Program guide system with combination category search

• US 7,873,973 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Hassell, Joel G., Thomas, William L., Knudson, Edward B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US12/551,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20090320071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 interactive television program guide system is provided in which the program guide may provide the user with a selectable list of combination categories. Combination categories are composed of multiple simple categories such as sports, news, comedy, movies, children, etc. Program listings are supplied to the program guide. At least some of the program listings are associated with combination categories. A combination category build process may be used to assign combination categories to program listings. The user is able to use the selectable categories list to quickly identify programming of interest.

Claims

1. A method for using an interactive television program guide, the method comprising:

receiving program listings with the interactive television program guide;

receiving information on simple categories of programming and combination categories of programming that are associated with the program listings;

simultaneously displaying both the simple categories and the combination categories in a selectable list with the interactive television program guide, wherein each of the combination categories comprises more than one simple category and is selectable using a single selection;

receiving a user selection of a combination category from the selectable list; and

displaying a first plurality of program listings that match the selected combination category simultaneously with a second plurality of program listings that do not match the selected combination category using the interactive television program guide, wherein each of the first plurality of program listings includes an indicator that identifies the selected combination category.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising searching for the first plurality of program listings that match the selected combination category with the interactive television program guide.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user selection is a first user selection, the combination category is a first combination category, and the indicator is a first indicator, the method further comprising:

receiving a second user selection of a second combination category from the selectable list;

searching for a third plurality of program listings that match the second category with the interactive television program guide; and

displaying the third plurality of program listings simultaneously with the first plurality of program listings and the second plurality of program listings using the interactive television program guide, wherein each of the third plurality of program listings includes a second indicator different from the first indicator that identifies the second combination category.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator is a text label displaying the selected combination category.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a list of supported combination categories, wherein simultaneously displaying both the simple categories and the combination categories comprises displaying only the combination categories in the list of supported combination categories.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the combination categories are associated with the program listings using a combination category build process comprising:

comparing one or more simple categories associated with a received program listing to the list of supported combination categories; and

assigning a supported combination category to the received program listing when the simple categories associated with the received program listing match the simple categories comprising the supported combination category.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically identifying a subset of the simple categories with the interactive television program guide; and

generating the combination categories for the selectable list from the subset of the simple categories, wherein each of the combination categories comprises more than one of the simple categories in the subset.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving information on simple categories of programming comprises receiving information on the number of user selections of the simple categories, and wherein automatically identifying a subset of the simple categories comprises identifying a first simple category that received a greater number of user selections than a second simple category.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing the user to rearrange the selectable list.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a first category that has received a greater number of user selections than a second category; and

automatically rearranging the selectable list with the first category displayed earlier in the selectable list than the second category.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of the simple categories and combination categories in the selectable list has at least one associated program listing.

12. An interactive television program guide system comprising:

a receiver that receives program listings;

a display that simultaneously displays both simple categories of programming and combination categories of programming in a selectable list, wherein each of the combination categories comprises more than one simple category and is selectable using a single selection;

user interface equipment that receives a user selection of a combination category from the selectable list; and

a processor that;

identifies a first plurality of program listings that match the selected combination category and a second plurality of program listings that do not match the selected combination category; and

configures the display to simultaneously display the first plurality of program listings and the second plurality of program listings in an interactive television program guide, wherein each of the first plurality of program listings includes an indicator that identifies the selected combination category.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to search for the first plurality of program listings that match the selected combination category.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user selection is a first user selection, the combination category is a first combination category, and the indicator is a first indicator, and wherein:

the user interface equipment receives a second user selection of a second combination category from the selectable list; and

the processor is further configured to;

identify a third plurality of program listings that match the second category; and

configure the display to simultaneously display the first plurality of program listings, the second plurality of program listings, and the third plurality of program listings in the interactive television program guide, wherein each of the third plurality of program listings includes a second indicator different from the first indicator that identifies the second combination category.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the indicator is a text label displaying the selected combination category.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the receiver receives a list of supported combination categories, and only the combination categories in the list of supported combination categories are displayed in the selectable list.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare one or more simple categories associated with a received program listing to the list of supported combination categories; and

assign a supported combination category to the received program listing when the simple categories associated with the received program listing match the simple categories comprising the supported combination category.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

automatically identify a subset of the simple categories; and

generate the combination categories for the selectable list from the subset of the simple categories, wherein each of the combination categories comprises more than one of the simple categories in the subset.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to:

monitor the number of user selections of the simple categories; and

automatically identify a first simple category that received a greater number of user selections than a second simple category.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface equipment receives a user request to rearrange the selectable list, and wherein the processor is further configured to rearrange the selectable list in response to the user request.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify a first category that has received a greater number of user selections than a second category; and

automatically rearrange the selectable list with the first category displayed earlier in the selectable list than the second category.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein each one of the simple categories and combination categories in the selectable list has at least one associated program listing.