Television control interface with electronic guide

• US 9,191,715 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Alba, Theresa A., Casement, Marcia A., De Stein, William, Folker, David, Hunwick, Keith W., Johnson, Kenneth D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US14/043,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20140137157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725 40- 44, 725/52, 725/56, 725/131, 725/132, 725/139, 725/140, 348/563, 348/684, 348/690, 348/734
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/045 Self-contained testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/57 Control of contrast or brightness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/643 Hue control means, e.g. flesh tone control

Abstract

An on-screen menu method and system for controlling the functions of integrated electronic devices and a television schedule system and method for displaying television schedule information on a television screen includes a program guide having a schedule information area that depicts the programs that are being presented on each channel at each time during the day and an interconnected series of menus to control the features of the integrated electronic devices. An input device allows the viewer to move a pointer over different interactive areas of the guide and the function performed when the area is activated is displayed in a contextual help window. Various control glyphs provide for recursive interaction with the guide.

Claims

1. A method for using an interactive program guide comprising:

generating for display a display of the interactive program guide comprising a first plurality of menu options, wherein the first plurality of menu options is displayed over a television program;

receiving a user selection of a first menu option of the first plurality of menu options; and

in response to receiving the user selection, generating for display an overlay comprising a portion of an e-mail, wherein the overlay comprising the portion of the e-mail is generated for display over the television program, and wherein the overlay is part of the interactive program guide.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating for display within the overlay comprising the portion of the e-mail, a navigation option;

receiving a user selection of the navigation option; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the navigation option, changing a portion of the e-mail contained in the overlay.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the overlay comprising the portion of the e-mail further comprises a second plurality of menu options, and wherein the second plurality of menu options comprises a subset of the first plurality of menu options.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating for display a first portion of the second plurality of menu options along a first row within the overlay; and

generating for display a second portion of the second plurality of menu options along a second row within the overlay.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the generating for display the first portion of the second plurality of menu options along the first row comprises generating for display the first portion of the second plurality of menu options using a first shape of an icon, and

wherein the generating for display the second portion of the second plurality of menu options along the second row comprises generating for display the second portion of the second plurality of menu options using a second shape of an icon.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of one of the second plurality of menu options; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the one of the second plurality, removing the overlay.

7. The method of claim 3,

wherein the generating for display the first plurality of menu options further comprises generating for display an overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options, the overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options being different from the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options, and

wherein the generating for display the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options further comprises generating for display the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options over the overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options includes a boundary defined according to a format, and

and the overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options includes a boundary defined according to the format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the overlay comprises a sender address of the e-mail.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the overlay comprises a sender name of the e-mail.

11. A system for using user television equipment comprising:

a processor configured to;

generate for display a display of an interactive program guide comprising a first plurality of menu options, wherein the first plurality of menu options is displayed over a television program;

receive a user selection of a first menu option of the first plurality of menu options; and

in response to receiving the user selection, generate for display an overlay comprising a portion of an e-mail, wherein the overlay comprising the portion of the e-mail is generated for display over the television program, and wherein the overlay is part of the interactive program guide.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate for display within the overlay comprising the portion of the e-mail, a navigation option;

receive a user selection of the navigation option; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the navigation option, change a portion of the e-mail contained in the portion of the e-mail in the overlay.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the overlay comprising the portion of the e-mail further comprises a second plurality of menu options, and wherein the second plurality of menu options comprises a subset of the first plurality of menu options.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate for display a first portion of the second plurality of menu options along a first row within the overlay; and

generate for display a second portion of the second plurality of menu options along a second row within the overlay.

15. The system of claim 14,

wherein the generating for display the first portion of the second plurality of menu options along the first row comprises generating for display the first portion of the second plurality of menu options using a first shape of an icon, and

wherein the generating for display the second portion of the second plurality of menu options along the second row comprises generating for display the second portion of the second plurality of menu options using a second shape of an icon.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a user selection of one of the second plurality of menu options; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the one of the second plurality, remove the overlay.

17. The system of claim 13,

wherein the generating for display the first plurality of menu options further comprises generating for display an overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options, the overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options being different from the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options, and

wherein the generating for display the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options further comprises generating for display the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options over the overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the overlay comprising the second plurality of menu options includes a boundary defined according to a format, and

and the overlay comprising the first plurality of menu options includes a boundary defined according to the format.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the overlay comprises a sender address of the e-mail.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the overlay comprises a sender name of the e-mail.