Method and apparatus for displaying channel information and selecting channel on digital television

• US 7,412,715 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2001
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Phil-Tae, Kim, Pan-Jin, Jeong, Sik-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US09/873,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20010052124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,624 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/57, 348/731
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A method for displaying channel information on a digital TV. Channel information which can know the number of programs or program numbers received through a currently selected major channel is displayed. As channel information, a major channel number and minor channel numbers are displayed. If a channel up or down key is pressed, a viewing program is selected and corresponding channel information is displayed on a TV screen.

Claims

1. A method for displaying channel information on a display device for receiving multichannel television broadcasting, comprising:

selecting a major channel number on a channel select menu of said display device; and

displaying simultaneously a major channel number and at least one minor channel number of programs received through said major channel;

wherein said channel select menu includes a scroll bar window having a scroll bar to display the channel numbers of partial channels corresponding to a position of a scroll bar.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if one of the channel numbers displayed on a channel window of the channel select menu is selected; and

if one of the channel numbers is selected, selecting a channel of the selected channel number.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying further comprises displaying the channel numbers corresponding to the minor channels without displaying the channel number corresponding to the major channel.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying further comprises displaying the channel numbers corresponding to the minor channels and displaying the channel number corresponding to the major channel.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the major channel number as “

X” and

the minor channel number as “

X.Y,”

wherein X and Y represent numerals.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the minor channel numbers and the major channel number simultaneously.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises displaying in a format of X, X-1, X-2 . . . X-n, wherein X is the major channel number, 1, 2 . . . n are minor channel numbers, and n is the highest minor channel number.