Server-centric search function in an interactive program guide
First Claim
1. A method for searching a program guide database, comprising:
- receiving, from service provider equipment, a search object comprising a video slice encoded by a service provider, said search object being for an interactive program guide (IPG);
receiving one or more user-generated search criteria via user interaction with said search object, the one or more user-generated search criteria comprising one or more keywords composed by a user;
sending a request for a search along with the one or more search criteria to a head end of an information distribution system;
receiving one or more search results from the service provider equipment; and
wherein the program guide database is searched at the service provider equipment.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques for searching a program guide database. In accordance with a method, one or more search criteria (e.g., keywords) are received and a request for a search is then sent, along with the search criteria, to a head end of an information distribution system. In response, one or more search results are received from the head end. In this server-centric system, the program guide database is searched at the head end. The search results can be displayed on one search result IPG page (or more, if necessary) or displayed one at a time on the respective IPG page that includes the search result. Upon receiving an indication that a particular search result has been selected, one or more streams associated with the selected search result can be retrieved and decoded to recover the selected program, which can then be displayed.
291 Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A method for searching a program guide database, comprising:
-
receiving, from service provider equipment, a search object comprising a video slice encoded by a service provider, said search object being for an interactive program guide (IPG); receiving one or more user-generated search criteria via user interaction with said search object, the one or more user-generated search criteria comprising one or more keywords composed by a user; sending a request for a search along with the one or more search criteria to a head end of an information distribution system; receiving one or more search results from the service provider equipment; and wherein the program guide database is searched at the service provider equipment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. An interactive program guide (IPG) page, comprising:
-
at least one guide region configurable to display a listing of a plurality of channels; and a search window object configurable to receive one or more user-generated criteria for the search of the program guide database, the one or more user-generated search criteria comprising one or more keywords composed by a user; wherein said IPG page is composed and rendered at a head end and operable to support a search of a program guide database;
said IPG page is encoded as a video stream adapted for transmission via a video distribution channel, and said search window object comprises a video slice encoded by a service provider. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
-
Specification