Method for making selections in search criteria in TV EPGs

• US 8,266,656 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kamen, Yakov, Kinkinis, Dan, Kohne, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US10/159,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,756 Days
• Field of Search: 725/53, 725/39, 725/46, 725/45, 348/734
• US Class Current: 725/53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a television electronic programming guide that allows users to combine multiple search criteria within a single search. The electronic program guide receives a television program search criteria set containing a plurality of search criteria and provides a search result set containing television programs that meet the television program search criteria set. The search criteria in the television program search criteria set may be combined in various ways to form a complex search. For one embodiment the search criteria are combined in a Boolean AND combination. One embodiment of the present invention provides a television electronic programming guide that allows users to dynamically add or remove search criteria from a programming guide search without initiating a new programming guide search. The electronic program guide receives a revision to the television program search criteria set, and revises the search result based upon the revision.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic program guide of a computing device, a television program search criteria set containing a plurality of search criteria, each of the search criteria corresponding to a button on a push-button control device, wherein selection of a first button at an initial time corresponds to selection of a first criteria and selection of the first button at subsequent time after the initial time corresponds to deselection of the first criteria, and selection of a second button, different from the first button, at its initial time corresponds to selection of a second criteria and selection of the second button at its subsequent time after its initial time corresponds to deselection of the second criteria;

providing a search result set containing television programs that meet the combination of the selected criteria of the television program search criteria set; and

simultaneously displaying on the same screen the television program search criteria set containing the plurality of search criteria and the search result set.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving in the electronic program guide, a revision to the television program search criteria set; and

revising the search result set corresponding to the revision to the television program search criteria set.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the revision to the television program search criteria set includes taking an action selected from the group consisting of selecting one or more additional search criteria, deselecting one or more search criteria, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more search criteria is deselected by pressing the corresponding button on the push-button control device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving, in an electronic program guide, a television program search criteria set containing a plurality of search criteria further includes receiving a search criteria set including an all selection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the all selection includes a second search parameter.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second search parameter is a time parameter.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the search criteria set in the step of simultaneously displaying the television program search criteria set containing the plurality of search criteria and the search result set includes displaying the search criteria and corresponding buttons.

5. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

display an onscreen television program guide comprising;

display an onscreen television program guide, the television program guide including a search criteria window containing a plurality of search criteria, each criterion corresponding to a set of television programs, each criteria capable of being selected for a search such that two or more selected criteria form a search criteria set, wherein each of the search criteria corresponds to a button on a push-button control device, wherein selection of a first button at an initial time corresponds to selection of a first criteria and selection of the first button at a subsequent time after the initial time corresponds to deselection of the first criterion, and selection of a second button, different from the first button, at its initial time corresponds to selection of a second criterion and selection of the second button at its subsequent time after its initial time corresponds to deselection of the second criterion; and

a search result window to display a list of television programs corresponding to the combination of the selected criteria of the search criteria set, wherein the search criteria window and the search result window are displayed simultaneously on the same screen.

6. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 5, wherein the search criteria set can be dynamically revised such that the search result window displays a revised list of television programs corresponding to the revised search criteria set.

7. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein revising the search criteria set includes selecting additional search criteria and deselecting previously selected search criteria.

19. The onscreen television program guide of claim 5, wherein each of the search criteria of the plurality of search criteria corresponds to a single numeral that is used for selection of the search criteria.

20. The onscreen television program guide of claim 5, wherein the search result set further includes a channel number for each of the television programs displayed in the search result window.

21. The onscreen television program guide of claim 6, wherein the search result set further includes a program name for each of the television programs displayed in the search result window.

8. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, comprising:

displaying a plurality of search criteria, each of the search criteria corresponding to a button on a push-button control device, wherein selection of a first button at an initial time corresponds to selection of a first criteria and selection of the first button at a subsequent time after the initial time corresponds to deselection of the first criteria, and selection of a second button, different from the first button, at its initial time corresponds to selection of a second criteria and selection of the second button at its subsequent time after its initial time corresponds to deselection of the second criteria;

receiving a selection of at least two search criteria from the displayed plurality of search criteria;

comparing the combination of the at least two selected search criteria to a list of available television programs; and

providing a search result set containing television programs that meet the at least two selected search criteria, wherein providing the search result set includes simultaneously displaying the search result set and the plurality of search criteria on the same screen.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the plurality of search criteria are combined such that a resultant search criterion is the Boolean AND combination of each of the plurality of search criteria.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a revision to the plurality of search criteria; and

revising the search result set corresponding to the revision.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the revision to the plurality of search criteria includes taking an action selected from the group consisting of selecting one or more additional search criteria, deselecting one or more search criteria, and combinations thereof.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more search criteria is deselected by pressing the corresponding button on the push-button control device.

13. A system comprising:

a television display screen;

an electronic program guide capable of being displayed on the television display screen, the electronic program guide having a search criteria window containing a plurality of search criteria, each of the search criteria corresponding to a button on a push-button control device, the push-button control device being configured to select search criteria such that two or more selected criteria form a search criteria set, wherein selection of a first button at an initial time corresponds to selection of a first criteria and selection of the first button at a subsequent time after the initial time corresponds to deselection of the first criteria, and selection of a second button, different from the first button, at its initial time corresponds to selection of a second criteria and selection of the second button at its subsequent time after its initial time corresponds to deselection of the second criteria; and

a search result window to display a list of television programs corresponding to the combination of the selected criteria of the search criteria set, wherein the search result window and the search criteria window are simultaneously displayed on the same screen of the television display screen.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the search criteria set can be dynamically revised such that the search result window displays a revised list of television programs corresponding to the revised search criteria set.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein revising the search criteria set includes selecting additional search criteria and deselecting previously selected search criteria.