, 725/39, 725/50, 725/92, 725/93, 725/37, 725/44, 725/45, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

An information handling system for utilizing an electronic program guide and a method for generating a future program guide are disclosed. A processor executes a program of instructions for the information handling system, and a memory stores the program of instructions that comprises a program guide for causing the information handling system to obtain current program guide information, to compare the current program guide information to previous program guide information, to thereby generate future programming information, and to generate a future program guide based upon the future programming information. The current program guide information is obtained from a program information source, and the previous program guide information is stored in an information storage medium of the information handling system. If a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information, the program is set as a recurring program, and a future program guide is generated that includes the recurring program.

Claims

1. A method for generating program guide information in an information handling system, comprising:

obtaining current program guide information from a program information source;

reading previous program guide information from an information storage medium coupled to the information handling system;

determining whether a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information;

in the event it is determined that a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information, setting the program as a recurring program; and

generating a future program guide by including the recurring program in the future program guide along with current program guide information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the future program guide information on a display coupled to the information handling system.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, the step of, prior to said determining step, sorting the current program guide information and the previous program guide information such that said determining step is thereby optimized.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of reading additional previous program guide information such that said determining step includes the step of determining whether a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information and is the same as a program of the additional previous program guide information and such that said setting step is executed upon a determination that a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information and is the same as a program of the additional previous program guide information.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the steps of determining whether a program is the same as no more than two of a program of the current program guide, a program of the previous program guide information or a program of the additional previous program guide information, and in the event it is determined that a program is the same as no more than two of a program of the current program guide, a program of the previous program guide information or a program of the additional previous program guide information, setting the program as a non-recurring program.

6.The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying a program guide with current program guide information, and indicating the recurring program in the program guide.

6. A program of instructions storable on a medium readable by an information handling system for causing the information handling system to execute steps for generating program guide information, the steps comprising:

obtaining current program guide information from a program information source;

reading previous program guide information from an information storage medium coupled to the information handling system;

determining whether a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information;

in the event it is determined that a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information, setting the program as a recurring program; and

generating a future program guide by including the recurring program in the future program guide along with the current program guide information.

7. The program of instructions as claimed in claim 7, the steps further comprising the step of displaying the future program guide information on a display coupled to the information handling system.

8. The program of instructions as claimed in claim 7, the steps further comprising the step of, prior to said determining step, sorting the current program guide information and the previous program guide information such that said determining step is thereby optimized.

9. The program of instructions as claimed in claim 7, the steps further comprising the step of reading additional previous program guide information such that said determining step includes the step of determining whether a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information and is the same as a program of the additional previous program guide information and such that said setting step is executed upon a determination that a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information and is the same as a program of the additional previous program guide information.

11. The program of instructions as claimed in claim 7, the steps further comprising the step of displaying a program guide with current program guide information, and indicating the recurring program in the program guide.

10. The program of instructions as claimed in claim 10, the steps further comprising the steps of determining whether a program is the same as no more than two of a program of the current program guide, a program of the previous program guide information or a program of the additional previous program guide information, and in the event it is determined that a program is the same as no more than two of a program of the current program guide, a program of the previous program guide information or a program of the additional previous program guide information, setting the program as a non-recurring program.

12. A method for generating program guide information in an information handling system, comprising:

obtaining current program guide information from a program information source, said current program guide information capable of indicating whether a specific program is a recurring program; and

in the event that the specific program is a recurring program, generating a future program guide by including the current program guide information along with at least one future entry for the specific recurring program in the future program guide.