System for presenting an electronic programming guide in a media system

• US 8,776,133 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): CORBO, NICHOLAS T
• Application Number:
  US11/777,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20090019483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,552 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61
• US Class Current: 725/52
• 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 21/47 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

A system for presenting an electronic programming guide in a media system is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media receiver having a controller element to transmit to a portal information associated with an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG). The portal processes the information to present a Graphical User Interface (GUI) window corresponding to a slideable canvas of the EPG in an Internet browser of a communication device requesting the EPG. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions, which when executed by processor of a server hosting a portal, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

processing a request received from a communication device, the communication device in broadband communication with the portal via the Internet, the request to access an electronic programming guide by way of a set-top box having access to an interactive television system;

providing authentication information to a gateway coupled to the set-top box;

establishing broadband communications with the set-top box by way of the gateway based on the authentication information, wherein the gateway and the set top box are customer premises equipment;

receiving from the set-top box updated information associated with the electronic programming guide;

presenting a graphical user interface window corresponding to a slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide for display in an Internet browser of the communication device;

monitoring for first navigation activity, second navigation activity and third navigation activity, wherein the first navigation activity includes a pan adjustment of the slideable canvas in a direction within confines of the graphical user interface window in combination with actuation of a control element of the communication device, wherein the second navigation activity includes first user input of call letters corresponding with a programming channel to enable the slideable canvas to be adjusted to present a section of the electronic programming guide corresponding to the programming channel, and wherein the third navigation activity includes second user input of a channel number to enable the slideable canvas to be adjusted to present a portion of the electronic programming guide corresponding to the channel number; and

adjusting the slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide about the graphical user interface window responsive to detecting one of the first navigation activity, the second navigation activity or the third navigation activity.

2. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the slideable canvas has a virtual view that is larger than the graphical user interface window presented at the Internet browser, wherein the graphical user interface window is defined by the portal according to a Hypertext Markup Language, and wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to the first, second and third navigation activity not being detected, determining whether there is a selection of a media program from the slideable canvas;

responsive to the media program being selected, providing instructions to the set-top box to cause the set-top box to transmit a media stream associated with the media program to the processor via the broadband communication; and

responsive to receiving the media stream from the set top box, providing the media stream via the Internet browser of the communication device for presentation.

3. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting in the slideable canvas a matrix comprising a plurality of media program channel identifiers, a corresponding plurality of media programs for each of the plurality of media program channel identifiers, and a viewing time for each of the plurality of media programs.

4. The computer-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to the media program being selected, providing instructions to the set-top box to cause the set-top box to transmit metadata associated with the media program to the processor via the broadband communication.

5. The computer-readable storage device of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining descriptive information associated with the media program according to the metadata; and

providing the descriptive information for presentation by the internet browser of the communication device.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise presenting at the graphical user interface window a plurality of graphical user interface control elements for panning the slideable canvas.

7. The computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of graphical user interface control elements comprise a pan right graphical user interface button for panning the slideable canvas to the left, a pan left graphical user interface button for panning the slideable canvas to the right, a pan up graphical user interface button for panning the slideable canvas down, and a pan down graphical user interface button for panning the slideable canvas up.

8. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

zooming in and out of the slideable canvas.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a graphical user interface element that presents a plurality of selectable electronic programming guides;

receiving a selection associated with the plurality of selectable electronic programming guides, wherein the selection is based on user input; and

replacing the slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide with a new slideable electronic programming guide canvas according to the selection.

10. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a graphical user interface element that presents a plurality of selectable days of the week;

receiving a selection associated with the plurality of selectable days, wherein the selection is based on user input; and

adjusting the slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide according to the selection.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a prime time graphical user interface element;

detecting a selection of the prime time graphical user interface element, wherein the selection is based on user input; and

adjusting the slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide to display in the graphical user interface window a portion of the slideable canvas associated with prime time viewings of media programs according to the selection.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a current time graphical user interface element;

detecting a selection of the current time graphical user interface element, wherein the selection is based on user input; and

adjusting the slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide to display in the graphical user interface window a portion of the slideable canvas associated with current time viewings of media programs according to the selection.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a channel number graphical user interface window; and

exchanging messages with the set-top box over a unicast channel of the interactive television system.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise presenting a local time from which the set-top box is operating, wherein the actuation of the control element comprises a depression of a selection button of the communication device.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the interactive television system comprises at least one among a super head office server coupled to a network of video head office servers and video head servers.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise exchanging messages with the set-top box over a unicast channel of the interactive television system.

17. A media receiver, comprising:

an interface element; and

a controller element coupled with the interface element to transmit information that is associated with an electronic programming guide to a server hosting a portal and to transmit a media stream associated with a selected media program to the server for presentation at a communication device, wherein the presentation of the information comprises display of a graphical user interface window that includes a slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide,

wherein the information that is associated with the electronic programming guide and the media stream associated with the selected media program are transmitted from the interface element to the server via a broadband communication link,

wherein the controller element monitors for first navigation activity and second navigation activity, wherein the first navigation activity includes a pan adjustment of the slideable canvas in a direction within confines of the graphical user interface window in combination with actuation of a control element of the communication device, and wherein the second navigation activity includes user input of call letters corresponding with a programming channel to enable the slideable canvas to be adjusted to present a section of the electronic programming guide corresponding to the programming channel, and

wherein the controller element transmits to the server updated information associated with the electronic programming guide responsive to detecting one of the first navigation activity or the second navigation activity.

18. The media receiver of claim 17, wherein the slideable canvas has a virtual view that is larger than the graphical user interface window presented at an Internet browser of the communication device, and wherein the slideable canvas corresponds to a matrix comprising a plurality of media program channels identifiers, a corresponding plurality of media programs for each of the plurality of media program channel identifiers, and a viewing time for each of the plurality of media programs.

19. The media receiver of claim 17, wherein the controller element transmits other information associated with a new electronic programming guide responsive to a request to present a different electronic programming guide to the portal, wherein the other information causes the portal to present in the graphical user interface window a second slideable canvas of the new electronic programming guide.

20. A gateway, comprising:

a controller element to provide a server, hosting a portal, access to an electronic programming guide supplied by a media receiver and access to a media stream associated with a selected media program that is supplied by the media receiver,

wherein the access to the electronic programming guide and the media stream associated with the selected media program that are supplied by the media receiver is provided over a broadband communication link,

wherein the controller element enables a server to present a graphical user interface window corresponding to a slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide for display by an Internet browser of a communication device requesting the electronic programming guide and the controller element enables the server to present the media stream for display by the Internet browser of the communication device;

wherein the controller element enables the server to monitor for first navigation activity and second navigation activity, wherein the first navigation activity includes a pan adjustment of the slideable canvas in a direction within confines of the graphical user interface window in combination with actuation of a control element of the communication device, and wherein the second navigation activity includes user input of call letters corresponding with a programming channel to enable the slideable canvas to be adjusted to present a section of the electronic programming guide corresponding to the programming channel, and

wherein the slideable canvas of the electronic programming guide is adjusted about the graphical user interface window in response to detecting one of the first navigation activity or the second navigation activity.

21. The gateway of claim 20, wherein the slideable canvas has a virtual viewing larger than the graphical user interface window presented at the Internet browser, wherein the slideable canvas corresponds to a matrix comprising a plurality of media program channel identifiers, a corresponding plurality of media programs for each of the plurality of media program channel identifiers, and a viewing time for each of the plurality of media programs.

22. The gateway of claim 20, wherein the controller element provides the portal access to the media receiver responsive to the portal supplying valid authentication information to the controller element, and wherein communications between the media receiver and the portal are over a unicast channel of an interactive television system, wherein the media receiver accesses an interactive television system.