Method and system for creating television programming guide
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electronic programming guide apparatus comprising:
- a programmable electronic device at a first location;
a computer system at a second location, coupled to said programmable electronic device via a network;
said programmable electronic device providing information regarding said programmable electronic device at said first location to said computer system;
said computer system configured to utilize a record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first location, and for generating an electronic programming guide based upon said record;
wherein the information regarding said programmable electronic device is the record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first location and further wherein said programmable electronic device is a PC and said first location is a first household location;
wherein the record is generated in response to repeatedly scanning actual electronic programming signals delivered to said first household location;
wherein the electronic programming signals are received by a television tuner card disposed in the PC;
wherein the PC is coupled to a schedule and descriptive programming information source via an internet connection; and
wherein the computer system is configured to utilize a plurality of television station geographic reception areas and a plurality of overlapping geographic areas in associating a television station ID with a detected RF signal on a predetermined channel when generating the electronic program guide.
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Abstract
A household level electronic program guide which provides a PC user with a specific guide of television stations which are available at a location where a cable has been scanned to determine the television channels and stations being broadcast thereon and being provided to the PC.
141 Citations
3 Claims
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1. An electronic programming guide apparatus comprising:
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a programmable electronic device at a first location; a computer system at a second location, coupled to said programmable electronic device via a network; said programmable electronic device providing information regarding said programmable electronic device at said first location to said computer system; said computer system configured to utilize a record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first location, and for generating an electronic programming guide based upon said record; wherein the information regarding said programmable electronic device is the record of electronically transmitted programming which is available to be received at said first location and further wherein said programmable electronic device is a PC and said first location is a first household location; wherein the record is generated in response to repeatedly scanning actual electronic programming signals delivered to said first household location; wherein the electronic programming signals are received by a television tuner card disposed in the PC; wherein the PC is coupled to a schedule and descriptive programming information source via an internet connection; and wherein the computer system is configured to utilize a plurality of television station geographic reception areas and a plurality of overlapping geographic areas in associating a television station ID with a detected RF signal on a predetermined channel when generating the electronic program guide.
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2. A method of generating an electronic programming guide comprising the steps of:
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providing a programmable electronic device at a first location; providing a remote computer coupled to the programmable electronic device via an internet connection; generating a record of television stations which are specifically available at the first location; generating a specific electronic program guide based upon the record; displaying the electronic program guide on the programmable electronic device; wherein the step of generating a record of television stations comprises the steps of; scanning a cable, with a tv tuner coupled to a microprocessor, at the first location to determine if a signal is present on one of a plurality of channels; repeating the step of scanning a cable for each of a plurality of different channels; generating a plurality of information entries of channels available for reception at the first location; transmitting to the remote computer the list of channels available for reception at the first location; associating on the remote computer a station with each of the plurality of information entries; and wherein the programmable electronic device is a PC and said first location is a first household location.
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3. A method of providing an electronic program guide which is tailored for a specific location comprising the steps of:
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providing a radio frequency source of television programming to a television tuner disposed, at a first location, in a personal computer of the type having a microprocessor therein; scanning, at the first location, the radio frequency source of programming to make a determination that a programming signal is present and if an embedded station identification signal is also present; repeating the step of scanning for a plurality of predetermined channels; creating a table of channel numbers and station identification information; transmitting to a device at a second location the list of channels available for reception at the first location; determining at the second location station identification information of a first channel which has been received by the tuner and for which no embedded station identification information is present, by generating an intersection area of geographic broadcast areas of channels in the table where station identification has been previously determined and comparing the intersection area to a broadcast area of a station broadcasting on the first channel and making a determination of overlap if overlap exists between the intersection area and the broadcast area; and generating at the second location an electronic program guide tailored for said first location partially in response to the determination of overlap.
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Specification