Dedicated channel for displaying programs

• US 7,096,483 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Johnson, Carolynn Rae
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHELEHEDA, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US09/742,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20020083448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,070 Days
• Field of Search: 725/46, 725/47, 725/53, 715/745
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/466 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

A system and method for processing program guide information are described. A user processing request information is selected or entered by the user. This allows the user, for example, to request the system to suggest a program, or to perform a search of the program guide information based on user-entered information. The program guide information is then processed based on the entered user processing request information. The processed result is then displayed in a dedicated channel.

Claims

1. A method of processing program guide information, comprising the steps of:

recording viewing statistics based on topics;

entering user processing request information;

processing program guide information based on entered user processing request information and the viewing statistics; and

displaying processed result, matching the topics in the recorded viewing statistics, in a dedicated channel, wherein the processed result includes at least two programs in a first time slot, only one of the at least two programs is displayed in the first time slot under the dedicated channel, and others of the at least two programs are also displayed under the dedicated channel directly in response to highlighting the only one of the at least two programs.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying processed result in a dedicated channel further comprising the step of first arranging the processed result into respective time slots.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of entering user processing request information comprising selecting a request for suggesting a program.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of entering user processing request information comprising selecting a search of program guide information based on user-entered text.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the dedicated channel is displayed along with other channels in a program guide.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the dedicated channel is always displayed at a predefined position in the program guide.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistic of a topic is the number of times the topic has been viewed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistic of a topic is the number of times the topic has been viewed more than a predetermined time period.

9. A system for processing program guide information, comprising:

a user controller for entering user processing request information;

a microprocessor for recording viewing statistics based on topics and for processing program guide information based on entered user processing request information and the viewing statistics; and

said microprocessor causing the processed result, matching the topics in the recorded viewing statistics, to be displayed in a dedicated channel, wherein the processed result includes at least two programs in a first time slot, only one of the at least two programs is displayed in the first time slot under the dedicated channel, and others of the at least two programs are also displayed under the dedicated channel directly in response to highlighting the only one of the at least two programs.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the microprocessor arranges the processed result into respective time slots before the processed result is displayed.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the entered user processing request information comprises a request for suggesting a program.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the entered user processing request information comprises a request for a search of program guide information based on user-entered text.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the dedicated channel is displayed along with other channels in a program guide.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the dedicated channel is always displayed at a predefined position in the program guide.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the statistic of a topic is the number of times the topic has been viewed.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the statistic of a topic is the number of times the topic has been viewed more than a predetermined time period.