Electronic television program guide schedule system and method

• US 7,100,185 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2001
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TV Guide Incorporated (Adeia Inc.), United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.), TCI-TVGOS INC
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Backer, George, Spell, Dave, Bennington, Gerald E., Davis, Bruce, Morris, Michael, Cooper, Bill, Green, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/997,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 348/570, 348/569, 348/563, 348/564, 348/906, 348/565, 725/39, 725/40, 725/43, 725/41
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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 21/43 Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• 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 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 21/84 : 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 5/50 : Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

An electronic program schedule system which includes a receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast television programs for a plurality of television channels and a tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the plurality of channels. A data processor receives and stores in a memory television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs to appear on the plurality of television channels. A user control apparatus, such as a remote controller, is utilized by a viewer to choose user control commands and transmit signals in response to the data processor which receives the signals in response to user control commands. A television receiver is used to display the television programs and television program schedule information. A video display generator receives video control commands from the data processor and program schedule information from the memory and displays a portion of the program schedule information in overlaying relationship with a television program appearing on a television channel in at least one mode of operation of the television programming guide. The data processor controls the video display generator with video control commands, issued in response to the user control commands, to display program schedule information for any chosen one of the plurality of television programs in overlaying relationship with at least one television program then appearing on any chosen one of the plurality of channels on the television receiver.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user to browse program listings while viewing at least a substantial portion of a program on a display comprising:

displaying a program in at least a substantial of a program in at least a portion of the display;

displaying at least one interactive program listing on the display simultaneously with the at least a substantial portion of the program;

allowing the user to select the at least one interactive program listing; and

displaying a second program corresponding to the selected interactive program listing in at least a portion of the display, in response to receiving the selection from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one interactive program listing comprises a program title and a program channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the program is selected from the group consisting of a television program, a promotional video clip, a prerecorded program, a video on demand program, a near video on demand program, or a pay per view program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selects the at least one interactive program listing on a user control means.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the program is displayed on a first portion of the display, the at least one interactive program listing is displayed on a second portion of the display, and said first portion is larger than said second portion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the program is displayed on a first portion of the display, the at least one interactive program listing is displayed on a second portion of the display, and the first portion is smaller than the second portion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to select a reminder message corresponding to a program to be viewed at a future date.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying the reminder message at a time prior to the future date.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the time prior to the future date is determined by the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the reminder message is displayed on the display simultaneously with the program.

11. A system for allowing a user to browse program listings while viewing at least a substantial portion of a program on a display comprising:

means for displaying at least a substantial portion of a program in at least a portion of the display;

means for displaying at least one interactive program listing on the display simultaneously with the at least a substantial portion of the program;

means for allowing the user to select the at least one interactive program listing; and

means for displaying a second program corresponding to the selected interactive program listing in at least a portion of the display, in response to receiving the selection from the user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one interactive program listing comprises a program title and a program channel.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the program is selected from the group consisting of a television program, a promotional video clip, a prerecorded program, a video on demand program, a near video on demand program, or a pay per view program.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the user selects the at least one interactive program listing on a user control means.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the program is displayed on a first portion of the display, the at least one interactive program listing is displayed on a second portion of the display, and said first portion is larger than said second portion.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the program is displayed on a first portion of the display generator, the at least one interactive program listing is displayed on a second portion of the display, and the first portion is smaller than the second portion.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for allowing the user to select a reminder message corresponding to a program to be viewed at a future date.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for displaying the reminder message at a time prior to the future date.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the time prior to the future date is determined by the user.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the reminder message is displayed on the screen simultaneously with the program.

21. An interactive media guide comprising:

a video display controller;

a microprocessor programmed to;

direct the video display controller to display at least one interactive program listing on a display simultaneously with at least a substantial portion of a program;

allow a user to select the at least one interactive program listing; and

direct the video display controller to display a second program corresponding to the selected interactive program listing in at least a portion of the display, in response to receiving the selection from the user.

22. The media guide of claim 21, wherein the at least one interactive program listing comprises a program title and a program channel.

23. The media guide of claim 21, wherein the program is selected from the group consisting of a television program, a promotional video clip, a prerecorded program, a video on demand program, a near video on demand program, or a pay per view program.

24. The media guide of claim 21, wherein the user selects the at least one interactive program listing on a user control means.

25. The media guide of claim 21, wherein the program is displayed on a first portion of the display, the at least one interactive program listing is displayed on a second portion of the display, and said first portion is larger than said second portion.

26. The media guide of claim 21, wherein the program is displayed on a first portion of the display, the at least one interactive program listing is displayed on a second portion of the display, and the first portion is smaller than the second portion.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the microprocessor is further programmed to allow the user to select a reminder message corresponding to a program to be viewed at a future date.

28. The media guide of claim 27, wherein the microprocessor is further programmed to direct the video display controller to display the reminder message at a time prior to the future date.

29. The media guide of claim 28, wherein the time prior to the future date is determined by the user.

30. The media guide of claim 28, wherein the reminder message is displayed on the screen simultaneously with the program.