Receiving apparatus, method therefor, signal processing apparatus, method therefor and memory medium

• US 7,469,413 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2000
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aratani, Shuntaro, Mizutome, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US09/531,959
• Time in Patent Office: 3,199 Days
• Field of Search: 725 48- 49, 725/59, 725/53
• US Class Current: 725/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• 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

Abstract

There is disclosed a receiving apparatus provided with reception means for receiving a television signal, plural input means for entering program information data relating to the television broadcasting, display means for displaying an image relating to the television signal received by the reception means and program information relating to the program information data entered by the input means, and control means for controlling the display means so as to display plural program information relating to the plural program information data entered by the plural input means, on a same image.

Claims

1. A method of displaying an electric program guide (EPG) comprising steps of:

displaying switchably a normal EPG and an integrated EPG;

displaying, in a program displaying region, a normal program table where program information relating to a program broadcast distributed in each of channels of a selected input source is displayed in a display frame defined by a channel display axis and a time display axis, at the normal EPG;

displaying, in the program displaying region, an integrated program table where program information relating to a program broadcast distributed in a channel formed by combining a plurality of input sources capable of being set by a user is displayed in a display frame defined by a channel display axis and a time display axis, at the integrated EPG; and

displaying, in a peripheral region of the program displaying region, a predetermined display item commonly to the normal EPG and the integrated EPG.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined display item is at least one or more of detailed program information other than the program information relating to the program selected in the normal program table or the integrated program table, information not relating to the program, and a GUI for displaying the information not relating to the program.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the detailed program information is at least one of a program content explanation and a representative scene image.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information not relating to the program is at least one of news, a weather prediction, and traffic information.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information not relating to the program includes a name of an external connection medium, and program information of a program recorded in the external connection medium.