Controlling program guide in broadcast receiving device

• US 8,572,657 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Suzin
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parra, Omar S
• Application Number:
  US12/815,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 725/47
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

A broadcast receiving device and a method for change one or more configurations of windows of a program guide displayed on a display unit of a broadcast receiving device according to a user input, are discussed.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving device comprising:

a broadcast receiver configured to receive broadcast signals;

a demodulator configured to demodulate the received broadcast signals to generate transport streams;

a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex the demodulated transport streams into at least one of a video stream, an audio stream and a data stream;

a user interface configured to provide a user input to a controller;

a display unit configured to display a program guide including a plurality of windows for displaying information associated with the broadcast signals;

a program guide editing unit configured to edit the program guide displayed on the display unit according to the user input; and

the controller configured to control the program guide editing unit to edit the program guide,

wherein, when the user input indicates that a size of a selected window of the program guide displayed on the display unit is to be changed, the controller controls the program guide editing unit to change a size of the selected window while a size of other windows remain the same on the displayed program guide,

wherein the controller controls the program guide editing unit to semi-transparently display a portion of the selected window that overlaps at least one of the other windows of the program guide if an overlapping area is less than a critical value, and

wherein, if the size of the selected window is enlarged, and the overlapping area with the at least one of the other windows is more than the critical value, the controller reduces a size of the at least one of the other windows.

2. The broadcast receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the program guide editing unit comprises:

a window memory configured to store information to be displayed on each of the plurality of windows of the program guide;

a scaler configured to change a size of one of the plurality of windows according to the user input; and

a processor configured to control the information stored in the window memory to be displayed and the scaler to change the size of the one of the plurality of windows.

3. The broadcast receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the program editing unit varies at least one configuration of one of the plurality of windows displayed on the display unit according to the user input.

4. The broadcast receiving device according to claim 3, wherein the at least one configuration of one of the plurality of windows comprises at least one of a size, a position and a property of one of the plurality of windows.

5. The broadcast receiving device according to claim 4, wherein the property of one of the plurality of windows comprises at least one of the following:

a size of the window, a color of the window, a font of the window, a wallpaper of the window, and a screen state value of the window.

6. The broadcast receiving device according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of windows comprises at least one of a video window, a data window and a schedule list window.

7. The broadcast receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the program guide editing unit receives the user input in the form of a drag-and-drop operation, a touch screen operation, or a menu selection operation.

8. An image processor comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input;

a display unit;

a program guide editing unit configured to editing a program guide including a plurality of windows, according to the user input; and

a controller configured to control the program guide editing unit and the user interface,

wherein when the user input indicates that a size of a selected window of the program guide displayed on the display unit is to be changed, the controller controls the program guide editing unit to change a size of the selected window while a size of other windows remain the same on the displayed program guide,

wherein the controller controls the program guide editing unit to semi-transparently display a portion of the selected window that overlaps at least one of the other windows of the program guide if an overlapping area is less than a critical value, and

wherein if the size of the selected window is enlarged, and the overlapping area with the at least one of the other windows is more than the critical value, the controller reduces a size of the at least one of the other windows.

9. The image processor according to claim 8, wherein the program guide editing units varies at least one of a size, a position and a property of one of the plurality of windows displayed on a screen, according to the user input.

10. The image processor according to claim 9, wherein the user input includes an operation of dragging and dropping edges of the at least one window, or an operation of dragging and dropping the at least one window.

11. A method for providing a program guide using an image processor including a program guide editing unit, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of windows constituting the program guide including a plurality of windows;

receiving an edit command for editing a selected window from a user; and

editing a configuration of the selected window according to the edit command,

wherein when a user input indicates that a size of the selected window of the program guide is to be changed, the editing step includes;

changing the size of the selected window of the program guide according to the user input while a size of other windows remain the same on the displayed program guide;

if an overlapping area with at least one of the other windows by the changing of the size is less than a critical value, semi-transparently displaying a portion of the selected window that overlaps the at least one of the other windows of the program guide; and

if the overlapping area with the at least one of the other windows by the changing of the size is more than the critical value, reducing a size of the at least one of the other windows.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the editing of the program guide comprises changing at least one configuration of one of the plurality of windows displayed on a screen according to the user input.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one configuration of one of the plurality of windows comprises at least one of a size, a position and a property of the at least one window.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the property of one of the plurality of windows comprises at least one of a size, a color, and a font of a text, a wallpaper, and a screen state value of the at least one window.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein one of the plurality of windows comprises at least one of a video window, a data window, and a schedule list window.