Display apparatus and method for scheduling broadcast using the same

• US 8,479,232 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Won-il, Kwon, Yong-hwan, Kim, Joon-hwan, Kwon, Heui-jin, Lee, Chang-soo, Lee, Jeong-yeon, Szilagyi, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAHAM, PAUL J
• Application Number:
  US12/630,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20100180306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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

Abstract

A display apparatus and a method for scheduling a broadcast using the same. The broadcast scheduling method includes generating a program information table, in which broadcast information is arranged, if a broadcast program selected by a user in the program information table is moved into an area adjacent to an icon, displaying the broadcast program being added to an item folder, and scheduling the broadcast program.

Claims

1. A broadcast scheduling method, comprising:

generating a program information table in which broadcast information is arranged;

determining whether a first icon for a broadcast program selected by a user in the program information table is moved into an area adjacent to a second icon;

comparing a starting time of the broadcast program selected by the user with a current time after determining that the first icon for the broadcast program is moved into the area adjacent to the second icon;

displaying a visual effect in which the first icon for the broadcast program is added to an item folder if the starting time of the broadcast program selected by the user is later than the current time, and not displaying the visual effect if the starting time is not later than the current time; and

scheduling the broadcast program if the starting time of the broadcast program selected by the user is later than the current time, and not scheduling the broadcast program if the starting time is not later than the current time.

2. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, wherein in the scheduling operation, if on-screen display (OSD) information indicating the first icon for the broadcast program selected by the user is moved to the area adjacent to the second icon, the broadcast program is automatically scheduled.

3. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting scheduling information of the broadcast program included in the item folder to an external device if on-screen display (OSD) information of the first icon for the broadcast program selected by the user is moved to the area adjacent to the second icon.

4. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, wherein the second icon is an image for the item folder, which is a folder that stores at least one of broadcast programs scheduled by the user, music files, still image files, and movie files which are frequently used by the user, and

in the scheduling operation, if the first icon for the broadcast program selected by the user is moved to the area adjacent to the second icon, the broadcast program included in the item folder is automatically scheduled.

5. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting the program information table to a display,

wherein in the scheduling operation, if the first icon for the broadcast program is dragged by the user touching the display and is moved into the area adjacent to the second icon, the broadcast program is automatically scheduled.

6. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the program information table from which the first icon for the broadcast program is removed after the first icon for the broadcast program is added to the item folder.

7. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the program information table in which the first icon for the broadcast program returns to an original place after the first icon for the broadcast program is added to the item folder.

8. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, wherein in the displaying operation, at least one of color and shape of the first icon for the broadcast program, which is arranged in the program information table, is changed and displayed so as to indicate that the broadcast program is scheduled.

23. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 1, wherein the generating, the determining, the comparing, the displaying, and the scheduling are performed by a digital TV.

9. A display apparatus, comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI) generation unit which generates a program information table in which broadcast information is arranged; and

a control unit which, if a first icon for a broadcast program selected by a user is moved into an area adjacent to a second icon, compares a starting time of the broadcast program selected by the user with a current time after determining that the first icon is moved into the area adjacent to the second icon, controls the GUI generation unit to display a visual effect in which the first icon for the broadcast program is added to an item folder if the starting time of the broadcast program selected by the user is later than the current time, and not to display the visual effect if the starting time is not later than the current time, and automatically schedules the broadcast program if the starting time of the broadcast program selected by the user is later than the current time, not schedules the broadcast program if the starting time is not later than the current time.

10. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein, if on-screen display (OSD) information indicating the first icon for the broadcast program selected by the user is moved to the area adjacent to the second icon, the control unit inserts the first icon for the broadcast program into the item folder so that the broadcast program can be automatically scheduled.

11. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit transmits scheduling information of the broadcast program included in the item folder to an external device if on-screen display (OSD) information of the first icon for the broadcast program selected by the user is moved to the area adjacent to the second icon.

12. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second icon is an image for the item folder, which a folder that stores at least one of broadcast programs scheduled by the user, music files, still image files, and movie files which are frequently used by the user, and

if the first icon for the broadcast program selected by the user is moved to the area adjacent to the second icon, the control unit automatically schedules the broadcast program included in the item folder.

13. The display apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a video output unit which outputs the program information table to a display,

wherein if the first icon for the broadcast program is dragged by the user touching the display and is moved into the area adjacent to the second icon, the control unit automatically schedules the broadcast program.

14. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the GUI generation unit to display the program information table from which the first icon for the broadcast program is removed after the first icon for the broadcast program is added to the item folder.

15. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the GUI generation unit to display the program information table in which the first icon for the broadcast program returns to an original place after the first icon for the broadcast program is added to the item folder.

16. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit controls at least one of color and shape of the first icon for the broadcast program, which is arranged in the program information table, to be changed and displayed in order to indicate that the broadcast program is scheduled.

17. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display apparatus is a broadcast receiving apparatus that displays the program information table.

18. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display apparatus is a portable device that transmits broadcast program information scheduled by the user to a broadcast receiving apparatus, and the display apparatus operates the broadcast receiving apparatus by remote control.

19. The display apparatus of claim 18, wherein the portable device plays back at least one of broadcast program, music, still images, and movies that are included in the item folder expressed using the icon.

20. The display apparatus of claim 18, wherein the portable device downloads the program information table from at least one of a server and the broadcast receiving apparatus.

24. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display apparatus is a digital TV.

21. A broadcast scheduling method, comprising:

displaying a program information table in which broadcast information is arranged; and

automatically scheduling a broadcast program if a first icon for the broadcast program selected by a user in the program information table is moved into a display area of or an area adjacent to a second icon and a starting time of the broadcast program is later han a current time when comparing the starting time of the broadcast program with the current time.

22. The broadcast scheduling method of claim 21, wherein the scheduling operation comprises:

controlling the first icon to move towards the second icon if the first icon is moved to the area adjacent to the second icon.