METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING USER INTERFACE FOR ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE

• US 20020054062A1
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Contemporary Display LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Corporate Media Partners
• Inventors: LAMBERT, ROBERT, NICHOLS, MICHAEL, GERBA, GEORGE, JOY, MARGEIGH, TAKAHASHI, DREW
• Granted Patent: US 6,445,398 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• 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 21/4314 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A method and system of providing a user interface for presenting television programming schedule data on a display. The schedule data is organized in a data plane comprising data cells identifying the items of schedule data, such as the titles of the television programs. The method involves presenting a highlight cell or cursor at a fixed position on the display such that a first data cell is at a concurrent position with the highlight cell, and allowing the data plane to scroll on the display in at least one direction such that all or part of the first data cell moves out of concurrent position with the highlight cell and a second data cell or part thereof moves into concurrent position with the highlight cell. This fixed position highlight cell thus remains stationary while the data plane or electronic program guide scrid moves, making it easier for viewers to peruse the selections in the data plane without moving their eyes substantially. The highlight cell is preferably in a substantially central location on the display.

Claims

1. A method for presenting schedule data on a display, the schedule data being organized in a data plane comprising a plurality of data cells identifying the schedule data, the method comprising:

presenting a highlight cell at a fixed position on the display such that all or part of at least a first data cell of the plurality of data cells is at a concurrent position with the highlight cell; and

allowing the data plane to scroll on the display in at least one direction such that all or part of the first data cell moves out of concurrent position with the highlight cell and a second data cell or part thereof moves into concurrent position with the highlight cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of allowing the data plane to scroll comprises allowing the data plane to scroll such that a second at least partly displayed data cell or part thereof moves into concurrent position with the highlight cell.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising allowing the data plane to scroll in a plurality of directions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data plane comprises a matrix of data cells organized in rows and columns.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising allowing the data plane to scroll in a direction parallel to the rows or columns.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising allowing the data plane to scroll in directions parallel to the rows and columns.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising allowing selection of a data cell at a concurrent position with the highlight cell.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising presenting additional data upon selection of a data cell.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data is television program schedule data and each data cell identifies a television program, and wherein the step of presenting additional data comprises presenting the television program identified in the selected data cell.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising deleting one or more data cells from the display as the data plane scrolls.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising presenting additional data cells on the display as the data plane scrolls.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data represents scheduled events, wherein each data cell contains an identifier of one of the events, and wherein the data cells are organized in scheduled time order.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the size of each data cell represents a duration of the event identified in the data cell.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the durations of the events are whole number multiples of a base duration, wherein the highlight cell has a size substantially equivalent to the size of a data cell identifying an event having a base duration, and comprising allowing the data plane to scroll in units of the base duration.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a given data cell identifies an event having a duration longer than the base duration, comprising presenting the event identifier for the given data cell in each part of the given data cell having a size equivalent to the base duration, such that when the event identifier is contained within the highlight cell whenever any part of the given data cell is at a concurrent position with the highlight cell.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a given data cell identifies an event having a duration longer than the base duration, comprising retaining the event identifier for the given data cell within the highlight cell as the data plane scrolls from a concurrent position with the highlight cell of one part of the given data cell to another part of the given data cell.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the data represents scheduled television programs broadcast on a plurality of different channels over a period of time, and wherein the data plane is organized to present program information as channels versus time.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising providing an indication in a given data cell that a television program identified in the given data cell is tagged for later viewing.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising providing an indication that a television program identified in a given data cell is blocked from viewing.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising presenting a description of a television program identified in a given data cell which is at a concurrent position with the highlight cell.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the highlight cell is capable of having at least two different sizes, comprising varying the size of the highlight cell between a first size and a second size.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising presenting a second data plane on the display, and wherein the step of varying the highlight cell size comprises varying the highlight cell size to the second size when the second data plane is presented.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second data plane contains schedule data for a selected category.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the highlight cell has the first size when all or part of the first data cell is at a concurrent position with the highlight cell, and wherein the step of varying comprises varying the highlight cell size to the second size when the second data cell or part thereof moves into concurrent position with the highlight cell.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first highlight cell size corresponds to the first data cell size and the second highlight cell size corresponds to the second data cell size.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the highlight cell comprises presenting the highlight cell at a substantial central location on the display.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein each user actionable indicia represents a particular program having a duration, the user actionable indicia arranged linearly along a timeline and respectively occupying a time range representing duration of the respective program, and the manipulating step including moving the user actionable indicia past the cursor along the timeline.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein each user actionable indicia contains program information indicative of its associated program, and wherein as a user actionable indicia is moved past the cursor, the associated program information shifts within the user actionable indicia so that the program information is visible and remains visible within the cursor if the cursor is within the time range for said user actionable indicia that is moving past the cursor.

27. A system for presenting schedule data on a display, the schedule data being organized in a data plane comprising a plurality of data cells identifying the schedule data, the system comprising:

means for presenting a highlight cell at a fixed position on the display such that all or part of at least a first data cell of the plurality of data cells is at a concurrent position with the highlight cell; and

means for allowing the data plane to scroll on the display in at least one direction, such that the first data cell moves out of concurrent position with the highlight cell and a second data cell or part thereof moves into concurrent position with the highlight cell.

28. In a user interface for interactively navigating through information on available programming, a method of activating a desired user actionable indicia shown on a display comprising:

depicting a cursor in a fixed position relative to the display;

manipulating on the display user actionable indicia shown with respect to the cursor such that the desired user actionable indicia overlaps the cursor; and

activating the cursor to activate the desired user actionable indicia.

31. In a user interface for interactively navigating through information on available programming, a method of displaying a programming guide on a display comprising the steps of:

providing indicia representing programming arranged linearly along a timeline and respectively occupying a time range representing duration of the respective programming, each indicia containing program information indicative of its associated program;

moving the indicia across the display along the timeline past a reference point whereby an indicia will be progressively obscured from view as said indicia moves past the reference point until the indicia is completely obscure from view as said indicia completely moves past the reference point;

as an indicia is moved past the reference point, shifting its associated program information within said indicia away from the reference point so as to remain visible within said indicia as said indicia moves past the reference point.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the reference point is a cursor depicted in a fixed position relative to the display.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the reference point is a border depicted on the display.