Interactive television program guide with selectable languages

• US 8,479,233 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Herrington, W. Benjamin, Williamson, Steven C., Easterbrook, Kevin B., Rosenthol, Joshua A., Rudnick, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US13/043,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61, 725 86-118, 725135-139, 709217-232, 348/461, 348/462, 348/468, 348/569
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• 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 21/4856 for language selection, e.g. for the menu or subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages

Abstract

An interactive television program guide is provided. The interactive television program guide provides a user with the opportunity to select a language for playing television programming and displaying program guide text. Television program audio in the desired language may be obtained from a SAP or digital audio track and played in the selected language. Television related information in the desired language may be obtained from a digital track. If television program audio or related information is not provided in the selected language, the program guide may use a default language. The program guide may coordinate program guide display screen text with languages available for television programs when the programs are broadcast to users.

Claims

1. A method implemented at an interactive program guide device for enabling access to media programs with content distributed by a server in multiple languages, the method comprising:

receiving a first user input to select a language for interacting with the interactive program guide device;

receiving program guide data associated with the language selected by the user;

sending the program guide data associated with the language selected by the user to a display;

receiving a second user input to select a program for receiving from the server, wherein the program has a plurality of associated tracks having content in at least two different languages, wherein each track is associated with a single language, and wherein the first and the second selection opportunities are separate selection opportunities;

receiving from the server a transmission including the selected program; and

in response to the second selection opportunity, sending only a track associated with the language selected by the first user input to the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user input occurs before the second user input.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising storing the language selected by the user in a memory of the interactive program guide device.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising storing the language selected by the user in a memory of the server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the program guide data is associated with program guide text that is displayed via the display in the language selected by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is a television distribution facility.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the program is a video-on-demand program with a plurality of associated tracks having content in at least two different languages.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein tracks in languages other than the language selected by the user are not received from the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein tracks in languages other than the language selected by the user have been removed prior to transmission to the display.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third user input to select an alternate language associated with the selected program wherein the receiving from the server of a transmission comprises receiving from the server a transmission including a track associated with the selected program having content in the alternate language, but not in the language selected by the first user input; and

sending the track associated with the alternate language of the selected program to the display.

11. A interactive program guide device for enabling access to media programs with content distributed by a server in multiple languages comprising:

a user interface for i) receiving a first user input to select a language for interacting with the interactive program guide device and ii) receiving a second user input to select a program for receiving from the server, wherein the program has a plurality of associated tracks having content in at least two different languages, wherein each track is associated with a single language, and wherein the first and the second selection opportunities are separate selection opportunities;

a first data interface for i) receiving program guide data associated with the language selected by the user and ii) receiving from the server a transmission including the selected program; and

a second data interface for i) sending the program guide data associated with the language selected by the user to a display and ii) in response to the second selection opportunity, sending only a track associated with the language selected by the first user input to the display.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first user input occurs before the second user input.

13. The device of claim 11 comprising a memory, wherein the language selected by the user is stored in the memory.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the language selected by the user is stored in a memory of the server.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the program guide data is associated with display screen text that is displayed via the display in the language selected by the user.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the server is a television distribution facility.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the program is a video-on-demand program with a plurality of associated tracks having content in at least two different languages.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the first data interface does not receive tracks in languages other than the language selected by the user.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein tracks in languages other than the language selected by the user have been removed prior to transmission via the second data interface to the display.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the user interface receives a third user input to select an alternate language associated with the selected program wherein the first data interface receives from the server a transmission including a track associated with the selected program having content in the alternate language, but not in the language selected by the first user input;

and

wherein the second data interface sends the track associated with the alternate language of the selected program to the display.