Broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus

• US 6,037,995 A
• Filed: 04/18/1997
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Eda, Takanori, Takashimizu, Satoru, Saito, Naoko, Ichifuji, Yasuhisa, Kishi, Takehito
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lo, Linus H.
• Application Number:
  US08/844,431
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/10, 348/6, 348/7, 348/13, 348/12, 348/563, 348/564, 455/6.1-6.3, 455/4.1, 455/5.1
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0885 for the transmission of subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus for displaying program-associated information, in which, in addition to a predetermined display zone, another display zone is provided so that display data of specific information selected by a viewer is wholly displayed and, when the display data is displayed as omitted, a symbol indicative of the information omission is attached to the display data to display the display data within the limited display zone. The apparatus comprises a receiver for receiving the program-associated information including a title, start and end times of a broadcast program together with a video signal and an audio signal, a decoder for decoding the program-associated information, a display unit for displaying the decoded program-associated information thereon, a command receiver for receiving an input signal from a remote controller or from a key or keys provided to the receiver, and a display controller for controlling a display screen on the basis of the input signal.

Claims

1. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus comprising:

receiver means for receiving program-associated information including a title, a start time, and an end time of a broadcast program together with a video signal and an audio signal;

decoder means for decoding the program-associated information from the received signal;

display means for displaying the decoded program-associated information on a display screen;

command receiver means for receiving an input signal from a remote controller or from a key or keys provided to a main body of the receiver apparatus; and

display controller means for controlling the display screen based on the input signal;

wherein a first display zone in which a plurality of character strings are displayed is provided in the display screen of the program-associated information; and

wherein the display controller means includes data quantity comparator means for comparing a magnitude of the first display zone with a quantity of display data and, when the display data quantity is judged to be larger than the first display zone, a displayable part of the character string of the display data as well as a symbol indicative of omission and attached to a last tail part of the character string are displayed.

2. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein, in addition to the first display zone, a second display zone larger in the number of displayable characters than the first display zone is provided;

and

wherein the display controller means allows all the display data to be displayed in the second display zone.

3. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein information displayed in the second display zone is the same as information of a specific first display zone selected based on a user input.

4. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus comprising:

receiver means for receiving program-associated information including a title, a start time, and an end time of a broadcast program together with a video signal and an audio signal;

decoder means for decoding the program-associated information from the received signal;

display means for displaying the decoded program-associated information on a display screen;

command receiver means for receiving an input signal from a remote controller or from a key or keys provided to a main body of the receiver apparatus; and

display controller means for controlling the display screen based on the input signal;

wherein the program-associated information display screen having the program-associated information displayed thereon includes at least

a first program name field indicative of a title of a program,

a channel number field indicative of a channel number, and a time scale field indicative of a time being displayed;

wherein each of the first program name field, the channel number field, and the time scale field has a display format that uses at least a character string and a background;

wherein the first program name field, the channel number field, and the time scale field form a program chart indicative of program broadcast schedules;

wherein one end of the first program name field indicates a program start time and another end of the first program name field indicates a program end time; and

wherein the display controller means includes data amount comparator means for comparing a size of the first program name field with an amount of program name data and, when the data amount comparator means judges that the amount of program name data is larger than the size of the first program name field, the display controller means causes a displayable character string of display data as well as a symbol indicative of omission and attached to a last tail part of the character string to be displayed.

5. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the program-associated information display screen further includes, in addition to the first program name field, a second program name field larger in the number of displayable characters than the first program name field;

and

wherein the display controller means causes all the program name data to be displayed in the second program name field.

6. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein information displayed in the second program name field is the same as information of a specific first program name field.

7. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the display controller means further includes time comparator means for comparing a program broadcast start time and a program broadcast end time to be displayed in the first program name field with a time band to be displayed in the time scale field and, when the time comparator means judges that the program broadcast start time or the program broadcast end time is out of the time band to be displayed in the time scale field, the display controller means changes a shape of a left end or a right end of the background of the first program name field to a continuation display pattern.

8. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the program-associated information display screen further includes a time information field for displaying therein time information including a start time and an end time of a selected program.

9. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the program-associated information display screen further includes a time information field for displaying therein time information including a start time and an end time of a selected program.

10. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the time information field is provided in the second program name field.

11. A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the time information field is provided as an independent field in the program-associated information display screen.