System and method for displaying multimedia events scheduling information

• US 9,872,077 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2015
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gossweiler, III, Richard Carl, Bauer, Marisa, Blackburn, John Wayne, Brown, David A., Gupta, Neha, Heilman, Timothy Dharma, Patel, Manish Gordhan, Reiss, David Scott, Sahami, Mehran, Scott, Maricia, Taylor, Thomas H., Tull, Alice, Wagner, Mark, Zhang, Lucy Congyun, Zigmond, Daniel John
• Primary Examiner(s): RABOVIANSKI, JIVKA A
• Application Number:
  US14/956,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 725 39, 725 43, 725 44, 725 52
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Systems and methods for displaying program guide information are disclosed. In some implementations a method includes, at a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, formatting, for display, program guide data on a grid. The grid includes (i) a first axis representing units of time and (ii) a second axis representing multimedia channels. The program guide data comprises information representing a set of multimedia events. Responsive to a user-supplied selection of a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events a panel is overlaid on a portion of the grid. The panel provides additional data regarding the multimedia event.

Claims

1. A method of displaying program guide information, comprising:

at a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors;

(A) receiving a multimedia event search query entered by a user;

(B) responsive to the multimedia event search query, formatting, for display, program guide data on a two-dimensional grid comprising a plurality of cells, the grid including (i) a first axis representing units of time and (ii) a second axis representing multimedia channels, the program guide data comprising information representing a set of multimedia events wherein

the set of multimedia events include one or more multimedia events that match the multimedia event search query,

each cell in the plurality of cells represents a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events at a characteristic start time, and

each cell in the two-dimensional grid corresponding to a multimedia event of the one or more multimedia events that match the multimedia event search query is highlighted on the grid based on their programming time and multimedia channel; and

(C) responsive to a user-supplied selection of a respective cell in the plurality of cells, overlaying a panel on a portion of the grid that provides additional data regarding the multimedia event corresponding to the respective cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events is a broadcasting event having a predetermined start time and start date and a predetermined end time and end date.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-supplied selection of the multimedia event is a mouse click on the respective.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a title of the multimedia event is displayed in the respective cell and selection of the multimedia event is a mouse click on the title of the multimedia event displayed in the respective cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia event is a television show.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional data includes a synopsis of the multimedia event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional data indicates the actors in the multimedia event.

8. A system for displaying program guide information, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more programs stored in memory which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform the method of;

(A) receiving a multimedia event search query entered by a user;

(B) responsive to the multimedia event search query, formatting, for display, program guide data on a two-dimensional grid comprising a plurality of cells, the grid including (i) a axis representing units of time and (ii) a second axis representing multimedia channels, the program guide data comprising information representing a set of multimedia events wherein

the set of multimedia events include one or more multimedia events that match the multimedia event search query,

each cell in the plurality of cells represents a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events at a characteristic start time, and

each cell in the two-dimensional grid corresponding to a multimedia event of the one or more multimedia events that match the multimedia event search query is highlighted on the grid based on their programming time and multimedia channel; and

(C) responsive to a user-supplied selection of a respective cell in the plurality of cells, overlaying a panel on a portion of the grid that provides additional data regarding the multimedia event corresponding to the respective cell.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events is a broadcasting event having a predetermined start time and start date and a predetermined end time and end date.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the user-supplied selection of the multimedia event is a mouse click on the respective cell.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein a title of the multimedia event is displayed in the respective cell and selection of the multimedia event is a mouse click on the title of the multimedia event displayed in the respective cell.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the multimedia event is a television show.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the additional data includes a synopsis of the multimedia event.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the additional data indicates the actors in the multimedia event.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program mechanism for execution by one or more processors of a computing device, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions for:

(A) receiving a multimedia event search query entered by a user;

(B) responsive to the multimedia event search query, formatting, for display, program guide data on a two-dimensional grid comprising a plurality of cells, the grid including (i) a first axis representing units of time and (ii) a second axis representing multimedia channels, the program guide data comprising information representing a set of multimedia events wherein

the set of multimedia events include one or more multimedia events that match the multimedia event search query,

each cell in the plurality of cells represents a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events at a characteristic start time, and

each cell in the two-dimensional grid corresponding to a multimedia event of the one or more multimedia events that match the multimedia event search query is highlighted on the grid based on their programming time and multimedia channel; and

(C) responsive to a user-supplied selection of a respective cell in the plurality of cells, overlaying a panel on a portion of the grid that provides additional data regarding the multimedia event corresponding to the respective cell.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events is a broadcasting event having a predetermined start time and start date and a predetermined end time and end date.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the user-supplied selection of the multimedia event is a mouse click on the respective cell.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein a title of the multimedia event is displayed in the respective cell and selection of the multimedia event is a mouse click on the title of the multimedia event displayed in the respective cell.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the multimedia event is a television show.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the additional data includes a synopsis of the multimedia event.