System and method for presenting program guide information in an electronic portable device

• US 9,264,755 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Arling, Paul D., Hayes, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US11/312,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,710 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42214 using alphanumerical characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• 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 21/4622 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A system and method for display of supplemental data in association with one or more buttons of controlling device. Operation of a button associated with supplemental data displayed on a controlling device causes an appliance under control of the controlling device to enable rendering of content. The supplemental data is time-variable in that it is associated with the media content available contemporaneously with display of the supplemental data on the controlling device.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a controlling device to display information relevant to controlling one or more operations of one or more consumer electronic devices, comprising:

causing a configuration process to configure a graphical user interface page of the controlling device whereupon the graphical user interface page of the controlling device is provided with a persistent, configurable button which is activatable to cause a transmission of one or more commands to control operations of the one or more consumer electronic devices to begin rendering of a media stream delivered from a media stream source that is caused to be associated with the configurable button through use of the configuration process;

receiving into the controlling device first input for the purpose of displaying the configured graphical user interface page wherein, in connection with displaying the configured graphical user interface page, the controlling device retrieves from a source of supplemental data first supplement data wherein the first supplemental data is related to a first media stream which is being delivered from the media stream source at a time generally corresponding to a time that the first input was received for the purpose of displaying the configured graphical user interface page and displays the retrieved first supplemental data in a display field of the configured graphical user interface page which display field is positioned adjacent to the configured button; and

receiving into the controlling device second input for the purpose of again displaying the configured graphical user interface page wherein, in connection with again displaying the configured graphical user interface page, the controlling device retrieves from the source of supplemental data second supplement data which relates to a second media stream being delivered from the media stream source at a time generally corresponding to a time that the second input was received for the purpose of again displaying the configured graphical user interface page and displays the retrieved second supplemental data in the display field of the configured graphical user interface page which display field is positioned adjacent to the configured button;

wherein the first supplemental data which is displayed in association with the configured button when the configured graphical user interface page is displayed in response to the first input is different than the second supplemental data which is displayed in association with the configured button when the configured graphical user interface page is again displayed in response to the second input.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface page is configured on the controlling device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface page is configured on a device external to the controlling device and is downloaded to the controlling device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the retrieved first and second supplemental data comprises a synopsis of the respective first and second media streams being delivered from the media stream source wherein the synopsis of the respective first and second media streams are stored in the source of supplemental data in association with titles for the first and second media streams.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing display of at least one of the retrieved first and second supplemental data to be toggled off while continuing with the display of the graphical user interface page configurable button.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising storing the source of supplemental data in a memory accessible by the controlling device.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising accessing a device external to the controlling device to access the memory storing the source of supplemental data.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising assigning to the configurable button via the configuration process the one or more commands to control operations of the one or more consumer electronic devices.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more commands are assigned to the configurable button via the configuration process on a device external to the controlling device and downloaded to the controlling device.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising displaying the configured button in the displayed, configured graphical user interface page using an iconic logo associated with the media stream source.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing at least one of the retrieved first and second supplemental data to be scrolled within the display field of the displayed, configured graphical user interface page.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing at least one of the retrieved first and second supplemental data to be rolled within the display field of the displayed, configured graphical user interface page.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing at least one of the retrieved first and second supplemental data displayed in the display field of the displayed, configured graphical user interface page to be updated with new supplemental data retrieved from the source of supplemental data when the configured graphical user interface page is displayed for longer than a predetermined period of time.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising retrieving the first and second supplemental data from an electronic program guide.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising retrieving the first and second supplemental data from a media transmission from the media stream source.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising retrieving the first and second supplemental data from a Web site.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the configured button comprises a soft button displayed within the displayed, configured graphical user interface page and the method comprises using at least one of the retrieved first and second supplemental data to cause a change in a location in which the configured button is displayed within the displayed, configured graphical user interface page.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising using at least one of the retrieved first and second supplemental data to cause a change in a visual appearance associated with the configurable button as displayed in the displayed, configured graphical user interface page.

19. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising using at least one of the retrieved first and second supplemental data to cause a change in a visual appearance associated with the display field as displayed in the displayed, configured graphical user interface page.