Remote control of program scheduling

• US 8,756,635 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): SALCE, JASON P
• Application Number:
  US09/875,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,760 Days
• Field of Search: 725/89, 725/58
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a first video display coupled with a receiving system to display a video broadcast, and a computing device having a second display displaying an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) corresponding to the video broadcast, wherein the EPG and the video broadcast are displayed concurrently.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a receiving system configured to receive broadcast programs from a broadcast server via a high-bandwidth digital network comprising at least one of a wide area network (WAN) or satellite broadcast network;

a video display configured to communicate with the receiving system and to display a video broadcast; and

a computing device configured to communicate with the broadcast server and the receiving system via the high-bandwidth digital network, the computing device having a second display configured to receive and concurrently display an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) corresponding to the video broadcast,

wherein the computing device does not have a direct communication link with the receiving system, but is configured to communicate with the receiving system via the high-bandwidth digital network, and

wherein the computing device is configured to transmit a signal to the receiving system via the WAN or satellite broadcast network corresponding to an instruction to display at least a portion of the EPG on the video display concurrently while displaying at least a portion of the EPG on the second display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a Web Phone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device and the video display are configured such that the entire EPG is displayed on the video display concurrently while the entire EPG is displayed on the second display.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device and the video display are configured such that less than the entire EPG is displayed on the video display concurrently while at least a portion of the EPG is displayed on the second display.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to display a video clip preview of a broadcast program displayed in the EPG.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing device and the video display are configured such that the video clip preview of the broadcast program is displayed on the computing device concurrently while a separate broadcast program is displayed on the video display.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, at a receiving system, broadcast programs from a broadcast server via a high-bandwidth digital network comprising at least one of a wide area network (WAN) or satellite broadcast network;

transmitting, by the receiving system, a video broadcast to a first video display configured to communicate with the receiving system;

receiving, at a computing device having a second video display, program listing data from the broadcast server via the high-bandwidth digital network, the program listing data associated with a video broadcast being displayed on the first video display;

displaying, by the computing device, on the second video display an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) based on the received program listing data and corresponding to the video broadcast being displaying on the first video display;

receiving user input at the computing device corresponding to a request to display at least a portion of the EPG on the first video display while concurrently displaying at least a portion of the EPG on the second video display;

establishing communication between the computing device and the receiving system, wherein the computing device does not have a direct communication link with the receiving system, but is configured to communicate with the receiving system via the high-bandwidth digital network; and

transmitting, by the computing device, a signal to the receiving system via the WAN or satellite broadcast network, the signal corresponding to an instruction to display at least a portion of the EPG on the first video display concurrently while displaying at least a portion of the EPG on the second video display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the computing device is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the computing device is a Web Phone.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the entire EPG on the video display concurrently while displaying the entire EPG on the second display.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying less than the entire EPG on the video display concurrently while displaying at least a portion of the EPG on the second display.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying on the second display a video clip preview of a broadcast program displayed in the EPG.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the video clip preview of the broadcast program is displayed on the second display concurrently while a separate broadcast program is displayed on the first video display.

15. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which when executed cause a computing device to:

receive, at a computing device, program listing data associated with a video broadcast being displaying by a receiving system on a first video display, the program listing data received from a broadcast server via a high-bandwidth digital network comprising at least one of a wide area network (WAN) or satellite broadcast network;

display on a second display an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) based on the received program listing data and corresponding to the video broadcast being displayed on the first video display;

receive, at the computing device, user input corresponding to a request to display at least a portion of the EPG on the first video display while concurrently displaying at least a portion of the EPG on the second display;

establish communication between the computing device and the receiving system, wherein the computing device does not have a direct communication link with the receiving system, but is configured to communicate with the receiving system via the high-bandwidth digital network; and

transmit, by the computing device, a signal to the receiving system via the WAN or satellite broadcast network, the signal corresponding to an instruction to display at least a portion of the EPG on the first video display concurrently while displaying at least a portion of the EPG on the second video display.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computing device is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computing device is a Web Phone.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising displaying the entire EPG on the video display concurrently while displaying the entire EPG on the second display.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising displaying less than the entire EPG on the video display concurrently while displaying at least a portion of the EPG on the second display.