Electronic television program guide schedule system and method

• US 7,225,455 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TV Guide Incorporated (Adeia Inc.), United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.), TCI-TVGOS INC
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Bruce, Backer, George, Bennington, Gerald E, Cooper, Bill, Green, Shawn, Rogers, Rosetta, Spell, David, Morris, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/346,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20030110493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 348/569, 348/570, 348/563, 348/564, 725/39, 725/40, 725/43, 725/44, 725/45, 725/46, 725/50, 725/51, 725/52, 725/59, 725/60
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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 21/43 Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• 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 21/84 : 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 5/50 : Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for using an electronic program guide application to access a non-program guide application. The electronic program guide application provides a program guide display from which a user can access the non-program guide application. The electronic program guide application receives a user selection to access the non-program guide application from the program guide display. In response to the user selection, the electronic program guide application accesses the non-program guide application.

Claims

1. A method for using an electronic program guide application to access a non-program guide application, the method comprising:

providing with the electronic program guide application a program guide display from which a user can access the non-program guide application;

receiving with the electronic program guide application a user selection to access the non-program guide application from the program guide display; and

accessing the non-program guide application with the electronic program guide application in response to the user selection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a program guide display comprises providing a program guide display in which a selectable option to access the non-program guide application is displayed.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving a user selection to access the non-program guide application comprises receiving a user selection of the selectable option.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a program guide display comprises providing a program guide display in which a plurality of selectable options to access a corresponding plurality of non-program guide applications are displayed.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving a user selection to access the non-program guide application comprises:

positioning a cursor on a selectable option of the plurality of selectable options that corresponds to the non-program guide application; and

receiving a user selection of the selectable option.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the non-program guide application comprises accessing the non-program guide application over a communications link.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service related to television programming.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service unrelated to television programming.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising passing control from the electronic program guide application to application software of the non-program guide application.

10. A system for using an electronic program guide application to access a non-program guide application, the system comprising:

means for providing with the electronic program guide application a program guide display from which a user can access the non-program guide application;

means for receiving with the electronic program guide application a user selection to access the non-program guide application from the program guide display; and

means for accessing the non-program guide application with the electronic program guide application in response to the user selection.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the means for providing a program guide display comprises means for providing a program guide display in which a selectable option to access the non-program guide application is displayed.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for receiving a user selection to access the non-program guide application comprises means for receiving a user selection of the selectable option.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the means for providing a program guide display comprises means for providing a program guide display in which a plurality of selectable options to access a corresponding plurality of non-program guide applications are displayed.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the means for receiving a user selection to access the non-program guide application comprises:

means for positioning a cursor on a selectable option of the plurality of selectable options that corresponds to the non-program guide application; and

means for receiving a user selection of the selectable option.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the means for accessing the non-program guide application comprises means for accessing the non-program guide application over a communications link.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service related to television programming.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service unrelated to television programming.

18. The system of claim 10 further comprising means for passing control from the electronic program guide application to application software of the non-program guide application.

19. A system for using an electronic program guide application to access a non-program guide application, the system comprising:

a display device; and

control circuitry configured to;

direct the display device to display with the electronic program guide application a program guide display from which a user can access the non-program guide application;

receive a user selection to access the non-program guide application from the program guide display; and

access the non-program guide application with the electronic program guide application in response to the user selection.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the display device to display with the electronic program guide application a program guide display comprising a selectable option to access the non-program guide application.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive a user selection of the selectable option.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the display device to display with the electronic program guide application a program guide display comprising a plurality of selectable options to access a corresponding plurality of non-program guide applications.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

direct the display device to position a cursor on a selectable option of the plurality of selectable options that corresponds to the non-program guide application; and

receive a user selection of the selectable option.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to access the non-program guide application over a communications link.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service related to television programming.

26. The system of claim 19 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service unrelated to television programming.

27. The system of claim 19 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to pass control from the electronic program guide application to application software of the non-program guide application.

28. A data storage medium encoded with machine executable code for performing the method comprising:

providing with an electronic program guide application a program guide display from which a user can access a non-program guide application;

receiving with the electronic program guide application a user selection to access the non-program guide application from the program guide display; and

accessing the non-program guide application with the electronic program guide application in response to the user selection.

29. The data storage medium of claim 28 wherein providing a program guide display comprises providing a program guide display in which a selectable option to access the non-program guide application is displayed.

30. The data storage medium of claim 29 wherein receiving a user selection to access the non-program guide application comprises receiving a user selection of the selectable option.

31. The data storage medium of claim 28 wherein providing a program guide display comprises providing a program guide display in which a plurality of selectable options to access a corresponding plurality of non-program guide applications are displayed.

32. The data storage medium of claim 31 wherein receiving a user selection to access the non-program guide application comprises:

positioning a cursor on a selectable option of the plurality of selectable options that corresponds to the non-program guide application; and

receiving a user selection of the selectable option.

33. The data storage medium of claim 28 wherein accessing the non-program guide application comprises accessing the non-program guide application over a communications link.

34. The data storage medium of claim 28 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service related to television programming.

35. The data storage medium of claim 28 wherein the non-program guide application provides an interactive service unrelated to television programming.

36. The data storage medium of claim 28 further comprising passing control from the electronic program guide application to application software of the non-program guide application.