Program guide application interface system

• US 6,665,869 B1
• Filed: 09/01/1998
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Knee, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koenig, Andrew Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/145,232
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/38, 725/39, 725/61
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• 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 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A program guide system is provided that supports a program guide application and multiple non-guide applications. The program guide system has a program guide application interface that allows the non-guide applications to use both device resources and program guide resources. The application interface maintains a list of registered applications and directs control requests from various applications to the current primary application. The application interface also has a user interface input director that directs keystrokes and other user input commands to the appropriate application. If a keystroke for the program guide application is detected while a non-guide application is running, the program guide application is invoked.

Claims

1. A system in which an interactive television program guide and non-guide applications are implemented on user television equipment, comprising:

a plurality of device resources within the user television equipment;

an interactive television program guide comprising a plurality of program guide resources; and

program guide application interface means for allowing the non-guide applications to use both the program guide resources and the device resources, wherein the non-guide applications access the program guide resources and the device resources directly through the program guide application interface means.

2. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the program guide application interface means further comprises means for receiving and processing requests to use resources from the non-guide applications.

3. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the program guide application interface means further comprises means for directing requests to use resources that are received from the non-guide applications to the device resources.

4. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the program guide application interface means further comprises means for directing requests to use resources that are received from the non-guide applications to the program guide resources.

5. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the device resources further comprise at least one device resource selected from the group consisting of:

an on-screen display resource, a front-panel display resource, a user input interface resource, a tuner resource, a communications circuitry resource, and a memory resource.

6. The system defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the program guide resources comprises a tuning resource.

7. The system defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the program guide resources comprises a parental control resource.

8. The system defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the program guide resources comprises a graphics library resource.

9. The system defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the program guide resources comprises a pay program purchasing resource.

10. The system defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the program guide resources comprises a program guide database access resource.

11. The system defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the program guide resources comprises a scheduling resource.

12. The system defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the program guide resources comprises a program guide menu resource.

13. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for maintaining a registered application list.

14. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for processing control requests from the program guide application and non-guide applications.

15. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for directing user input to the program guide application and non-guide applications.

16. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of device resources comprise set-top box device resources.

17. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for coordinating multiple requests to utilize the device resources.

18. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for coordinating multiple requests to utilize the program guide resources.

19. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for suspending the operation of one of the applications.

20. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a user input device; and

means for resolving conflicts between applications that desire access to the user input device at the same time.

21. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising:

remote control keys for controlling the user television equipment; and

means for resolving conflicts between applications that request access to the same remote control keys.