Providing an interactive electronic programmimg guide with a layout that is defined based on objects

• US 8,601,511 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan, Kamen, Yakov
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US13/352,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 725/45, 725/42, 725/44, 725/51, 725/60, 705/14.4, 715/744, 348/563
• US Class Current: 725/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/478 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

An EPG to display programming information in a variety of ways including using 3-D images, alphanumeric text, and video data. In addition, non-EPG objects, such as interaction objects, may be conflated with the presentation of the world and with the program schedule information. A communication module in the EPG receives localized content containing multiple objects from one or more servers coupled to a network. Users may interact with the content (e.g., buy and sell goods and services from local franchises) through a user-interface coupled to the EPG.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

memory storing a plurality of 3-D enabled objects, at least one object of the plurality of 3-D enabled objects is configured to define an interactive component for display in an interactive electronic programming guide (EPG), and at least one object of the plurality of 3-D enabled objects including content information for display in the interactive EPG; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive user selection of content information;

analyze the content information to determine a thematic content of a 3-D enabled object associated with the content information;

identify additional 3-D enabled objects associated with the thematic content of the 3-D enabled object; and

generate and display the interactive EPG by combining the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information and the identified additional 3-D enabled objects, wherein a layout of the interactive EPG is defined by the thematic content of the 3-D enabled object.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a set-top box, a television, or a VCR comprises the memory and the processor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the system includes a plurality of drivers, one of the drivers communicating with a separate unit to replenish programming information.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the content information includes at least one of a schedule time, channel identification and a title.

5. The system of claim 1 further including at least one 3-D enabled object configured to provide non-EPG e-commerce interactivity.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one 3-D enabled object configured to provide non-EPG e-commerce interactivity is received in real-time.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information and the identified additional 3-D enabled objects define a virtual world.

8. The system of claim 1 further including a user interface configured to receive user interaction with localized content of the interactive EPG.

9. A method, comprising:

storing, in a memory, a plurality of 3-D enabled objects, at least one object of the plurality of 3-D enabled objects is configured to define an interactive component for display in an interactive electronic programming guide (EPG), and at least one object of the 3-D enabled objects including content information for display in the interactive EPG;

receiving user selection of content information;

analyzing the content information to determine a thematic content of a 3-D enabled object associated with the content information;

identifying additional 3-D enabled objects associated with the thematic content of the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information; and

generating and displaying the interactive EPG by combining the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information and the identified additional 3-D enabled objects, wherein a layout of the interactive EPG is defined by the thematic content of the 3-D enabled object.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the content information includes at least one of a schedule time, channel identification and a title.

11. The method of claim 9 further including at least one 3-D enabled object configured to provide non-EPG e-commerce interactivity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one 3-D enabled object configured to provide non-EPG e-commerce interactivity is received in real-time.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information and the identified additional 3-D enabled objects define a virtual world.

14. The method of claim 9 further including providing a user interface configured to receive user interaction with localized content of the interactive EPG.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable media storing machine-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:

storing, in a memory, a plurality of 3-D enabled objects, at least one object of the plurality of 3-D enabled objects is configured to define an interactive component for display in an interactive electronic programming guide (EPG), and at least one object including content information for display in the interactive EPG;

receiving user selection of content information;

analyzing the content information to determine a thematic content of a 3-D enabled object associated with the content information;

identifying additional 3-D enabled objects associated with the thematic content of the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information; and

generating and displaying the interactive EPG by combining the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information and the identified additional 3-D enabled objects, wherein a layout of the interactive EPG is defined by the thematic content of the 3-D enabled object.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 15 wherein the content information includes at least one of a schedule time, channel identification and a title.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 15 further including at least one 3-D enabled object configured to provide non-EPG e-commerce interactivity.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the at least one 3-D enabled object configured to provide non-EPG e-commerce interactivity is received in real-time.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 15 wherein the 3-D enabled object associated with the selected content information and the identified additional 3-D enabled objects define a virtual world.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 15 further storing machine-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform:

providing a user interface configured to receive user interaction with localized content of the interactive EPG.