System and method for presenting guide data on a remote control

• US 8,792,058 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hardacker, Robert, Richman, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Rong
• Application Number:
  US11/948,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20090141174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,433 Days
• US Class Current: 348/734
• 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 21/42204 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

System and method for displaying guide data on a remote control. In one embodiment, guide data may be received in a first format by the remote control. The guide data may be converted from the first format to a second format based in part on a predefined user preference. A portion of the guide data may be displayed in accordance with the second format on a display of the remote control such that guide data is displayed according to a first scale.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving guide data for at least one broadcast channel, the guide data corresponding to a first visual display format corresponding to displaying the guide data on a first display device and the guide data including data to upgrade manufacturers'"'"' display devices;

converting by a processing device at least a portion of the received guide data from the first visual display format to a second visual display format based at least in part on a predefined user display preference, the second visual display format corresponding to displaying at least a portion of the converted guide data on a second display device in a first visual scale and the second visual display format corresponding to formatted text characterized by at least one of edge enhancement and contrast ratio, wherein the second display device is a display of a remote control of the first display device and is smaller than the first display device, and wherein converting comprises enlarging at least one channel listing of the at least one broadcast channel to an enlarged second visual scale;

displaying on the second display device the at least one enlarged channel listing in the enlarged second visual scale; and

displaying on the second display device at least one other channel listing of the at least one broadcast channel in the first visual scale.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received guide data comprises a news alert.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second visual display format compensates for at least one of astigmatism and myopia.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying on the second display device the at least one enlarged channel listing in the enlarged second visual scale and displaying on the second display device at least one other channel listing of the at least one broadcast channel in the first visual scale further comprises:

displaying simultaneously on the second display device the at least one enlarged channel listing in the enlarged second visual scale and the at least one other channel listing in the first visual scale.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the guide data comprises a video signal stream and wherein converting by the processing device the at least a portion of the received guide data further comprises:

performing character recognition on at least a portion of the video signal stream to extract at least a portion of the received guide data from the video signal stream;

converting at least a portion of the extracted guide data to computer readable text guide data; and

converting the computer readable text guide data to the second visual display format.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a first display;

a memory configured to store predefined user display preferences;

a transceiver configured to receive guide data corresponding to a first visual display format corresponding to displaying the guide data on a second display, the second display configured to be remotely controlled by the apparatus, and wherein the guide data includes data to upgrade manufacturers'"'"' display devices;

a processor coupled to the first display, transceiver and memory, the processor configured to;

convert at least a portion of the received guide data from the first visual display format to a second visual display format corresponding to displaying at least a portion of the converted guide data on the first display in a first visual scale based at least in part on a predefined user display preference and the second visual display format corresponding to formatted text characterized by at least one of edge enhancement and contrast ratio, wherein converting comprises enlarging at least one channel listing of the received guide data to an enlarged second visual scale,

display on the first display the at least one enlarged channel listing in the enlarged second visual scale, and

display on the first display at least one other channel listing of the received guide data in the first visual scale.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the received guide data comprises a news alert.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second visual display format compensates for at least one of astigmatism and myopia.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to:

display simultaneously on the first display the at least one enlarged channel listing in the enlarged second visual scale and the at least one other channel listing in the first visual scale.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the guide data comprises a video signal stream, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

perform character recognition on at least a portion of the video signal stream to extract at least a portion of the received guide data from the video signal stream;

convert at least a portion of the extracted guide data to computer readable text guide data; and

convert the computer readable text guide data to the second visual display format.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a remote control in electrical communication with a video signal processor, the video signal processor configured to receive video data from a broadcast source and transmit guide data to the remote control, wherein the guide data includes data to upgrade manufacturers'"'"' display devices, the remote control comprising;

a first display;

a transceiver configured to receive guide data corresponding to a first visual display format corresponding to displaying the guide data on a second display;

a memory configured to store predefined user display preferences;

a processor coupled to the first display, transceiver and memory, the processor configured to;

convert received guide data from the first visual display format to a second visual display format based at least in part on a predefined user display preference, the second visual display format corresponding to displaying at least a portion of the converted guide data on the first display device in a first visual scale and the second visual display format corresponding to formatted text characterized by at least one of edge enhancement and contrast ratio, wherein converting comprises enlarging at least one channel listing of the guide data to an enlarged second visual scale;

display on the first display the at least one enlarged channel listing in the enlarged second visual scale; and

display on the first display at least one other channel listing of the received guide data in the first visual scale.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the received guide data comprises a news alert.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second visual display format compensates for at least one of astigmatism and myopia.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display simultaneously on the first display the at least one enlarged channel listing in the enlarged second visual scale and the at least one other channel listing in the first visual scale.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

the video signal processor configured to;

perform character recognition on at least a portion of the video data to extract at least a portion of the guide data from the video data;

convert at least a portion of the extracted guide data to computer readable text guide data; and

transmit the computer readable text guide data to the remote control.