Method and apparatus for automated creation of linking information

• US 6,925,650 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2000
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Arsenault, Robert G., Brown, Jeffrey A., Finseth, Craig A., Hsiao, Philip E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoye, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US09/643,122
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 725 39- 40, 725 44- 45, 725/47, 725/53
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transmitting, receiving and displaying electronic program guide data having a number of segments, wherein each segment is associated with a program and wherein some of the segments have a keyword therein includes a receiver having a memory that stores a keyword list containing the keyword or keywords. The receiver receives the program guide data and compares the segments of the program guide data to the keyword list to determine if any keywords are contained in the segments. The receiver displays the keyword on a display screen so that the keyword may be selected by the user.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting, receiving and displaying program guide data on a display screen, the system comprising:

a program guide database storing program guide data having a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments associated with a program, some segments of the plurality of segments having a keyword therein;

a transmitter communicatively coupled to the program guide database, the transmitter adapted to receive program guide data from the program guide database and to transmit to program guide data over a broadcast channel;

a tuner tuned to the broadcast channel, the tuner adapted to receive the program guide data from the broadcast channel;

a memory storing a keyword table having the keyword therein; and

a processor coupled to the tuner and the memory, the processor programmed to populate the keyword table with words by examining the program guide objects as they are received by the tuner and entering into the keyword table words that appear in the program guide objects more than a particular number of times, to compare each segment of the program guide data to the keyword table to determine which segments of the plurality of segments have the keyword therein, to link to the keyword to programs associated with the segments having the keyword therein and to display the keyword on the display screen.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each program has an associated name and wherein the processor in further programmed to display on the display screen a list of names of programs associated with the segments having the keyword therein, when the keyword is selected on the display screen.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further programmed to display on the display screen a program associates with a name from the list of names of programs when the name of that program is selected from the list of names of programs.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each program has associated program information and wherein the processor is further programmed to display program information associated with a program when the name of the program is selected from the list of names of programs.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further programmed to display the keyword in a highlighted fashion.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the keyword comprises a name of an actor in a program.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the keyword comprises a name of a director of a program.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the keyword comprises a name of a director of a program.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the keyword table is stored in a memory by information sent of over the broadcast channel.

10. A receiver for use with a transmitter transmitting program guide data over a broadcast channel, the program guide data having a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments associated with a program, some segments of the plurality of segments having a keyword therein, the receiver comprising:

a tuner tuned to the broadcast channel, the tuner receiving the program guide data from the broadcast channel;

a memory storing a keyword table having the keyword therein; and

a processor coupled to the tuner and the memory, the processor programmed to populate the keyword table with words by examining the program guide objects as they are received by the tuner and entering into the keyword table words that appear in the program guide objects more than a particular number of times, to compare each segment of the program guide data to the keyword table to determine which segments of the plurality of segments have the keyword therein, to link to the keyword to programs associated with the segments having the keyword therein and to display the keyword on a display screen.

11. The receiver of claim 10, wherein each program has an associated name and wherein the processor is further programmed to display on the display screen a list of names of programs associated with the segments having the keyword therein, when the keyword is selected on the display screen.

12. The receiver of claim 11, wherein the processor is further programmed to display on the display screen a program associated with a name form the list of names of programs when the name of that program is selected from the list of names of programs.

13. The receiver of claim 11, wherein each program has associated program information and wherein the processor is further programmed to display program information associated with a program when the name of that program is selected from the list of names of programs.

14. The receiver of claim 11, wherein the processor is further programmed to display the keyword in a highlighted fashion.

15. The receiver of claim 10, wherein the keyword comprises a name of an actor in a program.

16. The receiver of claim 10, wherein the keyword comprises a category of programs.

17. The receiver of claim 10, wherein the keyword comprises a name of a director of a program.

18. The receiver of claim 10, wherein the keyword table is stored in the memory by information sent over the broadcast channel.

19. A method for creating linking information from a program guide data transmitted on a broadcast channel, the program guide data having a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments associated with a program, some segments of the plurality of segments having a keyword therein, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the program guide data from the broadcast channel;

generating a keyword table and populating the keyword table with words by examining the program guide objects as they are received by the tuner and entering into the keyword table words that appear in the program guide objects more than a particular number of times;

comparing the program guide data to the keyword table to determine which segments of the plurality of segments have the keyword therein;

linking the keyword to programs associated with the segments having the keyword therein; and

displaying the keywords contained in the program guide data on a display screen.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each program has an associated name, the method further comprising the step of displaying on the display screen a list of names of programs associated with the segments having the keyword therein, when the keyword is selected on the display screen.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of displaying on the display screen a program associated with a name from the list of names of programs when the name of that program is selected from the list of named of programs.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein each program has associated program information, the method further comprising the step of displaying program information associated with a program when the name of that program is selected from the list of names of programs.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of displaying the keyword in a highlighted fashion.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the keyword comprises a name of an actor in a program.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the keyword comprises a category of programs.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the keyword comprises a name of a director of a program.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the keyword table is stored in the memory by information sent over the broadcast channel.