Systems and methods for displaying information with a perceived partial transparency over a television program

• US 6,305,016 B1
• Filed: 10/20/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemmons, Thomas R., Allison, Donald W., Marshall, Connie T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/421,953
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/564, 348/569, 348/563, 348/578, 725/39, 725/41
• US Class Current: 725/41
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• 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 21/47 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 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection

Abstract

A system interactively controlled by a TV viewer remote superimposes portions of a scroll program guide over a basic programming signal for display on the viewer'"'"'s display screen. A tuner has an input for receiving TV signals in a plurality of cable channels and an output for passing a signal of any selected one of said channels. A computer has an input for receiving any of a plurality of control signals from the TV viewer remote and an output for controlling the tuner to pass the signal of the selected one of the channels in response to one of the plurality of control signals from the TV viewer remote. The computer receives and stores a scroll input picture image signal containing local program guide data and generates a scroll output picture image signal consisting of at least a portion of the scroll input picture image signal. A combiner superimposes output picture image signal over the passed signal to provide a display signal for input to the viewer'"'"'s display screen. The computer is responsive to control signals from the remote to cause the combiner to change the weight of the output picture image signal in relation to the passed signal.

Claims

1. A system interactively controlled by a user remote control for displaying a program guide on a display screen, comprising:

circuitry for receiving television signals corresponding to a plurality of television channels and for selecting a corresponding one of the plurality of television channels to display on said display screen;

circuitry for receiving program guide data for the program guide; and

circuitry for displaying the program guide with a perceived transparency on the selected television channel.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving a transmission of software that is executed in order to generate the display of the information.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving the television program using a tuner.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input; and

altering the display of the information in response to the user input.

2. A method for presenting information simultaneously with a television program, the method comprising:

receiving data corresponding to the information to be displayed;

generating a display of the information using the data received; and

simultaneously displaying the display of the information with the television program such that the display of the information has a perceived partial transparency.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information comprises television schedule information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the display comprises a grid of the television schedule information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein one dimension of the grid corresponds to television channels.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein one dimension of the grid corresponds to broadcast times.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising simultaneously displaying the display of the information with the television program such that the display of the information is opaque with respect to at least a portion of the television program.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the display of the information has a weight of transparency with respect to the television program and the weight of transparency is variable.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising

receiving a user selection of the weight of transparency.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising

indicating the user selection of the weight of transparency in the display.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising

automatically setting the weight of transparency to the user selection of the weight of transparency upon reselecting to display the information after exiting a previous display of the information.

15. A method for presenting a computer-generated image with a television program, comprising:

receiving digital data;

generating an image using the digital data;

receiving the television program; and

presenting the image and the television program simultaneously so that the image has a perceived partial transparency.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the digital data comprises television schedule information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the image comprises a grid of the television schedule information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one dimension of the grid corresponds to television channels.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein one dimension of the grid corresponds to broadcast times.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the presenting comprises presenting the image with the television program such that the image is opaque with respect to at least a portion of the television program.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the image has a weight of transparency with respect to the television program and the weight of transparency is variable.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising

receiving a user selection of the weight of transparency.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising

indicating the user selection of the weight of transparency in the image.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising

automatically setting the weight of transparency to the user selection of the weight of transparency upon reselecting to display the image after exiting a previous display of the image.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising

receiving a transmission of software that is executed in order to generate the image.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising

receiving the television program using a tuner.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving user input; and

altering the image in response to the user input.