System and method for displaying and searching multimedia events scheduling information

• US 9,282,376 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gossweiler, Richard Carl III, Reiss, David Scott, Wagner, Mark, Blackburn, John, Taylor, Thomas Henry, Sahami, Mehran, Crosby, Neha, Heilman, Timothy Dharma, Patel, Manish Gordhan, Scott, Maricia, Tull, Alice, Zhang, Lucy Congyun, Zigmond, Daniel John, Bauer, Marisa B. L., Brown, David A
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US14/698,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Disclosed are computer implemented methods, systems, and non-transitory media for representing a plurality of time-bounded events in first and second grids. The first grid has a larger size than the second grid. The second grid represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. A user-movable window is presented at a first position within the second grid where it encompasses a first portion of the second grid. The time-bounded events in the first portion of the second grid are displayed as a first set of time-bounded events in the first grid. Responsive to user instructions to move a position of the window from the first position to a second position within the second grid, the window is moved to the second position where it encompasses a third set of time-bounded events. Further, the first grid is updated to display the third set of time-bounded events.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, performed by a computer system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the method comprising:

presenting, responsive to a search query, information representing a plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid, wherein

the first grid has a first size,

the second grid has a second size smaller than the first size, and

the second grid represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events,

presenting a user-movable window at a first position within the second grid, wherein

the user-movable window in the first position encompasses a first portion of the second grid,

the time-bounded events in the first portion of the second grid are displayed as a first set of time-bounded events in the first grid, and

the second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events; and

responsive to user instructions to move a position of the user-moveable window from the first position to a second position within the second grid;

moving the user-movable window to the second position, wherein the user-moveable window encompasses a third set of time-bounded events when in the second position, and

updating the first grid to display the third set of time-bounded events instead of the first set of time-bounded events, wherein the second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the third set of time-bounded events.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises scheduled presentations of multimedia content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises television shows scheduled for broadcast in a predefined time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an axis of the first grid corresponds to television channels and an axis of the second grid corresponds to time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises data resulting from a search of a database in accordance with the search query.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the search query is a user specified search query.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the search query comprises a predefined search query.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responding to a user action of hovering a pointer over a time-bounded event displayed in the first grid by displaying additional information corresponding to the time-bounded event.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising acquiring additional data from a server corresponding to the displayed additional information.

10. A system for presenting information representing a plurality of time-bounded events, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or modules comprising instructions for;

presenting, responsive to a search query, information representing a plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid, wherein

the first grid has a first size,

the second grid has a second size smaller than the first size, and

the second grid represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events,

presenting a user-movable window at a first position within the second grid, wherein

the user-movable window in the first position encompasses a first portion of the second grid,

the time-bounded events in the first portion of the second grid are displayed as a first set of time-bounded events in the first grid, and

the second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events; and

responsive to user instructions to move a position of the user-moveable window from the first position to a second position within the second grid;

moving the user-movable window to the second position, wherein the user-moveable window encompasses a third set of time-bounded events when in the second position, and

updating the first grid to display the third set of time-bounded events instead of the first set of time-bounded events, wherein the second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the third set of time-bounded events.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises scheduled presentations of multimedia content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises television shows scheduled for broadcast in a predefined time period.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein an axis of the first grid corresponds to television channels and an axis of the second grid corresponds to time.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises data resulting from a search of a database in accordance with the search query.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the search query is a user specified search query.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a computer system for presenting information representing a plurality of time-bounded events, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

presenting, responsive to a search query, information representing a plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid, wherein

the first grid has a first size,

the second grid has a second size smaller than the first size, and

the second grid represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events,

presenting a user-movable window at a first position within the second grid, wherein

the user-movable window in the first position encompasses a first portion of the second grid,

the time-bounded events in the first portion of the second grid are displayed as a first set of time-bounded events in the first grid, and

the second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events; and

responsive to user instructions to move a position of the user-moveable window from the first position to a second position within the second grid;

moving the user-movable window to the second position, wherein the user-moveable window encompasses a third set of time-bounded events when in the second position, and

updating the first grid to display the third set of time-bounded events instead of the first set of time-bounded events, wherein the second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the third set of time-bounded events.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises scheduled presentations of multimedia content.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises television shows scheduled for broadcast in a predefined time period.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein an axis of the first grid corresponds to television channels and an axis of the second grid corresponds to time.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises data resulting from a search of a database in accordance with the search query.