Electronic program guide with related-program search feature

• US 6,865,746 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1999
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Herrington, W. Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEMICCO, MATTHEW R
• Application Number:
  US09/451,612
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 725/13, 725 45- 47, 725/53, 725/43, 345/721
• US Class Current: 725/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45 Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
• 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

A system for searching for programs is provided. The system may provide the user with an opportunity to indicate an interest in a given program. The system may provide the user with an opportunity to request that the system locate programs that are related to the given program in which the user has indicated an interest. The system may locate program listings that are related to the given program. The located program listings may be related to the given program based on attributes of the given program. The system may display a list of located listings and allow the user to select listings from the list. The system may tune to a program selected from the list, may display an information display screen for a program selected from the list, etc. The system may provide the user with an opportunity to configure and save search parameters. The system may sort related program listings based on the attributes of the given program. The system may provide the user with the opportunity to retrieve saved searches to locate currently available program listings and the opportunity to delete a saved search, rename, a saved search, receive automatic notifications of programs matching a saved search, etc.

Claims

1. A method for use in an interactive television program guide system having user television equipment and a remote control for interfacing with said user television equipment, said method being for searching for programs, comprising:

displaying a display screen that includes a video for a given program;

allowing the user to use a single key on the remote control while the video for the given program is being displayed to direct the program guide system to display a display screen containing a plurality of program attributes for the given program;

providing the user with an opportunity to assign various importance levels to the program attributes on the display screen; and

displaying a selectable search option on the same display screen as the program attributes and assigned importance levels that the user selects to direct the program guide system to locate program listings related to the given program based on the program attributes and their assigned importance levels.

2. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising providing the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program.

3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising providing the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program and their assigned importance levels.

4. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising providing the user with an opportunity to delete the saved plurality of program attributes for the given program.

5. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising displaying a list of program listings that the program guide system located based on the attributes and their assigned importance levels.

6. The method defined in claim 5 further comprising providing the user with an opportunity to select program listings from the list.

7. The method defined in claim 6, further comprising displaying information related to a particular program listing that has been selected from the list.

8. The method defined in claim 6, further comprising tuning to a particular program when a listing for the particular program is selected from the list.

19. The system defined in claim 8, further comprising means for providing the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program and their assigned importance levels.

9. An interactive television program guide system, comprising:

a remote control that is configured to interface with user television equipment; and

user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is at least partially implemented, wherein the user television equipment is configured to display a display screen that includes a video for a given program, to allow the user to use a single key on the remote control while the video for the given program is being displayed to direct the program guide system to display a display screen containing a plurality of program attributes for the given program, to provide the user with an opportunity to assign various importance levels to the program attributes on the display screen, and to display a selectable search option on the same display screen as the program attributes and assigned importance levels that the user selects to direct the program guide system to locate program listings related to the given program based on the program attributes and their assigned importance levels.

10. The system defined in claim 9, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to provide the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program.

11. The system defined in claim 10, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to provide the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program and their assigned importance levels.

12. The system defined in claim 10, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to provide the user with an opportunity to delete the saved plurality of program attributes for the given program.

13. The system defined in claim 9, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to display a list of program listings that the program guide system located based on the attributes and their assigned importance levels.

14. The system defined in claim 13, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to provide the user with an opportunity to select program listings from the list.

15. The system defined in claim 14, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to display information related to a particular program listing that has been selected from the list.

16. The system defined in claim 14, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to tune to a particular program when a listing for the particular program is selected from the list.

17. An interactive television program guide system having user television equipment and a remote control for interfacing with said user television equipment, the system comprising:

means for displaying a display screen that includes a video for a given program;

means for allowing the user to use a single key on the remote control while the video for the given program is being displayed to direct the program guide system to display a display screen containing a plurality of program attributes for the given program;

means for providing the user with an opportunity to assign various importance levels to the program attributes on the display screen; and

means for displaying a selectable search option on the same display screen as the program attributes and assigned importance levels that the user selects to direct the program guide system to locate program listings related to the given program based on the program attributes and their assigned importance levels.

18. The system defined in claim 17, further comprising means for providing the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program.

20. The system defined in claim 18, further comprising means for providing the user with an opportunity to delete the saved plurality of program attributes for the given program.

21. The system defined in claim 17, further comprising means for displaying a list of program listings that the program guide system located based on the attributes and their assigned importance levels.

22. The system defined in claim 21 further comprising means for providing the user with an opportunity to select program listings from the list.

23. The system defined in claim 22, further comprising means for displaying information related to a particular program listing that has been selected from the list.

24. The system defined in claim 22, further comprising means for tuning to a particular program when a listing for the particular program is selected from the list.

25. A machine-readable medium for use in searching for television program listings, comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for:

displaying a display screen that includes a video for a given program;

allowing the user to use a single key on the remote control while the video for the given program is being displayed to direct the program guide system to display a display screen containing a plurality of program attributes for the given program;

providing the user with an opportunity to assign various importance levels to the program attributes on the display screen; and

displaying a selectable search option on the same display screen as the program attributes and assigned importance levels that the user selects to direct the program guide system to locate program listings related to the given program based on the program attributes and their assigned importance levels.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for providing the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for providing the user with an opportunity to have the program guide system save the plurality of program attributes for the given program and their assigned importance levels.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for providing the user with an opportunity to delete the saved plurality of program attributes for the given program.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for displaying a list of program listings that the program guide system located based on the attributes and their assigned importance levels.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for providing the user with an opportunity to select program listings from the list.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 30, further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for displaying information related to a particular program listing that has been selected from the list.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 30, further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for tuning to a particular program when a listing for the particular program is selected from the list.