Program guide application interface system

• US 7,805,742 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Knee, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl; Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): PENG, HSIUNGFEI
• Application Number:
  US12/579,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20100122292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7755 the recorder being connected to, or coupled with, the antenna of the television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A program guide system is provided that supports a program guide application and multiple non-guide applications. The program guide system has a program guide application interface that allows the non-guide applications to use both device resources and program guide resources. The application interface maintains a list of registered applications and directs control requests from various applications to the current primary application. The application interface also has a user interface input director that directs keystrokes and other user input commands to the appropriate application. If a keystroke for the program guide application is detected while a non-guide application is running, the program guide application is invoked.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a requesting application implemented on user television equipment to assume control of the user television equipment, the method comprising:

receiving, with a program guide application interface, a control request from the requesting application;

determining, with the program guide application interface, a primary application that currently has control of the user television equipment; and

transferring control of the user television equipment from the primary application to the requesting application.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the control request to the primary application in response to the determination of the primary application; and

determining, with the primary application, whether to relinquish control of the user television equipment to the requesting application.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, with the program guide application interface, whether to transfer control of the user television equipment to the requesting application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring control of the user television equipment from the primary application to the requesting application comprises terminating operation of the primary application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring control of the user television equipment from the primary application to the requesting application comprises suspending operation of the primary application.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

receiving, with the program guide application interface, an end suspension request; and

providing the end suspension request to the primary application, wherein the primary application resumes control of the user television equipment in response to the end suspension request.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the control request is a first control request, further comprising:

receiving, with the requesting application, a second control request; and

transferring control of the user television equipment from the requesting application to the primary application in response to the second control request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the primary application and the requesting application is selected from the group consisting of a program guide application and a non-program guide application.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a registered application list, wherein the registered application list comprises a communications address and an identifier for each registered application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control request is tagged with an identifier associated with the requesting application, further comprising:

identifying, with the program guide application interface, the requesting application using the identifier of the control request and the registered application list.

11. A system for allowing a requesting application implemented on user television equipment to assume control of the user television equipment, the system comprising:

a program guide application interface with a control request processor, wherein the control request processor is configured to;

receive a control request from the requesting application;

determine a primary application that currently has control of the user television equipment; and

transfer control of the user television equipment from the primary application to the requesting application.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control request processor is further configured to provide the control request to the primary application in response to the determination of the primary application, and wherein the primary application determines whether to relinquish control of the user television equipment to the requesting application.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control request processor is further configured to determine whether to transfer control of the user television equipment to the requesting application.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein transferring control of the user television equipment from the primary application to the requesting application comprises terminating operation of the primary application.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein transferring control of the user television equipment from the primary application to the requesting application comprises suspending operation of the primary application.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

receive an end suspension request; and

provide the end suspension request to the primary application, wherein the primary application resumes control of the user television equipment in response to the end suspension request.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the control request is a first control request, and wherein the control request processor is further configured to:

provide the requesting application with a second control request to relinquish control of the user television equipment; and

transfer control of the user television equipment from the requesting application to the primary application in response to the second control request.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the primary application and the requesting application is selected from the group consisting of a program guide application and a non-program guide application.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the program guide application interface is configured to maintain a registered application list, wherein the registered application list comprises a communications address and an identifier for each registered application.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the control request is tagged with an identifier associated with the requesting application, and wherein the program guide application interface is further configured to identify the requesting application using the identifier of the control request and the registered application list.