Electronic programming guide with selectable categories

• US 7,685,520 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2003
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rashkovskiy, Oleg B., Wymore, Ben S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax; Steven P
• Application Number:
  US10/641,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20040034867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,413 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 715/772, 715/773, 715/729, 715/730, 715/731, 715721-726, 715/784, 715/785, 715/786, 715/855, 715/712, 715823-824, 725/40, 725/43
• US Class Current: 715/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/47 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 21/4821 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

Abstract

An electronic content guide may organize content such as television programs into categories and subcategories. The categories and subcategories may be topical as well as time-based. As a result, the user can select a given time-based criteria and within that time-based criteria select topical subcategories. As a result, the number of programs that may be displayed in any given graphical user interface may be reduced to a manageable level. This may be done without requiring a great deal of scrolling to view selected categories, subcategories and particular programs.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first graphical user interface (GUI) including at least two user selectable icons, the first of said icons being selectable to select a second GUI and the second of said icons being selectable to select a third GUI;

said second GUI including an electronic programming guide limited to a plurality of current programs available at the current time; and

said third GUI including an electronic programming guide for a plurality of programs available only at a time in the future

displaying a first indicator, associated with a first program included in the second GUI and indicating the progress of the first program relative to the current time, and a second indicator, associated with a second program included in the second GUI and indicating the progress of the second program relative to the current time, simultaneously with the second GUI; and

displaying a depiction of a first program included in said plurality of current programs, said depiction including a graphic and text related to the particular progress stage of said first program.

2. The method of claim 1 including providing an indicator associated with each program entry, included in the second GUI, indicating the progress of the program relative to the current time.

3. The method of claim 1 including providing a bar graph display that graphically indicates how much of a particular program has already been broadcast at the current time.

4. The method of claim 1 including providing a graphical display that graphically indicates how much of a particular program has already been broadcast at the current time.

5. The method of claim 1 including:

categorizing said plurality of current programs in at least a first category genre of programming and a second category genre of programming;

displaying, in the second GUI, only the current programs of the first category genre and none of the current programs of the second category genre.

6. The method of claim 5 including displaying, in a fourth GUI, only the current programs of the second category genre and none of the current programs of the first category genre.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first category genre relates to drama, the second category genre relates to sports, and the current time is 8 pm.

8. The method of claim 1 including determining the number of entries in at least one of said second and third GUIs, and based on said number, selectively instituting a scrolling function.