Methods, systems, and products for programming guides

• US 9,866,784 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Steading, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): MESA, JOSE M
• Application Number:
  US13/299,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20120128326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 386243
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products generate a programming guide. An association is stored between programming events and a package of programming. The programming guide is generated as a programming grid of cells that displays a wrapper surrounding all cells in the programming grid of cells that are associated with the programming events in the package of programming.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, in a memory device, electronic associations between multiple programming events and a package of programming;

generating, by a processor coupled to the memory device, an electronic programming guide as a programming grid of cells, the electronic programming guide causing display of a wrapper that simultaneously highlights only the cells in the programming grid of cells that are associated with the multiple programming events associated with the package of programming, the wrapper displaying a title that is common to the multiple programming events in the package of programming;

generating, by the processor, a package mode of operation associated with the electronic programming guide, the package mode of operation responding to navigational inputs to a navigator that scroll from the title displayed by the wrapper to a different title displayed by a different wrapper associated with a different package of programming; and

linking, by the processor, an entry in a cell of the cells associated with the package of programming to a prerecorded event stored in the memory device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the cell to electronic content stored in the memory device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the cell to electronic content stored in a digital video recorder.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the cell to electronic content stored in a set top box.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the cell to electronic content stored in a video player.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the cell to electronic content stored in a music player.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a list of music files.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a list of games.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device, the memory device storing code, the code when executed causing the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

retrieving an electronic association between programming events and a pay-per-view package of programming;

generating an electronic programming guide having a programming grid of cells associated with the pay-per-view package of programming, each one of the cells in the programming grid of cells associated with a different one of the programming events, the electronic programming guide displaying the programming events and a wrapper that simultaneously surrounds both contiguous and non-contiguous ones of the cells that are associated with the pay-per-view package of programming, the wrapper listing a title associated with the pay-per-view package of programming;

generating a first mode of operation associated with the electronic programming guide, the first mode of operation responding to navigational inputs to a navigator that scroll from the title displayed by the wrapper to a different title displayed by a wrapper associated with a different package of programming;

generating, by the processor, a second mode of operation associated with the electronic programming guide, the second mode of operation responding to other navigational inputs to the navigator to scroll within the wrapper between the cells that are associated with the multiple programming events; and

linking an entry in a cell of the cells in the programming grid of cells associated with the programming events to a prerecorded event stored in the memory device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise processing an input that scrolls within the programming grid of cells.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise processing an input that scrolls from an event of the programming events to another event of the programming events within the pay-per-view package of programming.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise scrolling in the programming grid of cells from the wrapper to another wrapper associated with a different pay-per-view package of programming.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise highlighting the wrapper.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise scrolling in the programming grid of cells between the non-contiguous ones of the cells in the programming grid of cells.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise highlighting the cell in the programming grid of cells.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise highlighting each cell of the programming grid of cells that is associated with the pay-per-view package of programming.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise simultaneously highlighting the wrapper and the programming events.

18. A memory device storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

storing electronic associations between programming events and a pay-per-view package of programming;

generating an electronic programming guide having a programming grid of cells associated with the pay-per-view package of programming, each one of the cells in the programming grid of cells associated with a different one of the programming events, the electronic programming guide displaying a wrapper that simultaneously provides package information associated with the pay-per-view package of programming and event information describing the programming events;

generating a package mode of operation associated with the electronic programming guide, the package mode of operation responding to navigational inputs to a navigator to scroll between different pay-per-view packages of programming having different wrappers;

generating an event mode of operation associated with the electronic programming guide, the event mode of operation responding to the navigational inputs to the navigator to scroll between the cells associated with the programming events within the pay-per-view package of programming; and

linking any one of the cells in the programming grid of cells to a prerecorded event stored in the memory device.

19. The memory device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise highlighting the wrapper.