Electronic program guide including live network multimedia broadcast channels

• US 7,779,441 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2004
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grooters, Brandon A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): IDOWU, OLUGBENGA O
• Application Number:
  US10/764,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,395 Days
• Field of Search: 725/48, 725/51, 725/49, 725/112, 725/59
• US Class Current: 725/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• 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 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

An electronic program guide system and a method for generating an electronic program guide are disclosed. A first information handling system obtains programming information from a program information source and generates a program guide based upon the obtained program information. A second information handling system receives the program from the first information handling system via downloading or transmission. The first information handling system searches a worldwide network for information regarding a transitory broadcast event and incorporates the transitory event information into the generated program guide prior to transmitting the program guide to the second information handling system. The transitory broadcast event information may be added to the program guide as additional, temporary channels that include links to the nodes from which the transitory broadcast event may be obtained. The program guide is thereby augmented with the additional, transitory broadcast event information.

Claims

1. An electronic program guide system, comprising:

a first information handling system for obtaining programming information from a program information source and generating a program guide based upon the obtained program information;

a second information handling system coupled to said first information handling system, for receiving the program guide by causing said first information handling system to transmit the program guide to said second information handling system; and

said first information handling system being configured to search a worldwide network for information regarding a transitory broadcast event and to incorporate the transitory event information into the generated program guide prior to transmitting the program guide to said second information handling system, said transitory broadcast event being a scheduled live broadcast event;

wherein the program guide has a predetermined number of established program channels, said first information handling system being configured to add the information regarding the transitory broadcast event on the worldwide network as a temporary channel created in addition to the predetermined number of established program channels in the program guide.

2. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, said first and second information handling systems being configured to operate as a client and server system, said first information handling system being a server and said second information handling system being a client.

3. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, the worldwide network being the Internet.

4. An electronic program guide as claimed in claim 1, wherein first information handling system is configured to search said worldwide network according to a list of parameters.

5. An electronic program guide as claimed in claim 4, wherein said list of parameters includes a predetermined list of nodes.

6. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, said second information handling system being configured to receive a broadcast of the transitory broadcast event via the worldwide network.

7. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, said first information handling system being configured to create the temporary channel in the electronic program guide in response to detecting said transitory event information.

15. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the program guide is generated with the programming information for a plurality of channels, said transitory event information being incorporated into the generated program guide by adding an augmented temporary channel to the plurality of channels.

16. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the augmented temporary channel is removed from the program guide upon completion of the transitory broadcast event.

19. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said temporary channel is removed from the program guide after the transitory broadcast event ends.

22. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined number of established program channels are associated with a first source of content selected from a group consisting of cable television content, satellite television content, and airwave broadcast television content, the temporary channel being associated with a second source of content different from the first source of content.

23. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the second source of content is the Internet.

26. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said programming information from the program information source comprises information about regular programming airing on established media channels, and wherein said programming information from the program information source does not include information regarding said transitory broadcast event.

8. An electronic program guide system, comprising:

means for obtaining programming information from a program information source and generating a program guide based upon the obtained program information;

means, coupled to said obtaining means, for receiving the program guide by causing said obtaining means to transmit the program guide to said receiving means; and

said obtaining means being configured to search a worldwide network for information regarding a transitory broadcast event and to incorporate the transitory event information into the generated program guide prior to transmitting the program guide to said second information handling system, said transitory broadcast event being a scheduled live broadcast event;

wherein the program guide has a predetermined number of established program channels, said obtaining means being configured to add the information regarding the transitory broadcast event on the worldwide network as a temporary channel created in addition to the predetermined number of established program channels in the program guide.

9. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, said obtaining means and said receiving means being configured to operate as a client and server system, said obtaining means being a server and said receiving means being a client.

10. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, the worldwide network being the Internet.

11. An electronic program guide as claimed in claim 8, wherein said obtaining means is configured to search said worldwide network according to a list of parameters.

12. An electronic program guide as claimed in claim 11, wherein said list of parameters includes a predetermined list of nodes.

13. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, said receiving means being configured to receive a broadcast of the transitory broadcast event via the worldwide network.

14. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, said obtaining means being configured to create the temporary channel in the electronic program guide in response to detecting said transitory event information.

17. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the program guide is generated with the programming information for a plurality of channels, said transitory event information being incorporated into the generated program guide by adding an augmented temporary channel to the plurality of channels.

18. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the augmented temporary channel is removed from the program guide upon completion of the transitory broadcast event.

20. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said temporary channel is removed from the program guide after the transitory broadcast event ends.

21. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said temporary channel is removed from the program guide after the scheduled live broadcast event ends.

24. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said predetermined number of established program channels are associated with a first source of content selected from a group consisting of cable television content, satellite television content, and airwave broadcast television content, the temporary channel being associated with a second source of content different from the first source of content.

25. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the second source of content is the Internet.

27. An electronic program guide system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said programming information from the program information source comprises information about regular programming airing on established media channels, and wherein said programming information from the program information source does not include information regarding said transitory broadcast event.