Program guide system with real-time data sources

• US 8,146,117 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Knudson, Edward B., Rudnick, David M., Ellis, Michael D., Hagenbuch, Daniel C., Hassell, Joel G., Knee, Robert A., Reynolds, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Kieu Oanh T
• Application Number:
  US12/115,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/40, 725/46, 725/47, 725/50, 725/51, 725/52, 725/58, 725/61, 725/92, 725/100, 725/132
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26613 for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

A program guide system is provided in which an interactive television program guide that is implemented at least partially on user television equipment receives program listings data and real-time data such as sports scores, news data, and the like. The real-time data may be stored in a database maintained by the program guide, so that the program guide may access the stored real-time data at a later time. Updated program listings information may be provided to the program guide as part of the data stream in which the real-time data is provided. Unique keys may be generated for the program listings data and real-time data associated with each live event. The keys may be compared at the program guide to determine which program listings correspond to which items of real-time data. A controllable ticker may be displayed on top of a television program on the user television equipment. The controllable ticker may be sponsored. Different types of real-time data may be assigned different expiration times. When data has expired it may be removed from the database.

Claims

1. A method of using a system in which real-time data is provided to user equipment of a user on which a program is displayed, the method comprising:

receiving the real-time data with the user equipment; and

simultaneously displaying the program and a controllable ticker, wherein the controllable ticker includes a user-controllable category and a user-controllable status information item associated with that category, and wherein the status information item comprises the real-time data.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein displaying the controllable ticker comprises displaying an automatically scrolling controllable ticker.

3. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising changing the user-controllable category of the ticker between categories selected from the group consisting of:

sports categories, sports league categories, sports conferences, and sports teams.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein displaying the controllable ticker comprises displaying the controllable ticker so that when the user changes to a given category a most recently displayed status information item for that category is displayed.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein displaying the controllable ticker comprises displaying the controllable ticker so that when the user changes to a given category a first status information item in that category is displayed.

6. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

changing the category in response to receiving a user selection of a right or left cursor key; and

changing the status information item in response to receiving a user selection of an up or down cursor key.

7. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user selection to invoke the controllable ticker, wherein

displaying the controllable ticker is performed in response to receiving the user selection.

8. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user selection to exit the controllable ticker; and

storing a most recent category and a most recent status information item when the user exits the controllable ticker.

9. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user indication of preferences for the controllable ticker.

10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein the preferences are selected from the group consisting of:

a general category preference, a specific category preference, a sports league preference, a sports conference preference, and a sports team preference.

11. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising providing an opportunity for the user to turn on and off a favorites mode for use with the controllable ticker.

12. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a user request to change the category or the status information item displayed in the controllable ticker; and

changing the category or the status information item directly to a next category or next status information item satisfying the user'"'"'s preferences.

13. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment, the method further comprising displaying an icon with the status information item to indicate that the particular program is available.

14. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment, the method further comprising receiving a user request to record the particular program.

15. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment, the method further comprising receiving a user request to tune to the particular program.

16. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment in the future, the method further comprising receiving a user request to set a reminder for the particular program.

17. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the status information item relates to a pay program that is available on the user equipment, the method further comprising receiving a user request to purchase the pay program.

18. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising providing a link to a service or channel of a sponsor from the controllable ticker.

19. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising providing a link in an interactive program guide from a service or an advertisement of a sponsor to the controllable ticker.

20. User equipment comprising a user input device and a display device for displaying a program, the user equipment configured to:

receive real-time data; and

simultaneously display the program and a controllable ticker on the display device, wherein the controllable ticker includes a user-controllable category and a user-controllable status information item associated with that category, and wherein the status information item comprises the real-time data.

21. The user equipment defined in claim 20, wherein the user equipment is further configured to display an automatically scrolling controllable ticker.

22. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user equipment is further configured to change the user-controllable category of the ticker between categories selected from the group consisting of:

sports categories, sports league categories, sports conferences, and sports teams.

23. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user equipment is further configured to display, on the display device, the controllable ticker so that when the user changes to a given category a most recently displayed status information item for that category is displayed.

24. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user equipment is further configured to display, on the display device, the controllable ticker so that when the user changes to a given category a first status information item in that category is displayed.

25. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user input device has up, down, left, and right cursor keys, and wherein the user equipment is further configured to:

change the category in response to receiving a user selection of the right or the left cursor key; and

change the status information item in response to receiving a user selection of the up or the down cursor key.

26. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user equipment is further configured to:

receive, from the user input device, a user selection to invoke the controllable ticker; and

display, on the display device, the controllable ticker in response to receiving the user selection.

27. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user equipment is further configured to:

receive, from the user input device, a user selection to exit the controllable ticker; and

store a most recent category and a most recent status information item when the user exits the controllable ticker.

28. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user equipment is further configured to:

receive, from the user input device, a user indication of preferences for the controllable ticker.

29. The user equipment defined in claim 28, wherein the preferences are selected from the group consisting of:

a general category preference, a specific category preference, a sports league preference, a sports conference preference, and a sports team preference.

30. The user equipment defined in claim 28 wherein the user equipment is further configured to provide an opportunity for the user to turn on and off a favorites mode for use with the controllable ticker.

31. The user equipment defined in claim 28 wherein the user equipment is further configured to:

receive, from the user input device, a user request to change the category or the status information item displayed in the controllable ticker; and

change the category or the status information item directly to a next category or next status information item satisfying the user'"'"'s preferences.

32. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment, and wherein the user equipment is further configured to display, on the display device, an icon with the status information item to indicate that the particular program is available.

33. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment, and wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive a user selection from the controllable ticker to record the particular program.

34. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment, and wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive a user request to tune to the particular program.

35. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the status information item relates to a particular program that is available on the user equipment in the future, and wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive a user request to set a reminder for the particular program.

36. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the status information item relates to a pay program that is available on the user equipment, and wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive a user request to purchase the pay program.

37. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the controllable ticker further comprises a link to a service or channel.

38. The user equipment defined in claim 20 wherein the user equipment is further configured to provide a link in an interactive program guide from a service or an advertisement of a sponsor to the controllable ticker.