Apparatus and method for EPG sorting and automatic realignment

• US 8,997,151 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Chai, Crx K., Fishman, Alex, Huntington, Matthew, Chellin, Isaac, Lu, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWLIN, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US13/605,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20130061266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61, 715/716, 715/763, 715/721
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows

Abstract

In various example embodiments, a system and method for electronic program guide (EPG) sorting and automatic realignment is provided. In example embodiments, a graphical user interface having an EPG including a plurality of rows of thumbnails representing programs is presented on a device of a user. Each row of thumbnails may be navigated independent of other rows. A navigational input is received via a touchscreen of the device. The navigational input indicates an action performed on the graphical user interface that triggers a realignment of programming information presented on the EPG. An updated EPG with the realignment of the programming information indicated by the navigational input is then provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a graphical user interface having an electronic program guide (EPG) including a plurality of rows of thumbnails representing programs to be presented on a device of a user, each row of thumbnails allowing navigation independent of other rows of the plurality of rows based on a scrolling input applied directly to one of the plurality of rows;

receiving a navigational input on a touchscrcen of the device that triggers a realignment of the thumbnails representing the programs presented on the EPG, the navigational input involving a drag and drop of a favorites icon onto a thumbnail that automatically tags a program corresponding to the thumbnail as a favorite program;

realigning, using a processor of a machine, the EPG with updated thumbnails based on the navigational input; and

presenting an updated EPG with the updated thumbnails resulting from the navigational input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational input further comprises the scrolling input and the realigning comprises causing one row of the plurality of rows of thumbnails to shift in time in a direction of the scrolling input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the scrolling input causes presentation of the updated EPG with the updated thumbnails indicating past aired programs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational input further comprises the scrolling input and the realigning comprises causing the plurality of rows of thumbnails to shift in a vertical direction to display further rows of the updated thumbnails, the shift in the vertical direction maintaining each of the rows of thumbnails in a locked position based on a previous navigational input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the realigning comprises visually scrolling each visible row of the EPG to their realigned position on the updated EPG at a speed that results in all visible rows reaching their realigned position at a same time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the navigational input further comprises receiving a time selection input and the realigning comprises presenting the updated EPG with the updated thumbnails that are based on a user-selected time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user-selected time corresponds to programs now playing or programs in primetime.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication to mark a program as a favorite; and

providing an overlay image over a thumbnail of the program marked as favorite.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the navigational input further comprises receiving a favorites selection input and the realigning comprises presenting the updated EPG with the updated thumbnails representing programs marked as favorite by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the navigational input further comprises receiving a drag and drop of a tag icon onto a thumbnail that triggers a determination of programs that have a matching meta-tag as that of a program corresponding to the thumbnail on which the tag icon was dropped.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each meta-tag of the program corresponding to the thumbnail on which the tag icon is dropped is displayed as its own row in the plurality of rows of the updated EPG.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the navigational input further comprises receiving a tag selection input for popularity, the updated EPG presenting programming information for programs based on a selection from a group consisting of most recorded, most watched, most shared, and most commented on.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the navigational input further comprises receiving a tag selection input for relevance, the method further comprising:

accessing viewing behavior and preferences of the user;

determining programs based on the viewing behavior and the preferences; and

recommending the programs determined based on the viewing behavior and the preferences in the updated EPG.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the navigational input further comprises receiving a social selection input and the realigning comprises presenting the updated EPG with the updated thumbnails organized based on programs viewed by social connections of the user, the social connections determined based on social connection information from a social network of which the user is a member.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each row of the updated EPG is associated with a different social connection of the user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational input further comprises a drag and drop of a time icon onto a thumbnail to trigger a realignment of the plurality of rows such that a start time across the plurality of rows corresponds to a time frame of a program corresponding to the thumbnail on which the time icon was dropped.

17. A system comprising:

a processor of a machine;

a user interface module to cause a graphical user interface having an electronic program guide (EPG) including a plurality of rows of thumbnails representing programs to be presented on a device of a user, each row of thumbnails allowing navigation independent of other rows of the plurality of rows based on a scrolling input applied directly to one of the plurality of rows; and

a navigation module to receive a navigational input on a touchscreen of the device, the navigational input indicating an action performed on the graphical user interface to trigger a realignment of programming information presented on the EPG, the navigational input comprising a drag and drop of a tag icon onto a thumbnail that triggers a determination of programs that have a matching meta-tag as that of a program corresponding to the thumbnail on which the tag icon was dropped,

the user interface module to present, using the processor of the machine, an updated EPG with the realignment of the programming information indicated by the navigational input.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each meta-tag of the program corresponding to the thumbnail on which the tag icon is dropped is displayed as its own row in the plurality of rows of the updated EPG.

19. A machine-readable storage medium having no transitory signals and storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

causing a graphical user interface having an electronic program guide (EPG) including a plurality of rows of thumbnails representing programs to be presented on a device of a user, each row of thumbnails allowing navigation independent of other rows of the plurality of rows based on a scrolling input applied directly to one of the plurality of rows;

receiving a navigational input on a touchscreen of the device, the navigational input indicating an action performed on the graphical user interface to trigger a realignment of programming information presented on the EPG, the navigational input comprising a drag and drop of a time icon onto a thumbnail to trigger a realignment of the plurality of rows such that a start time across the plurality of rows corresponds to a time frame of a program corresponding to the thumbnail on which the time icon was dropped; and

presenting an updated EPG with the realignment of the programming information indicated by the navigational input.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the navigational input further comprises the scrolling input that causes one row of the plurality of rows of thumbnails to shift in time in a direction of the scrolling input.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the receiving of the navigational input further comprises receiving a social selection input that causes the presenting of the updated EPG with programming information organized based on programs viewed by social connections of the user, the social connections determined based on social connection information from a social network of which the user is a member.